Best FUNi voice actor

Thanos6 · Post by **Thanos6** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:17 pm

Couldn't find a thread like this anywhere in the last few pages...

We all know FUNi got many, if not most, of the English voices horribly, horribly wrong. But there's a few they got right.

My pick for best choice would be Dameon Clarke as Perfect Cell. It wasn't until I heard him that I actually wanted to find out about the VAs.

You?

Tsukento · Post by **Tsukento** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:39 pm

Chris Rager as Mr. Satan. Hits it right on the nail of how he should sound like and he puts quite a bit of feeling into it.

theoriginalbilis · Post by **theoriginalbilis** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:47 pm

As much as some people bitch about the FUNi VAs, I think there are some are really awesome.

I like Eric Vale as Future Trunks. According to the podcast, Eric Vale's Trunks isn't as "polite" or as "well-spoken" as Takeshi Kusao's Trunks, but he fit the angst and nobility of the character perfectly in my opinion.

I also have to go with Sean Schemmel. IN MY OPINION, better than Peter Kelamis, better than Ian Corlett. He improved a great deal since the Freeza arc ("Season 3") and he fits Goku's parental side and goofy side like a bill, despite the fact that the dub doesn't give him a "country bumpkin" manner of speech. Oh yeah, and his screams are cool too.

Also mad props to Kyle Hebert as Gohan, he rocked from the get-go. And Chris Rager as Mr. Satan, who totally gets into that character. Chris Sabat's Vegeta also improved greatly from Season 3, and is now one of my favorite dub performances.

So, yeah. I like quite a few voices from the dub.

Cyberman · Post by **Cyberman** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 2:32 pm

I like several dub actors.

Sean Schemmel is amazing as Goku. He can scream like no other, and he can go from serious to goofy in a snap of a finger. The Saban actor seemed...weird. I don't know why. I like the sound of Goku's laugh in the dub.

Chris Sabat as Vegeta and Piccolo. I was never too fond of Brian Drummond's voice, it was too hoarse and it made him sound like a bug. Chris Sabat adds a bit of a British tone to Vegeta's voice, which I dig. Piccolo has the "noble wise man" tone to his voice, which is cool.

Kyle Herbert as Teen Gohan is nice. Very believable, and I think the peak of his performance was as Mystic Gohan. He had some great banter with Gotenks Buu in my opinion.

Eric Vale is great. No matter what emotion Trunks is in, he always adds a bit of angst to it, which fits the character well.

I like Justin Cook as Buu and Dameon Clarke as Cell. The best voices of these characters in the dub are Gotenks and Gohan Buu and Perfect Cell. Very great villian voice.

ulisa · Post by **ulisa** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:01 pm

I tend to actually prefer a lot of the dub voices, mainly because I grew up knowing the dub voices. Once I learned about the original version and gave it a shot, there were quite a few voices and things I prefered about the Japanese version but overall, I think the dub voices chosen for Goku's family rock.

As said previously, I have to agree that Sean Schemmel is awesome as Goku. In battle scenes, he can take on a serious tone that completely fits the current situation yet if a goofy scene comes up three seconds later, he has no problem making the switch. It's even believable. I most love his voice during those paternal scenes with his children though, it really gives the character a depth. And I have to admit, hearing Goku's scream during transformations is downright amazing.

Cynthia Cranz as ChiChi fits her character completely I believe. I may not like her character but I think her voice fits the personality. Her voice can switch from soft to that stern voice we tend to hear most often. I love hearing ChiChi freak out in the dub, I think it's hilarious.

My all time favorite voice actor though, hands down, is Stephanie Nadolny as young Gohan. Why? Well, I can't exactly say why I like it so much! It sounds so similiar to how she did Goku's young voice but there is a subtle distinction which makes it not completely identical. I think overall, it's the emotion that is packed into such a short amount of dialogue. Case in point: the scene where Goku blows up with Cell on "king Kai's" planet. Hearing that heart wrenching "DADDY!" made my own eyes water.

Ulisa;)

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:10 pm

Kyle Hebert rocks pretty much anything Gohan. Though, I think his performance was much more solid during the series run. He felt kind of weak in Movie 12.

Eric Vale's a really good Trunks.

Dameon Clarke, of course, awesome as (Complete) Cell.

Whoever did Dabura was great, though I'm not familiar with his Japanese Counterpart (so I guess he's the only Dabura voice I know).

Much love for Chris Rager.

Chuck Huber as #17 is impressive.

I think that's about it when it comes to FUNI Dub Voices I care for.

MajinVejitaXV · Post by **MajinVejitaXV** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:31 pm

Six words:

"THE CAPTAIN'S COMING TO GET YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Truly captivating. I felt like he truly was coming to get me. How this didn't win an emmy is beyond me.

-Corey

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:11 pm

MajinVejitaXV wrote:Six words:

"THE CAPTAIN'S COMING TO GET YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Truly captivating. I felt like he truly was coming to get me. How this didn't win an emmy is beyond me.

-Corey

Dale Kelly was truly a god among men.

DBZ MAN · Post by **DBZ MAN** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:15 pm

Sean Schemmel as Goku.

knuxman · Post by **knuxman** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:15 pm

Chris Sabat as Vegeta specifically, but I also like his other work. His work with Vegeta was incredible, especially compared to some other characters by other VAs, I'm still haunted by Goku's "classic" line "Look Vegeta, it's people popcorn!"

Li'l Lemmy · Post by **Li'l Lemmy** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 5:18 pm

I'm a dub fan! My comments:

thanos6 wrote:My pick for best choice would be Dameon Clarke as Perfect Cell. It wasn't until I heard him that I actually wanted to find out about the VAs.

Because of the order in which FUNimation decided to release the DVDs, Perfect Cell and Cell Games were among the last parts of the story I fell into. I remember hearing lots of good things about the Cell sagas in general, but I had been spoiled by the Buu story and all it's superficial "wow!" effects (SSJ3, Fusion, etc.) beforehand and thus went into the Cell arc thinking I would have had to dumb down my expectations.

The story ended up being much better than I'd expected, and carried itself very well . . . and while a lot of what makes it great is the actual design, at least some of the credit had to go to Daemon Clarke. His interpretation of Perfect Cell was a bit rough at the start (his voice started somewhat deeper), but he got so much better at it as the story progressed that I enjoyed it when he had something to say.

It isn't exactly the same characterization as his Japanese counterpart, but after watching both versions I think the attitude and projection was almost similar.

cyberman wrote:Chris Sabat as Vegeta and Piccolo. I was never too fond of Brian Drummond's voice, it was too hoarse and it made him sound like a bug. Chris Sabat adds a bit of a British tone to Vegeta's voice, which I dig. Piccolo has the "noble wise man" tone to his voice, which is cool.

Oh, wow; this brings me back.

The first time I saw Dragonball Z, it was during something called "Dragonball Reset" where Toonami was re-airing the Saban episodes together with the later version all at once. Brian Drummond was the first Vegeta I ever heard. The countless edits and toned-down language did nothing to distract me; Drummond's Vegeta was the reason I kept tuning in to see what happened next, because he just sounded so kick-ass evil.

Then one day, the voices switched on me right in the middle of the story. Goku and Ginyu sounded different, and I can remember thinking that I wouldn't care who else changed so long as Vegeta's voice remained the same; of course, it didn't, and I was so pissed. I couldn't stand the new voice that was coming out of his mouth; something that sounded like a forced Drummond impression that just wasn't very good.

But despite the sudden change, Vegeta remained an intriguing character to me, and my interest in DBZ somehow endured.

After a lot of Freeza reruns, Toonami started airing the new Buu saga episodes, and by then I'd researched enough of the story that I'd discovered the chronological order of the sagas and become more-or-less aware of how long ago the Freeza saga had been dubbed. I'd made my peace with the character voices by then and was actually looking forward to hearing them again in the new episodes.

The rest of the cast sounded about the same as before, but to my amazement I discovered that Vegeta sounded different again, only much more focused and a lot better. But still I was pissed. In my ignorance I assumed that during the parts of DBZ I hadn't seen they swapped voices for Vegeta one more time, and I didn't understand how FUNimation expected me to get into a show with characters whose VAs keep switching in and out; it never occured to me that it was the same guy who took over for Drummond until I took it upon myself to investigate, and once I found out the truth I couldn't believe it.

The man had improved so much. He'd given up on imitating Drummond and twisted Vegeta's voice into his own interpretation, which I actually liked. And since Vegeta was my favorite character anyway, I hinged on his every appearance; I wanted to hear what he had to say, and I wanted to watch him fight. And above all, I wanted him to get angry, because Sabat seemed to pull it off well.

I've since gone back through the sagas to watch the rest of DBZ. Christopher Sabat seems to have trouble all through the Freeza story, but the Drummond imitation doesn't last long beyond that and Vegeta becomes bearable. The "strain" of maintaining his "new" Vegeta seems to finally disappear partway through the struggle with the Androids, and from there he simply continued to get better and more practiced . . .

He's truly awesome during the redubbed episodes. But for all his troubles with getting Vegeta right, I've always enjoyed his Piccolo no matter what.

ulisa wrote:My all time favorite voice actor though, hands down, is Stephanie Nadolny as young Gohan. Why? Well, I can't exactly say why I like it so much! It sounds so similiar to how she did Goku's young voice but there is a subtle distinction which makes it not completely identical. I think overall, it's the emotion that is packed into such a short amount of dialogue. Case in point: the scene where Goku blows up with Cell on "king Kai's" planet. Hearing that heart wrenching "DADDY!" made my own eyes water.

Stephanie Nadolny never ceases to amaze me. Her version is vastly different from Masako Nozawa's, so the sound of "your" Gohan is a true matter of preference, but Nadolny shows an incredible vocal range in the dub that I've really come to appreciate. Goku in Dragonball and Gohan are not so dissimilar where they don't sound related, but you're right; there is a distinction that puts them apart just a bit. It's a bit hard to define in words, though.

Different from both of them is GT Goku, whom I think Nadolny handles really well. It would have been really easy for her to just crank out the DB Goku sound for GT, but the tone and delivery of her lines is a lot different. Her inflections make it so I really can believe that it really is adult Goku trapped in a childhood form.

Perhaps the best way to catch just how wide her range can be is to compare Kid Gohan to the voice Nadolny produces for SSJ2 Gohan. If a grown woman trying to sound like a little boy entails a certain degree of difficulty, then I imagine it would be multiplied several times over when she takes the boy's voice to a pitch so low and focused that he sounds almost like a teenager.

MajinVegetaXV wrote:Six words:

"THE CAPTAIN'S COMING TO GET YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Truly captivating. I felt like he truly was coming to get me. How this didn't win an emmy is beyond me.

GASP!! The sarcasm in here . . . it's so thick, I'm gonna choke to death!! (*gags*)

knuxman wrote:Chris Sabat as Vegeta specifically, but I also like his other work. His work with Vegeta was incredible, especially compared to some other characters by other VAs, I'm still haunted by Goku's "classic" line "Look Vegeta, it's people popcorn!"

And Vegeta's response, "What is he on?!"

EDIT: Before I forget, I think Kara Edwards was the perfect choice for Goten . . . who is coincidentally my favorite character. Her performance is similar enough to that of Nadolnly's DB Goku and Kid Gohan that Goten definitely comes from the same family "sound," but different enough where he sounds unique and fairly removed from the other two. So got-danged cute.

masenko · Post by **masenko** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:59 pm

The dub voice for General Blue in Dragonball is truly amazing. It has character, class, and enough homosexual innuendo to satisfy any fan of the series who knows the "true" Blue.

Tanooki Kuribo · Post by **Tanooki Kuribo** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:15 pm

The best was the guy in the pink hat! That was awsome, who did his voice?

Thanos6 · Post by **Thanos6** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:25 pm

The story ended up being much better than I'd expected, and carried itself very well . . . and while a lot of what makes it great is the actual design, at least some of the credit had to go to Daemon Clarke. His interpretation of Perfect Cell was a bit rough at the start (his voice started somewhat deeper), but he got so much better at it as the story progressed that I enjoyed it when he had something to say.

He had some great lines in his last few episodes, after coming back as Super Perfect Cell.

*after killing Mirai Trunks* "My aim is as good as ever. It's so good to be back."

*Piccolo and the humans start blasting him in the back* "They just keep lining up to die."

"Why don't you JUST -- STAY -- DOWN?!?!"

Eat Snow · Post by **Eat Snow** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:31 pm

Probably one of my favorite dub voices is Chris Sabat's Colonel Silver (yes, way way way back in DB). They changed his character to a ridiculous extent, from...I guess you could say from Piccolo to Vegeta in terms of personality. I could definitely pick up on some actual emotion, mainly when he was angry, which was nearly all the time. And this is sort of off-topic, but some people have been complaining that Silver's voice sounded a bit too much like Vegeta's...but what's ironic about that is, since technically Dragonball came first, Vegeta sounds like Silver.

And everyone I've talked to really liked his voice, but I'm not so sure if it was about how well it fit his character, if you know what I mean.

And I also agree with masenko. Blue's dub voice was pretty good. And I thought Murasaki's was done well too; it fit his character. I actually like Purple's English voice better than his Japanese one...

Mr. Announcer · Post by **Mr. Announcer** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:46 pm

Man, I have to say Sean Schemmel can go to hell for all I care. I acknowledge that he's really into his part and serious about getting into character, as well as the fact that he has improved a lot but to this day I cannot listen to him say Gokuh's lines without experiencing a strong urge to mute the TV which I usually give into. There's just this incredibly annoying quality to his voice that really gets me, especially when he laughs. I know most people say he yells pretty well but in my opinion it never sounds believable as a reaction to pain and has a wierd pitiful yelping-ness to it. He gets an A for effort but I don't think he cuts it for Gokuh.

I have sort of the same feelings about Nadolny, she seems to put in a lot of effort but really lacks in range of pitch? emotion? not sure, but she's pretty static. She sounded pretty natural as little Gokuh in GT but for Gohan and DB Gokuh it just sounded like she was stressing the quality of her voice so much that she couldn't really act with it.

As for actors I like, Chris Sabat is good, but maybe not for like 3 important characters. Out of those I would say I like his Piccolo best, it sometimes comes off a little awkward when he laughs but overall he pulls it off very well.

I actually thought I wouldn't like Kyle Herbert but he turned out to be quite the talented actor for Teen Gohan. He does a very goofy great saiyaman that almost makes you cringe until you realize that that was the whole point. He also has a very believable emotional tone to his voice that works, even if it's not quite as gentle a tone as Gohan needs.

JPA82 · Post by **JPA82** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:29 am

FUNimation has some decent voice overs, I'll admit. I think they did a good job with Frieza, Kame, Piccolo, Bulma, Trunks & Supreme Kai. But the best English voice over, IMO, belonged to Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, back when Pioneer did it. It fit him perfectly.

Vegeta: "It's over 5000!!!!!" :crushes scouter in hand:

Classic!

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:18 am

JPA82 wrote:FUNimation has some decent voice overs, I'll admit. I think they did a good job with Freeza, Kame, Piccolo, Bulma, Trunks & Supreme Kai. But the best English voice over, IMO, belonged to Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, back when Pioneer did it. It fit him perfectly.

Vegeta: "It's over 5000!!!!!" :crushes scouter in hand:

Classic!

Brian Drummond.

Chaos Saiyajin · Post by **Chaos Saiyajin** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:20 am

Stephanie Nadolny, no doubt. In my opinion, FUNi's best VA, along with Chris Sabat. I love the way she captures the innoncence of Goku and Gohan as children, and Chris Sabat's Vegeta is amazing to say the least.

Post by **desirecampbell** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:04 am

JPA82 wrote:I think they did a good job with Freeza...

What?! Freeza is not a Grandma. Sorry, man. I can't imagine a world where Freeza sounds like that. Since I heard Nakao Ryusei I can't go back.

Anyway... "best FUNi VA"? It's been so long since I've seen it (damn you YTV) it's hard to remember. I actually can't remember which VA is Goku, I'm sure I liked one of them. I didn't mind Piccolo or Vegeta, so I'd have to go with Sabat for-the-win.