Megumi Hayashibara in Dragon Ball

[Gyt Kaliba]

I apologize if this question has come up a lot in the past, but I've been wondering about this for a while now and it came to my attention again recently. Megumi Hayashibara, who is quite the acclaimed voice actress and singer in both the US and Japanese fanbase, has a random cameo appearance in episode 249 of DBZ, as the random blind kid that you'd almost swear was filler if you didn't know better. Now, I'm not exactly sure of when Hayashibara became such a big name, but one of her iconic roles is Lina in Slayers, and the first series for that began in...1995. Looking at the episode guide on the main site, this episode of DBZ aired at the tail end of 1994.

So basically, my question is this - have we ever heard what led Hayashibara to have such a small cameo in the series? Was she simply at the start of her career at that point and that was just the spotlight she got? Or if she was already an established actress by then, why did she get such a tiny part at all?

[penguintruth]

Megumi Hayashibara was pretty ubiquitous in the 1990s. By the time she made her cameo in DBZ, she was probably already pretty well known for being the female form of Ramna from Ranma 1/2 and Minky Momo is the second Minky Momo series. She also had a music career going already.

She was sort of the Aya Hirano of the 90s.

[JulieYBM]

Then three short years later she was the voice of Musashi in Pocket Monster. Talk about a career jump. Hayashibara did provide the voice to the young Genkai in Yuu Yuu Hakusho before working on Dragon Ball Z. By all signs she was a pretty popular voice actress at the time, it was simply her roles in Slayers, Shin Seiki Evangelion and Pocket Monster that made her a real name amongst the Otaku. It's pretty funny that she hasn't really worked with Toei Animation since Dragon Ball Z, though. In fact, she hasn't worked too much outside of Pocket Monster and whatever other pre-cast roles she has had in a long while.

[SaiyaJedi]

Megumi Hayashibara was pretty ubiquitous in the 1990s. By the time she made her cameo in DBZ, she was probably already pretty well known for being the female form of Ramna from Ranma 1/2 and Minky Momo is the second Minky Momo series. She also had a music career going already.

She was sort of the Aya Hirano of the 90s.

She was also the voice of Hello Kitty for a while.

The roundtable from the "Shenlong Times" bonus pamphlet included with Daizenshuu 5 mentions her:

Nozawa-san, you've voiced many characters, starting with that easy-to-grasp Goku. With what points do you distinguish your performances from one another?
[Masako] Nozawa: I've never really thought, "I'll do it this way, or that way". When I record Dragon Ball, the visuals are finished. As soon as I see the visuals, the feeling just comes right out. That's because I enter into the picture. Without an image, you can't do more nuanced acting, can you? That's why, for the anime I'm a regular in, I always tell them, "put in the visuals, put in the visuals". Previously, there was a theatrical film, and the animation was taking so long that they didn't make it in time, and it was just lineart (uncolored images photographed from keyframes drawn in pencil). (all burst into great amounts of laughter) But anyway, young voice actors have said that, if even they appear in Dragon Ball, they'll be accepted [in the profession]. It's one of those shows they absolutely want to be on. The work just has that much appeal and popularity.
[Shunsuke] Kikuchi: Dragon Ball really has a magnificent collection of voice talent.
[Takao] Koyama: Megumi Hayashibara-san appeared in it, didn't she?
Nozawa: She was incredibly happy.
Koyama: At the time, she had a starring role in another work*, and yet even with such a small role (of the boy whose eyes were healed by Buu), she was truly glad at being able to appear [on the show] for the first time.
[Kōzō] Morishita: Having so many people who want to participate in it really is the greatest honor for a program.

* The "starring role in another work" is probably referring to her role as Momiji Fujimiya in Blue Seed, though she was also the current voice of Hello Kitty at the time, as well as doing roles for things related to previous anime she'd been in, such as the female Ranma of Ranma 1/2. She would go on to play Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Lina Inverse in Slayers the following year.

[Ringworm128]

Maybe it was a guest star appearance thing, sort of like how they got celebrities to voice certain characters in The Simpsons i.e Johny Cash as a talking Coyote.

[MagicBox]

I've long hoped Hayashibara would reprise that role in Boo Arc Kai, though I know it's unlikely. I remember hearing she's expensive.

As long as they don't cast an up-and-coming teen idol...

[JulieYBM]

I've long hoped Hayashibara would reprise that role in Boo Arc Kai, though I know it's unlikely. I remember hearing she's expensive.

As long as they don't cast an up-and-coming teen idol...

Yeah, Hayashibara basically lives in a studio playing Musashi wherever Pokemon is recorded. I hope the role isn't given to an inexperienced idol, too.

[Castor Troy]

If Megumi Hayashibara did some kind of Dragonball related song, my life would be complete.

[Ringworm128]

If Megumi Hayashibara did some kind of Dragonball related song, my life would be complete.

Was just about to say the same thing. She's probably my favorite Japanese singer along with Hironobu Kageyama (they really need to do a duet).

While I'm praising the woman, she's great as Rei Ayanami.

[penguintruth]

While I'm praising the woman, she's great as Rei Ayanami.

Really, though?

There can't be much to acting as Rei Ayanami. It's not really a meaty part for an actress.

Now Shinji and Asuka, those parts need a lot of heavy lifting. Rei seems like a vacation.

Hayashibara really deserves credit for Lina Inverse or Momiji Fujimiya. Or Faye Valentine! Rei? Hayashibara probably does more work playing Pen Pen.

[Ringworm128]

It's not the hardest role, true but I do think it requires some small subtleties. I don't think you could just get any chick of the street. Heck, Winn Lee proved you could overact in the part.

[Gyt Kaliba]

Whoa, thanks for the quotation from Shenlong Times, SaiyaJedi. That definitely makes it seem to me like she specifically wanted to be on Dragon Ball. Maybe not that she necessarily approached Toei about doing it, but once the offer was on the table she took it up happily. That's pretty cool to hear.

And as far as Hayashibara's non-DB roles go as they've been brought up sort-of, I've always been a huge fan of her singing, but I honestly think a majority of her characters I know in dubbed form rather than her actually doing them...sad, I know. I have heard her in a Lupin special though and her last-episode cameo in Boys Be, and even just those are enough to show how amazingly good she is. I'd love to hear her have a bigger part in Dragon Ball at some point.

[doomydoomydoom]

While I'm praising the woman, she's great as Rei Ayanami.

Really, though?

There can't be much to acting as Rei Ayanami. It's not really a meaty part for an actress.

Now Shinji and Asuka, those parts need a lot of heavy lifting. Rei seems like a vacation.

Hayashibara really deserves credit for Lina Inverse or Momiji Fujimiya. Or Faye Valentine! Rei? Hayashibara probably does more work playing Pen Pen.

I'd have to disagree. I had forgotten that she played Rei and so I fell out of my chair reading her credits list. That's pretty damn good to go from Lina Inverse (<3) to Rei, who definitely would require subtleties, whereas being a character like Shinji or Asuka, you get to do a lot of yelling and general tomfoolery that requires little restraint. (Although obviously they also have their moments that requires deft tact as well.)

Anyhow, I love Megumi Hayashibara, definitely one of my favorite seiyuu with one hell of a resume (too lazy to add an accented e...). And a fantastic singer, her Slayers songs were excellent.

[The Time Traveller]

I was watching Love Hina a while ago since I found my boxset, I remembered Megumi Hayashibara played Keitaro's aunt, but suddenly Keitaro's grandmother talks and it's GOKU! YEAH!

Love Hina was the first series I downloaded fansubs for too. Or was it Chobits? Anyway, those shows are boring.

[Super Sonic]

I was watching Love Hina a while ago since I found my boxset, I remembered Megumi Hayashibara played Keitaro's aunt, but suddenly Keitaro's grandmother talks and it's GOKU! YEAH!

Love Hina was the first series I downloaded fansubs for too. Or was it Chobits? Anyway, those shows are boring.

*cough*pirate*cough*

And I like both those shows. On-topic, heard of this but never saw her performance (only watched much of the Buu saga 11 years ago on CN).