Bleach: Former VA Addresses Kenpachi’s New Casting

December 5, 2022, 11:09am

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is taking over television, and the anime has done better than most anyone expected. While the hype for the comeback was high, concerns over the anime’s art remained, but those fears have all been dashed. After all, Studio Pierrot has taken Bleach to a new level with this comeback, and the show’s cast is doing the most as well. But now, it seems a former voice actor on Bleach has a bone to pick with Thousand-Year Blood War.

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The update comes from Twitter as David Lodge, the former voice of Kenpachi, addressed fans. It was there the actor confirmed they weren’t the one voicing Kenpachi in this new anime, and it was not because they were unwilling to reprise the role.

A New Leaf

“I’m so sorry Fans.I have not heard. I would return for you,” Lodge shared with followers. “This is what happens when you do not listen to your audience. So sad… for the fans. I was willing … for low pay … to return to just make fans of BLEACH…. Happy! ~ Im very popular even though not really on social media … I literally have millions of fans! Love u Fans!”

For those unfamiliar with Lodge, you likely know some of the roles they’ve undertaken in anime. Beyond their role in Bleach, the actor is known best for voicing Jiraiya in the English dub of Naruto. They have also done work on Digimon, and when it comes to video games, Lodge has worked on everything from World of Warcraft to Persona 5.

This recast is not the only one Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War ended up with. For those who don’t know, the original actor behind Chad chose not to reprise his role. Jamieson Price made way for Chad’s new VA Alain Mesa as Priceno longer voices POC characters. So if you thought Chad sounded different in this new series, that would be why!

What do you make of this latest Bleach debacle? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.