Remember When Dio Voiced Deadpool?

Anime ans took a digital stroll down memory lane on Twitter this week, remembering the animated [...]

By Michael Hein

Anime ans took a digital stroll down memory lane on Twitter this week, remembering the animated series where Deadpool was voiced by Takehito Koyasu, the same actor behind Dio Brando in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Koyasu has a lengthy resume in the world of anime, but that just makes it more strange and amusing that he has also dabbled in American superhero animation. On Sunday, Twitter user Josh posted a clip reminding fans of the strange occasion, noting that Koyasu is probably best-known to Americans through his work as Dio.

The scenes crop up online every now and then. They come from a series called Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers. It was produced by Toei animation and introduced the Marvel line-up to Japanese audiences at a time when some of the big blockbuster movies were slow to migrate overseas. The series tided fans in Japan over in the year-long wait for Deadpool to finally reach their theaters.

Koyasu flourished in the role of Wade Wilson. He captured the fourth-wall-breaking merc with a mouth perfectly. According to TVTokyo, he was a fan favorite, as Deadpool was voted the most popular hero on the show.

Koyasu's other credits are impressive, stretching all the way back into the 1980s. To American audiences, he is likely most memorable as the voice of Aokiji in One Piece, Pandora in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Sartorius in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. He voiced Gin Dojima in Food Wars, and Shinsuke Takasugi in Gintama. In Japan, he is best known for voicing Jean-Jacques Mondo in Spriggan, Touga Kiryuu in Revolutionary Girl Utena and Shigeru Aoba in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Marvel Disk Wars first aired in Japan in 2014. A year later, an English dub was produced. It has aired on Disney XD across southeast Asia and in Taiwan, and on the Disney Channel in the Phillippines. However, it has yet to debut in the U.S., and even the DVDs remain unavailable here at home.

The show has a unique premise by American superhero standards. It begins with Tony Stark's invention of the Digital Identity Securement Kit, or DISK. He hopes to use these to capture supervillains across the world. However, while presenting the device to Dr. Nozomu Akatsuki in Japan, Iron Man and the other Avengers are accosted by Loki.

Turning their own invention back on them, Loki traps Captain America, Iron Man, Hul Thor and the Wasp inside of the DISKs. After that, five children -- including Dr. Nozomu's sons -- obtain the DISKs, allowing them to free the heroes for a short period of time. They team up with the heroes much like Pokemon and Pokemon trainers, travelling the world, capturing powerful enemies and trying to free the Avengers.

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