Anime voice actors put an awful lot into their work. Anyone who’s ever heard a Dragon Ball Z character powering up or one of the ninjas in Naruto landing an attack knows that, but it seems some voice artists are willing to risk personal injury to nail a performance.
Yuki Kaji, who voices the rather loud main character, Eren Jaeger, in Attack on Titan, claims he damaged his voice while recording line for episode 80 of the hit anime series. Yuki admitted as much on Twitter while sharing how he felt about the episode, which was one of the most eagerly anticipated in the animated series’s history.
“This is the episode I couldn’t imagine how to do,” Yuki wrote. “This is the episode where I didn’t know what to do. This is the episode in which I could not see how things would turn out. This is also the episode I lost my voice more so than any other where I’ve played Eren.”
As Attack on Titan racers towards its climax Yuki who has been voicing Eren since the series began, has become quite vocal about the emotional toll the show is taking on him. During a recent live stream, Yuki admitted that he started crying during rehearsal.
本日24時05分から「進撃の巨人」放送。
どうやるのか想像がつかなかった回で、
どうすればいいのかわからなかった回で、
どうなったのか想像のつかない回です。エレンを演じていて、これまでで一番と言っていいほど声を枯らした回でもありました。
想像がつかず怖いですが、どうか。#shingeki https://t.co/UGWGuSiJfk pic.twitter.com/VvsgGC1Yca
— 梶裕貴 Yuki Kaji (@KAJI__OFFICIAL) February 6, 2022
“I cried when I saw the compilation. Eren is always in my heart. I got the script for the final season, and I would even cry while rehearsing at home,” he explained. “When I read the manga, I could see [the story] objectively, but when it comes to acting it out, I can’t stop crying. I felt. Depressed, so I sent messages to Isayama-sensei, and we exchanges messages several times.”
If you can’t get enough of man-eating giants attacking hapless villagers check out our list of the best monster movies. Or if that doesn’t float your boat, we have a guide on the best anime movies.