Written by: MJ Masilang | Published on: April 6, 2021 at 6:45 PM PHT (GMT+8)
If you didn’t already know, a lot of anime characters share the same voice actors or seiyuus. It’s pretty impressive work, too, especially when you realize that one voice actor can play two or more characters that sound or act entirely different from each other. So, here are 10 pairs of characters that, surprisingly, have the same voice actor (in no particular order).
1. Miyuki Shirogane (Kaguya-Sama: Love is War) & Saitama (One Punch Man)
The second-year student council president who’s terrified of confessing his love for his vice president and the lovable OP hero-for-fun are given life by Makoto Furukawa. Furukawa is credited for over 90 roles across different anime and other Japanese media, including Taiju Ooki (Dr. Stone) and Sherlock Holmes (Moriarty the Patriot).
2. Pakunoda (Hunter x Hunter) & Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Edward is voiced by a woman?! Well, female voice actors playing male characters isn’t really that strange in the industry. Romi Park also plays Toshiro Hitsugaya (Bleach) and Hange Zoe (Attack on Titan), among others.
3. Sanemi Shinazugawa (Demon Slayer) & Whisper (Yokai Watch)
No, we’re not making this up. A hot-blooded, almost crazy demon slayer shares a voice actor with a polite and narcissistic yokai butler. Regardless, Seki Tomokazu did a great job playing them, as well as other characters such as Panda (Jujutsu Kaisen) and Rob Lucci (One Piece).
4. Kyouko Hori (Horimiya) & Zero Two (Darling in the FranXX)
It’s the highly different personalities for us. One is a very energetic and popular student while the other is a cold and alluring hybrid. The woman behind both is Japanese actress, voice actress, and singer Haruka Tomatsu, who is also known for playing Yuuki Asuna (Sword Art Online) and Morgiana (Magi).
5. Usui Takumi (Maid Sama!) & Nishinoya Yuu (Haikyuu!!)
If you can imagine the prince of shoujo being an explosive ball of energy, congratulations but I just can’t. However, that only proves how talented Nobuhiko Okamoto really is, who is also the voice behind Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist) and Bakugou Katsuki (My Hero Academia).
6. Ray (The Promised Neverland) & Midari Kirishima (Kakegurui)
Ray being voiced by a woman isn’t really surprising since female voice actors playing the roles of younger male characters in anime is common. The shocker here is that Mariya Ise also voices the crazy, gun-toting girl in a gambling anime, and the other iconic roles of Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter) and Levy McGarden (Fairy Tail).
7. King (Seven Deadly Sins) & Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom)
Here’s another case of two characters with wildly different personalities, but the silly yellow octopus-like teacher and the Grizzly’s Sin of Sloth are both played by one voice actor. Jun Fukuyama is a singer and voice actor whose most notable roles also include Lelouch (Code Geass) and Grell Sutcliff (Black Butler).
8. Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen) & Mai Sakurajima (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai)
If you put these two characters in a room together, I doubt they’ll be chummy from the get-go. But, there’s no denying the talent of Asami Seto who gave life to these lovable girls, as well as others like Raphtalia (The Rising of the Shield Hero) and Chihaya Ayase (Chihayafuru).
9. Dabi (My Hero Academia) & Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer)
This pair is clearly the polar opposites on this list. Hiro Shimono did an amazing job playing them, though, considering that we could never imagine the villainous fire-user screeching in terror or swooning over someone. The voice actor is also popular for the diversity of the characters he’s voiced, like Issa Kaburagi (Yowamushi Pedal) and Misono Alicein (Servamp).
10. Young Makoto Tachibana (Free!) & Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha)
These two sound absolutely nothing alike, don’t you agree? Their voice actor, Satsuki Yukino, proves that your gender doesn’t matter in this line of work as long as you can effectively give life to the characters you’re given. Most of Yukino’s characters are female, including Yoruichi Shihouin (Bleach) and Ichinose Tamao (Rosario + Vampire)
There are countless other characters who surprisingly share the same voice actor, a testament to how truly skilled these voice artists are on their craft. Which pair on this list surprised you the most? Comment your answer and maybe other unlikely pairs that you know about!
More of these? Read our other digest articles.
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