As long as anime has left Japan and made its way around the world, it’s been dubbed by a variety of voice actors. Many people the early 2000s with its quick and dirty dubs that may not have been entirely accurate. But as anime expanded and gained popularity over time, dubbing studios also transformed to meet the demand for quality.
With Genshin Impact, Zach Aguilar has been part of the voice acting community since 2011. Here are some of his best performances in the world of anime dubbing.
Otto Suwen - Re:ZERO - Starting Life In Another World
Arguably the unluckiest person in the world, Otto Suwen is one of the ing characters in Re:ZERO. But despite his shaky childhood, he didn’t become spiteful or antagonistic. However, he’s prone to panicking and tends to run away from his problems. That doesn’t stop him from becoming fiercely loyal to those he befriends, such as Natsuki Subaru.
In Otto’s anime introduction, it seems like he’s not going to be a main player in the series. But then in season 2, Otto’s backstory was revealed. In a short amount of time, Aguilar explored various facets of the character and helped launch the character into “best boy” status.
Shun Kaidou - The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.: Reawakened
The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. falls under the umbrella of absurdist humor and rightfully so. Starting out as a series of shorts, the anime kept and also embraced the fast-talking and pacing of the humor. It’s a slice-of-life story with a twist: Saiki Kusuo has psychic powers, and the other characters around him are just as weird.
Shun Kaidou has no special abilities and is classified as completely delusional. Aguilar takes over as Shun for the Netflix series, The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.: Reawakened and he fits right into the weirdness.
Levius - Levius
Premiering on Netflix in 2019, Levius combines the world of sports anime with the mecha genre and a dash of humanity in post-apocalyptic conditions. After a war destroyed his family and town, Levius Cromwell sets his sights on rising through the ranks of Metalboxing. His uncle, Zacks Cromwell, takes up the mantle as an instructor, encouraging Levius to pursue the sport presumably on the grounds of helping Levius regain agency after losing his arm.
Moments of comedy are brief and hard to come by, centering Levius as a sports/mecha drama. And though Levius is an anime, it definitely holds back the usual campiness and over-the-top performances usually found in shonen titles. Hearing Aguilar in a more subdued role is an absolute joy and showcases his versatility as a voice actor.
Nasa Yuzaki - Tonikaku Kawaii/Fly Me To The Moon
Mixing together absurdist comedy and a bit of the supernatural, Tonikaku Kawaii tells the story of husband and wife, Nasa Yuzaki and Tsukasa Yuzaki. Falling into the slice-of-life genre and absurdist comedy, Tonikawa delivers a cute, funny, feel-good story.
As a primarily shonen anime actor, Aguilar can’t usually stretch his comedic muscles. But he absolutely nails the style and humor of Tonikaku, ramping up the absurd in some scenes and playing it completely straight in other moments.
Sieg - Fate/Apocrypha
Though brief, Sieg gets some cool fight scenes in Fate/Apocrypha. As one of the main characters of the series, Sieg goes through some major character development, since he’s created by Yggdmillennia at the beginning of the story. He’s pretty deadpan, slowly growing into his own as the series goes on.
Despite his limited screentime, Aguilar puts so much emotion into a somewhat emotionless character. After hearing his performance, it’s hard not to like Sieg.
Arthur Pendragon - The Seven Deadly Sins
As the wielder of Excalibur, Arthur Pendragon is based on the same legendary king. Inheriting the throne via godlike intervention, Arthur certainly has a lot to live up to and many more battles ahead.
Arthur is another of Aguilar’s more straightforward characters, falling into the typical hero archetype. However, with a new movie for The Seven Deadly Sins on the way, Arthur’s story will definitely show off more of Aguilar’s talents.
Koichi Hirose - JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Known as the series that just keeps getting weirder, Aguilar voiced Koichi Hirose for Diamond Is Unbreakable and reprised the role for Golden Wind. Koichi isn’t the most complicated character, but he does scream - and die - a lot in Part 4. It’s also very funny that Jotaro Kujo trusts Koichi with more responsibility than he does Josuke, the actual JoJo of the series.
The real fun of Koichi’s character comes from his Stand and its evolution throughout the story. This culminates in the birth of Echoes Act III, arguably the most self-aware Stand in the series. Aguilar sounds like he has fun playing with Koichi’s inherent politeness and Echoes Act III’s unfettered rudeness and aggression.
Slaine Troyard - Aldnoah.Zero
Slaine Troyard was one of Aguilar’s first large anime roles and he knocks it out of the park. Slaine doesn’t have the usual protagonist voice associated with Aguilar’s repertoire, turning into something of an anti-hero during the anime’s second season.
Out of the three main protagonists of the series - Inaho, Princess Asylum, and Slaine - Slaine is by far the most emotional and makes decisions based on those emotions. Everything about Slaine is complicated and Aguilar portrays him spectacularly.
Genos - One-Punch Man
Aguilar breaks out of the young protagonist's shell once again, being the English voice actor behind Genos of One-Punch Man. Classified as a comedy shonen anime, Genos tends to be the grounding normalcy to Saitama’s obliviousness. Their dynamic alone makes the anime hilarious and wildly entertaining.
Genos’s voice is pitched lower than Aguilar’s usual roles, so the consistency of the voice - especially during the big anime scream moments - is a monumental accomplishment.
Tanjiro Kamada - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
Tanjiro is the epitome of shonen protagonists, embodying both incredible fighting skills and infinite kindness. Setting off on a journey to turn his demon sister, Nezuko, back into a human, Tanjiro endures brutal training, demon battles, and (literally) butting heads with other demon slayers.
In addition to voicing Tanjiro for the anime, Aguilar reprised the role for Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, as most cinemas offered both subbed and dubbed versions of the film. If the first season was an exercise in screaming and breath control, it has nothing on Mugen Train. For any fan who’s managed to see the film in theaters, that one blood-curdling scream Tanjiro lets out should prove how good Aguilar is at what he does.