Serious Dragon Ball Questions For Fans About The Voice of Goku

[MasenkoHA]

"It's much better for me... AND TASTES GREAT!"

He's putting emphasis on "better" because it's to contrast the sports drink from the beer. And who wouldn't be excited about a great-tasting drink? Especially someone like Goku? Why restrain your enthusiasm?

That's not enthusiasm, that's hacky over the top cartoonish voice acting. Why is he so enthusiastic? It's picking out a drink. It's over the top. He's practically at an 11 when the moment requires a 2. I really wish I could demonstrate why it's such a ridiculously bad performance. He's picking out a drink, not uncovering the Ark of the Covenant.

Given the dialog screams “PSA for the kids” I can’t say Kelamis delivery is wrong per se.

I agree it’s not a natural delivery but neither is the dialog

[ABED]

I get your point and I've thought of that, but even as a PSA, that delivery is WAY too over the top. Schemmel is way more natural in that moment while also delivering on the PSA angle. It's not just the enthusiasm, it's the weird cadence of Kelamis's delivery.

[MyVisionity]

That's not enthusiasm, that's hacky over the top cartoonish voice acting. Why is he so enthusiastic? It's picking out a drink. It's over the top. He's practically at an 11 when the moment requires a 2. I really wish I could demonstrate why it's such a ridiculously bad performance. He's picking out a drink, not uncovering the Ark of the Covenant.

It's Goku. He loves to eat and drink almost more than anything else. But again, the writing isn't really helpful.

As for the weird cadence, Goku is a weird guy.

[ABED]

That's not enthusiasm, that's hacky over the top cartoonish voice acting. Why is he so enthusiastic? It's picking out a drink. It's over the top. He's practically at an 11 when the moment requires a 2. I really wish I could demonstrate why it's such a ridiculously bad performance. He's picking out a drink, not uncovering the Ark of the Covenant.

It's Goku. He loves to eat and drink almost more than anything else. But again, the writing isn't really helpful.

As for the weird cadence, Goku is a weird guy.

You can't chalk up god awful acting to "he likes food" and "he's a weird guy". Nozawa and even Schemmel can manage such a simple scene without making him sound like he's found an oasis in the desert. Let's not get hung up on this one scene. There are a dozens I can point to that show how god awful Kelamis is as Goku, like the scene when Goku ingests the senzu after nearly dying under 100 g's on his way to Namek.

The only single solitary reason anyone makes a favorable comparison between Nozawa and Kelamis is because he has a high voice. He has some impressive screams, that's it. Screams aren't a performance.

[omegacwa]

That's not enthusiasm, that's hacky over the top cartoonish voice acting. Why is he so enthusiastic? It's picking out a drink. It's over the top. He's practically at an 11 when the moment requires a 2. I really wish I could demonstrate why it's such a ridiculously bad performance. He's picking out a drink, not uncovering the Ark of the Covenant.

It's Goku. He loves to eat and drink almost more than anything else. But again, the writing isn't really helpful.

As for the weird cadence, Goku is a weird guy.

You can't chalk up god awful acting to "he likes food" and "he's a weird guy". Nozawa and even Schemmel can manage such a simple scene without making him sound like he's found an oasis in the desert. Let's not get hung up on this one scene. There are a dozens I can point to that show how god awful Kelamis is as Goku, like the scene when Goku ingests the senzu after nearly dying under 100 g's on his way to Namek.

The only single solitary reason anyone makes a favorable comparison between Nozawa and Kelamis is because he has a high voice. He has some impressive screams, that's it. Screams aren't a performance.

Now don't quote me on this, but MOST PEOPLE like him in the movies. We are not talking about the series which from what I have heard he was brought in in a similar fashion to the original in house funi crew. He was told, "here you go, read this, sound like Ian Corlett." I don't think anyone is saying he was good in the series. I'm saying he was good in the movies and only the movies. You keep sighting examples from the series, which I just stated above might not be fair.

[MasenkoHA]

Regardless of how one feels about him he honestly sounds the same in the series as he does in the movies. If someone doesn’t like him in one they won’t like him in the other.

He doesn’t sound Ian Corlett ish in the series either.

[omegacwa]

Regardless of how one feels about him he honestly sounds the same in the series as he does in the movies. If someone doesn’t like him in one they won’t like him in the other.

He doesn’t sound Ian Corlett ish in the series either.

I was speaking of his performance. Not specifically his vocal tone.

[ABED]

Fair enough. He's moderately better, but it's mostly because of the script. As to your point about sounding like Corlette, I don't see it, and I don't know what you mean by "I was speaking of his performance. Not specifically his vocal tone."

[omegacwa]

Fair enough. He's moderately better, but it's mostly because of the script. As to your point about sounding like Corlette, I don't see it, and I don't know what you mean by "I was speaking of his performance. Not specifically his vocal tone."

What I'm saying is that he "sounds" the same as the series, but his performance is better. If you don't like his vocal tone that's fine.

I'm not saying he sounds like Ian Corlette. When he was brought in he was told to try and voice match, which might have lead to some of his performance issues. I don't know if that is the case 100% but I would imagine it wouldn't help. By the time the movies were done he had time to develop his version of Goku.

[ABED]

I know the in house cast was told to, but I don't hear that out of Kelamis. Corlette is much more subdued. If he was trying to sound like Corlette, he missed the mark by a mile. As bad as Sabat's Drummond impression was, I can hear that he was trying to sound like Drummond.

[MasenkoHA]

I don’t see any evidence he was told to act like Corlett either. He doesn’t sound like Corlett and he delivers his lines completely unlike Corlett. Corlett’s Goku was very laidback and chill and “heroic” when the situation called for it. Kelamis Goku sounds like they wanted to make Goku “cool” to the 6-11 demo like Sonic or the Ninja Turtles “hey dudes Goku’s a martial artist with serious tude”

Schemmel’s early Goku screams “sounds close enough to Corlett but directed to imitate Kelamis’s inflections” (very poorly)

Also I’m pretty sure the movies were dubbed in 1997 around the same time as season 2 was wrapping up production? Kelamis probably dubbed those movies almost immediately after finishing episode 53

[omegacwa]

I don’t see any evidence he was told to act like Corlett either. He doesn’t sound like Corlett and he delivers his lines completely unlike Corlett. Corlett’s Goku was very laidback and chill and “heroic” when the situation called for it. Kelamis Goku sounds like they wanted to make Goku “cool” to the 6-11 demo like Sonic or the Ninja Turtles “hey dudes Goku’s a martial artist with serious tude”

Schemmel’s early Goku screams “sounds close enough to Corlett but directed to imitate Kelamis’s inflections” (very poorly)

Also I’m pretty sure the movies were dubbed in 1997 around the same time as season 2 was wrapping up production? Kelamis probably dubbed those movies almost immediately after finishing episode 53

I could have sworn I heard an interview where he mentioned that they wanted him to try to sound like Corlett since he was taking over for him.
If the movies were dubbed at the same time as the show then his increase in performance comes from better script and better directing.

[ABED]

I've never seen anything from Kelamis about him having to imitate Corlette. I know Schemmel was instructed to sound like Corlette/Kelamis, but has also said he wanted to smooth the transition anyway. He said it bothered him as a kid whenever they changed Ronald McDonald's. It was around the time he turned Super Saiyan that Schemmel stopped imitating his predecessor(s).

[omegacwa]

I've never seen anything from Kelamis about him having to imitate Corlette. I know Schemmel was instructed to sound like Corlette/Kelamis, but has also said he wanted to smooth the transition anyway. He said it bothered him as a kid whenever they changed Ronald McDonald's. It was around the time he turned Super Saiyan that Schemmel stopped imitating his predecessor(s).

I'll have to look into it again. Perhaps funimation/saban thought they sounded enough alike that "kids wouldn't notice"?

I remember when I first heard it on the show I thought "wow Goku sounds strange." even though I had already heard Kelamis in the movies. His performance on the show is oddly different which at this point we can chalk up to "bad directing and bad script".

[ABED]

I don't think it's that different.

[sangofe]

It all depends on the replacement. I HATED adult Goku in French DBGT. As long as the replacement voice isn't godly awful I'll continue watching. It'd be weird yes, but I wouldn't stop watching.

[Vijay]

Speedy Dub Goku voice in M12: Fusion Reborn was quite good. If u ignore the horrible lines & engrish ofc

The tone & "feeling" was there. I cant figure out who's the actor but assuming he's da same guy from DBZ M5: Cooler Returns/Fight! 10,0000 Billion power warriors or sumthin who said "If I dont eat rice, da powa wont cum"..dude has improved a lot.

I used to kinda feel neutral with Sean's performance but tbh ever since the whole Vic scandal issue & a fans comic-con youtube vid issue revealed Sean's true nature....I kinda feel...disgusted to even bother watchin or listen to his performance...as..gosh..

Goku is so pure dat I wish only Nozawa plays him for eternity

[MasenkoHA]

.

I used to kinda feel neutral with Sean's performance but tbh ever since the whole Vic scandal issue & a fans comic-con youtube vid issue revealed Sean's true nature....I kinda feel...disgusted to even bother watchin or listen to his performance...as..gosh

Did I miss something? Didn’t he come out against Vic?

[omegacwa]

I know this is almost off topic, but I was supposed to be the voice of Goku in a fan dub that was organized through here like ten years ago. I can't seem to find any of the voice work I did anywhere. I still have an old computer that it might be on that I really should plug in and see If I can find even one clip. I remember at the time people were "impressed" but I feel like it might be cringe now.

[Karrit]

1.Would you even watch the show anymore?

Now if for whatever reason Nozawa no longer wanted to voice goku anymore and chooses to not voice him Any longer.

2.Do you think the series would come to an end if nozawa no longer voiced the role of goku or do you think it will continue?

I would still watch it regardless.

No I don't think it would. Lupin the 3rd, one of my favorite series, went through this back in 1995. Lupin the 3rd is probably as big as Dragon Ball in Japan, if not more so. Lupin was voices by the late Yasuo Yamada, who was as much Lupin to Japan as Masako Nozawa is Goku. Yamada passed away in Japan, but willed that a man named Kanichi Kurita replace him. Kurita is a comedian with a talent to mimic Yamada's unique voice. He is still voicing Lupin to this day and does a fantastic job. He will never replace Yamada, who is the eternal Lupin the 3rd