For dub fans, how much of a deal breaker is Nozawa's Goku?

[Kid Buu]

Yeah, I think TheGmGoken made that video right?

[Rocketman]

Basically, Nozawa plays Bardock for the same reason that Tom Wilson plays Buford Tannen.

That's a great example. Both Michael J Fox and Wilson play the ancestors and the kids/grandkids of their characters.

"You built a time machine...out of a BWAAAAAAAKKKKHHHH"

[Chuquita]

Didn't someone on this board make an edit of Bardock speaking in Shigeru Chiba's Raditz voice? It was cool. :3

I don't remember who made it or what thread it was in though.

Yeah they did, but I can't remember the name of the video.

This is the video right? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NWveUczH8U

That's it. :3

I still like that idea. Would've tied together "Raditz and Gokû look nothing like each other" with "but their father looked like one of them and sounded like the other; so one got his vocal chords and eyes and the other the rest of his looks".

[ABED]

"You built a time machine...out of a BWAAAAAAAKKKKHHHH"

Where is this bwaaaakkkhhh thing coming from? What are you referencing specifically?

[TheGmGoken]

Didn't someone on this board make an edit of Bardock speaking in Shigeru Chiba's Raditz voice? It was cool. :3

I don't remember who made it or what thread it was in though.

That will be me who made it(link already posted). However the dialogue didn't exactly match up.

[TheUltimateVegito]

I think Goku's Japanese voice is superb, especially in the original series. Although Nozawa's voice gradually fell of, especially in Kai. But it's understandable since she's voiced Goku for decades.

[Rocketman]

"You built a time machine...out of a BWAAAAAAAKKKKHHHH"

Where is this bwaaaakkkhhh thing coming from? What are you referencing specifically?

It's that scream she does when Goku/han/ten/etc gets blasted away by something.

[Kakacarrottop]

It's a common refrain among fans of the English Dub that they "would watch it [in japanese] if Goku didn't sound so girly".

How much of that statement is an accurate reflection of the Dub Fanbase?

It's as accurate as the statement "Japanese version fans would have more respect for the original English dub if Freeza didn't sound so girly". Honestly it astounds me that someone could criticize the idea of Freeza being voiced by an old woman, yet have absolutely no problem with Goku (a much less feminine character in appearance and nature) being voiced by an old woman.

[TVfan721]

I don't think people would have a problem with Nozawa's Goku if it wasn't for the screaming. She sounds fine as Goku when he's speaking but the screaming is when it gets difficult.

[FortuneSSJ]

The first time I heard it was strange. But then you get used and end up loving it.
Just like everything, you just need to have a open a mind.

But I still think Bardock should sound more like Raditz though.

[Attitudefan]

It's a common refrain among fans of the English Dub that they "would watch it [in japanese] if Goku didn't sound so girly".

How much of that statement is an accurate reflection of the Dub Fanbase?

It's as accurate as the statement "Japanese version fans would have more respect for the original English dub if Freeza didn't sound so girly". Honestly it astounds me that someone could criticize the idea of Freeza being voiced by an old woman, yet have absolutely no problem with Goku (a much less feminine character in appearance and nature) being voiced by an old woman.

Pauline Newstone was fine, and less old lady-like, and more lizardy/non-gendered sounding. Plus, her acting was great but marred by a terrible script.

Young was a bad actress with an unfitting voice. Nozawa is a great actress with a very fitting voice (it doesn't sound womanly when Goku speaks, the yells sound a bit feminine). Honestly, Goku sounds like his kid self, with a slightly deeper voice in adult-hood, so I'd say it is less feminine and more child-like.

[Kakacarrottop]

It's a common refrain among fans of the English Dub that they "would watch it [in japanese] if Goku didn't sound so girly".

How much of that statement is an accurate reflection of the Dub Fanbase?

It's as accurate as the statement "Japanese version fans would have more respect for the original English dub if Freeza didn't sound so girly". Honestly it astounds me that someone could criticize the idea of Freeza being voiced by an old woman, yet have absolutely no problem with Goku (a much less feminine character in appearance and nature) being voiced by an old woman.

Pauline Newstone was fine, and less old lady-like, and more lizardy/non-gendered sounding. Plus, her acting was great but marred by a terrible script.

Young was a bad actress with an unfitting voice. Nozawa is a great actress with a very fitting voice (it doesn't sound womanly when Goku speaks, the yells sound a bit feminine). Honestly, Goku sounds like his kid self, with a slightly deeper voice in adult-hood, so I'd say it is less feminine and more child-like.

Well i agree Newstone was a much better actor than Young who is just a poor imitation, but i still think she sounded more old lady like. Who knows what could have happened if Ocean's voice directors were still in charge post Season 2. Maybe they were going to change to a male voice actor for Freeza's later forms, since Freeza's first form was the most feminine looking. I think the reason Young voiced all of Freeza's forms was simply because FUNi were so cheap back then and literally didn't have any other voice actors who could do Freeza.

[NitroEX]

Who knows what could have happened if Ocean's voice directors were still in charge post Season 2. Maybe they were going to change to a male voice actor for Freeza's later forms, since Freeza's first form was the most feminine looking. I think the reason Young voiced all of Freeza's forms was simply because FUNi were so cheap back then and literally didn't have any other voice actors who could do Freeza.

Newstone did return for cameos in the westwood dub as final form Frieza so they probably would have stuck with the same voice for the majority of it though I do wonder what the larger 2nd and 3rd forms would have sounded like. They probably would have used some kind of voice effect like the great ape transformation as I doubt she had a deeper range.

[Kakacarrottop]

Who knows what could have happened if Ocean's voice directors were still in charge post Season 2. Maybe they were going to change to a male voice actor for Freeza's later forms, since Freeza's first form was the most feminine looking. I think the reason Young voiced all of Freeza's forms was simply because FUNi were so cheap back then and literally didn't have any other voice actors who could do Freeza.

Newstone did return for cameos in the westwood dub as final form Freeza so they probably would have stuck with the same voice for the majority of it though I do wonder what the larger 2nd and 3rd forms would have sounded like. They probably would have used some kind of voice effect like the great ape transformation as I doubt she had a deeper range.

But that's likely because the Westwood dub, like the original FUNi season 3 dub, had a tiny budget (and was also extremely rushed). They were also probably copying FUNi's idea of giving final form Freeza a woman's voice. The original Ocean dub had a handsome budget thanks to Saban's financing, so i assume if Season 3 had continued with Ocean they would have been able to afford to get another quality actor for Freeza's later forms. VAs like Newstone, Mcneil and Drummond probably only sticked around for the Westwood dub because they were connected to Ocean studios at the time or because they just genuinely liked the show. A lot of VAs from the original Ocean/Saban dub didn't return for the Westwood dub since they would be earning a lot less and had moved onto greater and bigger things.

[Mewzard]

I have a problem with the FUNi dub: Schemmel's voice is too deep for Goku (And over the years has gotten really gravelly that it actually has started to bother me a ton)!

Sorry for quoting a slightly older post for this part, but I felt compelled to respond.

Schemmel's Goku voice isn't really that deep. It's deeper than Nozawa's voice yes, but on the whole, it's not what we'd get from some guys (especially Sabat).

I would argue his voice overall fits better than Nozawa's own for Goku (certainly in the case of screams, where Nozawa's voice is at its most scratchy). It travels the spectrum of our light-hearted goofball to our pissed-off warrior well, while also working for the character as an adult a bit better than Nozawa's voice.

Not to say Nozawa does a bad job (she's awesome), but really, the voice works somewhat against a wonderful performance.

You can put a really good child actor up against a guy like Tim Curry, and find Tim Curry gives the delivery, acting, etc you want...but if you're casting for a child role, it's kinda working against the character for that body type/voice. That said, I'd totally watch Tim Curry play a kid in a movie, and be thoroughly entertained.

Pauline Newstone was fine, and less old lady-like, and more lizardy/non-gendered sounding. Plus, her acting was great but marred by a terrible script.

Young was a bad actress with an unfitting voice. Nozawa is a great actress with a very fitting voice (it doesn't sound womanly when Goku speaks, the yells sound a bit feminine). Honestly, Goku sounds like his kid self, with a slightly deeper voice in adult-hood, so I'd say it is less feminine and more child-like.

I don't really think Linda Young is a bad actress, she just got given some awful material to work with. I thought she was pretty good as Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho personally (much better scripting, and a voice more appropriate the role, plus she had a few more years of experience under her belt at that point).

Voices are an interesting subject. You can have some variety, but after a certain point, people will find it a point to mock.

Of course, they'd never say it to his face, but people make fun of Mike Tyson's voice all the time. Big burly guy with a high pitched voice, it's amusing. Michael Jackson also got some jokes via his voice (not his singing so much, but his speaking voice).

A lifetime of experience with such views becoming internalized is going to affect your audience's reaction. Some voices that Japan has are amusing to western viewers due to expectations, though that can be reduced with exposure.

Despite that and many years of anime viewing with subs (I do dubs as well), I still recognize that the voice is a bit off for a guy like Goku given the normal spectrum. Even ignoring the ear-hurting screams.

Honestly though, a far bigger problem is how many of Goku's family Nozawa plays being so close in voice.

If you're going to play multiple roles (especially connected ones), change up the voice a bit more. Sabat does it to a noticeable degree. Some western cartoon actors have done it to impressive levels (try comparing the characters Mel Blanc voiced in Looney Tunes, there's a fair bit of variety).

[NintendoBlaze53]

It's intresting hearing peoples opinions on changing to the sub. What about someone who changed to the dub? My first DB exposure was Budokai, the Europe version with the Japanese voice track. Maybe because I was a kid so I didn't care, but I still remember specific lines from that game in Nozawa's voice. (Y-Yamano, FREZZA!) So what a suprise I get when I watch the show and it's this grown man as opposed to what I thought was Goku's voice. Dub's changing the voice direction is nothing bad, but don't stray too far from the source. If Goku was played by a woman in english no one would care. But because they heard a grown man and THEN heard a woman voiceing Goku the found it hard to accept. Change is something people have trouble accepting, more so fanbases. For the general viewer who may no be that big on japanese fine, but to hear anime fans and long viewers of Sub say it sucks is stupid. Otaku shouldn't hate Goku for being voiced by a woman in Japanese as many characters are, Naruto, Luffy, Gon & a lot more. At school I knew a person who LOVED One Piece but only in Japanese, but couldn't stand Dragon Ball in Japanese cause of Nozawa (and a few others) cause they were do different. I pointed out to them the cast similaries to One Piece, mainly Mayumi Tanaka voicing Krillin and Luffy. He was shocked.

On another note anyone who says Nozawa plays Goku, Gohan, Goten, Bardock the same is wrong. Kirbopher had a Dragon Ball episode on his Did You Know Voice Acting show where he pointed out the differences in how Nozawa portrays the Son family. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCBOEpSiV8&l)

[TheBlackPaladin]

I too am surprised to hear people say that Schemmel's voice is too deep. Not that that's an invalid opinion, I'm just surprised people think that. In all fairness, though, my surprise could stem, at least in part, from being familiar with a lot of the other dubs. Compared to most of the other dubs, Schemmel's Goku is actually higher-pitched than most of the other actors who play him. He's not the highest-pitched, no, but he's among the higher-pitched actors.

When we use the phrase "Schemmel's Goku," it almost necessitates that we clarify which era we're talking about, because his interpretation of the character clearly changed over time, as evidenced in his acting. In the beginning, his portrayal was that of a Superman clone, likely encouraged by the writing and direction he was given at the time. As of Kai (if not a little earlier if you count the videogames), he's portraying a goofy manchild who loves to fight.

If Goku was played by a woman in english no one would care. But because they heard a grown man and THEN heard a woman voiceing Goku the found it hard to accept. Change is something people have trouble accepting, more so fanbases.

Yeah, there's some truth to that. I'm sure I would have gotten used to Nozawa's voice a lot faster if I hadn't heard the dub first. For that matter, I also would have gotten used to it faster than that if I had experienced the show the way Japan did (in chronological order with a consistent cast), as opposed to the out-of-order storytelling and cast changes that the dub went through.

[Kakacarrottop]

When we use the phrase "Schemmel's Goku," it almost necessitates that we clarify which era we're talking about, because his interpretation of the character clearly changed over time, as evidenced in his acting. In the beginning, his portrayal was that of a Superman clone, likely encouraged by the writing and direction he was given at the time. As of Kai (if not a little earlier if you count the videogames), he's portraying a goofy manchild who loves to fight.
.

Well he sounded like Superman early on because he was asked to imitate the somewhat generic Ian Corlett (and Peter Kelamis who himself was imitating Ian Corlett) for consistencies sake. "Schemmel's Goku" currently is just a highly mutated version of Corlett's. I'm sure if Schemmel was in Corlett's shoes initially and was the first VA to get the Goku role then Goku would sound a lot different today in English,

[NintendoBlaze53]

When we use the phrase "Schemmel's Goku," it almost necessitates that we clarify which era we're talking about, because his interpretation of the character clearly changed over time, as evidenced in his acting. In the beginning, his portrayal was that of a Superman clone, likely encouraged by the writing and direction he was given at the time. As of Kai (if not a little earlier if you count the videogames), he's portraying a goofy manchild who loves to fight.
.

Well he sounded like Superman early on because he was asked to imitate the somewhat generic Ian Corlett (and Peter Kelamis who himself was imitating Ian Corlett) for consistencies sake. "Schemmel's Goku" currently is just a highly mutated version of Corlett's. I'm sure if Schemmel was in Corlett's shoes initially and was the first VA to get the Goku role then Goku would sound a lot different today in English,

Funny you mention that considering in an interview Sean stated he didn't hear the Japanese for all of the dubbing of Dragon Ball Z. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F96wJ7Niis) Sean had nothing to base his performance up so an American who has never seen anime see's this brawny, muscular man, he gives him the voice he thinks he should have.

[CatouttaHell]

Son Goku is my favourite character largely due to her voice. I remember watching dub DBZ as a kid and rooting for Freeza to beat SSj Goku because of how much Schemmel's Goku annoyed the hell out of me. Not that dub Freeza is much better but whatever.