You might think voice actors have it easy; just standing in a booth and talking for a bit to get the job done, but it’s far more than that. Naruto voice actor Maile Flanagan has revealed just how challenging it can be after naming the most difficult episode of the anime series she’s had to record.
The legendary manga of Naruto was quickly adapted into a TV series, and has provided Flanagan with over 600 episodes to sink her teeth into over the last 20 years. Playing the titular Naruto character may be the role of a lifetime for Flanagan, but it’s certainly not been easy.
In an interview with Madman Anime, Flanagan revealed the most challenging episode of the animated series when recording her lines.
Her first answer may be pretty accurate, though we’re sure Flanagan was joking when she said: “All of them.” However, the actor went on to explain that a particular episode where multiple versions of Naruto show up was especially difficult.
“The most challenging episode, well, I did one. It was a filler. I was on a ship, and I played like five or seven different versions of myself with different emotions, and it was a little schizophrenic and probably the most lines in an episode that I’ve ever done. It was just me, talking the entire time, for 23 minutes,” Flanagan explained.
In the filler episode, Naruto’s shadow clones turn against him and threaten to kill him before he wakes up and realises it was all a dream. It’s an important dream, though, and one which teaches Naruto to treat his clones more kindly.
Speaking of filler, here’s our guide to all the Naruto filler episodes you can skip and a useful guide on where to watch Naruto. Or, if you really want to dig deeper, here are all the Akatsuki members in Naruto ranked by strength. For other anime, here’s our guide to the One Punch Man season 3 release date.