Why wasn't Raditz voiced by Masako Nozawa?

[JohnnyCashKami]

He was Son's brother and Nozawa voices every male character of the family, but Raditz was VA'd by someone else? Why?

I just looked up "Raditz Masako Nozawa" but no one seems to have done a voice edit video to show what we could have gotten. This sort of an issue could've been fixed on Kai by having Nozawa voicing him. Oh well, what a shame.

[Shaddy]

Probably because he doesn't really look like Goku at all. Every other Nozawa character bears at least a passing resemblance to the guy, if not being a near carbon copy.

[MyVisionity]

They were either Goku clones or in Gohan's case an inverted "Mini-Goku".

They also probably wanted to get someone else to take on such a decidedly villainous role like Raditz. Chiba Shigeru was a good pick.

[KBABZ]

Probably because he doesn't really look like Goku at all. Every other Nozawa character bears at least a passing resemblance to the guy, if not being a near carbon copy.

It's a good thing too, or else I would never have picked that Tullece was meant to be an evil mirror of Goku!

[Michsi]

He was Son's brother and Nozawa voices every male character of the family, but Raditz was VA'd by someone else? Why?

I just looked up "Raditz Masako Nozawa" but no one seems to have done a voice edit video to show what we could have gotten. This sort of an issue could've been fixed on Kai by having Nozawa voicing him. Oh well, what a shame.

Probably because Nozawa voicing every male character of the family hadn't yet been set as a rule. Gohan was introduced pretty much at the same time as Raditz and it made sense for the person that previously voiced Goku as a kid to also voice his offspring. Gohan looked a lot lik Goku did, whereas Raditz doesn't remind you much of his brother. As for changing that in Kai, Raditz's VA is pretty well known too and it probably wouldn't have sat well with Z fans.

[DragonBallFoodie]

Back then Shigeru Chiba (Raditz) was Goku's nemesis as Emperor Pilaf, so it looked like a way to show viewers that DBZ would be different from DB by having a villain who had a closer connection to Goku and who was not a comedic failure.

[MyVisionity]

Back then Shigeru Chiba (Raditz) was Goku's nemesis as Emperor Pilaf, so it looked like a way to show viewers that DBZ would be different from DB by having a villain who had a closer connection to Goku and who was not a comedic failure.

I hadn't even thought of that. I wonder if it was intentional in any way. Would Japanese audiences even pickup on the fact that it was Chiba in both roles?

[SaintEvolution]

Back then Shigeru Chiba (Raditz) was Goku's nemesis as Emperor Pilaf, so it looked like a way to show viewers that DBZ would be different from DB by having a villain who had a closer connection to Goku and who was not a comedic failure.

Hasn't noticed that yet until now.

[The Tori-bot]

It also conceals the double-whammy alien/brother twist until it's revealed - if Raditz started talking like Goku as soon as he appeared you'd know what's up. I don't think Nozawa ever voiced any other prominent characters besides Goku before that.

Of course this was probably just coincidence, as the general understanding at the time was that you had read the manga in Jump already.

[KBABZ]

It also conceals the double-whammy alien/brother twist until it's revealed - if Raditz started talking like Goku as soon as he appeared you'd know what's up. I don't think Nozawa ever voiced any other prominent characters besides Goku before that.

I actually disagree there; the trope of Nozawa voicing every member of the male Goku lineage arguably didn't start until she had done Bardock, or Tullece. But, now that I think about it, Gohan Jr. had been introduced in that same episode, after Nozawa had spend four years playing just Goku, so that might have been a tip-off. But, to double-counter myself, Japan has never really cared about spoilers for the sake of hype.

Of course this was probably just coincidence, as the general understanding at the time was that you had read the manga in Jump already.

Hm, I dunno, what was the culture of anime/manga in Japan? How many people would have been like "Yeah I watch the anime only because the filler enriches the story"?

[FortuneSSJ]

Because Nozawa doesn't have to voice every male from Goku's family.
The real question is why Bardock wasn't voiced by Shigeru Chiba?! It would fit his personality much better.

[ABED]

Because Nozawa doesn't have to voice every male from Goku's family.
The real question is why Bardock wasn't voiced by Shigeru Chiba?! It would fit his personality much better.

I don't think it would fit Bardock's design.

[KBABZ]

Because Nozawa doesn't have to voice every male from Goku's family.
The real question is why Bardock wasn't voiced by Shigeru Chiba?! It would fit his personality much better.

I don't think it would fit Bardock's design.

Heavy disagree. While typical "Grandma Goku" complaints are old and invalid, I can see a genuine case for Bardock, who is a much gruffer and battle-hardened character compared to Goku.

[ABED]

Because Nozawa doesn't have to voice every male from Goku's family.
The real question is why Bardock wasn't voiced by Shigeru Chiba?! It would fit his personality much better.

I don't think it would fit Bardock's design.

Heavy disagree. While typical "Grandma Goku" complaints are old and invalid, I can see a genuine case for Bardock, who is a much gruffer and battle-hardened character compared to Goku.

They look exactly the same with the exception of a scar. It's just not a design I see a voice that deep and gravely (for lack of a better word) coming from.

[KorgDTR2000]

I've always assumed it's because Raditz' identity is a plot twist and Nozawa would give it away.

I also think it's why Trunks is voiced by Takeshi Kusao instead of Ryō Horikawa.

[Apollo Fungus]

I actually don't mind that Raditz isn't voiced by Nozawa. I think Chiba gives a very good performance, and I do like that he was also the voice of Pilaf (it's a small connection, but one with a bit of an amusing irony to it, I feel). I can understand why some folks would want the Son family to be consistently voiced by Nozawa if she's already doing the vast majority of them, but I'm okay with the discrepancy because I think it makes more sense thematically.

Think about everyone else she voices, how she voices them, and why:

Gohan and Goten are Goku's sons, but they're not exactly like him. Gohan doesn't have the same enthusiasm or commitment towards the life of a martial artist, and Goten's a bratty kid who's more interested in messing around than training - and these differences are reflected in Nozawa's performances for the two, which are noticeably distinct from Goku's voice.

While it might a bit weird for Nozawa to voice Bardock when he's nothing like Goku beyond the appearance, it works in creating a voice that sounds somewhat familiar, but is so different that it's disturbingly unrecognizable - much like the character himself. From a perspective, I also liked the theory that having Nozawa be his voice tied the Bardock Special (which is so far removed from the main series both chronologically and tonally) back to Dragon Ball in a very distinct way.

Tullece didn't need to be voiced by Nozawa, but the point of his character was to go for an obvious 'Evil Goku' analogue, so it makes sense she'd do the performance in order to bring that idea to life vocally.

Now what about Raditz? The point of his character is to create someone who is so unlike Goku that the very idea that they could be related is both inconceivable and shocking, so that the truth of their heritage is all the more of a game-changer. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense to cast someone besides Nozawa to voice him, just to express that idea in the same way that his brutal personality and alien appearance do.