In the vast and varied world of anime, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto stands tall as one of the most recognized Shonen series of all time. The anime has become the face of the industry for several years and has garnered a huge fan following not only in Japan but around the world as well.
The fans can’t get enough of the show, as they keep returning to re-experience, Kishimoto-San’s genius. However, Junko Takeuchi has grown bored of voicing male characters in the industry. While making her appearance at Digimon Con, she answered some of the most-anticipated questions.
During one question, she subtly expresses her tiredness from portraying male characters without catching a break. Hence, when asked, she expressed the only condition that would convince her to be a part of future Digimon franchises.
Naruto’s Voice Actor Had Grown Tired of Voicing Male Characters in The Industry
For ages, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has been praised for its exceptional characters, storylines, action sequences, and complex themes. The Shonen series is recognized for Naruto Uzumaki, who relentlessly pursues his goal of becoming the Hokage of the Leaf Village.
However, it was the magical voice of Junko Takeuchi who breathed life into the protagonist by showcasing different emotions with ease. In her stellar career, she has voiced many characters in some of the industry’s most respected series. From Gomamon in Digimon Adventure to Mamoru Endō in Inazuma Eleven, her career is filled with voicing numerous male characters.
Although Takeuchi-san is the woman behind your favorite anime characters, she has grown tired of voicing male characters as she gets candid about her dream role in the next Digimon series if she happens to be a part of it.
While appearing as a guest on the panel of the Digimon Con via Reddit, Mutsumi Tamura asks, “What kind of role would you like to play if you’re involved in the next Digimon series?” She began the answer by expressing her gratitude to be a part of the series, but it feels like “cheating” on her characters. She said,
Well, I’d be happy to play any role if it meant getting enter the Digimon world once again, but thinking about playing other roles feels kind of like cheating on my characters. So I’d like to play Gomamon as Joe’s partner, or Takuya Kanbara. If Takuya Kanabara turned into a girl, I could do that.
While Takeuchi-san expressed her desire to voice fewer male characters in the industry, Masashi Kishimoto was astounded by the surprising rise of one character from his magnum opus.
Rock Lee’s Sudden Rise in Popularity Surprises Masashi Kishimoto
Kishimoto-San’s Naruto features some of the most iconic characters that have grown to be fan favorites over the years. Since each character featured distinctive traits and personalities, viewers felt the show was more engaging.
The core fan base of the show is maintained by characters like Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Pain, Itachi Uchiha, and many more. However, the unforeseen rise in fame of one character stunned the mangaka.
The character was none other than Rock Lee, who was one of the best, if not the best Taijutsu users in his class. In an interview via Anime News Network, the mangaka expressed his views on the character and how he never got to show more love to him. He said,
It’s just what I heard. It kind of surprised me how popular he was, but it didn’t necessarily lead to more plotlines with him in it or anything like that. That’s not to say that I didn’t consider writing him in more or creating more stories about him, but the timing was never right, so I never had the opportunity.
Though the manga artist was unable to depict more of Rock Lee in the original series, he was surprised by how much fans adored him, despite the fact that he did not appear in any major fights later on.
Naruto can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
