Dragon Ball (Warning: Untagged Spoilers)

[Nintendoga]

If you haven't seen it yet, since the one goku posted went private

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMd_DRiw_nk

[MugiMikey]

Ugh, I still can't get used to Goku's Japanese voice.....why

It's because you haven't watched Dragon Ball in Japanese. Goku's Japanese voice fits his personality perfectly. Goku isn't a heroicly sophisticated, beefy Superman like FUNi portrays him to be; he's a big, goofy manchild that loves to fight. I like Sean Schemmel too though, but Masako Nozawa is perfect for the role.

[Kuzu]

It's because you haven't watched Dragon Ball in Japanese. Goku's Japanese voice fits his personality perfectly. Goku isn't a heroicly sophisticated, beefy Superman like FUNi portrays him to be; he's a big, goofy manchild that loves to fight. I like Sean Schemmel too though, but Masako Nozawa is perfect for the role.

But it's jarring as fuck tho, I understand he's meant to be a manchild, but he's also an adult. I like the English dub because Sean manages to make him sound both like a lovable child, and a badass at the same time, but with his Japanese voice....no, it's just not fitting, especially on the likes of fucking Bardock.

In Goku's kid and teenage years cool, it fits fine, but not when he's over flipping 40.

That's my only gripe with the Japanese dub, and the only reason why I can't watch it.

Edited December 7, 2012 by Ragna Claus

[MugiMikey]

But it's jarring as fuck tho, I understand he's meant to be a manchild, but he's also an adult. I like the English dub because Sean manages to make him sound both like a lovable child, and a badass at the same time, but with his Japanese voice....no, it's just not fitting, especially on the likes of fucking Bardock.

In Goku's kid and teenage years cool, it fits fine, but not when he's over flipping 40.

I used to think the same thing too, but then I switched over to the Japanese version because the dub just got too hard to watch. Goku's voice isn't jarring if you watch him grow up. It's part of his personality and makes him quite the charming bastard. Sean does make him sound like a badass, but he's not supposed to be a badass. He's just a kid that never grew up that fights because he loves the thrill of it. If you watched it the original Japanese version I'm sure you'd get used to it, even if you don't like it. Also, I agree that Bardock shouldn't have been voiced by Masako Nozawa. Also, by the time Boo is defeated, Goku is still physically in his late 20s. By the time it's actually over, he's not even 40 yet!

[goku262002]

Did any of you watch dubbed KAI at all? Sean fixed those issues your all bitching about and goku sounded allot more light hearted then iron clad superman.

I hate the English dub, so Masako nozawa is goku to me. Her acting is really good.

Were not doubting her acting, I'm sure shes a great VA. just we prefer for goku to sound like an actual 30-something guy then a kid still.

EDIT: To add to Sean Schemmel's defense, can you really blame the guy?! he was brought in as a replacement for a bandai dub that just got canceled and wasn't told much about how Goku was supposed to act and was going by the previous dub (sounds really fucking similar to the Sonic X dubs). Sean thought Goku was a superman-type of hero so he went with it.

Its not fair to compare his first dubbing works with Goku to Masako Nozawa who had fucking literal years with Goku in dragonball to get to know the character in and out and nail it down to a T. Now? Sean has goku down, he knows goku in and out and can do a better job with his voice and personality and he proved it in KAI. Goku sounded different in KAI I was expecting the same superman hero thing dubbed goku allways gave off but I got a more lighthearted Goku who still got serious at times but not the same level as he did with the first dubs.

Edited December 8, 2012 by goku262002

[Kuzu]

I used to think the same thing too, but then I switched over to the Japanese version because the dub just got too hard to watch. Goku's voice isn't jarring if you watch him grow up. It's part of his personality and makes him quite the charming bastard. Sean does make him sound like a badass, but he's not supposed to be a badass. He's just a kid that never grew up that fights because he loves the thrill of it. If you watched it the original Japanese version I'm sure you'd get used to it, even if you don't like it. Also, I agree that Bardock shouldn't have been voiced by Masako Nozawa. Also, by the time Boo is defeated, Goku is still physically in his late 20s. By the time it's actually over, he's not even 40 yet!

No, I've watch the Japanese dub, and I have no problem with her voice acting for Goku......as a kid, up until the end of Dragon Ball, she's perfect but that's where her run should have ended. I like characters to sound like their age thank you very much. I know Goku is a kid at heart, but that doesn't mean he has to sound like one.

[Solly]

Goku's Japanese voice doesn't even really sound like a kid, though. That's not my problem; it's that he doesn't even sound like a male. He sounds like he's voiced by an older woman- which he is. I'm sure she's talented and all, but I think she's a horrible fit.

As far as the dub goes, I've only watched Kai, but Goku sounds goofy as hell and I love it.

[goku262002]

Case in point:

Sean improved. so lets all stop pulling a Sonic 2006 here and keep digging shit up from the past to prove a point.

[MugiMikey]

Okay. First of all, I was talking about Sean's work in Z. Not Kai. I can't criticize that one because I love Kai's dub for sticking to the original script and I like Sean Schemmel. You don't have to go at me as if I said I hate the guy and his work when I've already said I like him. He's a really good Goku in Kai, but I still think Nozawa's performance is more iconic.

No, I've watch the Japanese dub, and I have no problem with her voice acting for Goku......as a kid, up until the end of Dragon Ball, she's perfect but that's where her run should have ended. I like characters to sound like their age thank you very much. I know Goku is a kid at heart, but that doesn't mean he has to sound like one.

Other shonen do this too, though. It's not a "it doesn't fit their age" kind of thing, because a grown man cannot naturally sound like Nozawa. Even the DBZ English dub has tons of voices for characters that don't fit their age. For example, there's absolutely no child that can sound like Stephanie Nadolny and I don't see you criticizing that. I think of it more as an "iconic voice that is attached to the character" kind of thing. Because of that, I think Nozawa is perfect.

Edited December 8, 2012 by MugiMikey

[Kuzu]

Other shonen do this too, though. It's not a "it doesn't fit their age" kind of thing, because a grown man cannot naturally sound like Nozawa. Even the DBZ English dub has tons of voices for characters that don't fit their age. For example, there's absolutely no child that can sound like Stephanie Nadolny and I don't see you criticizing that. I think of it more as an "iconic voice that is attached to the character" kind of thing. Because of that, I think Nozawa is perfect.

Other Shonen protagonists aren't adults; Naruto is at most 17, and Luffy is 19, hell Ichigo is 17 and sounds like it too despite not being voiced by a woman. And I wasn't even talking about the voice acting for Kid Goku, I'm the talking about ADULT Goku, who IS a grown man, and I kind of expect him to sound like one, regardless of how he acts. I understand it's an iconic voice for the character, but I'm surprised that it never occurred how jarring his voice would sound.

[MugiMikey]

Other Shonen protagonists aren't adults; Naruto is at most 17, and Luffy is 19, hell Ichigo is 17 and sounds like it too despite not being voiced by a woman. And I wasn't even talking about the voice acting for Kid Goku, I'm the talking about ADULT Goku, who IS a grown man, and I kind of expect him to sound like one, regardless of how he acts. I understand it's an iconic voice for the character, but I'm surprised that it never occurred how jarring his voice would sound.

Naruto and Luffy (the latter especially) sound like women despite being old enough that they shouldn't even sound like little boys. Naruto is on the verge of adulthood and Luffy is a young adult. In both Japanese and English, Naruto sounds like a punky younger boy. In Luffy's case, Mayumi Tanaka and Colleen Clinkenbeard have great voices for him but they're really unrealistic voices for males aged 17-19. Ichigo does sound his age, yes. What about younger Goku and Gohan in English? Z or Kai, they don't sound like actual children. They sound like fully-grown women putting on cartoon voices (Stephanie even more so) so how come you don't have a problem with that? Do you have a problem watching South Park as well because most of the children sound like adults on helium? Really, I know it does seem jarring because I'm sure you've heard Sean as Goku more, but to a lot of people Nozawa as Goku is the preferred choice.

EDIT: I'm not sure about Naruto, but I'm sure Mayumi Tanaka will still be Luffy's voice actress when he gets even older. You probably won't have a problem with it sounding unnatural because you're used to it fitting his character.

Edited December 8, 2012 by MugiMikey

[Nepenthe]

There is definitely a cartoony disconnect between voice actors/actresses and characters, especially for young characters, where the studio needs professional acting experience instead of authenticity, thus older actors are going to get hired more often. It's a common thing, but that doesn't mean it can't be jarring, and what you find jarring doesn't necessarily equate to which voice you heard first. I watched the sub of Naruto well before the dub, but I find both of Naruto's voice actresses to be good fits for the role. However, I find Goku's Japanese voice is terrible, mostly because I don't even think he sounds like a typical "cartoon boy" being voiced by a woman. It's grating and over-the-top to the point that I feel his voice would more fit a mascot animal character's than anything else.

Yeah yeah, it's supposed to represent Goku's "innocence," but not only is it annoying, but all of Goku's mannerisms and ethics go towards that stereotype anyway, which in turn lowers the impact his voice has on portraying that theme. I don't need him to sound like a cat to understand that; I can watch him and discern his personality immediately. Sorry, but give me Schemmel or even Corlett any day of the week.

[Solkia]

Case in point:

Wait, is KAI the original animation redubbed? Or is it redrawn?

[Linkabel]

Silly people, everyone knows the Latin America dub is the best than all the other dubs and original voices:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVwHEVCfD40

Anyways that trailer looks cool, and I don't know, it gives me this nostalgic feeling of when I used to see screens and merchandise of the Cell & Majin Buu saga back in the 90s.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Jaime Bond

[MugiMikey]

Yeah yeah, it's supposed to represent Goku's "innocence," but not only is it annoying, but all of Goku's mannerisms and ethics go towards that stereotype anyway, which in turn lowers the impact his voice has on portraying that theme. I don't need him to sound like a cat to understand that; I can watch him and discern his personality immediately. Sorry, but give me Schemmel or even Corlett any day of the week.

A "cat," huh? Must be a popular opinion among westerners or something, because fans in Japan seem to find her irreplaceable;

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-03-12/mynavi-poll/characters-who-should-never-change-voice-actors

[Nepenthe]

I'm aware of the popularity she has in Japan, but I simply don't have that same appreciation of her voice when cast in that particular role. Call it cultural differences, call it nostalgia, whatever; but I'm probably never going to appreciate her over the likes of Schemmel or Corlett as Goku.

[Nintendoga]

Wait, is KAI the original animation redubbed? Or is it redrawn?

It's both. They re-dub and basically cut out the filler from the original, but they also sometimes add in new animation to some scenes.

[Wraith]

Wait, was that Android 18 actually helping?

I think I'm high.

[Space☆Tomoki]

Wait, is KAI the original animation redubbed? Or is it redrawn?

It's a mix of both, actually. Most of the scenes use the original footage edited and redubbed to remove filler and be closer to the manga, but there are scenes that are redrawn and use new animation; mostly to replace damaged frames and censor scenes that are now considered inappropriate to air on Japanese airwaves (such as Goku and Raditz getting impaled by Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon being turned into Goku and Raditz dying of... severe burns).

EDIT: Ninja'd.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Tomoki Sakurai

[Casshern]

I've always prefered the movies over the show, probably because the show was full of pointless filler. The Cooler movie is probably my favorite...

[MugiMikey]

I've always prefered the movies over the show, probably because the show was full of pointless filler. The Cooler movie is probably my favorite...

Which is ironic, because the movies technically ARE pointless filler. XD

[Chariot]

I remember watching the original dub on Toonami and hating it. I thought it was because at the time I was too young to understand what was going on, but then I recently watched it again and found out the reason why I hated it. The music was just so depressing, grainy, and boring.This is why I liked Kai better because of the orchestrated music it had a better atmosphere. As for the original dubs atmosphere it's comparable to a desert.

[-Robin-]

You could make the case that Bojack Unbound, Cooler's Revenge, and Wrath of the Dragon can be fitted into canon, with CR being placed in either the three year wait for the Androids, or even in the original timeline where Trunks came from. Placing it in the latter could serve for situating Return of Cooler in canon in the original timeline as well.

You can also make the case for Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan being placed within the 10-day reprieve that Cell gives the Earth before the Cell Games.

[MamboCat]

Not that I can understand it at all, but I watched some of the Japanese Dragonball and early DBZ and I quite liked Goku's voice. He sounds more like the goofy idiot that he is meant to be, IMO. His English voice is far too stereotypical for a heroic character.

[MugiMikey]

I remember watching the original dub on Toonami and hating it. I thought it was because at the time I was too young to understand what was going on, but then I recently watched it again and found out the reason why I hated it. The music was just so depressing, grainy, and boring.This is why I liked Kai better because of the orchestrated music it had a better atmosphere. As for the original dubs atmosphere it's comparable to a desert.

You're probably talking about the Shuki Levy music which was pretty much just darker, bland music that droned mindlessly in the background. I agree that it, along with the other scores composed artists FUNi decided to hire (Mark Menza and Nathan Johnson), were pretty terrible. Bruce Faulconer came along after Levy and he and his team were able to come up with more original, recognizable, and overall better pieces that just didn't drone in the background, but alas it still wasn't fit for DBZ. Kenji Yamamoto's score (the one you mentioned for Kai) and Shunsuke Kikuchi are excellent in my opinion.