Interview: ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ Dub Cast Talks Broly, Excitement, and Bulma’s Greatness

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is the largest film release in the entire Dragon Ball franchise, and it’s largely due to the fact that it will be releasing in the United States shortly after its official release in Japan.

As one might imagine, this makes for an interesting situation for the English dub cast of the film. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to talk with them all about it!

Speaking with Sean Schemmel (the voice of Goku), Monica Rial (the voice of Bulma), Jason Douglas (the voice of Beerus), and Ian Sinclair (the voice of Whis), ComicBook.com was able to get to the bottom of what they are looking forward to in the film themselves.

We talked the changes to the dubbing process for the film, potential pressures because of those changes, excitement for the new origin story, what’s changed due to original creator Akira Toriyama’s involvement, having to record a film that takes place after the end of the series (which the dub has yet to complete), and of course, why Bulma is the secret hero of the franchise. Read on for the full interview!

Dragon Ball Super: Broly will officially release in Japan this December. Funimation will be bringing the film to theaters in the United States on January 16th, and fans are just waiting to find out which theaters the film will release in. You can read its synopsis below:

“This is the story of a new Saiyan. Earth is peaceful following the Tournament of Power. Realizing that the universes still hold many more strong people yet to see, Goku spends all his days training to reach even greater heights. Then one day, Goku and Vegeta are faced by a Saiyan called ‘Broly’ who they’ve never seen before. The Saiyans were supposed to have been almost completely wiped out in the destruction of Planet Vegeta, so what’s this one doing on Earth? This encounter between the three Saiyans who have followed completely different destinies turns into a stupendous battle, with even Freeza (back from Hell) getting caught up in the mix.”

Dub Process

ComicBook.com: Dragon Ball Super: Broly is coming out so soon after the film’s release in Japan. Did that change the dubbing process at all? [ED. NOTE: This interview was conducted at New York Comic Con 2018, so keep that in mind when the cast talks scheduling.]

Sean Schemmel: We haven’t dubbed it yet [laughs]. That definitely put us on a schedule, and I know that’s something Funimation wanted to do for two reasons. We wanted to ride the wave of hype, and I wanted to address this, there is a problem with rampant stealing of anime when it’s dubbed later. So one of the ways companies try to combat that is to do simuldubs. And if you’re stealing anime you should stop. When I was a kid, we just rented a video and had a party.

That way we’d save some money, invite 20 people over and watch a Monty Python film instead of [torrenting] it and hurting the livelihood of the hardworking animators who don’t get paid much to slave away. I’ve seen anime studios shut down due to [torrenting] and stealing, so that’s one reason we’re doing it. Also, it’s exciting to do it that way. I think it’s the best way to do it. 

Jason Douglas: I think by the time Battle of Gods came out, the original Japanese version had been out for quite some time. It’s exciting to feel like there will be fans watching the film for the first time, maybe not exposed to the original version yet. They’re going to be seeing it with fresh eyes, and having a fresh experience as opposing to going in having already streamed it. So this is really exciting. I would love to get to the point where we’re doing this for a same day release in multiple sites. 

Any Added Pressure?

Did that add any additional pressure, or excitement when performing such scenes as the fight scenes now that the dubbing process for the film has been changed so much? 

Monica Rial: I think that we all acclimated very well. We do so many of the simuldubs, and it’s a breakneck pace. It’s very, very quick. But what happens is there are two choices: you can moan about it, or step up to the plate. I think that most of us have stepped up to the plate and realized that our process has to change to be a little faster. I think we’re still going to put in the care and love that we do on the daily, it’s just as a whole we have gotten used to a much faster process. 

Schemmel: Oh, we’ll spend a little more time on the movie. You know, I record Dragon Ball Super in L.A., but I told [Christopher Sabat] for the movie I’ll go to Texas. I can work just fine remotely, but it’s more enjoyable. [Sabat] will also be directing, he’s amazing by the way.

I recorded Resurrection F in two days. It takes about a week to effectively record a whole movie like that, maybe two weeks. But I don’t feel like I’m on a rushed schedule to do it. Just that we have to do it this month, then I’m free [laughs]. I hope you guys are free. 

Douglas: I’m gonna make time. 

Rial: We also probably don’t have nearly as much to do as you do. 

Schemmel: I saw the line counts. Broly has the most, I think. He has almost the most lines. 

Douglas: The big mystery of course, when you look at line counts. What’s the breakdown between words and reactions. Yelling, screaming, that almost feels like, “That’s not a line, that’s just vocal torture.” Measure that in duration, don’t give me a count, “You’ll be torturing yourself for 35 minutes in this film.” Which means you’ve actually done it for 180 minutes, and we’ve just edited it down to what we’re actually using. 

New Origin Story

One of the trailers revealed that we are getting a bigger look at Goku’s origin story, and there are some differences there. Is there anything you are particularly excited for in this new take? 

Douglas: I like the monkey tails. I do know that it’s original to Dragon Ball. What I don’t know at this point is when they transition from that in the anime. But I think it’s cool that they are in primal form. 

Schemmel: They cut their tails off. The reason Goku and Vegeta don’t have tails is because if they don’t cut off their tails, when there’s a full moon, they turn into giant monkeys and start destroying everything. It’s how they terraform planets when Freeza was in charge of all the Saiyans. I think it somehow channels, since they can’t release it through the monkey at night, so that power all builds up. I wonder if that’s how Goku became a Super Saiyan. 

Ian Sinclair: You’re probably also used to seeing tailless Super Saiyans because in Super, all the Saiyans already have their tails cut off or are from Universe 6 where they have no tails. 

Rial: Y’all got a lesson. 

Sinclair: You learned something today [laughs].

Rial: I think I’m most excited about the fact that Akira Toriyama’s so involved in it, and that we are seeing it go back to his manga style. Even the art style is a little different. I think that’s really exciting because creators are great, but sometimes their projects get away from them so it’s really nice to see the original creator come through, take the reins back and be like, “I like what you’re doing, but how about we do it this way.”

Schemmel: I’m curious about the Bardock, Gine, storyline with Goku’s parents. 

Has Anything Changed Now That Toriyama’s Involved?

With Akira Toriyama’s deeper involvement, has there been a noticeable difference between working on this from other Dragon Ball projects? 

Schemmel: Particularly in the art style, yeah. 

Rial: Yeah, I haven’t seen the film yet. But [during the New York Comic Con 2018 panel], one of the producers [Norihiro Hayashida] was talking about how it is going to be very different, in the sense that the art style was going to be different. 

Schemmel: New characters…

Rial: Yeah, new characters with actual designs from Toriyama himself. 

Schemmel: Yeah, it’s cool. 

Beerus, Whis, and Broly

A major difference with the new Broly is that this time Broly will be coming into a series with a God of Destruction and Angel at his side. How do Beerus and Whis handle the fact that there’s this strong being in Universe 7 suddenly? 

Sinclair: I don’t think they care. In general, all we’ve seen in Super is a moment in their history. These are ancient beings that are just kind of entertaining themselves. The reason Super happens is cause Beerus wakes up and goes, “I had a dream that I wanted to fight somebody so let’s go do that.” So there’s another angry monkey boy out there, cool. 

Douglas: I think if you look at Beerus and Whis’ involvement in Resurrection F, that was a pretty apocalyptic thing that was happening. They were just like, hanging out, eating ice cream sundaes. I do think there’s a little levity about that, but there seems to be a policy of non-intervention when it comes to these things. Beerus and Whis seem to have much higher level goals in mind. 

Schemmel: Yeah, they’re seeing the larger picture all the time. 

Sinclair: If anything, I see Whis being happy Goku and Vegeta have some[one] else to train and push them further.  

Goku, Vegeta, and Broly

Speaking of, is that all Goku and Vegeta are going to see in Broly? Just another powerful Saiyan to fight? 

Rial: I’m hoping this film will give him a reason. He was a force of nature before. 

Schemmel: Just as a fan of anything, I hate disaster films because tornadoes aren’t assholes; they’re just tornadoes. I like seeing my antagonists have a reason to be an antagonist, rather than just, “We’re escaping the flood, so what?” and that’s what Broly was like before, just a force of nature. 

But now he’s going to, supposedly, have a damn good reason to want to combat Vegeta, Goku, and anyone else from what I’ve seen in the trailer and what has come out of Japan about retconning the character. 

Rial: Possibly vice versa too. You guys might have more of an issue to fight with him.

Spoilers!

This takes place after the end of the series, which the English dub has not completed yet, so was there anything you needed to spoil for yourselves?

Sinclair: Oh, I already know. I’ve done my research and watched my episodes. 

Rial: We’re currently in the Tournament of Power, so I’m pretty much out. Thanks, guys. So for me, it wasn’t spoiling anything. 

Schemmel: Since Whis is all-knowing, I don’t think it would affect Sinclair’s acting to watch ahead. I don’t watch ahead, and I feel like it would effect me if I knew what was going to happen.

Sinclair: Hmm, I don’t know that Goku knows what just happened to him in the last 30 days. 

Bulma Love

Bulma’s popped up in a few of the trailers, is there anything you can tell us about what she’ll be up to? 

Schemmel: We haven’t seen the movie [laughs]. 

Douglas: I just realized I’m just curious what Bulma’s going to be doing in this. 

Rial: Apparently, I’ve got stuff to do, because I’ve been told I’ve got some hours. I’m just excited to be in the movie because it’s always a crapshoot. You know, with Battle of Gods and it was Bulma’s birthday I’m like, “Woo hoo!” Then with Resurrection F, I’m still like [softly] “I’m still here.” So I think it’s probably going to be kind of like that. Hey remember me? I’m funny. 

Schemmel: Bulma’s one of those characters that… she’s a sleeper. I compare to Lord of the Rings. The hero in Lord of the Rings is Samwise Gamgee, not Frodo, because Samwise is the guy who gets Frodo to drop off the ring. I would argue in some ways that Bulma is the hero of Dragon Ball. A center glue that ties in Krillin and Goku, and that whole thing. 

Sinclair: She’s one of the two constants of the entire series. She did more to stop Beerus from destroying the world than anybody. If she hadn’t spent her time making friends with [him], then Vegeta wouldn’t have asked to come train, and Goku wouldn’t have asked to come train. 

Rial: You’re welcome. I’m the sleeper cell in Dragon Ball. 

Schemmel: I’d really wish they’d play up the fact that Bulma and her dad are basically the Steve Jobs of the whole world. She’s so rich. 

Rial: She’s the Iron Man of Dragon Ball, she should be able to fight. 

Schemmel: She should make her own suit! 

Sinclair: That would be so dope! 

Douglas: Her superpower is her intellect. At the end of the day, it’s just like, “I’m just gonna work in my lab and retool this time machine.” 

Sinclair: I’d also like to point out that the God of Destruction, Goku, and everyone else are all terrified of her without the suit. She doesn’t need a suit for them to fear her. 

Rial: I’m loving this Bulma love fest by the way. 

Douglas: Bulma needs her own origin story. 

Are We Going to Cry?

In a recent interview with the Dragon Ball Super: Broly staff, there was a tease noting that the first few minutes would make fans cry. Was there any moment during recording that might have hit you harder than you expected? 

Schemmel: We haven’t record[ed] the film yet [laughs]. That tells me that a major character might die. 

Sinclair: I’m think it’s just the origin story. We saw Bardock and Gine putting [Goku] into a thing and launching him off. Those are parents giving up their child. 

Rial: Maybe we’ll see the reasoning behind it, which would make you cry. 

Sinclair: And the love King Vegeta has for his son, and apparently what Paragus is doing, but we don’t really know what he’s doing. 

Schemmel: Plus when somebody dies in Dragon Ball, there are always Dragon Balls. 

Rial: From what we’ve seen in the trailers, I feel like there are a lot of clues that hit close to home for a lot of people. Separation from parents, and trying to live up to a dad, you know all of these things. I feel like if they’re gonna make us cry, it’s not necessarily someone is going to die, but maybe some of these things hit home hard. 

Schemmel: You know what I think really did it, and it’s underrated, is that score is really hitting those notes really well. I’m a former orchestral musician so that’s what I’m listening for. So I’m listening for it, going, “Wow, that score is actually pulling my heartstrings along with what’s matched up visually.” Without that score, I don’t think [the second trailer] would have been as impactful. So kudos to the composer. It’s really going to help with those feels. 

What Should Fans Take Away?

To close this all out, although you have yet to see the movie…

Schemmel: That is established [laughs].

What do you want fans to take away from the Dragon Ball Super: Broly experience? 

Rial: I’m hoping the film’s staff is correct in that it brings out some kind of emotional — I mean I hate to make people cry, but at the same time as actors there’s something really awesome about having the power to make people cry. So as awful as that sounds, I hope that it touches people. 

Schemmel: The last two didn’t make anybody cry, so that color in there, that emotion to having a crying moment in a Dragon Ball movie would be awesome. 

Douglas: I think anything that digs into the mythology of the franchise, and for the fan, it makes it more than a show about fighting. It becomes a show with legendary histories, and mytholgies to draw on. I think it makes it for a richer thinking and philosophy about the show. It also hopefully inspires the writers to create more of these storylines to dive into with films, or whatever form the series takes whether it’s Super or something after. 

Schemmel: Dragon Ball, from people who don’t know it well, is accused of being a lowbrow anime. There’s a whole bunch of deeper themes going on. There’s all kinds of culture themes that are deep, layered, and beautiful. I hope the film brings more of that.  

Sinclair: I just hope the movie leads into new episodes. That would be great. I want more.