My Hero Academia English voice cast talk season 6 and other anime roles
Did you know these My Hero Academia actors also voiced THESE anime roles?
My Hero Academia has served fans an epic adventure since the anime series debuted in 2016. Each season building upon the last with Season 5 planting the seeds for what's to come with the 'Paranormal Liberation War' arc, leading into the 'Dark Hero' arc, and officially entering the final saga for the series.
With the stakes being higher then they've ever been before, Popverse caught up with the English Dub cast of My Hero Academia to discuss the anime's sixth season, as well as discuss their character's backstories, and even discuss some unexpected roles.
Popverse: Now, we just came from your panel where you all played some My Hero trivia, where Elizabeth came out as Victor. Do you have any victorious words you'd like to share right now?
Elizabeth Maxwell: Thank you for being the scapegoat, Justin. And allowing my triumph.
Season 6 recently premiered. How has it been being at New York Comic-Con, and amongst the fans who I'm sure are HYPED about the newest season?
Anairis Quiñones: Bizarre. You know, like, I mean, we just saw the crowd out there and there's so many fans, you know, from here and probably travel all the way here. And so, you know, it means a lot to see everyone be so excited for the new season. I'm super excited, so I cannot wait to see everyone's reactions to what's coming up.
E. Jason Liebrecht: Me too.
Justin Briner: Yeah, it's unreal. It's just the energy at this is electric, you know? It's just good to be a part of it.
Zeno Robinson: I think how it feels with season six just premiering, like all the fans have been dedicated and they've been sticking around since season one and are still like very dedicated and very loyal and very vocal about it. It's very exciting. And as people who, you know are in the show, it's I'm anticipating seeing their reactions to a lot of the cool moments that happen this season.
Elizabeth: There is no energy like anticipation energy.
E. Jason: Especially in New York City.
Jason and Zeno, both of your characters last season had a good amount of screen time together, but when that big reveal happened last season, were you like, “Wait, what hawks might potentially be going against the heroes?” What was your initial reaction?
Zeno: My initial reaction is I, as someone who, you know, I read the manga, so like trying to figure out where hawks his head is at and where his allegiances lie and where his loyalties lie was the most exciting part of getting to play that. Finding that balance last season. Is he or is he not? And I think as we kind of delve a bit deeper into that in this season, I'm really excited to see fans kind of see where he firmly places his flag. But my initial reaction was like, I guess was shock. But I could understand why Hawks would feel the way he feels. Given how, given his, like, you know, perspective on this, he's the hero, you know, the Society of Heroes and the Hero Association and everything. So..
E. Jason: See, I thought it was dope.
[Laughs]
E. Jason: I like being attached to you.
Zeno: Yeah.
E. Jason: That made me very happy. I'm like, “Hey, I finally have a friend.”
Zeno: Right?
Elizabeth: I'm feeling a little like April O'Neil right now with my jumpsuit and my microphone…
E. Jason: From Midtown Manhattan.
Elizabeth: Coming to you live from NYCC, this is April O'Neil.
E. Jason: New York one.
Last season we saw the buildup of what is to come. This big war between the Liberation Army and the heroes. How big can we expect this season to be?
Elizabeth: Biggest one yet?
E. Jason: Are we allowed to talk about this at all?
Justin: Bigger, better, Bolder. I mean, if any other manga faithful’s are out there, they probably have an idea of where it's headed and probably nothing will go wrong.
Everyone: Nothing? Absolutely. Noooo. Come on!
We have a good line up of pro heroes and villains here, so I'm very curious, as we are following class 1-A through their journey of becoming pro heroes, what do you think your characters were like as teenagers? Did they go to UA high school, maybe? What were their personalities like?
Zeno: For any, you know, manga faithful’s, as some may know about Hawks's backstory. So, Hawks in his teenage years was was probably a very like, exploratory. I think he probably would, even if he did go to class, he would probably ditch class and…
Anairis: That’s what I think about Mirko
Zeno: Yeah, oh they would hang out, see that? Their friends! I think they would be, they would be besties. [Laughs]Yeah right, they’d just skip, ditch their class. We don't need this. We're strong um and, but I feel like he'd also just kind of be an ace and everything too. I feel like he's that kind of character who like the kind of guy you like don't like at school because he comes with just a folder, but he passes all his tests…
E. Jason: So, he skates by?
Zeno: Yeah, no, he, he passes with flying colors...
E. Jason: No, but I'm saying he doesn’t actually do the work.
Zeno: Oh but yeah. He's chilling, that's how I feel. He's like a really trying to be like the coolest kid in school, probably.
Elizabeth: I haven't actually read Vigilantes yet, although, man, I hope they make like, some OVA’s of that. So, I could be going completely against the manga, but I feel like Midnight is so sure of herself as an adult that there had to have been some like finding herself in high school, some exploring who she was as a as a budding woman. That's my best guess. [Laughs]
You've all voiced many a characters in various series. There are roles that you are known for, but what is a role that you absolutely adored playing that maybe you don't get to talk about as much?
E. Jason: For me, there's a show called Eden of the East...
Zeno: You were in that?
E. Jason: I’m the lead I'm Akira Takizawa
Zeno: Oh my God!
E. Jason: And Leah Clark is the co-lead, but that's like one of my favorites I've ever done. I feel like it would lend itself to a live action miniseries, more so than any other thing I've worked on.
Anairis: I'm going to make you feel old. I've watched that when I was a teenager.
Everyone: [Laughs]
E. Jason: It's a good one, though, right?
Anairis: It’s so good, and I love your performance. And that was like, what made you made me fall in love with you as an actor.
E. Jason: Oh, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Well, and we can thank Mike McFarland as well. He was the director on that one, but that's the first time I worked with Leah. And yes, so that's one I would love people to know about.
Elizabeth: I'm a huge fan personally of Nora Agami. I play Beakman and that and Jason is Jato actually the lead. And it's funny because it's also a studio Bones title and I'm like, I love my hero, but I'm also like, Man, we're never going to get a season three.
E. Jason: Come on, Bones. It’s a cliff hanger.
Elizabeth: Because Bones will never get a thing with my hero.
E. Jason: Maybe when my hero is not as popular.
Zeno: Currently I'm in a, it's an animation based off a Chinese donghua called Link Click. Yeah, I love Link Click so much! It's so good! I play this character named Lu Guang and I really, I hope I get to talk about him more, and the show more, and I hope everybody can see the show. It's so good. It's like a time travel kind of thing that can go back and it's so good. All the music. I love it so much and it's like, yeah, it's, it's like a mystery and it's got these like they can go back in time, these photos. It's, it's so cool. It's so cool.
E. Jason: Just an answer the question.
Elizabeth: Do you do anything beside My Hero?
Justin: I like to think so. Maybe not actually.
Cardcaptor Sakura!
Justin: Oh, good one. Well, I was going to say I played Nico in Nanbaka. If I told you what it was about, you wouldn't believe me. But it's one of the only shows I can think of that it was just so stinkin funny, and the cast and I, we just, we had such a ball working on it. So, fond memories.
Justin I would love to hear the premise of that show because I feel like anime fans can handle a lot.
Justin: All right, anime fans, open your imagination palace with me. The most beautiful anime man you can think of in the world's highest security prison.
E. Jason: I was with you, brother.
Justin: That's right.
E. Jason: Another flame boy.
Elizabeth: Isn’t there a TV show about that?
Justin: There should be.
E. Jason: It’s called… yeah, he's talking about it.
Elizabeth: No, like a live action?
E. Jason: Oh, 30 days in. I don't know.
Justin: Totally.
Anairis: For me, one of my favorites has been Rica from Wonder Egg Priority and that is a great show that aired last year. And it's very much about growing up, what it means to be a girl, what it means to, you know, deal with your own internal traumas and the traumas of others and how to navigate that. I think it's just like this wonderful show, beautifully animated that everyone should see. And I'm really proud of our work on that. So please watch that.
Elizabeth: That made me cry several times.
Anairis: Yes, I was in love. Episode one.
And finally, here at the poppers, we celebrate the best of TV, movies, comics and anime. What is something you are geeking out about that you're not currently working on?
Anairis: House of the Dragon! Oh, my gosh.
Zeno: May I answer?
Yes. Go for it! [Laughs]
Zeno: Yesterday, Crunchyroll did the premiere for Chainsaw Man episode one and it's freakin crazy.
Isn’t it awesome!
Zeno: I love Chainsaw Man, so like, I'm really, really excited. I'm happy for all the cast. All of my friends in the cast. They're doing an excellent job. And yeah, I watched yesterday. I'm freaking out. It's so good. It's so good.
Elizabeth: I am so stoked for the new Monkey Island game. Like I love old school, old school click and point games and the humor in the Monkey Island games is phenomenal. And it has been like the most long awaited, like sequel that I can think of for me in my personal life.
E. Jason: Sandman.
So good.
E. Jason: … and Dahmer. Sorry… I mean I’m not sorry.
Justin: For me, What We Do in the Shadows has been just killing it lately. It's just so funny. Unbelievable.
Can we wrap up with one big plus Ultra? All right. On the count of three. One, two, three…
Everyone: PLUS ULTRA!
Want more anime and My Hero Academia? You should check out our interview with Ochaco Uraraka herself, Luci Christian.
Want more panels? Check out the cast of My Hero Academia pitch there own anime!
