Tag: Broly

Interviewing The Cast Of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: Vic Mignogna- The Voice Of Broly

by Josh Jackson

This is part five of our ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ interview series.

Click here for our interview with Monica Rial, the voice of Bulma.

Click here for our interview with Jason Douglas, the voice of Beerus.

Click here for our interview with Ian Sinclair, the voice of Whis.

Click here for our interview with Sonny Strait, the voice of Bardock.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the continuation of the DBS anime that re-imagines the fan-favorite villain from the perspective of series creator Akira Toriyama, will be releasing in theaters nationwide on January 16. To count down to the release of the film, we will be posting a round table interview conducted alongside Sean at VRV, with voice actors from the movie each day leading up to the release date, culminating with a full review of DBS: Broly itself!

Next up is the titular character himself! Vic Mignogna has voiced Broly since the Funimation dub of the original Legendary Super Saiyan film in 2004. Perhaps best known as the voice of Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Vic has also played Junpei Iori in Persona 3 and its various films and spinoffs. Other well known series he’s featured in include Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man, and lesser known shows like Madlax, a personal favorite of mine. Chances are if you play games or watch anime, you’ve heard Vic’s voice. Now with Broly being reimagined, we talked to him about what it was like to play two different versions of the hulking berserker.

Josh- This is essentially the second time audiences are being introduced to Broly. His portrayal based on everything we know so far seems to be a little bit different from his past versions.

Vic- Different in a very good way! A very good way. I love Broly! I love that character, I have for many, many years. If there was one thing that I would have changed, and I think most fans agree, it would have been to give him a more significant backstory. Give him some kind of foundation or background that he didn’t have, and this movie certainly does that. And it does it very effectively.

Sean- From what we can gather, this version of Broly doesn’t really like to fight like the original version. Yet, we know we know he will actually be doing a lot of fighting. What were your thoughts on this kind of split and dichotomy?

Vic- I love it! You know, I think one of the things that Dragon Ball is known for is fighting, battling, tournaments and competition… So you expect that. And the action in this film is certainly worthy of Dragon Ball. But what you don’t always expect is a deeper story, is a sympathetic story for a character that on the surface may seem pretty menacing. But when you find out more about his background, you actually develop a… I don’t want to say sympathy, but your heart goes out a little bit to him, I think. And that just makes it more powerful.

Josh- Was that challenging at all to take this character that you played years ago in a different form and having to approach it in a different way?

Vic- Not at all! In fact, I welcome it! Because as an actor, you always love the opportunity to play a deeper character, right? I mean, anybody that screams loud can play a character that only screams loud, right? But if suddenly you’ve got a character that’s got variations on his personality and what makes him who he is, that makes him more fun to play! Which is always a welcomed thing.

Sean- If you had to choose between the two versions of the character, which one is more fun to play and which [would you choose] as a fan?

Vic- Both of them! Excuse me… I mean the second one for both reasons! (Laughs) The Broly we’re about to be introduced to is definitely my favorite for both reasons! I think the fans are really going to enjoy it more because there’s more to connect with, and I had fun playing a character that had more dimensions than just, “Oh! There was a baby crying next to him when he was born and he freaked out.” Ehh… That’s a little thin! (Laughs)

Sean- There is such great animation in this movie. Was there any point where it was too hard to record because you were just too taken aback by the images?

Vic- Well, I will tell you what! I will tell you that Justin Cook over there, (voice actor and producer on Dragon Ball and other Funimation projects), who worked on directing my stuff, he has as much better eye for it than I do! He has…

*Justin Cook shouts at Vic in the distance*

Vic- (Laughs) No! I’m just telling them! They were asking me about, you know, with the action and the fighting being so fast moving, it is easy to get pulled in! Like, “Wait a minute! I was supposed to do something and I don’t know what…” But Justin has a great eye for it, and he literally would say, “Okay, right here, you’ve got this, this, this, and it all happens in like half a second.” So I depended a great deal on him to keep me focused on what I was doing.

Justin- I depend on Vic! Let’s get that clear.

Vic- Right! He’s smirking when he says that! (Laughs)

Sean- Another question about recording. What is the key to recording the perfect battle scream?

Vic- Oof… You know what? Voice actors have told me for years that there is a way that you can yell without hurting your voice… I don’t but it! (Laughs) I don’t think that’s true. I think that if you fake it, you can tell. Does that make sense? So, umm… One of the reasons Broly is such a challenging character to play is because you can’t hold back! You can’t fake it. It has got to be full on, everything you’ve got, and so I don’t think there’s a way of cheating the yelling and the screaming. The key is, let it rip! Let it rip. Because the last thing you want to hear is the director go, “Could you uhh… Give me a little more?” I mean, oh god, really? So just let it go!

Josh- With this version of Broly, did you get somewhat of a break from the screaming? Is it as much?

Vic- No [break]! (Laughs) Umm… But I will tell you that our approach to the recording process was that we would record for like two hours a day, because you don’t want to do it much longer than that. Because you’ll actually stress your voice out and then you won’t be recovered for the next day. So we took a week to record this role for a couple of hours a day. Maybe some days we would do maybe three hours, but you don’t want to scream bloody murder for five or six hours a day cause then you’ll go home and you’ll wake the next morning and your voice will not have recovered. So then you’ll be out of commission for a few days. So our strategy was a couple hours each day, and then I would go home and drink tea with honey and sit quietly… (Laughs) And let it reocover!

Josh- The way that Broly is being portrayed in this version of the film kind of makes him seem like a missing link between Goku and Vegeta. What role do you think he plays in their rivalry and friendship as a Saiyan?

Vic- That’s an interesting question! That’s a very interesting question! And I hope based on the way that the story unfolds and the way the movie ends, I’m hoping sincerely that we’re going to see more of Broly. I think he’s a much more compelling character. He’s just as badass as he ever was, but now there’s more dimension to him. And I think it leaves it wide open for him to show up again and play a more pivotal role between Goku and Vegeta. I hope that happens! I sincerely hope it happens.

Sean- Do you think that Broly is kind of this product of Saiyan culture because of King Vegeta’s corruption, and because they are meant to be angry and fighting even when they don’t want to?

Vic- No! No, I think he’s a product of his father. I mean, you know. If Broly’s father is his singular main influance, just like you or me. Your dad has a great deal to do with the person you are by the time you’re 12 or 13 years old, right? And some of those habits are hard to break because they’re so deeply ingrained. I think that it’s Broly’s dad that is largely responsible for who he is.

Josh- That brings up an interesting point that I didn’t think of before. But since Broly was kind of isolated while Goku and Vegeta had their own thing, and he was kind of separate from the conflict with Frieza and everything… And this is just from what I know from the trailers, so I could be wrong, but do you think that Goku and Vegeta had that time to grow and develop and move on past Frieza’s influence on Planet Vegeta, do you think that Broly is kind of a way to pull them back towards their Saiyan heritage that has kind of taken more of a backseat after the Frieza Saga ended?

Vic- Possibly! Possibly so, but as you even pointed out, Broly is kind of a reluctant warrior. He’s not fighting because he even really believes in it himself. And you sense the turmoil in him, which is much more interesting than it’s ever been. It makes the character more interesting. And I’m not really sure how his presence will influence Vegeta or Goku, or like you said, “Pull them back.” Hopefully that’s something that will be explored either in the series to come or even another movie possibly. But they’ve certainly left it wide open for that!

Tomorrow, we sit with the Prince himself, as Chris Sabat talks to us about the process of recording the film both behind the mic and in the director’s chair!

Interviewing The Cast Of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: Monica Rial- The Voice Of Bulma

by Josh Jackson

This is part four of our ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ interview series.

Click here for our interview with Jason Douglas, the voice of Beerus.

Click here for our interview with Ian Sinclair, the voice of Whis.

Click here for our interview with Sonny Strait, the voice of Bardock.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the continuation of the DBS anime that re-imagines the fan-favorite villain from the perspective of series creator Akira Toriyama, will be releasing in theaters nationwide on January 16. To count down to the release of the film, we will be posting a round table interview conducted alongside Sean at VRV, with voice actors from the movie each day leading up to the release date, culminating with a full review of DBS: Broly itself!

Today’s interview is with Monica Rial, who has voiced Bulma since the remade Dragon Ball Z: Kai was dubbed in 2010. As the one character who has been part of the series as long as Goku has, Bulma is perhaps the character that has changed the most throughout the series. Starting off as a shallow teenager who wanted to use the wish making powers of the Dragon Balls to wish for a boyfriend, fans have watched her grow into the brains behind the brawn of Goku and his friends, oftentimes serving as the motherly figure to the rest of the group as well as the only person that can keep her husband, Vegeta, in check. Outside of Dragon Ball, Monica has had lead roles in series’ such as Panty and Stocking with Garderbelt, Senran Kagura, and recently began voicing Sakura Kinomoto in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.

Josh- So Monica! With the Broly movie approaching, what can you tell us about Bulma’s role in the film?

Monica- Bulma’s role is in the film is she KICKS BROLY’S A… No, I’m kidding, I wish! (Laughs) I’m still waiting for the day that she to fight! But I’d say Bulma’s role in this film is supporting her friends, but also comedy. She’s got a lot of comedy in this one. And I think it’s just that it’s such an action packed, hardcore film. There’s a lot of drama, there’s a lot of action, so I feel like they needed some comic relief and they were like, “Bulma!” So that’s kind of my role in this one. Which I’m not gonna complain about. I love comedy, so I’m all about it!

Josh- Bulma has the habit of bossing around some of the strongest beings in the universe, so are we going to come to the point in the film or beyond the film where she’s going to be pulling Broly by the ear and telling him what to do?

Monica- I hope so! I really, really hope that will be the case because at this point, I’ve done it to all of them. Calling Frieza ugly to his face and slapping Beerus… if she didn’t die then, then surely she can handle Broly or at least put him in his place.

Sean- Is she going to be the one that actually forces Vegeta to fuse?

Monica- Oh… I can’t tell you that! (Laughs) But that’s got to be weird! You know, the more I think about the fusion, it’s like your best friend and your husband… Do you really want them turning into one person? Probably not.

Sean- Yeah, what would Bulma say to that?

Monica- I think she’d be a little weirded out. At the same time, I think she’s one of those people who’ll do whatever you got to do to get the job done. But at the same time, yeah… It would be a little strange.

Josh- She’s been around from the very beginning, so she’s seen her fair share of strange things already.

Monica- Right! I think she’s just jaded at this point. She’s like, “Whatever, that’s weird but oh well, it’s just another Tuesday!”

Sean- Was there any point where the animation was just so breathtaking that it stopped you in your tracks while you were recording?

Monica- Yeah! In fact, I got to watch it before we recorded it. Jason Douglas and I actually sat down in Colleen Clinkenbeard’s office, (longtime voice actor and director at Funimation who currently plays Mai and the entire young Goku family tree in Dragon Ball), and sat with the script because they were very cautious about it not leaking or anything. So we had to go into her office and watch it on her little Mac with our little scripts… And I will say that there were several times where we looked at each other and were like, “Oh! Yes! That’s intense!” And we weren’t even looking at the final version, we were looking at a version that was still in progress, so you had a lot of storyboards and still animation, which was so cool for us because we never get to see that behind the scenes kind of stuff. So it was really neat to kind of see. There was a point where Bulma’s space ship takes off and it’s like, a picture… a picture… a picture… a picture, before they had the motion put in. It was really, really cool! But yeah, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t WAIT for everybody to see it! I feel like I’ve got the biggest secret in the world and I can’t tell anybody and I can’t wait for you all to see it so I can finally talk about it! (Laughs)

Josh- I know, the wait’s been killer!

Monica- Yeah, it’s the worst! It’s absolutely the worst. And people keep asking, “Why are the trailers giving away so much information?” And I’m like, “Nah you’re good. There’s still a whole lot more!”

Josh- Okay, good!

Sean- It’s not quite 100% certain that we’ll get that we’ll get more Dragon Ball animation beyond this. If it does keep going, are you absolutely down for more and where do you think it will go?

Monica- 100 percent! In fact, I would be very unhappy and very sad if we DON’T have more! I would hope that would be the case! I think that a lot of people have speculated [and] Akira Toriyama has said that if this film does well, that he would consider the possibility of doing more. So I’m like, “Everybody go see this movie! Go! Now!” (Laughs) But yeah, I would love for there to be more, and if I were going to guess as to where I would like the show to go, I would love for either Vegeta or Goku to become a Destroyer. I kind of see that whole aspect of it, and people always ask, “Well then, what’s going to happen to Beerus?” And I’m like, “I think Beerus is going to be the new Piccolo!” As much as he hates it, I think he’s gonna be the dude that sits around and eats food and hangs out with Bulla! And that’s how it’s gonna be!

Josh- And he raises other people’s kids!

Monica- Right, exactly! We all know Piccolo is the best dad in Dragon Ball! Well… Vegeta is catching up because of what he’s done recently, but not in the beginning.

Josh- Yeah! Him and Piccolo are fighting for a close first and second right now. (Laughs)

Sean- Kind of a silly question, but do you think if Broly is the one Bulma encountered, would they be together too?

Monica- Oh gosh! I don’t think so! I don’t know… No! No, not THIS Broly. This Broly… I think that that she would be like… She’s become much more maternal as the show has gone on I think, especially in Super. She’s kind of the mom of the group. She’s like telling people what to do and making sure she’s on every mission because she’s like, “You can’t go by yourself, I have to be there!” She’d probably just mom Broly. Broly would be like her kid where she’s like, “Now shush, drink your milk! Okay, you have to finish your homework before you go to bed!” Like I really think that would be her take on Broly.

Josh- On the subject of Bulma’s role shifting over the years, it’s somewhat understated, but next to Goku, she’s the character who has been there the longest and gone through the most growth and change throughout. So going from the selfish teenager up to the mom role, where would you like to see Bulma go past this movie?

Monica- Oh goodness… I would love to see her take a more commanding position. Like maybe… Become the mayor of the town or do something that’s more involved with what’s happening in their world. Either that or I would like to see her fight! (Laughs) I’d love to see her come out with an outfit… Not and outfit, but like a suit. Like an Iron Man type suit where she can actually go out there and help them more than just by flying the spacecraft, you know what I mean? I think that would be kind of fun to see. She might like… Scream and run away! But you know, it would be worth a shot! Just to see!

Josh- That doesn’t sound too hard compared to building a time machine a couple of times.

Monica- If she could do that, she can surely build an Iron Man suit!

Sean- Robotics suits used to be a big part of Dragon Ball.

Monica- Right!? Yeah! And then it’s been gone, so it’s like, “Bring them back!” (Laughs) That would be fun! So who knows? But yeah, I think she’ll continue to mom everybody, that’s for sure.

Monica- I was just talking to the other gentleman who was hosting [the interviews]. He was saying that, “You know, a lot of Japanese people watch the dub,” and I’m like, “… They do?” I guess we just assume that you know… You guys watch the dub, everybody in the US watches the dub, but nobody else anywhere… Ever watches the dub!

Sean- I interviewed Sean [Schemmel] at Comic Con and he said they heard back that you guys got the seal of approval from the Japanese crew.

Monica- That was recent! That wasn’t that long ago. So it was kind of interesting to see how it’s kind of changing over the years. But yeah! To think that people are watching internationally that don’t even speak English as a first language, that’s really impressive! That’s really, really cool! And kind of intimidating and scary all at the same time! (Laughs)

Josh- But I think that’s just a testament to how great of a job you all do because for me at least, it’s really hard to even watch it in any other version. You guys are the voices that I’ve been listening to for so long.

Monica- Thank you! Well, we love it. I mean like… That’s the thing. We’ve kind of become a little family. Like, anywhere we go, I look forward to seeing [everyone]. I just put a picture up and tagged it as, “Doing press with my boys!” Because it’s literally how it feels! You’re just like a little happy family!

Sean- Chris [Sabat’s] work wife?

Monica- Yes! Oh my gosh! My birthday dinner was with my fiance and Chris! So both of my husbands!

We’re in Saiyan territory now! Check back tomorrow for our interview with Vic Mignogna, the voice of Broly!

Interviewing The Cast Of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: Jason Douglas- The Voice Of Beerus

by Josh Jackson

This is part three of our ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ interview series.

Click here for our interview with Ian Sinclair, the voice of Whis.

Click here for our interview with Sonny Strait, the voice of Bardock.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the continuation of the DBS anime that re-imagines the fan-favorite villain from the perspective of series creator Akira Toriyama, will be releasing in theaters nationwide on January 16. To count down to the release of the film, we will be posting a round table interview conducted alongside Sean at VRV, with voice actors from the movie each day leading up to the release date, culminating with a full review of DBS: Broly itself!

Today’s interview is with Jason Douglas, the voice actor for the God of Destruction himself, Beerus. Jason is a veteran voice actor who has been featured in dubbing roles for over a decade. Ranging from classics like Elfen Lied and Full Metal Panic to newer shows like My Hero Academia, RWBY and One Piece, chances are if you’ve watched popular anime over the last few years, you’ve heard his voice at some point. Outside of anime, Jason has also voiced Krieg, the playable Psycho in Borderlands 2, and can be seen on the screen in the Sin City film and Breaking Bad. With Beerus arguably being his most popular role, we sat down with him to ask him how the god’s presence will be felt in the Broly film, as well as how it feels to play one of the most well received additions to the Dragon Ball cast.

Sean- Can you tell us what Beerus’ role in the film is, both in the flashback storyline and the present storyline?

Jason- I think you’re gonna learn some things about Beerus that really… I wanna say things without getting too spoilery, but I think the Beerus that we see in this film confirms for me some things that I’ve considered for awhile now, which is that he is getting restless in his position. He might even be getting… There might be a vulnerability there. I’ll just put it that way. I think that we are not finished seeing him develop as a character, and I think what we see of him in this film will set up perhaps some future conflict perhaps between him and Whis or between him and Goku and Vegeta. I think it will seem trivial to some degree, but I think it sets up a possibility for a future change in the Beerus storyline. That’s about as careful as I can say all of that without giving anything away! (Laughs)

Sean- The character wasn’t actually in the first Broly film. Were you a fan of the original film and were you happy to be apart of it?

Jason- The original film wasn’t really on my radar screen. I felt like, especially with the way Toriyama wanted to really reboot the character… in a fresh way with this film. I think that in some ways, we kind of need to set aside what we think we know about Broly from all the previous iterations of that character and just take him for who he now he is as he’s launched in THIS iteration of the Dragon Ball franchise. Because I think it’s an interesting character and I think he will be a bit of a live wire. And someone that going forward… I think just adds some unpredictability to the Dragon Ball universe, you know? And I think that’s who Broly is. I think he’s incredibly powerful, but it’s a power that I don’t think is easily constrained. So I think Vegeta and Goku, especially under the tutelage of Whis, are always about discipline and control and focus. Whereas Broly is the proverbial wild child, you know? The idea of a kid raised by monkeys living in the jungle, you know? Like swinging from trees. And so,  I think that just lends to his intrigue as a character.

Josh- Speaking of Beerus and his history with the Saiyans, it was kind of said as more of a throwaway line almost in Super, one that hasn’t been addressed much yet, but it was mentioned how Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta on Beerus’ order. Now, is that anything he is gonna have to answer for?

Jason- Well, I think this film is interesting in that it expands the backstory of a lot of that. This film is really great for sort of deepening the mythos of the Dragon Ball universe and giving that scene… When you see it in Super, it feels a certain way. But I think once you get to know Planet Vegeta a little bit in this film and you see the kind of world that they’re living in, it sort of begins to make more sense in a certain way. And so I for one was glad obviously as the English voice of Beerus, but as the actor trying to bring that character to life, to see kind of a richer landscape of what that was about. We definitely gain a lot of perspective on Planet Vegeta.

Sean- Was there any point where the animation was just so breathtaking that it was difficult to completely record your lines because it’s just so amazing?

Jason- Um… Yeah, that’s interesting… I was quite impressed with the animation for this film. Luckily, I had a chance to watch it from start to finish. It was still unfinished, but in some places, it was complete. I could tell even then that it was going to be just… It was definitely moving up a notch from our expectations from the show. I think when we saw Battle of Gods, our expectations were instantly elevated by what we saw with that film, and that’s been three our four years ago now. So their ideas about the show and about how to cast the animation for that has evolved even since then. I think it’s epic, I think it is very Tolkien-esque at times. It has the flavors now of a deep mythology that I think we maybe didn’t have before.

Josh- Speaking of Battle of Gods, it was the first time that there was new material for Dragon Ball Z in about a decade and a half…

Jason- 17 years I think, yeah!

Josh- When that came out, it introduced Beerus, who is now a major part of [Dragon Ball]. How did that feel being a new character added in such a well renowned and established universe, and how do you feel about him being so widely accepted in the fandom?

Jason- I’m grateful that the fandom of Dragon Ball have accepted obviously me as part of that inner circle which for so long was carried so skillfully by Sean [Schemmel] and Chris [Sabat] and those folks. It’s always an amazing thing to be part of a franchise that has worldwide acclaim and to get to contribute to that in some way. And so I’m thrilled particularly on this show that the English dub is not just an afterthought, but that there are a lot of fans worldwide really who eagerly anticipate what we do. I hear from fans who love the Japanese version and the English dub version and will watch them both. It’s like they get two performances, they get two chances to watch the show be interpreted. It’s a real honor, and for someone who’s really been doing this… I started doing anime before I ever started working on camera for film and television. It was one of the first professional jobs I ever had as an actor after starting in theater, it was doing voices in anime. You know, that’s been just over 20 years now. And so for me to get to do a character like this in Dragon Ball, which is such a worldwide phenomenon, is just an amazing milestone for me. It’s definitely an honor.

Josh- As far as Beerus, one of my favorite things about him is that he has the ability to just  be the funniest part of the show, then the next second, he can be the most dangerous part of the show.

Jason- Right! For me, that’s what makes him so much fun to play. He’s not a one dimensional character. He’s not just sort of written as a utility kind of function to advance the plot, and then he’s gone. I think as the audience, we’re intrigued by him as a character. Not only does he make us laugh, but he gets us excited. I think that he has that effect within the show as well. I think Goku and Vegeta obviously have respect for Beerus as a character and he represents something that I think they want to attain for themselves. I think it’s important for Beerus to not merely be a kind of a malevolent force, but as a way of saying, “Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure that you want what I have? Because I’ve been at it for a good while and I’m a little bored.” I think there’s a subtext to Beerus that says, “I’m a little bored with this, guys. Do you want it? Come take it, but make it interesting!”

Sean- Are you down for more if there’s more to come?

Jason- Yeah! I’m around! (Laughs) Obviously, I pursue on camera work, and I do other voice work and video games. But I’ve never not done anime except for a very short period of time in the mid to late 2000’s when I was kind of quiet in the business. But I’ve been doing anime nearly longer than I’ve done anything else as an actor, so for me to get to play this character is really an opportunity of a lifetime and I hope that it does continue for me as it has for these guys! You know, they started 20-some odd years ago with this franchise when nobody knew or cared what it was, and they’ve stuck with it all this time. They saw it gain in popularity and saw it achieve worldwide phenomenon status. So if I could be apart of it for my 20 years as they approach 40, I think that would be great!

Check back tomorrow for our next interview with Monica Rial, the voice of Bulma!

Interviewing The Cast Of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: Ian Sinclair- The Voice Of Whis

by Josh Jackson

This is part two of our interview series.

Click here for our interview with Sonny Strait, the voice of Bardock.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the continuation of the DBS anime that re-imagines the fan-favorite villain from the perspective of series creator Akira Toriyama, will be releasing in theaters nationwide on January 16. To count down to the release of the film, we will be posting a round table interview conducted alongside Sean at VRV, with voice actors from the movie each day leading up to the release date, culminating with a full review of DBS: Broly itself!

Next up, is Ian Sinclair, the voice of Whis. As the angel and overseer of Beerus, the God of Destruction, Whis is seen as the mentor of Goku and Vegeta as the seek to obtain greater power against opponents from the multiverse. Often sarcastic and carefree, Whis has brought a fresh, humorous take to the series after being introduced in the Battle of Gods revival, becoming one of the more beloved characters in the series. Ian can also be heard on popular shows such as Attack on Titan, One Piece, and as Juzo Sakakura in Danganronpa 3, which is a personal favorite of mine.

Sean- Whis usually takes an outside role with things as an observer. There’s a rumor that he actually has a fight in this movie, so what was it like voicing the character in action when he’s normally having to step back. Or can you not confirm anything…

Ian- *Using his Whis voice* Umm… I can ask YOU questions! How do you think Broly vs. Whis would go down?

Sean- Honestly, I think he’s even gonna have a little bit of trouble. Like, he’s gonna be confident, and then be like, “oh crap!”

Ian- Oh! You think he’s gonna have trouble?! (Laughs) That’s my answer!

Josh- I would think Whis would beat him pretty easily!

Ian- Yeah! You’d think that, wouldn’t you? A Saiyan, that’s cute. A Saiyan’s gonna hurt an angel, that’s ADORABLE! (Laughs)

Sean- What can you tell us about his role in the movie?

Ian- Whis’ role in the movie… What can I tell you? How can I… I feel like Whis and Beerus are now…

*Switching back to Ian’s normal voice* I’m just gonna go ahead and preface this. So it’s really hard for me to understand the Whis [character] from an outside point. I can understand Beerus, because I’m like, “Okay, he’s the new guy that [Goku] is going up against.” I can look at him like a Cell, like a Buu, but instead this one became a friend. So it’s almost like a Vegeta kind of thing, or a Piccolo, but I have NO concept of Whis because he’s me in a weird way. But Whis and Beerus I feel are now friends and part of the group, and they’re all there to you know, train and do stuff like that. I can’t spoil, so I’ll say they’re part of the gang!

*Using Whis’ voice* But again, my response to if Broly can give ANY. PROBLEM. TO WHIS… Hold on, let me grab the microphones… Ha. Haha. Haha. Hahahahahahaha. Oh, that’s cute! Just getting that out there, just getting that out there.

Sean- I’ve been asking this to everyone. The animation looks amazing…

Ian- Oh god, you have no idea!

Sean- Was there any point where it was just too hard to record because you were just taken aback.

Ian- No, actually I was recording animatics. Most of my stuff was recorded fairly early on in the process and the big fight stuff and the stuff where you can tell that all the crazy amount of money and time and effort got put into it… Those I didn’t see until after the fact, so most of my stuff was mostly animated.

Sean- And that’s new then for you guys, accessing the storyboards.

Ian- Damn right! Normally the thing is completely done and they just pitch it over to us. So that was different. It’s stunning though, dude, for real. All interviewing aside, the fight in this is so dope! Like so dope! It’s everything that you’d like! You’re like, “ahhhh!” and then they bring out Gogeta and you’re like, “Agggghhhh!” It’s genuinely one of the dopest fights you’ll ever see or that you have seen so far in Dragon Ball, and I include the Jiren fight in that. This is at least that level. AT LEAST!

Josh- That’s really exciting because the Jiren fight was incredible!

Ian- It was incredible! It was one of those things where you’re like, “You have so much money! You animators must have spent so much time on this!” Because it’s just so crisp and SO good! But oh, this movie! My jaw literally dropped and I went, “Oh my god!” when I saw it the first time.

Josh- With Whis, one of my favorite parts about the character is all of his different interactions with everybody and how playful and teasing he is with everybody. What are some of your favorite interactions that you’ve had as Whis?

Ian (Whis?)- Well, my absolute favorite is when Goku finally comes up to the planet to train with Whis and Vegeta, and Whis goes, “You know what might be fun? If we sparred today! We haven’t tried that yet!” And Goku goes, “You haven’t sparred with Whis yet? That must mean you’re not strong enough!” Or something like that. And I go, “But to be fair Goku, neither are you.” And [Goku] goes, “I’m not strong enough to fight you?” And I go “Ohoho… No…” And MAN, just to say that to Goku is just a trip dude!

Sean- As somebody [who gets to be] sassy with all your favorite characters…

Ian- Ughhh! And just… I don’t know if it’s because of how Super has written Goku, but I get annoyed with Goku at this point, and I never did as a kid. He was always like my super hero. But now I’m such a Vegeta fan! And like, Goku will just be like, “Can I train? Can I train?” I’ll be like, “Oh my god! He’s annoying!” And the director will be like, “Yeah! Use that!” And then there’s that scene where I’m doing shabu shabu and he’s like, “C’mon! C’mon! C’mon!”

Sean- Goku’s the [guy] for dog lovers and Vegeta is the guy for cat lovers.

Ian- Okay. I would have said that up and through Z. Here’s my biggest thing, and I can say this… The difference in Super for me and the biggest difference I see in Goku is that in Dragon Ball and in Dragon Ball Z, Goku saved us. Goku saved us from Cell. Goku saved us from Vegeta. Goku saved us from all these people. In Super, Goku is picking fights. He’s not saving us from something that’s coming for us. He’s literally just picking fights! With gods! (Laughs) He never did that in Z, he never did! But in this one he’s like, “Oh cool! You’re a God of Destruction! Do you wanna fight? Oh cool, you’re the greatest assassin! [In reference to Universe 6’s Hit.] I’ll pay you to kill me! Oh cool! You’re the God of Everything! Let’s fight!” Like, it’s just… It’s different. And so my patience with Goku is just that like… “Oh my god, this annoying little monkey boy who won’t… He’ll just fight, fight, fight! But the fun thing is that he makes my other little monkey boy train harder. Not like that other little monkey boy. I think he’ll be a great Destroyer one day.

Sean- Is Whis’ relationship kind of just like a married couple?

Ian- No, it’s his cat! (Laughs) I get asked that all the time, like “Are you related to him?” I don’t put any sexuality between them. I am not speaking to either of their sexualities. I would not DARE say what either of their sexualities are. That’s not my place to say it. But I will say, it’s his freaking cat! It’s his cat! (Laughs) And you know what? Anthropomorphic, whatever your kink is, that’s fine. But it’s his cat! And that’s how I feel about it, so no. He has an angry cat who likes to break stuff and sleep and eat. And he maintains that cat. But I think there have been a couple of times in Super where Whis did say, “I’ll train you if you become a Destroyer.” So personally, I’m waiting for that kind of stuff to happen. I’m waiting for some sort of Vegeta versus Beerus fight. Which will go down the second Vegeta finds out that Beerus ordered the destruction of Planet Vegeta. Just gonna throw that out there. Which is mentioned in Super, I’m not making that up!

Josh- It’s been stated how strong Whis is. We haven’t really seen him fight at all except for the brief sparring which barely counts or when he knocked out Beerus at the end of Battle of Gods. Can we expect to see Whis fight anymore, even beyond this movie? Would you like to see more Whis in action?

Ian- I would love to! I would actually like to have to go through the acting problem of trying to figure out what it sounds like when he’s… Exerting himself, or like, trying! Cause he just doesn’t! He doesn’t try! Genuinely, and I’ve talked to the other people who play the angels. We view everyone else as children. Little bitty children having their little bitty fights. It does not bother us. So there’s no one really that would give Whis even a slight problem. Okay, Grand Minister. My daddy could spank me.

Josh- Do you think a sparring contest against Vados might be in order?

Ian- You know what? Yeah, sure! Everybody brings up the Vados thing, and they’re like, “You know she said that.” And I go, “You know what? My sister used to beat the crap out of ME when we were kids, and I’m bigger than her now!” Just because you beat him up as a little kid doesn’t mean anything.

Check back tomorrow for our interview with Jason Douglas, the voice of Beerus.

Interviewing The Cast Of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’: Sonny Strait- The Voice Of Bardock

by Josh Jackson

Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the continuation of the DBS anime that re-imagines the fan-favorite villain from the perspective of series creator Akira Toriyama, will be releasing in theaters nationwide on January 16. To count down to the release of the film, we will be posting a round table interview conducted alongside Sean at VRV, with voice actors from the movie each day leading up to the release date, culminating with a full review of DBS: Broly itself!

Kicking off this series is Sonny Strait! Most prominently known in the Dragon Ball universe as Krillin, Sonny returns as the voice of Bardock, Goku’s father from Planet Vegeta. Like Broly, Bardock had only been seen in movies written by other creators, so this film will be poppa Goku’s official introduction into the series’ canon. Outside of Dragon Ball, Sonny can be seen breaking our heats as Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist, making us laugh as Usopp in One Piece, or doing both as Kuro-Sensei in Assassination Classroom. 

Josh- With the Broly movie, the portrayal of Bardock, based on the trailers, seems a little bit different from past versions. What would you say was your approach to playing Bardock this time?

Sonny- It’s a kinder, gentler Bardock. He’s basically the same guy, just different situations. Raised up in a different kind of life. I don’t want to give away too much of the movie, but it’s the same guy if this was his life, you know? So the approach was similar. But also… we did that thing, (the first Bardock movie), about 16, maybe 17 years ago. We’ve all gotten a lot better since then. (laughs) So we were actually able to explore a lot more with him. I love the character Bardock. The original movie was really a redemption story and I love those kind of movies. So any chance to play him is great because I played him in the video games too. Just about every year we had a new video game, Bardock was appearing in it.

Sean- What was your reaction to the new version of him? Did you think that you would enjoy this version more than kind of the more evil version?

Sonny- Yeah… I don’t know that he was evil, but he was definitely a soldier that didn’t mind killing at all, which made [the first film] a redemption story. He’s a different kind of guy now, yeah… I want to say that he kind of got the reality that he wanted, you know? I always say that Bardock is the guy who is the most powerful Saiyan because he actually influenced THIS reality, you know? All those times he said “I’m going to change the future,” in the video games? It looks like he did!

Sean- Kind of a funny question, but do you happen to channel a little bit of Sean, [Schemmel, the voice of Goku], when you’re playing his dad?

Sonny- (Laughs). No! I’m his daddy! He’s gotta pay attention! Sit up straight, son! Nobody likes a slouching Saiyan!

Josh- In this movie, it seems like the relationship between Vegeta, Broly and Goku and their families by extension are more intertwined in this version. Is there anything you can say that surprises you in terms of the backgrounds of the characters?

Sonny- Yeah! Because it was a different approach. But I know that Akira Toriyama [creator of the Dragon Ball series]… [Bardock] was not a character of his. It was actually created independently for the movies. So it was really kind of an honor to play it like Akira would have seen this character, you know? It was an amazing honor to do it that way.

Sean- The animation is amazing, we’ve all seen it.

Sonny- I know, right!? It’s like the old school style, right? But it’s so much cleaner, you know? It’s just beautiful. It’s my favorite thing about it.

Sean- Was there any point where it was actually too hard to record because you were too distracted by how great the animation was?

Sonny- (Laughs) Yeah, you know? It did stop a few takes because we were like, “Whoa! Look at that! That is really cool!”

Josh- You mentioned how every year, you come back as Bardock in the video games and that kind of thing. But lately it seems like he’s been getting more and more appearances in terms of the new Dragon Ball Heroes show where he stared popping up and Xenoverse and all of that. So what do you think Bardock’s role could be going forward in future story events in Dragon Ball Super?

Sonny- I don’t know, it depends on how they want to approach it, you know? They’ve already shown with this movie that all bets are off. You can’t count on anything. But I would love to see Bardock continue his story some how, some way, you know? There was that OVA where he becomes a Super Saiyan. That would be kind of cool if they could somehow incorporate that into some kind of time travel thing. But… You know, I also play Krillin, so I’m there all the time anyway. But I love that Bardock is getting more traction now and being able to play and see him more often.

Josh- Do you have anything in mind if you could write your own scenario for Bardock? Would you want to see him do anything in particular going foward?

Sonny- Hmm… That’s a good question. I’m not even going to presume, (Laughs). I would never… That just seems to be… I would love to see him go Super Saiyan, honestly. I would love to see that official, in Dragon Ball Super or something, somehow where Bardock appears. But I would never presume how that would be worked into the show.

Josh- Right, for sure! Like you said, anything seems to be possible lately.

Sonny- Exactly! And that’s what I love about too. It’s like… Okay, this is a whole new movie, a whole new series. Let’s take a whole new take on it? Why not? I know that a lot of fans like things to stay consistent and everything, but it’s like… Why? You know? I’m a comic book reader, I’ve been a comic reader since I was a kid and I love alternative universes. I love when people reboot things and try different things as long as it’s good and quality. And this movie is a good, quality take on it, so why not?

Sean- How early did you learn that Bardock was going to be in the new movie, and were you excited to learn that you were going to be able to play the part again?

Sonny- I knew that Bardock was going to be in it, but I didn’t realize how big of a deal he was going to be. Then Toei had asked me to help promote the Bardock special, the old movie. Then I was like, “I bet he’s pretty important in this!” Because why else would they be trying to promote that, you know? And then when I saw it, I was like, “Oh… This is great! This is something to sink your teeth into with this character.

Sean- Now… I’m not sure how to word this question, but like… What are your thoughts on Saiyan culture when Bardock was alive and if he plays a big part in how Broly came into creation. Like how King Vegeta corruption kind of created Broly and is Bardock part of that tough Saiyan culture? Or is he already a kind of outlier at this point?

Sonny- Bardock was THE perfect soldier, you know? That was part of the problem in the original movie. He was so good and he was getting stronger every time he went out, and that’s what threatened Frieza. I think this version is more… I have to be careful not to give anything away, but I think it’s a much more believable premise from this standpoint politically. It’s a setup politically, I can see how that would happen, you know? It’s not just meanness or just being threatened. There’s a lot more to it.

Sean- You said it’s hard to keep things under wraps. How long have you been holding onto this?

Sonny- You don’t want to be the guy who leaked the plot! (Laughs)

Josh- You mentioned how Bardock is the perfect soldier who’s just getting stronger and stronger. Again, kind of a silly question, but who do you think would win between Bardock and King Vegeta?

Sonny- Now you sound like my grandson! (Laughs) When I’m around him it’s like a mini convention and ALL the questions are, “Who would win in a fight?” So Bardock and King Vegeta? That’s a good question! Because it’s assumed that King Vegeta *would*, but I don’t know? Bardock’s got a lot of reserves that he holds back and I don’t think he realizes. I think he’s a bit of a mutant, you know? And that’s why Goku is so powerful since he came from him. So possibly, yeah! I think he could take him, you know? Because Bardock is the kind of guy who would do whatever it takes. Now against Frieza, that’s kind of pointless, especially at that power level. I think these days, Krillin can almost take Frieza.

Sean- Could you tell us a little bit about the relationship with Raditz, because he’s a character who disappears so early in the franchise.

Sonny- Yeah, he is mentioned though. And I love that he was mentioned. You get to find out a bit about what Raditz has been doing. Not a lot, but you get to find out a little bit about him. I think it’s kind of cool that in this version [Bardock] acknowledges his sons. I can’t say too much more than that.

Josh- It’ll be good to see him again though. That’s one plot thread that was introduced right in the beginning of Z, and since then, even in the Bardock specials that have come out, really hasn’t been mentioned.

Sonny- He just kind of went away. Was it like one or two episodes with Raditz? I can barely remember back then.

Josh- Yeah, something like that. It’ll be great to see him again!

Sean- Is Krillin in this movie?

Sonny- Barely. He makes sort of an “explosive” cameo, I’ll say that. (laughs)

Josh- At least we’ll still have plenty of Krillin to look forward to in the Tournament of Power.

Sonny- Yeah yeah yeah, we’re still recording that. We’ve been recording that for awhile.

Sean- Did you watch the entire [Tournament of Power] through before you guys recorded [Broly]?

Sonny- No! It wasn’t even done! They were animating while we were doing it. We’re like off of a… Do you know what an animatic is? So we had to go back and re-do because the anamatic wasn’t quite matching up with the final animatic.

Josh- That’s real interesting! So you’re saying that the process basically basically started for the English voice over while it was still being developed in Japan essentially?

Sonny- There was a little overlap, yeah. But most of it was animated! But there were a couple of scenes I remember where there was this screaming scene and stuff like this and we’re like, “Uhh… let’s wait until we get the final animation. We don’t want to do that again.”

Josh- So I’d imagine that Chris [Sabat, voice of Vegeta and ADR director of the film], had a more difficult or interesting process…

Sonny- Nah, it’s par for the course. This happens all the  time in animation that you can get the rhythm down of what it is with the animatics. Video games too, we act to animatics in video games all the time.

Sean- Could you tell us what your favorite Bardock moment is in the movie from what you’re allowed to say?

Sonny- I would say… I really like a very touching scene, and that’s it. And that’s it, that’s all I’m gonna say… It’s not a bad touch, but it is touching.

Josh- The best kind!

Sonny- I like that he can almost be emotional.

Sean- Are you gonna make us cry?

Sonny- Yeah, probably.

Josh- Make sure you pack some Kleenex when you go to the theater.

Sonny- And I hope… The last movie was so great that it inspired another series, so it would be great if it inspired one here.

Josh- Yeah, I’m hoping so. One other thing, we talked about Bardock’s relationship with his family a little bit, but does he get to interact too much with any of the other Saiyans that we know about? I know that Paragus, [Broly’s father], and King Vegeta and all of them will be featured in the movie to a certain degree…

Sonny- I will say that he does interact with other Saiyans and that’s all I’m saying. But not King Vegeta.

Sean- So they’re not gonna fight at the family reunion?

Sonny- No. That would be awesome!

Josh- Somewhere off in the afterlife by Frieza’s tree.

Sonny- Yeah! Throwing acorns at him. Bonding over just hitting him and using him as a punching bag.

Check back tomorrow for our interview with Ian Sinclair, the voice of Whis!