The Dragon Ball Super Dub series just entered the “Future Trunks Saga” this past week, and the opening chapter ended with the reveal that the new saga’s “Big Bad” is none other than an evil version of Goku, who is known in Dragon Ball lore as “Goku Black.”
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Naturally, the introduction of a new Dragon Ball Super requires a new voice actor to bring the character alive; to create the English Dub version of Goku Black, the series asked iconic Dragon Ball Z / Dragon Ball Super voice actor Sean Schemmel to tweak his normal Goku voice into something more twisted. As always, the fanbase is having some strong reactions to this new version of Goku Black, which has prompted a response from series stars Sean Schemmel (voice of Goku) and Christopher Sabat (voice of Vegeta):
Goku Black dub! #DragonBallSuper #Toonami #AdultSwim pic.twitter.com/BMd0RXaUqk
— ✨Maria MsDBZbabe✨ (@MsDBZbabe) January 21, 2018
The accent for rose is based on what the actor who is playing zamasu decided. And since zamasu is inside goku black as more of zamasu dominates the character, more of the accent comes out. Neither of us are attempting a “true” british accent.
— Sean Schemmel (@SeanSchemmel) January 21, 2018
For the record, the Goku Black voice you heard tonight isn’t a fix. It’s the result of actually knowing who the character is. We knew nothing about him when we recorded the game. @SeanSchemmel and I were planning this voice for a long time now. #DragonBallSuper
— Christopher Sabat (@VoiceOfVegeta) January 21, 2018
Sabat is of course referring to Schemmel’s earlier takes on the Goku Black dub voice, as heard in the video games Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and streams from this week’s highly-anticipated release, Dragon Ball FighterZ. As you can hear below, Schemmel’s Goku Black voice was much different in the games than it was in the actual show – an evolution that the actor himself said would take place, late last year:
I’ve spent this entire week in Texas recording Goku, Goku Black and Rosé. I am confident these eps are gonna be off the hook! I can’t wait to hear the final mix! #exhausted #youallwillloveit!
— Sean Schemmel (@SeanSchemmel) December 15, 2017
The actual Dub series version of Goku Black is pretty spot-on: it sounds like Schemmel’s Goku, only slightly different, more sinister. It avoids going too arch with the whole “evil doppleganger” angle; if anything, the true horror is hearing Goku’s friendly, dulcet tones saying such horrible things. In short: it’s perfectly-suited to the most horror-tinged storyline of the series.
Dragon Ball Super Dub airs Saturday nights @ 10:30/9:30c on Toonami (Cartoon Network).
