Have you ever been watching an anime and you say to yourself, “That voice sounds familiar”? You look up the character’s voice actor (or seiyuu, if you’re watching the original Japanese version), and realize, “Oh, hey, this person also voices ___ from ___!”
Well, what if the opposite happens? You don’t recognize a character’s voice, so you look up who plays them, only to find that they actually share a voice with a character or characters that you know, but never would have guessed that they’re played by the same person. It really makes you admire the flexibility and talent of certain voice actors! Here are six pairs of characters that surprisingly have the same seiyuu!
1. Hisoka Morow (Hunter x Hunter (2011)) and Italy (Hetalia), voiced by Daisuke Namikawa
If Hisoka and Italy have one thing in common, it’s that they frequently vocalize the name of their favorite person. But Italy cheerfully singing “Doitsu!” is a far cry from Hisoka lewdly moaning “Gon…” Hisoka is certainly far more sinister than the pasta-loving Italy!
2. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen) and Mumen Rider (One Punch Man), voiced by Yuuichi Nakamura
Gojo is the world’s strongest jujutsu sorcerer that can single-handedly destroy the most powerful curses; Mumen Rider, on the other hand, is a C-Rank hero with no apparent superpowers who arrives at crime scenes via bicycle. (Bonus: In addition to sharing a voice, these two characters also share a first name!)
3. Present Mic (My Hero Academia) and Hajime Iwaizumi (Haikyuu!!), voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino
A common dynamic in anime is the loud extrovert and his grumpy best friend that tries to keep him in line. Iwaizumi and Present Mic belong to that dynamic, but on opposite sides: Present Mic is a boisterous contrast to his fellow teacher and hero Eraserhead, while Iwaizumi is constantly getting fed up with his team captain Oikawa.
4. Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler) and Merlin (The Seven Deadly Sins), voiced by Maaya Sakamoto
It’s not at all uncommon for younger male characters to be voiced by a woman, both in English dubs and the original Japanese, so the fact that Ciel Phantomhive is voiced by a woman shouldn’t come as a surprise. The fact that this stoic young heir shares a voice with a powerful, busty magician, however, is somewhat comical.
5. Dabi (My Hero Academia) and Zenitsu (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba), voiced by Hiro Shimono
This pair, in my opinion, is the most shocking on this list. A brightly-colored crybaby and a physically disfigured heartthrob are just about as different as two characters can get. Zenitsu attacks with lightning, and Dabi wields flames, so they’re sort of similar in that way… But the similarities end there.
6. Tetta Kisaki (Tokyo Revengers) and Hamsa (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis), voiced by Showtaro Morikubo
Okay, now this one is just funny. Kisaki, the ruthless gang leader responsible for a string of tragic deaths, is a lot less intimidating when you think about him sharing a voice with a talking duck! Showtaro Morikubo voices a lot of characters (including Yusuke Makishima from Yowamushi Pedal, whom I have been in love with since high school), but every time I hear his voice, I can’t help but think of Hamsa.
