Boruto Director Explains How They Chose Jigen’s Voice Actor

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations fans were excited to see the debut of the latest opening theme for the anime as not only did it mark that the year plus run of original anime content would soon be coming to an end, but that it also means that the central villain organization in the manga would be making its official anime debut. Fans have been waiting to see how Kara would be adapted to the anime after seeing much of their villainous ways and resulting battles play out in the manga, and this group was cemented just a bit more as their leader was officially cast.

It was previously announced that Kenjiro Tsuda will be behind the voice of Kara’s leader Jigen in the Boruto anime, and while the rest of the Kara cast is still unknown as of this writing, director behind the anime Masayuki Kouda revealed why Tsuda was ultimately chosen in an interview with Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine.

As Kouda explained in the interview (as translated by @OrganicDinosaur on Twitter), the director had worries about which actors would be the best fit for Kara as their overall tone was a concern, “From the very beginning of things, I was really worried about who would be doing the voices of Kara. First of all, what’s the tone of voice that would be suitable for a member of Kara? Should it have a calm, and composed feeling to it? Or rather leave a hot-blooded impression?”

Noting how he had “many discussions” with editing supervisor Noriyuki Abe and audio director Yasushi Nagura, Kouda revealed that the team decided on Kenjiro Tsuda after deciding on a few notable factors, “The deciding factor was first and foremost on casting someone with a ‘ghastly voice.’ If that voice says something, you should feel as if you won’t be able to do anything at all – as if you’re going to lose. That’s why we chose [Kenjiro Tsuda]: To give that sort of fear-inducing and dreadful impression.”

Are you excited for Jigen’s eventual debut in the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime? How do you feel knowing that Kara will finally be making their way to the anime after over a year of teasing? Which members of the mysterious group are you most excited to see? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!