Favorite Goku Voice?

[Majin Buu]

My issue with Nozawa's voice isn't that it's a woman, but so obnoxiously weird and childish

Well, Goku is a weird and childish person......

I know Mike Tyson was brought up, but his voice is still that of a grown man - the lisp, the New York accent, and his soft-spoken nature is what really makes him sound goofy.

Dante Basco (the voice of Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender) is another example. The dude still sounds like a teenager despite being in his fourties.

For a female example, Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson) is a middle aged woman that still sounds like a prepubescent girl.

People with voices that don't match their age do exist. I'd say if anything, it only serves to emphasize how fundamentally unusual Goku is.

[BeaBumby]

The counter to this would be that she basically uses the same register to play Dr. Kureha, an older woman doctor, in One Piece.

The counter to the counter is that Dr. Kureha looks like Geddy Lee, and Geddy Lee has a wildly unique voice.

This is true, though I haven't encountered any other old lady characters that sound like her.

I don't know if this is right word, but her voice has a uniquely androgynous quality to it.

Personally, yeah I think she fits. Her voice has that child-like aroma around it, and her screams are about as powerful as you'd expect from a character such as Goku. Girl or not I like it

[jjgp1112]

My issue with Nozawa's voice isn't that it's a woman, but so obnoxiously weird and childish

Well, Goku is a weird and childish person......

Yes, I'm aware - but that doesn't mean I can still stand to listen to the voice or have that aspect beaten over the head to me, either (especially since much of Z downplays Goku's childishness).

[dva_raza]

the other thing with nozawa that i don't really get with a lot of Woman stuff is that, nozawa's voice for goku doesn't sound like the typical female seiyuu voicing a male character, (like a kurama, a shinji, a alphonse, etc) and it's definitely Not feminine. i think with some of the cadences and tone you can tell that it's a woman voicing him but i don't really get how the performance itself from that is distracting. as much as i love her performances, some of her Bwaak's KEEEECH's and such just aren't gonna mesh with some people and it's a unique performance in that aspect, but i don't get how people just go Voiced By A Woman Doesn't Fit. it's super tunnel visioned and honestly sometimes kinda just speaks to anime fans issues with women (but not so much here).

This.

Put Nozawa's Goku on an actual female character and it's not going to fit (Especially when she starts getting deep with it like when she's doing Super Saiyan 3 Goku).

Because she doesn't voice him like a woman.

I have a suspicion that there's a vaguely sexist/toxically masculine element to this complaint as well. Like "a woman can't voice a fighting man" or "fighting men can't have soft, boyish voices".

I find this argument very unnecessary and unfair.
First, I already mentioned this above, but I actually find Goku to be soft and boyish, which is just how Sean and Mario Castañeda sound to me, boyish guys, not macho men like Vegeta for example. Which is why they're so fitting.
Also "a woman can't voice a fighting man" this I'm sorry but it's ridiculous. It's not hating on women to say I prefer a man to be voiced by a man or at least by a woman who manages to sound like a 30yr old man.
Example: kid trunks in latin america is fantastic, sounds like a baddass spoiled arrogant BOY. I couldn't care less that the actress is a woman because somehow she sounds like a boy and that's all I care about.
It's so close minded to call any complaint like mine to be sexist. Like I said, would you like it for Sailor moon to be voiced by a male actor who is a terrific performer who also sounds like a man? And then if you don't like it then you're called sexist because instead of only paying attention to the amazing performance you're taken aback by the the fact that this girl has a man's voice?

[Majin Buu]

I find this argument very unnecessary and unfair.
First, I already mentioned this above, but I actually find Goku to be soft and boyish, which is just how Sean and Mario Castañeda sound to me, boyish guys, not macho men like Vegeta for example. Which is why they're so fitting.
Also "a woman can't voice a fighting man" this I'm sorry but it's ridiculous. It's not hating on women to say I prefer a man to be voiced by a man or at least by a woman who manages to sound like a 30yr old man. It's so close minded to call any complaint like mine to be sexist. Like I said, would you like it for Sailor moon to be voiced by a male actor who is a terrific performer who also sounds like a man?

I was more concurring with Soppa than responding to you, but if what I said isn't your mindset then it doesn't apply to you.

And if this theoretical male actor could convincingly sound like a woman, then yes, I wouldn't have a problem with him voicing Sailor Moon. That's the thing, Nozawa's Goku doesn't sound feminine to me, but more like a boyish man (much like what you think about the dub Gokus you like).

[Soppa Saia People]

I think it's not so much tunnel vision as very basic logic. Which is something relevant in casting. You don't just cast a talented person, you first take into account the physical profile fitting the character (the voice in the case for voice acting). The talent should be a given for any working actor which is why I don't really find relevant here. Everybody who is working is a good enough performer otherwise they wouldn't be working.
I agree that she doesn't sound very feminine but she 100% sounds like a woman and Goku is not a woman so it kind of incoherent for me.
I obviously don't know this but it's my belief the actress was invited to stay for Z more for personal reasons (they already have a bond with her, know she's professional, etc) than creative ones (like actually wanting her voice in particular).

i guess it just depends if you think the voice fits or not, i don't really like the argument that Well Vocal Chords Are Unique Some Men Sound That High and vice versa because i think it's kinda silly. some people sound like tom delonge but that doesn't mean i want characters to sound like that in a medium where you can cast whoever, but i think nozawa's voice fits and has always fit. it's not really a matter of gender, yes it's a bit higher and more androgynous then i think most people would expect a character like cell arc ers goku would sound, but it gets across everything in his personality and i can get immersed in her performances (as all of the son family but mainly goku) without focusing on Wow His Voice Sounds Girly or whatever.

also it's funny you bring up sailor moon given that if i remember correctly, there was a running joke in the japanese fandom that fish eye was "Ishida Gender" because of the fact that so many people thought their voice actor was a woman but was actually akira ishida, a man. or something like that.

[dva_raza]

I find this argument very unnecessary and unfair.
First, I already mentioned this above, but I actually find Goku to be soft and boyish, which is just how Sean and Mario Castañeda sound to me, boyish guys, not macho men like Vegeta for example. Which is why they're so fitting.
Also "a woman can't voice a fighting man" this I'm sorry but it's ridiculous. It's not hating on women to say I prefer a man to be voiced by a man or at least by a woman who manages to sound like a 30yr old man. It's so close minded to call any complaint like mine to be sexist. Like I said, would you like it for Sailor moon to be voiced by a male actor who is a terrific performer who also sounds like a man?

I was more concurring with Soppa than responding to you, but if what I said isn't your mindset then it doesn't apply to you.

And if this theoretical male actor could convincingly sound like a woman, then yes, I wouldn't have a problem with him voicing Sailor Moon. That's the thing, Nozawa's Goku doesn't sound feminine to me, but more like a boyish man (much like what you think about the dub Gokus you like).

I wasn't sure who you were responding to, I was sure that you said you have the suspicion that any opinion as mine has a sexist motive. You did imply you think that and I wanted to respond precisely because I've seen people yell sexism when somebody says they don't like Nozawa and I find that unfair

And if this theoretical male actor could convincingly sound like a woman, then yes, I wouldn't have a problem with him voicing Sailor Moon

That's the thing, Nozawa doesn't convincingly sound like a man.

[Majin Buu]

I wasn't sure who you were responding to, I was sure that you said you have the suspicion that any opinion as mine has a sexist motive. You did imply you think that and I wanted to respond precisely because I've seen people yell sexism when somebody says they don't like Nozawa and I find that unfair

Just because you find that unfair doesn't mean it isn't a thing. It's just a thing that doesn't apply to you.

That's the thing, Nozawa doesn't convincingly sound like a man.

She doesn't convincingly sound like a man to you. It's not a stone cold fact that she doesn't.

[dva_raza]

I wasn't sure who you were responding to, I was sure that you said you have the suspicion that any opinion as mine has a sexist motive. You did imply you think that and I wanted to respond precisely because I've seen people yell sexism when somebody says they don't like Nozawa and I find that unfair

Just because you find that unfair doesn't mean it isn't a thing. It's just a thing that doesn't apply to you.

That's the thing, Nozawa doesn't convincingly sound like a man.

Just because you find that unfair doesn't mean it isn't a thing. It's just a thing that doesn't apply to you..

I find it unfair precisely because it not a thing. I've never heard anybody bash Nozawa because they have a sexist irrational hatred

She doesn't convincingly sound like a man to you. It's not a stone cold fact that she doesn't

No, it is a fact. She doesn't sound like a man.
There are basic objective facts about voice.

[Soppa Saia People]

i mean yeah, not a lot of people are just gonna say I Don't Like Nozawa's Goku Voice Because I Don't Like Female Voices or whatever, but there's absolutely a lot of people who have a bias against her goku voice in part due to it. now like i said with nozawa, i get it because there's not a lof of animated male characters who look like goku and are voiced by women, even other action shounen protags who are voiced by women tend to be a lot younger then goku is by the saiyan arc, and you just don't hear performances like her's, but there's still plenty of people who intentionally or not clearly have a lot of misogyny behind their arguments, and i'm not really willingly to give most internet anime fans the benefit of the doubt wrt gender stuff. i mean even just the "She's a 80 year old woman/grandma!!!!" stuff, it's just a weird statement to make.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

I've seen 6 foot plus, muscular black dudes with voices like Pee Wee Herman. Yes, I know he's a man...but because of the disconnect between looks and voice that exist in real life, I can buy Nozawa's voice on an adult male in the anime. EDIT: Chris Tucker's voice also doesn't match his appearance. I'm just used to it because I've seen him in movies for a long time, but if not for that I'd never associate his high-pitched voice with the way he looks.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong for not thinking Nozawa fits adult Goku or that anyone has to subscribe to my personal reasoning, it's just that I don't find it entirely unbelievable.

[MyVisionity]

People would probably be better off throwing out any preconceptions or expectations for what adult males sound like, both in general but especially if they are watching cartoons. It's one reason why I think it would be beneficial to have had a woman voicing Adult Goku in an English language dub, from the start. Given enough time and exposure, I think that the viewers feelings would evolve.

Also, the Sailor Moon as a man comparison is flawed from the beginning. Males typically don't voice females. However, it is common to find females voicing males, particularly male children. You are correct about it being "basic logic". It's *too* basic for the subject matter. Men are not women and women are not men. The standards will always change between genders.

[dva_raza]

I've seen 6 foot plus, muscular black dudes with voices like Pee Wee Herman. Yes, I know he's a man...but because of the disconnect between looks and voice that exist in real life, I can buy Nozawa's voice on an adult male in the anime. EDIT: Chris Tucker's voice also doesn't match his appearance. I'm just used to it because I've seen him in movies for a long time, but if not for that I'd never associate his high-pitched voice with the way he looks.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong for not thinking Nozawa fits adult Goku or that anyone has to subscribe to my personal reasoning, it's just that I don't find it entirely unbelievable.

"I've seen 6 foot plus, muscular black dudes with voices like Pee Wee Herman"

LOL maybe that's the thing, I haven't seen this.
Which is maybe why I'm rooted to the classical notion of how a man's voice sounds, and I don't mean that it has to be low, there are many high pitched male voices. The timber is what makes it unmistakable to identify as a male or female voice.
Regarding Chris Tucker I honestly don't find his voice feminine. High pitched, with crazy intonations yes, but even though it might not match his looks it matches his personality (or his characters).
This doesn't happen with Goku (for me). It just took me out of the experience everytime Goku spoke or worst of all screamed and her voice as Black made me think of an old witch who lives in the woods everytime she spoke.

[dva_raza]

People would probably be better off throwing out any preconceptions or expectations for what adult males sound like, both in general but especially if they are watching cartoons. It's one reason why I think it would be beneficial to have had a woman voicing Adult Goku in an English language dub, from the start. Given enough time and exposure, I think that the viewers feelings would evolve.

Also, the Sailor Moon as a man comparison is flawed from the beginning. Males typically don't voice females. However, it is common to find females voicing males, particularly male children. You are correct about it being "basic logic". It's *too* basic for the subject matter. Men are not women and women are not men. The standards will always change between genders.

I don't see how it's flawed. It's exactly the same aproach of having an opposite gender voice a character only the other way around.
It is basic logic, yes. It can't be "too" basic. It is an objective perspective to human voice.

Men are not women and women are not men.

Exactly

The standards will always change between genders

Not physical standards, those are pretty much established biologically.

[MyVisionity]

The standards will always change between genders

Not physical standards, those are pretty much established biologically.

I meant that the standards for what is acceptable for men and women will always be different. In this particular case, that refers to voicing characters of the opposite sex/gender. Having a male voicing a female character is not the equivalent of having a female voicing a male character.

[dva_raza]

The standards will always change between genders

Not physical standards, those are pretty much established biologically.

I meant that the standards for what is acceptable for men and women will always be different. In this particular case, that refers to voicing characters of the opposite sex/gender. Having a male voicing a female character is not the equivalent of having a female voicing a male character.

I understand what you mean but not sure I agree. I think a man with a high pitched voice let's say like Chris Tucker, voicing a female character, could be the exact equivalent of Nozawa who fans say doesn't sound particularly feminine voicing a male character

[PurestEvil]

I think Edna Mode being voiced by a male VA should be considered here. It is a bit awkward to say that no man can’t be “good” at playing female roles.

[Majin Buu]

I find it unfair precisely because it not a thing. I've never heard anybody bash Nozawa because they have a sexist irrational hatred

"I haven't seen it so it's not a thing" is not a good counterargument. People typically use that logic when they don't want to acknowledge uncomfortable things.

No, it is a fact. She doesn't sound like a man.

You're right, she doesn't sound like a man- she sounds like a boyish man.

[dva_raza]

I find it unfair precisely because it not a thing. I've never heard anybody bash Nozawa because they have a sexist irrational hatred

"I haven't seen it so it's not a thing" is not a good counterargument. People typically use that logic when they don't want to acknowledge uncomfortable things.

No, it is a fact. She doesn't sound like a man.

You're right, she doesn't sound like a man- she sounds like a boyish man.

Well I don't know about "people" but I have no problem acknowledging anything. I'm just being honest.
Also a boyish man is still a man but fine, whatever

[NitroEX]

Speaking strictly to the English VAs... Peter Kelamis has always been top of my list. As a casting choice, I think he was as close to a perfect fit as you could reasonably hope to find. He possessed most of the qualities you'd want in a Goku voice from the start without having to learn much of it, he had the screaming range and a knack for goofy delivery, he could even sound heroic when needed but most importantly he seemed to have an easier time conveying Goku's naive nature underneath the heroics.
The performance itself wasn't perfect, it did waver in terms of consistency over the years but I think part of that had to do with the various issues inherent to the broadcast dubs and the stop and start nature of his run. Thankfully the Pioneer dubs are where he got to shine with consistent direction closer in tone to the original Japanese, and he nailed it there as an English match for Nozawa's Goku. He had the naive characteristics down while also being a more palatable voice for the Western audience (because very few female English VAs could have hoped to believably match Nozawa as adult Goku).
I think it really can't be understated how perfect his yells were for Goku, his range allowed him to reach higher-pitched screams and kiai most of the other male actors simply couldn't do, and unlike the other VAs (barring Lex Lang's Kenshiro inspired take) he actually sounded like a genuine martial artist when Goku was fighting. The yells really helped give him that similar vibe to Nozawa and it's a rare trait worth valuing because it wasn't something that had to be forced, it was just a stroke of luck that Ian Corlett's soundalike could do the yells the way he did.
The only real complaints I've seen with regards to Kelamis are the accent or his way of speaking, some consider him too awkward or not adequately cool/heroic sounding but in my view, I've never felt it was a prerequisite for Goku's character to sound cool or badass, at least not consciously. It's just a shame we never got to hear his take on Namek Super Saiyan Goku because we never heard his Goku in a full rage.

Schemmel is often touted as the best Goku, and he's played the role for the longest so he certainly should have the experience to be the best, yet I still find elements of his version aren't ideal. His voice is fitting but a little deeper than I'd prefer. His early work in the original series I mostly don't care for, he started off a little too green and wasn't hugely remarkable aside from some key moments from the later Z movies. It was only in Kai that I appreciated the effort he was putting into the role yet I still didn't think he was the perfect fit that Kelamis was. His yells in particular, while they've improved in intensity, have had the side effect of growing more villainous in sound which I think is a byproduct of his voice being on the deeper end, or perhaps it's just a direction issue (i.e. consciously trying to make Goku edgier or badass). I've also never fully bought into his portrayal of Goku's naive and carefree side. It never felt as genuine to me and I think it's got something to do with the juxtaposition in his acting when Goku is serious vs his lighter moments, it can sometimes come off like he's playing a character with a split personality due to the stark difference in his voice acting. It's hard to really pin down but I just find it a little jarring particularly in Super or videogames. But to his credit, the rage moments do still feel genuine and I think it's largely what he excels at, it's just not the be-all and end-all for the role in my opinion. I also think I'm just fatigued with hearing Schemmel for so long and would prefer anyone different as he's already hit his peak at this point.

Ian Corlett and Kirby Morrow are both similar portrayals to one another and I'm still fond of them both but judging them as objectively as I can, I think they were a better fit for Funimation's early vision of Goku. As a result, neither would have really been my ideal casting choice for a faithful dub. Ian Corlett might've had more potential to give us a decent attempt at that with the Pioneer dubs but I feel his heart ultimately wasn't in the role at the time (which... I can't blame him considering the pay) and his 75% rule in regards to screams meant he was never really going to touch Kelamis or Schemmel in that department. I really enjoyed what he did in the role though, both he and Kirby handled the fatherly side of the Goku/Gohan dynamic really well, and in regards to Kirby specifically, his goofier side of Goku was very charming and rather underrated. Kirby just kind of had the problem of sounding a bit too righteous, but it wasn't a conscious choice, just a natural trait of his voice that would have held him back if he'd wanted to do more with the role, but in the end, I still admired that he tried to push himself with the yells and showed signs of improvement by the end of his run. Kirby's dedication to the role was something I wish both Ian and Kelamis had shared.

Contrary to the prevailing opinion, I actually think Steve Blum had the potential to be a good Goku if he had more time with the role. I don't think he'd have reached the same level of screaming that Kelamis did but in terms of the voice, it really wasn't bad. He had a fun energy to his voice and he didn't sound overly heroic like Morrow did or, at times, even Ian Corlett. Steve Blum could have been a good contender for the voice and provided a more faithful portrayal than Kirby Morrow if he tried. However, that ship has long since sailed and Blum would never touch the role at this stage of his career, nor would Funimation want him to. On the subject of Blum's take, I'd wager that Richard Ian Cox probably sounded very similar to Steve's because they both have a similar sound, unfortunately, we'll probably never hear that version to verify.

Nesty Calvo Ramirez was a better Goku overall than Lex Lang, and he sounded more age-appropriate than Watson, the performance wasn't bad either if you can excuse the slight accent.

Venturing into miscast territory... Lex Lang's speaking voice for Goku in the Bang Zoom dub often reminded me a little of Steve Blum's only Lex couldn't quite capture the same energetic youthful delivery. Another issue I had with Lang's Goku was that he sounded a little too old for my liking. The Kenshiro screams, while an interesting experiment, ultimately wasn't a choice I felt worked for the character. In the end, I don't think there was much potential for improvement.

Jeremiah Yurk's Goku had some okay delivery, he managed to match Kirby fairly well at the start and end of GT which makes me think that was the priority for his casting. However, most of the time he just sounded like a stereotypical jock or American frat boy to me. There was none of the vulnerability with him that you got with Corlett, Kelamis or Morrow, and his yells weren't very remarkable either but it was to be expected considering how green the Calgary cast still were.

I don't have any strong opinions on Jeffrey Watson. I didn't get to hear much of his take but from what I recall he sounded the youngest of the lot and more of a teenage archetypal voice. I get what they were going for with that but in the grand scheme of things, it was still a bit of a miscast.

David Gasman was by far the most miscast. Far too deep of a voice.

In terms of the female English VAs... Barbara Goodson all the way. I don't think her performance in the Harmony Gold dub really does justice to what she's capable of now. With her range and voice type, she's the perfect choice to match Nozawa as Kid Goku. She could definitely pull off similar yells and her portrayal of Goku's personality was just the right amount of naive. I actually think she'd have been the perfect casting choice for a child equivalent of Kelamis' adult Goku.

Of the other Kid Goku actors, only Saffron Henderson comes close to Barbara in my opinion but I vastly prefer Saffron in the role of Gohan so I wouldn't double-cast her unless it was the only option.

Zoe Slusar is an honourable mention and an underrated Kid Goku, she had a serviceable voice for the role but her performance was still admittedly a little amateur at times. Stephanie Nadolny had potential too but her accent was a little too thick for me personally, I just wasn't a fan and found her grating over time, her yells were commendable though.