Anime Voice Actors Who Hated Their Iconic Roles

Being an anime voice actor is a demanding job that requires a lot of energy, both emotionally and physically. Though actors often love the characters they’re known for, working on long-running shows can be incredibly tough on their voices and health. Several performers have talked about how these famous roles affected their well-being and personal lives, sometimes leading to lasting vocal problems or emotional difficulties. It’s a complex situation, and some actors have mixed or even negative feelings about the roles that brought them success.

Megumi Ogata

Megumi Ogata, the voice actor for Shinji Ikari in ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’, struggled emotionally while working on the show. Playing a character with such intense feelings often affected her personal life, even causing physical stress. She felt a great sense of relief when the original series finished, and has spoken openly about how difficult it is to revisit the role in later movies due to the character’s emotional weight.

Sean Schemmel

Sean Schemmel is famous for being the voice of Goku in the ‘Dragon Ball’ series, but playing the character has been incredibly demanding on his body. He actually fainted while recording ‘Dragon Ball GT’ during a particularly strenuous scene where Goku transforms into Super Saiyan 4. Schemmel has often talked about how much effort it takes to perform Goku’s iconic shouts and power-up sequences, and he admits that playing the role for so many years has significantly impacted his voice.

Maile Flanagan

Maile Flanagan struggled at first with voicing Naruto. The character’s energetic and slightly rough voice strained her throat, particularly during the long fight scenes. She’s explained that it took years to learn how to voice him without damaging her vocal cords. Repeating the same battle lines over and over often left her feeling very tired after recording.

Akira Kamiya

Akira Kamiya is famous for playing Kenshiro in ‘Fist of the North Star,’ but the role was incredibly demanding on his body. Kenshiro’s fast punches were paired with loud, repeated shouts that Kamiya had to perform for long periods. This caused him to almost lose his voice several times while the show was popular. Eventually, the physical strain became too much, and he decided to avoid similarly intense roles in the future.

Colleen Clinkenbeard

Colleen Clinkenbeard, a voice actress with a long career, says that voicing Monkey D. Luffy in ‘One Piece’ is the most strenuous thing she’s ever done with her voice. Luffy’s loud and boisterous personality requires a specific way of speaking that often leaves her with a sore throat. She has to be careful when scheduling recording sessions to avoid hurting her voice and affecting her other work. While she loves the show, maintaining Luffy’s voice is a constant physical challenge.

Nobuyo Oyama

Nobuyo Oyama spent over 25 years voicing Doraemon, but the role ultimately began to feel limiting. Because she became so well-known as the blue robotic cat, it was difficult for her to find work playing other characters or appealing to different audiences. This typecasting was frustrating, as she felt her identity as an actress was overshadowed by a single children’s role. She eventually stepped down from the part, feeling both grateful for the character’s legacy and worn out by it.

Katsuji Mori

Katsuji Mori, the voice of Garma Zabi in ‘Mobile Suit Gundam,’ didn’t enjoy playing the character. He generally preferred playing tougher, more villainous roles and found Garma’s personality and design unappealing. While everyone on set knew he wasn’t thrilled with the part, his performance ultimately became iconic with fans. He continued to express his dislike for the character’s innocence and the role itself even long after the show aired.

Bryce Papenbrook

Bryce Papenbrook has talked about how physically demanding it was to voice Eren Yeager in ‘Attack on Titan’. The character’s journey from optimistic kid to angry soldier meant a lot of screaming and intense emotions. Papenbrook often damaged his voice during recording sessions and needed several days of rest to recover. The role was incredibly challenging, requiring him to be in top vocal shape and have a lot of stamina to get through the entire series.

Erika Harlacher

Voice actress Erika Harlacher found playing Shinobu Kocho in ‘Demon Slayer’ particularly challenging for her voice. Shinobu’s quiet, gentle, and consistently polite way of speaking was hard to keep up during longer scenes. It forced Erika to control her breathing in a new way, which often left her feeling dizzy and with a sore throat during recording sessions. Despite being a popular character, Shinobu proved to be one of Erika’s most physically demanding roles.

Christopher Sabat

Christopher Sabat, known for voicing Vegeta in ‘Dragon Ball Z’, actually hurt his voice while recording the show early on. His initial, deep and rough voice for Vegeta wasn’t something he could keep up, and he even coughed up blood a few times. To avoid lasting damage to his throat, he had to change how he performed the character. Although he’s now very comfortable with the role, those first years were a real physical challenge as he struggled to deliver Vegeta’s powerful lines.

Justin Briner

Justin Briner, the voice of Izuku Midoriya in ‘My Hero Academia’, has often talked about how challenging the role is for his voice. His character frequently yells and screams with intense emotion, which really strains Briner’s vocal cords. He uses special methods to protect his voice, but still feels exhausted after recording. The consistently high-energy demands of the role mean it’s an ongoing health concern for the actor.

Toru Furuya

Toru Furuya, best known as the voice of Amuro Ray from ‘Mobile Suit Gundam,’ felt limited by the character’s popularity. For many years, his career was so closely tied to this iconic role that he found it difficult to expand his range as an actor. While he hoped to be appreciated for other work, he was consistently drawn back to the role he first played in 1979. This created a feeling of being stuck and hindered his professional growth for much of his career.

Johnny Yong Bosch

Johnny Yong Bosch, the voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in ‘Bleach,’ found the role incredibly demanding, both vocally and emotionally. Because the show ran for so long and featured constant, intense fights, he spent ten years essentially screaming. He’s said the recording sessions were brutal on his voice, often leaving him unable to speak normally for days afterward. The fast-paced nature of the anime meant the role was a real test of stamina, and he was ultimately glad when it was over.

Mitsuo Iwata

Mitsuo Iwata, the voice of Shotaro Kaneda in the classic film ‘Akira’, found the experience challenging. He had to re-record lines many times to perfectly sync with the detailed animation, which became repetitive and frustrating. He also struggled to connect with the character’s wild personality and felt immense pressure due to the film’s importance. Ultimately, the technical requirements of the role made it feel more like work than a creative outlet throughout the long production process.

Matthew Mercer

Matthew Mercer felt a lot of pressure voicing Jotaro Kujo in ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.’ Jotaro is a hugely popular character, and Mercer worried about disappointing fans if his performance wasn’t right. This made recording the lines stressful, as he constantly doubted himself. He also felt uneasy throughout the series, wanting to honor the work of the original Japanese voice actor.

Todd Haberkorn

Todd Haberkorn, the voice of Natsu Dragneel in ‘Fairy Tail’, has talked about how physically demanding the role was. Because Natsu is such a loud and energetic character, Haberkorn had to yell for long periods, which often left him with a sore throat and exhausted. He needed to drink a lot of tea and get plenty of rest to keep up with the character’s energy and protect his voice.

Monica Rial

For over twenty years, voice actress Monica Rial has talked about how challenging it is to voice Bulma in the ‘Dragon Ball’ series. Bulma’s voice is high-pitched and she’s often portrayed as demanding, which puts a strain on Rial’s vocal cords, especially as she gets older. Because she’s played the character for so long, Rial feels like she’s always trying to match the quality of her earlier performances. Maintaining a consistent portrayal across many different series has also been a source of professional pressure for her.

Vic Mignogna

Vic Mignogna, the voice of Edward Elric in ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, has discussed the emotional toll the role took on him. Because Edward experiences so much trauma and sadness, Mignogna often felt those feelings strongly while recording. This intense connection to the character led to mental fatigue, as he found it difficult to leave Edward’s pain behind after work. While the role made him well-known, it was often challenging to separate himself from the character’s suffering in his personal life.

Luci Christian

Luci Christian initially found it challenging to voice Nami in the English dub of ‘One Piece’. She had trouble finding the perfect mix of the character’s personality traits – her greed, cleverness, and hidden kindness. Early on, she received mixed feedback from both fans and the directors, which made her question her performance. It took a lot of work and time before she felt confident as Nami, and those first seasons were a difficult experience for her professionally.

Hiroshi Kamiya

Hiroshi Kamiya, the voice actor for Captain Levi in ‘Attack on Titan’, has described how challenging it was to play the role. Because the character is so popular, Kamiya felt immense pressure to deliver a flawless performance, fearing any vocal slip-up. This led to a stressful work environment, as he felt constantly scrutinized by fans worldwide. Maintaining Levi’s calm and reserved personality also proved emotionally draining for Kamiya over the show’s long run.

Share your thoughts on these demanding voice acting roles in the comments.

2026-01-14 12:47