Demon Slayer is much more than just a pretty animation shonen anime. It has a compelling fast-paced storyline with excellent action scenes which makes it perfectly popular among many anime fans.
The anime follows the story of a young boy Tanjiro who fights with demons to restore his sister’s humanity after she becomes a demon. No doubt, its ability to hook the audience with its breathtaking visuals and rich story has made it secure the position of the top new-gen “big three” in anime.
Overall it’s a fantastic anime and its perfect factors have contributed to its success. But the factor that has helped to bring the series to life is the characters’ voices – which established a direct connection with the audience. The main hero (Tanjiro)’s voice was played by Zach Aguilar and to capture Tanjiro’s raw emotions, he pulls off amazing feet every time he voices him.
Voice Actor Zach Aguilar’s Approach to Tanjiro’s Emotional Scenes
In an interview, BuzzFeed talked to the English voice actors of Demon Slayer characters— Zach Aguilar (Tanjiro), Abby Trott (Nezuko), Aleks Le (Zenitsu), and Bryce Papenbrook (Inosuke). They discussed how the cast prepares for their roles and shared their thoughts on the most memorable scenes they’ve recorded.
In the interview, when voice actors were asked about their experience in recording emotional dialogue for Demon Slayer characters, Tanjiro’s English voice actor, Zach Aguilar explained:
“While I’m in the booth, I usually try to mimic Tanjiro’s movements as much as possible without messing up the recording. It’s definitely tricky since he’s very animated and gives 110% to everything he does. I think that’s what makes him so lovable though. I have a lot of fun in the booth, to say the least, haha.”
Aguilar said that when he’s in the recording booth, he often attempts to imitate Tanjiro’s actions as closely as he can without making mistakes. It was challenging because Tanjiro is highly energetic. However, he believes it is the reason that makes the character endearing.
Zach Aguilar’s Initial Struggle with Tanjiro’s Total Concentration Breathing
In a later part of the interview, when asked about the most unique or fascinating guidance they’ve received from a director while portraying their character. Aguilar mentioned that the most intriguing direction he received was when he first voiced Tanjiro’s “Total Concentration Breathing.” He said:
“The most interesting direction I’ve gotten is the first time I performed Tanjiro’s “Total Concentration Breathing.” The director guided me on how to make an exhale sound like a powerful inhale. The reason is that if I did just an inhale, it would have sounded like I had really bad asthma.”
Aguilar said that when he first tried Tanjiro’s “Total Concentration Breathing,” the director helped him make his exhale sound like a strong inhale. He jokingly mentioned that if he had only done an inhale, it would have sounded like he “had really bad asthma.”
Source: BuzzFeed
