Yoruichi Shihōin’s original voice actor from the Bleach anime is facing criticism after lashing out at X over his recasting decisions for the English dub of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
Yoruichi is one of the most popular black anime characters of all time, and she was given the first POC voice actress in the English dub of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War until the recast was dropped. reversed last minute. Yoruichi’s English voice has been portrayed by Wendee Lee since 2004, but on October 7, voice actress Anairis Quiñones announced on X that she will take on the role in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Season 2. Two weeks later on October 21, Quinoñes announced that the role had been recast, presumably for former voice actress Wendee Lee, although this was later only confirmed by Lee via response her on X.
When fans and voice actors contacted Quiñones on schedule conflicts and Viz Media wanted “the iconic OG cast intact.” Her comments attracted a lot of criticism about X and caused more controversy over the decision to recast Yoruichi once again.
Lee is a seasoned voice actress who, in her 40-year career, has taken on major anime roles such as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop and Kei in Akira. She carries with her a notable legacy, especially in English dubbed anime, although her recent comments have cast a negative light on some of her other roles, as these are not This was the first time she was chosen as a voice actress for a character of color. She previously voiced Kiva in Megas XLR and Sprocket in Viewtiful Joe, among other roles.
Lee has since announced that she has apologized to Quiñones and welcomed her to the cast as Hiyori. However, the reaction to Lee’s comments speaks to a larger debate surrounding actors voicing characters of color. Bleach’s position among the “Big Three” with One Piece and Naruto makes Yoruichi’s retelling especially controversial. Some fans believe that keeping the original voice cast is important to the integrity of the series, while others believe that an accurate representation is more important to the integrity of the series. figure.
Viz Media and Studiopolis have not made any official announcement regarding the casting. Bleach: The Millennium Blood War is now streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus.
Source: X
