Ideal English Goku Voice?

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
BeaBumby
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am
Location: Wario Land
Contact:

Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by BeaBumby » Mon May 22, 2023 4:46 pm

Kinda hard for me to word this but by this I mean what kind of english voice do you think would just fit Goku perfectly.
For instance, if you think essentially an english version of Masako Nozawa would be perfect, explain how that would be done, as there's plenty of stuff she does that's pretty hard to translate into an english context. (trust me, I've tried to read the manga in her voice, it's hard.)
If you think an already established english goku va is perfect for the character, explain why you think that way.
Last edited by BeaBumby on Mon May 22, 2023 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hiya! I'm Bea :]
she/her yknow


uhhh me icon was drawn by bestest friend ever! feel free to compliment their artistic prowess!

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6191
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by MasenkoHA » Mon May 22, 2023 5:06 pm

Someone who can voice act. Obviously Goku shouldn't sound super evil or something but as long as the voice sounds generally male (even Nozawa is clearly doing a boy voice despite what her detractors try to pretend otherwise) and the performance is good, we're golden.

Corlett is my favorite English Goku and he probably emulated Nozawa the least but he does a much better job at giving a performance than Peter Kelamis and Sean Schemmel. (to me)

User avatar
BeaBumby
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am
Location: Wario Land
Contact:

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by BeaBumby » Mon May 22, 2023 5:10 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 5:06 pm Corlett is my favorite English Goku and he probably emulated Nozawa the least but he does a much better job at giving a performance than Peter Kelamis and Sean Schemmel. (to me)
I really appreciate Corlett in the sense that he nailed the superhero Goku voice they were trying to portray him as.

also he voiced Coconuts in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog which is always a funny thing to think about.

edit: Now I'm thinking what would it be like if Goku had the same english va as both a kid and adult, like imagine Nadolny as Adult Goku lol

double edit: worse question

do you think if english goku always had a nozawa-adjacent voice dbz would be less popular over here? early 2000s misogyny is something else.
Last edited by BeaBumby on Mon May 22, 2023 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hiya! I'm Bea :]
she/her yknow


uhhh me icon was drawn by bestest friend ever! feel free to compliment their artistic prowess!

DB1984
Banned
Posts: 555
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 11:07 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by DB1984 » Mon May 22, 2023 5:20 pm

Ian James Corlett. His Goku was much more pleasing on the ears to me than Sean's.
Last edited by DB1984 on Mon May 22, 2023 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
TheGreatness25
I Live Here
Posts: 4922
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:36 am

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by TheGreatness25 » Mon May 22, 2023 6:11 pm

I agree with Corlett. He has a very natural delivery (sounds like a voice you'd hear in real life) and has the range to play childish/silly/lighthearted. That's all I could ask for, honestly. I can't imagine what an English version of Noxawa would sound like nor do I think I'd like it.

User avatar
Yuji
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1097
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Yuji » Mon May 22, 2023 6:15 pm

As someone who doesn't speak English as their native language and thus has no particular bias toward any voice actor, I like Kelamis the most. He's not perfect but his voice is higher-pitched than the others and he's the best at emulating Nozawa's screams.

User avatar
90sDBZ
I Live Here
Posts: 2499
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:34 am
Location: UK

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by 90sDBZ » Mon May 22, 2023 7:42 pm

Both Sean Schemmel and Ian Corlett are great.

I prefer Sean by a little bit just because his screams are better, and he had more time to grow into the role and develop the different sides of the character.

Corlett deserves credit though for being great from day 1, and establishing what Goku would sound like in English going forward.

User avatar
BeaBumby
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am
Location: Wario Land
Contact:

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by BeaBumby » Mon May 22, 2023 8:01 pm

No offense but I think people are starting to misinterpret what the purpose of this thread is, so allow me to reiterate.
This isn't a "Which Goku voice is your favorite" thread, I've already done that a while ago (iirc it got locked cuz of arguing) and I bet plenty of folks have done similar threads before and after me.
This is about the ideal voice that you believe fits Goku's personality, how you think Goku should 100% sound judging from his character traits in English.
If that voice hasn't been done yet, explain the voice. If it has been done before, explain your viewpoint of how that voice fits Goku's personality traits in at least some depth.
Hiya! I'm Bea :]
she/her yknow


uhhh me icon was drawn by bestest friend ever! feel free to compliment their artistic prowess!

User avatar
Yuji
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1097
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Yuji » Mon May 22, 2023 8:11 pm

The... complications... surrounding the actor aside, as well as the fact he's already cast as Broly, I think judging by his performances as Edward Elric, Mignogna could work as Goku.

User avatar
BeaBumby
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am
Location: Wario Land
Contact:

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by BeaBumby » Mon May 22, 2023 8:17 pm

Yuji wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 8:11 pm The... complications... surrounding the actor aside, as well as the fact he's already cast as Broly, I think judging by his performances as Edward Elric, Mignogna could work as Goku.
Heard a bit of that voice just now.
.. Ehhh, not entirely sure if I see it? The pitch is around there, but I don't see much outside of that. Of course, I know you don't mean *exactly* that voice.
Hiya! I'm Bea :]
she/her yknow


uhhh me icon was drawn by bestest friend ever! feel free to compliment their artistic prowess!

User avatar
Yuji
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1097
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Yuji » Mon May 22, 2023 8:19 pm

BeaBumby wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 8:17 pm
Yuji wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 8:11 pm The... complications... surrounding the actor aside, as well as the fact he's already cast as Broly, I think judging by his performances as Edward Elric, Mignogna could work as Goku.
Heard a bit of that voice just now.
.. Ehhh, not entirely sure if I see it? The pitch is around there, but I don't see much outside of that. Of course, I know you don't mean *exactly* that voice.
Just listen to his normal speaking voice. He's pretty soft spoken, which I imagine is the tone he'd use for Goku since he's not as hyperactive as Ed. We know he can scream since he plays Broly and he can get his voice high pitched enough to get close to Nozawa or at least portray the goofier side of the character. I think he could have worked well.

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6191
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by MasenkoHA » Mon May 22, 2023 10:22 pm

BeaBumby wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 5:10 pm

do you think if english goku always had a nozawa-adjacent voice dbz would be less popular over here? early 2000s misogyny is something else.
I dunno, for what it's worth Gen Fukanaga did say the reason they cast Goku with a more traditional male voice is because test audiences thought the Japanese voice was too high pitch and they had to conform to western biases

User avatar
BeaBumby
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:51 am
Location: Wario Land
Contact:

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by BeaBumby » Mon May 22, 2023 10:29 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 10:22 pm
BeaBumby wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 5:10 pm

do you think if english goku always had a nozawa-adjacent voice dbz would be less popular over here? early 2000s misogyny is something else.
I dunno, for what it's worth Gen Fukanaga did say the reason they cast Goku with a more traditional male voice is because test audiences thought the Japanese voice was too high pitch and they had to conform to western biases
.. huh. that makes me kinda sad
Hiya! I'm Bea :]
she/her yknow


uhhh me icon was drawn by bestest friend ever! feel free to compliment their artistic prowess!

User avatar
NeoZ Duwang
Not-So-Newbie
Posts: 69
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 7:56 am

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by NeoZ Duwang » Tue May 23, 2023 6:16 am

MasakoX is the perfect english Goku for me, he is able to make the character sound somewhat "childish" without compromising his seriousness, I'd really love to see more of his Goku performance outside of a parody series
she/they.

Mosaic
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 248
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:07 am
Location: NJ

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Mosaic » Tue May 23, 2023 10:10 am

I think Ian and Peter are both really good as Goku. I know people complain about Peter's accent but I think he does a good job capturing Goku's emotional range.

Sean has grown on me over the years but I still think he sounds too goofy. I might also be bias because I can't stand him as a person. Apparently I'm in the minority but I really liked how he voiced Goku in Dragon Ball.

User avatar
TheGreatness25
I Live Here
Posts: 4922
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:36 am

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by TheGreatness25 » Tue May 23, 2023 10:37 am

BeaBumby wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 8:01 pm No offense but I think people are starting to misinterpret what the purpose of this thread is, so allow me to reiterate.
This isn't a "Which Goku voice is your favorite" thread, I've already done that a while ago (iirc it got locked cuz of arguing) and I bet plenty of folks have done similar threads before and after me.
This is about the ideal voice that you believe fits Goku's personality, how you think Goku should 100% sound judging from his character traits in English.
If that voice hasn't been done yet, explain the voice. If it has been done before, explain your viewpoint of how that voice fits Goku's personality traits in at least some depth.
I know what you mean. But by the same token, I think it's natural to default to what you already know. I can't see an English-speaking Nozawa voice being too flattering to the ears just because the way we speak is different than in Japanese. When I say Corlett was great, I don't care if it's Corlett specifically or someone who brings that same style. Personally, I liked Kirby Morrow's portrayal too. I think that Corlett had the perfect Goku to a point. I like Corlett's portrayal of silly/goofy Goku. But he does get too serious with the deep voice. Kelamis is better in this scenes.

So yeah, some kind of fusion of those two would be the perfect Goku for me.

User avatar
Thanos
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1630
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:33 am

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Thanos » Tue May 23, 2023 11:50 am

The ideal circumstances would be for someone good to start as kid Goku from Dragon Ball, and to carry on in his adult voice capably. I think the problem with the English adult Gokus so far is that they are starting from his adult incarnation in order to characterize him which misses the point.

I always thought Mona Marshall, who voiced Izzy in Digimon, could’ve done a respectable job. She can do a kid voice well, but can also have the same ambiguity that Nozawa has. Also, AI English Nozawa kinda sounds like her.
Thanos before Thanos was cool.

User avatar
MasenkoHA
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 6191
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by MasenkoHA » Tue May 23, 2023 12:09 pm

Thanos wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 11:50 am

I always thought Mona Marshall, who voiced Izzy in Digimon, could’ve done a respectable job. She can do a kid voice well, but can also have the same ambiguity that Nozawa has. Also, AI English Nozawa kinda sounds like her.
Nothing against Marshall, she's a perfectly talented voice actor and she voices like 95 percent of the female cast on South Park but I just don't see her voice working for adult Goku.

User avatar
Thanos
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1630
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:33 am

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by Thanos » Tue May 23, 2023 12:32 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 12:09 pm Nothing against Marshall, she's a perfectly talented voice actor and she voices like 95 percent of the female cast on South Park but I just don't see her voice working for adult Goku.
Perhaps not, but it was an example of the sort of thing I mean. Not married to the idea of Mona Marshall, but something in that spirit of someone being able to do a good kid voice as well as a more mature voice would be something I think would be an interesting alternative to the existing change from raspy boy to deep middle-aged man in the span of three years. :P
Thanos before Thanos was cool.

ClutchBangstrip
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 190
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2017 1:19 am
Location: Middle America

Re: Ideal English Goku Voice?

Post by ClutchBangstrip » Tue May 23, 2023 12:58 pm

Not gonna lie, Sean's perfect. It's the voice I grew up with. The way he can go from goofy to Godly is super cool.

"Bring it on. Gohan." :lol:

You get a REAL feel for the Journey To The West Son Goku. He's silly most of the time, but he can be an intimidating force, too. I honestly never get that feeling from Nozawa, unfortunately. Her range seems silly to serious, but I never get the feeling Goku's a guy who can blow up a mountain from her.

Post Reply