Sacramento’s largest anime convention, SacAnime, kicked off its biannual three-day convention this weekend. To help get attendees excited for the convention, powerhouse One Punch Man “OPM” voice actors Max Mittelman (Saitama) and Greg Chun (Garo) held a hilarious but strong panel, just like the series.
One Punch Man follows Saitama, an independent superhero with unmatched strength. Bored because he doesn’t have a challenge, he seeks out stronger villains and befriends other heroes.
Mittelman plays our titular character, but he had no idea he would ever be in the position to play the lead. He auditioned for Saitama, Genos, Speed-o’-Sound Sonic, Amai Mask and Mumen Rider. He believed he had the best chance at voicing Genos because the Japanese voice actor and he had played the same character in Star Ocean.
“I never in a million years thought that I would have a chance at Saitama. But I got the audition and then watched every episode of the show,” Mittelman said. “It was two months of auditioning, and finally they said ‘okay, that’s fine.’”
“I honestly can’t imagine anyone else that we know, play Saitama,” Chun chimed in. Chun had only read for Garo because “casting directors can sense how much darkness is in my soul.” Chun, best known for playing Demon Slayer’s main antagonist Muzan Kibutsuji, actually had to tone down his audition because it was “too dark,” as he put it.
One Punch Man Q&A
OPM fans lined up to ask the panelists questions about their characters, working on the show, or other franchises the two have worked on. One fan asked how the actors would spend time with their characters if they were real. Mittelman said that as a foodie, he would go to a ramen shop with Saitama, and possibly stop at Goodwill. Chun, however, said he would spend an afternoon at the junkyard with Garo so they could break stuff together.
“You could also go to the food hangout area and break stuff there,” Mittelman joked.
Mittelman also settled the long debate of Saitama vs. Goku: “Saitama wins. I’m glad we set the record straight on that one.”
One fan asked about Chun’s work on Godzilla Minus One as the English voice of Sōsaku Tachibana.
“I felt like I got that character because I feel like there are a lot of similarities to me,” Chun said. “I always loved working with Ell; they’re legendary. We actually did a livestream where we watched the dub online with people.”
Mittelman and Chun gushed about fellow OPM and Demon Slayer actor Zach Aguilar when it came to his role as Genos in One Punch Man.
“I love that he’s (Genos) always trying to improve. I love that he’s so dedicated,” Mittelman said.
“I love the fact that it’s Zach. I don’t know if any of you know Zach’s crazy monster voice, but Genos is a taste of that,” Chun followed up. “I just love the fact that this is a voice that you would never guess was Zach.”
The panel concluded with Chun talking about his work on the smash hit series Squid Game, and what he thought of the ending.
“I think it had to go that way because I don’t think after a show like that, they could get away with a happy, clean ending,” Chun said. “While I felt it was heartbreaking, I do feel like it was the right choice.”
One Punch Man is available to watch on various streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and more.
About SacAnime
SacAnime is a biannual three-day convention located in Sacramento, California. SacAnime describes itself as follows:
“Started in the Summer of 2004, SacAnime is a pop-culture entertainment convention, with live programming, celebrity guests, contests, vending, art shows, concerts, and more. SacAnime is the show where ‘Fans Come to Play.’ Our philosophy has always been to provide [a] fun, safe, family-friendly environment, with top-shelf entertainment at a reasonable price.”
The next SacAnime will be held at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center, located at 1401 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, on January 8-10, 2027.
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