All animation and live-action works wouldn’t be the same without these actors’ incredible efforts. Each anime character, from Akira Toriyama’s Son Goku to Hajime Isayama’s Eren Yeager, is given a unique voice to help them stand out. We’ve heard and compared tons of anime characters from shows and movies to give you our list of the best anime voice actors. This article will discuss male actors from the US & Canada. As usual, we would love to hear your thoughts about our picks in the comments below.
Crispin Freeman
Freeman enjoyed listening to English dubs of anime as a child and was persuaded by a friend to pursue a similar career path. Besides doing voice work, Freeman loves teaching classes and holding performance lectures in the Los Angeles area. He has a website called Voice Acting Mastery, where curious explorers can find podcasts and other resources regarding voice acting. Crispin Freeman is a magnificent voice actor worth watching for his collected vocal tone and a huge heart.
Johnny Yong Bosch
Johnny Yong Bosch is a jack of all trades. Not only is he a renowned voice actor, but he’s a skilled martial artist, musician, and singer. His first big splash in the entertainment industry was when he earned the role of Adam Park, the second Black Power Ranger in that franchise. This led to Bosch obtaining more martial arts roles in television and movies. That aside, Bosch is more well-known for his incredible portrayal as Bleach’s Ichigo Kurosaki and Code Geass’s Lelouch vi Britannia. He’d later replace Vic Mignogna as the new voice of Broly of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise. He’s still a prominent voice actor and can’t wait to enact his role as Ichigo in Bleach’s 2022 continuation series. Besides that, Bosch formed a new band in 2018 called Where Giants Fall and released their first self-titled studio album in 2021. Things are looking up for Bosch, and his fans couldn’t be happier.
Sean Schemmel
Christopher Sabat
Christopher Sabat feels like Sean Schemmel’s partner in crime. Not only has Sabat voiced iconic Dragon Ball characters like Piccolo and Vegeta, but he has voiced leading roles in popular shows like My Hero Academia and One Piece. Sabat evokes a masculine and heroic tone in his voice. In the same vein as Freeman, Sean received a push from a friend to pursue voice acting, leading him to become Dragon Ball’s iconic hero. Besides Goku, Sean has provided voice work for characters like Amidamaru in Shaman King and Lucario in the Pokémon franchise. Besides acting, Sean was an ADR director and screenwriter for the NYAV Post. He helped direct and adapted projects for several anime series. During his time, Sean has claimed a few awards under his belt for his audiobook recordings. At the same time, Chris has taken on different roles in the industry, like voice directing, ADR engineering, and doing line-producing work for Funimation. While Sabat hasn’t earned himself any rewards like his Dragon Ball companion, Sean Schemmel, he gives it his all in all of his work.
Todd Haberkorn involves himself in a lot of activities. He is a prolific voice actor and has been a director and producer on several projects. Like Schemmel, Haberkorn has recorded for audiobooks and played roles outside his anime prowess. He also runs a private recording studio called Habertat, which services many clients, including Funimation. For those unfamiliar with his voicing roles, he’s done voices for characters like Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail to Death the Kid from Soul Eater. Concerning awards, Haberkorn has won awards for his excellent narration skills and was a finalist at the 2015 Audie Award Show. Although he’s a busy man, he tries to make time for his fans by attending different conventions and events.
Kyle Hebert
Kyle Hebert is a phenomenal voice actor who specializes in voicing secondary characters with impact. He’s voiced many iconic roles over the years. Some include Adult Gohan from Dragon Ball Z and onward, Kamina from Gurren Lagann, and Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. Hebert’s also known for his stellar narration in Dragon Ball’s Funimation dub. Besides voicing characters, Hebert has done some DJ work for Radio Disney, which occurred in the mid-90s. He also hosts a weekly podcast with his long-time friend. Like his companions, Hebert’s not without his awards. At Anime Expo, Hebert won the Best English Voice Actor award at the SPJA Awards for his role as Kamina. Despite the few roles under his belt, Hebert gives it his all in the field and deserves recognition.
Steve Blum
Steve Blum is an iconic voice actor in the anime industry. Blum has voiced numerous characters over the years from Cowboy Bebop’s Spike Spiegel to Naruto’s Orochimaru and Zabuza. He’s also the voice for Toonami’s anime-loving host Tom. Blum has contributed to many other live-action, animated, and video game projects over the years. Many critics cite Blum for having a distinct deep voice that’s soothing to the ears. In 2012, Blum was awarded a Guinness World Record for being the most prolific video game voice actor at the time. Blum continues to be a shining example for voice actors and actresses across the globe. While he deserves more awards for his hard work, he continues to give every performance his best.
Known for his stellar voice acting for cartoons, anime, and video games, Yuri Lowenthal is stellar talent through and through. He’s voiced many iconic characters like Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto and Simon from Gurren Lagann. Lowenthal has participated in a lot of activities. He’s helped out foreign English teachers, acted in theatrical plays, and currently runs a production company with his wife called Monkey Kingdom Productions. Lowenthal has written many screenplays for films and starred in many live-action roles. Although Lowenthal doesn’t have many awards to his name, he’s been nominated for several awards over the years for his astonishing and distinct voice.
Justin Cook
Rounding off this list, we arrive at American voice actor Justin Cook. Cook has been a voice actor for a long time and has lent his vocal talent to many beloved anime projects over the years. His best roles include Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho, Raditz from Dragon Ball Z, and Haru from Fruits Basket. Besides voice acting, Ayres wrote many scripts and directed many projects. He noted practicing in a commercial for Lolipop Soft Drinks at six years old influenced him to pursue theater and acting. Although Ayres may no longer be with us, he made a vital impact on many anime fans’ childhood. Cook cites Christopher Sabat as being an influence on his voice-acting journey. He’s also a great director, audio engineer, and line producer who works for two companies. These companies are Funimation and Okratron 5000. While balancing his work can be a hassle, Cook gives it his all. So, there we have it, our picks for the best US and Canadian anime voice actors! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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