Top 10 Worst Voice Acting in Anime

In the early 90s, the art of dubbing wasn’t always given the respect it deserved. As a result, audiences got things like the English version of “Devilman: The Birth.” Let’s just say that most of its ensemble weren’t exactly dubbing superstars, and it really, really showed. The cast’s work ranges from outrageously overblown to flatter than a board, and neither comes close to hitting the mark. Even for its time, the clear lack of care, effort, and time put into this dub is almost comical. In a way, that’s “Devilman’s” one saving grace, too. Its dub is so notoriously awful that it veers deep into so-bad-it’s-good territory.

Despite being a part of a well-received OVA series, Manga Entertainment UK inexplicably only dubbed this third entry. Although, given the results, that’s probably for the best. It’s as if none of the actors were given proper context on any scene, leading to line reads that consistently feel out of place. And that’s if they manage to convey any emotion at all. Most of the time, it sounds like the script is just being read aloud as opposed to actually acted out. Suffice it to say, it’s hard to invest in the plot of this sci-fi epic when even its main characters seem bored.

On paper, this dub has it all: a beloved property, an experienced studio, and a pretty solid cast. But, all that just makes the final product even more inexcusable. The official English release is marred by poor lip-syncing, flubbed takes, and career-worst performances across the board. At least, from the actors that stuck around. A good chunk of the supporting cast was replaced for the second half of the season, allegedly due to the rushed production schedule. If that really was the case, it’s no surprise that the final product isn’t just a bad dub of “Guin Saga.” It’s an active mockery of it.

The fact that this dub shares parts of its cast with “Devilman: The Birth” and “Megazone 23 - Part III” should tell you everything you need to know. But, in case you need more convincing, all it takes is one listen through “Appleseed’s” opener to prove that it suffers from many of the same issues. Namely, that the characters are so lifeless, it makes the actual androids feel like the most human part of the film. But, even worse, some of the voices this time around are actively grating to listen to. With a runtime of just 70 minutes, the English dub singlehandedly makes “Appleseed” feel a whole lot longer.

Even though it’s literally in their job title, the voice actors in this classic dub failed on both the voice and the acting parts. To start, “Lion Force Voltron” features some of the most ear-screeching character sounds ever heard in anime. From leads, villains, and everyone in between. It’s painful to listen to, and that’s without even touching upon the acting. Or, rather, the lack thereof. There’s some high-pitched squealing every once in a while, but besides that, it’s just dull line read after dull line read. Given the quality of the original English release, it’s truly a wonder how “Voltron” became as successful as it did.

In this seminal OVA series, there’s ten times as many profanities as there are good line deliveries. In fact, it’s so egregiously obscene, we wouldn’t be surprised if the script-adapter was forced to include as many swear words as humanly possible. Naturally, the end result doesn’t leave much room for compelling characterization. Or, really, acting at all. The performers spout off curses with the same insipid tone of voice until even the movie’s crassness loses its impact. Thanks to a resurgence of memes and parodies, this dub has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. But, at least it left an impact, for better or for worse.

This whole localization plays like a bad joke that got out of hand. Even if it was the nineties, surely someone along the way would have stopped this trainwreck from getting so far. But, instead, we’re left with one of the most botched dubs of all time. For one, the entire cast sounds like they’re forgetting their lines mid-sentence. It’s awkward, jarring, and never ends. That’s not even “Garzey Wing’s” biggest issue, either. No, it also commits the cardinal sin of dubbing in that none of its characters sound like real people. Everything from the script to the voices to the delivery reeks of a lazy hack job that never should’ve seen the light of day.

Ironically, “Speed Racer’s” American release could have benefitted from slowing way down. Reportedly, the production team only had a meager two days to script and dub each episode. That was an even bigger hurdle considering Peter Fernandez was the one writing, directing, and starring in the show. He didn’t have much help, either, since the entire cast was made up of just four actors. Given the intense time crunch, it’s really no shock that the dub sounds like it’s falling apart at the seams. And yet, despite its many, many flaws, “Speed Racer” still deserves props for popularizing anime in America. Even if its dub was sacrificed to do it.

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#2: “Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) Big Green Dub

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Goku and the others had a very long and bumpy road to English-speaking audiences, and unfortunately, that included a detour with the French company AB Groupe. Their work on the franchise is so atrocious, any unsuspecting viewers would probably mistake it for a parody. Not even a particularly good one, either. There’s not a single well-cast actor in the whole bunch, to the point that many of them have remained uncredited even all these years later. If this is the best AB Groupe could do, it’s a mercy that they only touched the films. Who knows what a fully-dubbed anime from them would’ve looked like?

Based on their uninspired work here, these actors might actually be robots in disguise. In their defense, it’d be tough for any performer to put heart into these mangled translations. Unfortunately, the casts’ admirable attempts at playing it straight only propelled this dub into utter infamy. Their inflated reactions turned the nonsensical script into a thing of cringey, hilarious beauty. Really, “Headmasters” is the dub equivalent to a car-crash you can’t look away from, no matter how bad it gets. And, trust us, this one gets really bad. At the very least, the United States was spared from this dub’s wrath. Tragically, the rest of the world wasn’t so lucky.