Sometimes, one of the most difficult things for fans to get past is change to the fundamental parts of a story. Things like a change in voice actor can completely change the flavor and personality of a given character, and because such things can in turn have dramatic effects on how the story is told and received, it makes sense.
In the Japanese anime and videogame industry, voice actors are highly regarded and have a level of social status and acclaim that their Western counterparts are deserving of, but not quite at the point of receiving it yet, so changes to anime characters in successful or significant titles are noteworthy, and it doesn’t happen unless there are some extenuating circumstances. So, why did these anime characters have to undergo a voice actor substitution?
Sad Truth ––Passing
A lot of the time when a character’s voice actor is changed suddenly throughout the course of a production schedule, or even in between iterations of a particular project, the cause of it is the most humbling: death. A lot of amazing and talented voice actors have passed away recently as a lot of them are getting up there in terms of age; however, there’s also the more morbid reality of a not-so-post post-COVID world ––the pandemic has had an unbelievable array of long-term complications for millions of people across the world, in some situations exacerbating pre-existing conditions and in others, spontaneously and rapidly taking the lives of its victims.
Whether COVID-related or not, a lot of prominent voice actors have lost their lives in the past three years, including Billy Kametz voice of Higashikata Josuke, who passed at only 35 years old; the voice of Frieza in the English dub of Dragon Ball Super, Chris Ayres; Kazunari Tanaka, who was the original voice of Coach Ukai in Haikyuu!; Kiyoyuki Yanada, the original voice of Captain Takenori Akagi in Slam Dunk; Kaiwan Wattanakrai, the voice of Vegeta and One Piece’s Roronoa Zoro; among many others.
New Generation
Another common reason for voice actor changes in anime is the return of an old IP to a new, younger audience. Examples of this in recent time include the highly successful The First Slam Dunk movie, which recast the entire set of main characters; TRIGUN STAMPEDE, which saw popular choice Yoshitsugu Matsuoka become Vash; characters from long-running, generational shows like Sazae-san, Gegege no Kitarou, and Doraemon are the most likely to have entire cast changes from iteration to iteration, since they are also likely to have some kind of anime adaptation to go with the times.
Speaking of which, the cast of the popular Showa Era comedy anime Osomatsu-kun were completely changed in the series’ 29th anniversary continuation/reboot – Osomatsu-san, in which the main Matsuno sextuplets are all grown up, and well aware that nearly three decades have passed since they were last on the air. Essentially, any reboots of major franchises are very likely to overhaul their cast, but this isn’t a given.
Controversy
The people who are involved in the production of our favourite media are, like anyone else, susceptible to experiencing some kind of drama in their lives; however, there are times when such incidents are not merely drama, but incredibly serious indictments of their character. Controversy is a popular reason why voice actors in anime get replaced, and the nature of said controversy can vary, not to mention whether such an incident is controversial to begin with. Cases like Vig Mignogna, who was replaced in various roles, most notably that of Broly from the Dragon Ball franchise due to several accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct levied against him by several people over the course of several years. Broly is now voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, whom many know as BLEACH protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki and Vash the Stampede from Trigun (and TRIGUN STAMPEDE).
The Japanese voice actor of Mob Psycho 100 icon Arataka Reigen, Demon Slayer's Giyu Tomioka and several other beloved characters, Takahiro Sakurai, was disgraced in 2022 after word broke that he had been cheating on his wife for over 10 years with various women. He was promptly removed from various roles, while Mob himself was replaced in the final season’s English dub when Crunchyroll decided to shift all production to its Texas studio and let go all those who wouldn’t be able to make recording sessions at said studio. When requested to attend a meeting regarding the possible unionization of all future projects, especially those pertaining to Mob Psycho 100, voice actor Kyle McCarley was instead let go.
Class Act
This is an extension of the new generation trajectory of voice actor recasts in that it involves legacy characters having their voice actors changed in favour of younger talent, with full support from the departing cast member. A great example of this is Jamieson Price's decision to step down from voicing Yasutora "Chad" Sado in the English dub of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War.
Price cited having had a long and illustrious career in voice acting, and being given the chance to voice a vast array of characters but no longer feeling comfortable voicing characters of colour. As a result, Price facilitated the change in Chad's voice to Alain Mesa, a voice actor who is relatively new to the game. The dub scene has had a lot of new talent coming out in recent weeks, and there have been more instances of relative newbies getting the chance of their careers in major releases.
Personal Circumstances
Sometimes, it's just about the voice actor themselves. The voice of One Piece mascot character Tony Tony Chopper, Ikue Ōtani, went on maternity leave back in 2006, and was temporarily replaced by Kazue Ikura (Kaori Makimura; City Hunter).
This is also true of Brina Palencia, who played Juvia Lockser in the 2009 Fairy Tail. She was temporarily replaced by Dawn M. Bennett. Kagome Higurashi from the English dub of Inuyasha had her voice changed when her initial voice actor, Moneca Stori, retired and moved away, prompting VIZ to cast Kira Tozer in the role for Inuyasha: The Final Act and the spin-off sequel Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.