Baddies In The Booth
Let’s not pretend. Some of us fell for anime, games, and cartoons because the characters looked cool. Others because the stories slapped. But real ones know: the obsession started the moment That Voice™ hit your eardrums and rewired your brain chemistry. Let’s talk about the legends in the booth — the voice actors who didn’t just perform the role… they became the fantasy.
Keith David could read a cereal box and I’d still feel like I’m being knighted by a cosmic god. His work as Goliath in Gargoyles, The Arbiter in Halo, and Dr. Facilier in Princess and the Frog is the vocal equivalent of wearing velvet and knowing you’re better than everyone else. When he growls “You are now one of us,” as Goliath? Sir. I’m yours.
Then there’s Kari Wahlgren, the voice of unpredictable, sparkly chaos. Whether she’s the Vespa-wielding wild child Haruko in FLCL, the lightning queen Raiden Shogun in Genshin Impact, or someone sexy and unhinged in your favorite RPG, Kari can flip from flirt to fury in 0.5 seconds. That “I like you! You're weird!” line? Same, girl. Same.
Steve Blum, our collective gravel daddy. This man is Spike Spiegel. That smooth, tired, dangerously chill tone? Pure charisma. He’s also Wolverine, Sub-Zero, and Zabuza — if there’s a brooding, blade-wielding loner on screen, chances are Blum’s behind it, sipping whiskey and narrating your internal monologue. His Spike line, “I’m just watching a bad dream I never wake up from,” basically lives rent-free in my soul.
Then we’ve got Jennifer Hale, aka Commander Damn Shepard. If you played Mass Effect as FemShep, you already know: her voice commanded that game. But she’s also Bastila Shan (KOTOR), Jean Grey, and a dozen other icons. Her delivery of “I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel” is still cooler than anything I’ve ever said in my life.
Now, let’s talk Kazuya Nakai, king of "I don’t need to yell — my sword does the talking." He’s Zoro, Mugen, and Ghost of Tsushima’s Japanese dub of Jin Sakai. His voice sounds like it’s been soaked in sake, sharpened with steel, and filtered through pure charisma. “I don’t pray to gods. I wield a sword.” Sir, we are listening.
And then there’s Tara Strong, the shapeshifter of our dreams. She’s Raven (goth queen), Harley Quinn (chaotic crush), Twilight Sparkle (don’t judge), and Miss Minutes (low-key terrifying). Her “Azarath Metrion Zinthos” delivery basically raised an entire generation of broody weirdos. And we thank her for it.
These voices don’t just act — they possess. They live in your ears, your playlists, your headcanon, and your fanfics. They’re why you fell in love with a cartoon. Or an anime. Or that morally complex villain you swore you weren’t going to simp for again.
