The Secret is Out: Meet the Voice Behind Unleash the Avatar

The day we all have been waiting for is here! The release date for Unleash the Avatar has been decided, and it is now time to unveil the English voice of the main character of this movie.

Drum roll please...

If you saw the editing, you will feel this rush of recognition when you heard the unmistakable voice shout "Bankai!", and that familiar voice will bring you back to your childhood when you watched your favorite anime characters scream it. Rumours about their identity have gone around for weeks, and this voice personifies what everyone believed to be true all along, and with this announcement, we are all ecstatic.

An Absolute Legend Joins the Cast

As you already may know, the main character from the game, Unleash the Avatar, will be voiced by the talented Johnny Yong Bosch!

For those who grew up watching anime in the 90s and 2000s, this name should ring a bell. Johnny is considered to be one of the best in voice acting today! He is the voice of many of the most famous and beloved characters in anime history. These include; Ichigo Kurosaki (the main character from Bleach) and Lelouch vi Britannia (of Code Geass).

We could create an enormous list of all of the amazing voiced characters that Johnny has brought to life throughout his career as an anime and video game voice actor!

Johnny's addition to our cast is more than just a simple casting decision; it's a real statement. His voice is able to perfectly capture the essence of your typical "young person" (with energy) while also being very cool and having a lot of dramatic depth, which few voice actors can do so well!

In addition, the moment we decided we needed to find someone to represent India on an international level; give our main character a voice that all of his fans around the world would be able to connect with; we knew that nobody else could compare to Johnny.

A Childhood Dream That Has Come True

The creators of Unleash the Avatar are thrilled with this casting because it’s very personal to them. Imagine you're a child watching your favorite anime as a kid, getting home from school to watch episodes of your favorite cartoon, and hearing the same voice that you know and love bring your favorite characters to life. That voice basically becomes part of your childhood.

Now, imagine you're all grown up, and you get to have that exact same voice actor bring to life a character that you created. It’s coming full circle! For Johnny to have the opportunity to be back in the booth to record as Ichigo Kurosaki for Unleash the Avatar is nothing short of magical. The team is extremely grateful that Johnny said yes to this project, and their primary focus right now is to make sure that the writing, animation and finished product all do his incredible talents complete justice!

The Master Plan: Expanding Anime's Influence Beyond Japan

Johnny Yong Bosch is now officially part of this strategic initiative called Unleash the Avatar. This means that the main focus of this project is not just to create a successful regional television program; instead, we are trying to create something that will be globally distributed. In order to achieve this goal, we are looking to leverage successful models used within the anime industry.

The anime industry has long understood how to create successful global narratives, using two key components: a strong authentic and locally based story developed with an original Japanese cast (with Japanese subtitles for those who prefer them), while at the same time developing high-quality English language productions of the same content. The rationale behind this strategy is to remove language barriers and therefore allow for a much larger, broader, and more mainstream global audience to join your universe, and ultimately allow your intellectual property (IP) to be represented on international television, included in large streaming services, and enjoyed by many as part of their daily lives.

In order for Indian Intellectual Property to be taken globally, we learned that we would have to do the exact same thing. We must pay attention to our local origins while at the same time constructing a huge international bridge. Great English Dubbing is no longer an afterthought today in modern Animation, but is now an integral part of launching new properties.

Hearing from Fans

The decision to rebrand was not simply a boardroom discussion, but rather a response to people who are watching. After distributing early trailers of the Indian content and evaluating the responses from the audience, it was evident that while there was much international interest in the product, language would pose challenges to some people. Audience was very vocal and most of the response was positive, also, this feedback did not go unnoticed by the teams.

Viewing the responses to the early trailers gave the team a big light bulb idea. Responses from the community showed that everyone liked what they saw in terms of visual content, storyline and how strongly the culture was represented in the trailers; however, an English version would provide an easier way to share with family and friends all around the world. Therefore the team put a halt, conducted analysis of the group feedback and said "maybe this is the thing to do".

In all honesty we think it was the right thing to do! By signing on someone of the caliber of Johnny Yong Bosch to perform lead voice Over for his character in Unleash the Avatar it is clear that there were no short cuts taken with respect to quality and this is not just a simple translation it is truly an overall quality localization that stands next to the best anime dubs on the market.

Pushing Limits With Indian Animation

Let’s step back a moment and examine what is truly a milestone for Indian Animation. Indian animated programming has been reliant on a relatively small niche of highly specific regional programming for too long. The overwhelming majority of the global animation market is controlled by Japan and the United States, with a handful of other countries occasionally being successful in making their way to the top.

Unleash the Avatar is attempting to alter that narrative. By blending world-class international voice talent with Indian stories, culture and aesthetics into one complete package, this project claims to be an authentic international I.P. This project is connecting the eastern and western markets in a new and innovative way that is both exciting and respectful to the art of animation.

When the international anime audience sees that Lelouch and Ichigo’s voice talent will star in a new, visually stimulating animated series created in India, it is a foregone conclusion that they will watch the series. Just based upon that recognition, people will come through the door, and then continue to watch as a result of the compelling story, world building and visually stunning animation. This is the pathway to building a worldwide fan base.