This past weekend, Anime Riverside brought several voice actors together for a fun Naruto Cast Panel!
This panel featured the following actors:
- Stephanie Sheh – Hinata
- Doug Erholtz – Asuma
- Brian Donovan – Rock Lee
- Tom Gibis – Shikamaru
- Skip Stellrecht – Might Guy
- Michael Yurchak – Tobi and Obito
- Neil Kaplan – Obito, Madara
- Tony Oliver – Minato
It was great to look around and see how this panel brought together new and long-time fans. The voice actors were asked about their feelings regarding the new wave of Naruto fans. They mentioned that during the pandemic, they witnessed a new generation of Naruto fans emerge. Since everyone was stuck at home, there was a surge in people watching anime for the first time. They’re deeply touched that their work still reaches new audiences and, moreover, that fans remain just as passionate as when it first released.
Cast Shares BTS Moments
We had the opportunity to hear some behind-the-scenes stories. Stephanie shared a nerve-wracking story at the time. However, hilarious now. She had jury duty and was actually selected. As a result, she ended up crying in the courtroom to the judge because she had just booked the role of Hinata and feared they’d replace her since she hadn’t recorded anything yet. As we know, this didn’t end up happening, and we are very grateful that she is the Hinata that we hear in the show today.
Another fun thing was learning that Skip improvised the way Might Guy says Kakashi’s name. He said the first time he did the iconic line, the engineers had a lightbulb moment where they looked at each other, knowing they had found what they were looking for. It’s always fascinating to hear voice actors talk about how they add their own style to these roles and the skill it takes to propel these characters even further by finding moments to push the scene a little further or change things up a bit.
In addition, they also shared that there are times when they revisit their work and wish they could tweak certain aspects. The cast mentioned that when voice actors record, they don’t all record at the same time, so sometimes they miss the intention and delivery of how others recorded. This made them feel like their lines are a little disconnected. They said it gets easier the longer you stay with the character to voice them and start making decisions on how they deliver lines for them.
Minato Spoiler Warning
One question that came up was for Tony Oliver, regarding Minato’s reveal as Naruto’s dad. When that was released, fans went wild. It was a great moment when Naruto gained a better understanding of who he is. Hearing Tony Oliver talk about his approach to such a precious moment was amazing. He said that he really tried to put himself in Minato’s shoes and approach it as honestly as possible. He even said that the Director told him not to use his ‘bag of tricks’ and that he genuinely struggled not to rely on his instincts, tricks, and training as a voice actor to guide him through the scene. However, after hearing about the care that went into it and recalling the scene, you can sense the authenticity of the acting.
Overall, it was a fantastic panel filled with laughter! As a long-time Naruto fan, it was wonderful to hear everyone’s stories about why they love the series and how the show has impacted their lives too.
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