'The Flash's Japanese Dub Sounds Better Than Some Anime

When anime fans think about dubs, they will more often than not think of how a show changes its [...]

By Megan Peters

When anime fans think about dubs, they will more often than not think of how a show changes its Japanese audio to their native language. The transition is just how things work with anime, but not everything dubbed goes that way.

For show like The Flash, they find themselves going from English to Japanese, and the Arrowverse show has anime fans buzzing over how it sounds. After all, it sounds more like an anime than some — well — anime.

Over on Twitter, a dub clip of The Flash from Japan is making the rounds, and you can check it out below. Give it a listen and see whether or not it feels like an epic shonen dub.

As you can see, this clip is taken from the season four premiere of The Flash. It begins with Team Flash in Central City fighting crime, and Iris West is bolstering the group while Barry Allen is MIA.

In true shonen style, the live-action clip leans into the flashback trope as Iris narrates the events leading to Barry's disappearance in season three. The tearful memory sees the couple bid farewell, and fans admit they can hear this scene working in a dramatic Gundam moment. Then, things speed up when fans are thrust back into present day where Wally West and Cisco are out on a mission.

Of course, there's going to be certain overlaps with any Japanese live-action dub and its anime dubs; The actors are all speaking the same language, but there's just something about the exchange in this clip of The Flash that anime fans cannot wrap their heads around. So, if Warner Bros. wants to order an actual Flash anime, it definitely has a solid cast down in Japan for that sort of gig.

Plus, it does help that Barry is a certified otaku himself. The Flash outed the superhero as a major Dragon Ball Z in an episode last year, and it turns out Barry was part of his high school's anime club. Now, fans just need to bring the character to Japan!

If you want to catch up on all things The Flash, you will be able to check out the show when it returns to TV this fall. The fifth season of The Flash will debut on Tuesday, October 9th, at 8/7c on The CW.

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