Sean Schemmel (born November 21, 1968)[1][2] is an American voice actor, ADR director, and screenwriter known chiefly for his work in cartoons, anime, and video games. His most notable role is the teen and adult voice of Son Goku in the Funimation dub of the Dragon Ball franchise.
Sean Schemmel | |
|---|---|
 Schemmel in 2016 | |
| Born | November 21, 1968 Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouses | Melissa Cox
(m. 1993; div. 1998)Melodee Lenz
(m. 1998; div. 2001) |
Career
editInitially, Schemmel never planned on becoming a voice actor; he trained to be a classical French horn player. When a friend persuaded him to audition for Dragon Ball Z, he tried out for a minor character who was going to be killed in the first season of the show. He had been recording for two weeks before he was told that he was going to be the lead.[3] Since being cast as Son Goku by Funimation in 1999, he has been the most consistent English voice actor for the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise, having voiced the character's older teen and adult incarnations in every anime series produced to date (Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Kai and Super) and most Dragon Ball animated movies and video games, as well as other characters such as King Kai and Goku Black.[4]
Besides voicing Goku, Schemmel has lent his voice to several other anime characters including Amidamaru in Shaman King (2001), Lucario in Pokémon and Elliot Grant in Mew Mew Power. His other roles in animation include Firefly in G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, Gonard in Kappa Mikey and Hawkman in DC Super Friends. In video games, Schemmel has provided his voice to Makuta in Bionicle, Black Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog, Maxwell in Bullet Witch, Horace in Skullgirls, Batman in The Dark Knight Rises, Sun Wukong (whom Goku was originally based on) in Smite, and Marc Wilson in Fallout 4.
In addition to his voice acting career, Schemmel was also an ADR Director and scriptwriter for NYAV Post, where he had directed and adapted for English dubs of several Japanese anime series. In the field of narration, he has won two awards for his audiobook recordings.
Personal life
editSchemmel was married to Melissa Cox, from 1993 to 1998. He married actress Melodee Lenz the same year. They divorced after three years of being together in 2001.[3]
Filmography
editAnime
edit| Year | Title | Role | Crew Role, Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2003; 2005 | Dragon Ball Z | Goku, King Kai, Nail, Vegito |
|
| 2001 | Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku | Goku (adult) | TV special |
| 2001–03 | Dragon Ball | Goku (teen) |
|
| 2001 | Blue Gender | Rick | |
| 2002 | Berserk | Gaston, Conrad, others | [6] |
| 2002 | Ultimate Muscle | Bone Cold | |
| 2002 | Yu Yu Hakusho | Shigeru Murota, Roto, Mr. Akashi | |
| 2003 | Hades Project Zeorymer | Gisou | OVA |
| 2003 | Samurai Deeper Kyo | Nobuyuki Sanada | ADR voice director, script writer |
| 2003 | Space Pirate Mito | ADR voice director, script writer | |
| 2003 | Sadamitsu the Destroyer | Junk/Helmet | ADR voice director, script writer |
| 2003–05 | Shaman King | Amidamaru, Rio, Nichrom | |
| 2003–15; 2020–present | Pokémon | Morrison, Archie, Cyrus, Sir Aaron's Lucario, Lampent, Dracovish, Sawk, Thundurus |
|
| 2003–05 | Dragon Ball GT | Goku (adult, Super Saiyan 4), King Kai, Gogeta (SS4) |
|
| 2004 | Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy | Goku | TV special |
| 2004 | Kiddy Grade | Carvo | Episode 4 |
| 2004 | Seven of Seven | ADR voice director, script writer | |
| 2004 | Case Closed | Kowalski | Episode 8 |
| 2004 | Giant Robo | Tetsugyu | OVA |
| 2004 | Domain of Murder | Dispatch | OVA |
| 2004 | The Gokusen | Minoru Tatsukawa, Kouhei Iwamoto | |
| 2004 | Fullmetal Alchemist | Clause's Father | Episode 4 |
| 2004 | Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning | Takashi Sonobe | Episodes 1-4 |
| 2004 | Munto | Munto | OVA |
| 2004 | Shura no Toki: Age of Chaos | Shinzaburo Kuki | |
| 2004 | Shrine of the Morning Mist | Naonori Hieda | ADR voice director |
| 2004–07; 2013–present | One Piece |
| |
| 2005 | Mobile Police Patlabor: The New Files | Hiromi Yamazaki | OVA |
| 2005 | Magical DoReMi | Mirabelle's Father, Simon | |
| 2005 | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant, The Blue Knight | 4Kids dub of Tokyo Mew Mew |
| 2005 | Midori Days | Jigoru | ADR voice director, script writer |
| 2005 | Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart | Seiji Nomura | |
| 2005–06 | The Galaxy Railways | Humanoid B | Episode 10 |
| 2005–06 | G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 | Firefly | [7] |
| 2005 | Samurai 7 | Genzo | Episodes 9, 11-12 |
| 2005 | Ah! My Goddess | 3rd Class Earth Spirit | ADR voice director |
| 2005–06 | Yu-Gi-Oh! | Bobasa, Karim | 4Kids dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! |
| 2005–08 | Yu-Gi-Oh! GX | Vellian Crowler, Ojama Yellow, Thelonious Viper, T-Bone, Mad Dog, Elemental Hero Neos, Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, Dr. Collector | [7] |
| 2005 | Lupin III: Island of Assassins | Gordeau | TV special |
| 2006 | Pokémon Chronicles | Jimmy | [7] |
| 2006 | Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time | Munto, Munto's Father | OVA |
| 2006 | Ninja Nonsense | Onsokumaru | |
| 2006 | Outlanders | Tetsuya Wakatsuki, Geobaldi | OVA |
| 2007 | BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad | Hiroto | Episodes 23–24 |
| 2007–10 | Dinosaur King | Zander, Spectre, King Louis | |
| 2008–11 | Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's | Zigzix, Greiger, MC, Rudolph Heitmann, Hans, Mr.Pitts (season 3) | |
| 2010–13; 2017–18 |
Dragon Ball Z Kai | Goku, King Kai, Nail, Vegito |
|
| 2010 | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn | Flaste Schole | OVA |
| 2011–15 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal | Bronk Stone, Orbital 7(episode 13–75), Kazuma Tsukumo | [8] |
| 2016 | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 | Flaste Schole | |
| 2017–19 | Dragon Ball Super | Goku, King Kai, Goku Black, Vegito |
|
| 2020 | Radiant | Pen Draig Knight B | Second Season |
| 2021 | Mars Red | Yoshinobu Maeda | [10] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Padre Pio | Prefect | ||
| 2014 | Time of Eve | Katoran | ||
| 2014 | Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods | Goku, King Kai | Limited U.S. theatrical release | [11] |
| 2015 | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' | Goku | Limited U.S. theatrical release | [12] |
| 2019 | Dragon Ball Super: Broly | Goku, Gogeta | Limited U.S. theatrical release Gogeta shared w/ Christopher Sabat |
[13] |
| 2022 | Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | Goku | Limited U.S. theatrical release | [14] |
Animation
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–09 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Nobody, Yukio Mashimi, Constable Biggles, Sh'Okanabo, Master Khan, Zippy Lad, Various characters | |
| 2006–07 | Winx Club | Valtor | 4Kids version |
| 2006–08 | Kappa Mikey | Gonard | [7] |
| 2006 | Wulin Warriors | Scar | |
| 2006 | Viva Piñata | Bart, Chortles Chippopotamus, Hamilton Horstachio | |
| 2006–11 | Thumb Wrestling Federation | Colonel Cossack, Face-Off Phil, Mr. Extremo, Dorsal Flynn, James Montgomery Flag, Lucky O'Leary, Pierre Pamplemousse, Knockout Ninja, Evil Ira, Flashback, The Visitor, The Scorchion, Mugsy Thumbscrew, Scoutmaster Scott. | |
| 2006–10 | Chaotic | Maxxor, Ulmar | [7] |
| 2008–09 | Three Delivery | Various characters | |
| 2008–09 | Speed Racer: The Next Generation | Dickie Ranford, Racer X / Rex Racer, Dr. Chezko / Sparky, narrator | |
| 2009 | Pat & Stan | Stuart | |
| 2009–12 | Huntik: Secrets & Seekers | LeBlanche, Mr. Mactavish, Ghost of Sir Lancelot | |
| 2011 | Shaktimaan Animated | Tock | English dub |
| 2015 | DC Super Friends | Hawkman | |
| 2015 | Sofia the First | Slim, King Habib | [16][17] |
| 2015 | Lego Scooby-Doo! Knight Time Terror | Charlie, Treasure Hunter No. 2 | |
| 2016 | Trip Tank | Wayne, Announcer | [18][19] |
| 2016 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | The Box of Truth | [20][21] |
| 2017 | Spider-Man | Sal Salerno | [22] |
| 2020 - present | Lego Monkie Kid | Monkey King, Syntax, Jin | |
| 2022 | The Casagrandes | Mr. Vanderspeed | Episode: "Race Against the Machine"[23] |
| Year | Title | Role | Crew Role, Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Impy's Island | King Pumponell the 55th | |
| 2009 | TMNT: Turtles Forever | Raphael 84 | |
| 2010 | Animals United | Biggie the Rhinoceros | [24] |
| 2011 | A Car's Life 2 | Fender | |
| 2013 | A Car's Life 3: The Royal Heist | Fender, Otto, Pinion | |
| 2015 | A Car's Life 4: Junkyard Blues | Fender, Otto | |
| 2016 | DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year | Dark Opal | |
| 2017 | Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory | Mr. Salt, Mr. Turkentine |
Live Action
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ultraman Z | Ultraman Zero | English Dub |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai | Goku, King Kai | |
| 2003 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 | Goku, Vegito, Gokule | |
| 2003 | Bionicle | Makuta | [citation needed] |
| 2004 | Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors | Goku | |
| 2004 | Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament | Roto | |
| 2004 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 | Goku, King Kai, Nail, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2005 | Dragon Ball Z: Sagas | Goku | |
| 2005 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi | Goku, King Kai (Narration), Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2005 | Shadow the Hedgehog | Black Doom | [7] |
| 2006 | Shadow Hearts: From the New World | Ricardo Gomez | |
| 2006 | Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai | Goku, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2006 | Super Dragon Ball Z | Goku | |
| 2006 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 | Goku, King Kai, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2007 | Bullet Witch | Maxwell | [7] |
| 2007 | Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai – Another Road | Goku, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2007 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 | Goku, King Kai, Nail, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2008 | Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit | Goku | |
| 2008 | Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World | Goku, King Kai, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2009 | Dragon Ball: Raging Blast | Goku, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2010 | Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team | Goku, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2010 | Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 | Goku, Nail, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2011 | Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi | Goku, King Kai, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2012 | Skullgirls | Horace | |
| 2012 | Dragon Ball Z: For Kinect | Goku, Vegito | |
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Batman | Mobile game [25] |
| 2013 | Gangstar Vegas | Jason Malone, Radio Ads | [26][27][7] |
| 2014 | Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z | Goku, Vegito | |
| 2014 | Smite | Sun Wukong, Thor (Heavy Metal) | |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U | Lucario | [28] |
| 2015 | Dragon Ball Xenoverse | Goku, Tokitoki, Vegito, Gogeta | |
| 2015 | Fallout 4 | Strong, Marc Wilson, Male Ghouls | |
| 2015 | Halo 5: Guardians | Additional Voices | |
| 2016 | Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle | Goku (Narration) | Mobile game |
| 2016 | Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 | Goku, Nail, Tokitoki, Vegito, Gogeta, Goku Black | [29] |
| 2017 | Dishonored: Death of the Outsider | Overseers | [30] |
| 2018 | Dragon Ball FighterZ | Goku, Goku Black, Vegito, Gogeta | [29] |
| 2018 | Dragon Ball Legends | Goku, Vegito, Gogeta, Goku Black, Nail | Mobile game |
| 2018 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Lucario | Archive audio |
| 2020 | Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot | Goku, King Kai, Nail, Vegito | [29] |
| 2024 | Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO | Goku, Nail, Vegito, Gogeta, Goku Black | [29] |
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Earphones Award | The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo | Won[31] | |
| 2013 | Audie Award | I Suck at Girls by Justin Halper | Audie Award for Humor | Won[32] |
| 2019 | Guinness World Records | Kamehameha | Guinness World Record for most people performing a Kamehameha | Won[33] |
References
edit- ^ Sean Schemmel [@SeanSchemmel] (November 21, 2019). "Birthday! Galaxycon! #yousayitsyourbirthday #itsmybirthdaytoo" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Sean Schemmel [@SeanSchemmel] (November 23, 2020). "I was very moved by all the birthday wishes yesterday from everyone! Truly made my birthday special! Amazed it happens every year thank you!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Dragon Ball's' voice of Goku speaks for himself". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "Sean Schemmel Teases His Approach To Goku Black In 'Dragon Ball Super'". ComicBook.com. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "Sean Schemmel - 259 Character Images | Behind the Voice Actors". Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Hanson, Brian (November 13, 2010). "Hey, Answerman! – Hentai Schmentai". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
Perhaps worse is realizing that one voice actor has multiple roles. As Hope Chapman noted, Steven Blum voices a police officer talking with Onizuka. Sean Schemmel voices every third character in Berserk. When you hear the same voices over and over in the same show, it makes it immediately obvious that you're being entertained instead of being part of a story.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sean C. Schemmel". arlenethornton.com/. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Sean Schemmel Awesome Con". awesome-con.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Funimation Reveals Dragon Ball Super English Dub Cast". Anime News Network. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "MARS RED English Dub Announced, Cast and Crew Revealed". Funimation. March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "'Battle of Gods' will please 'Dragon Ball Z' fans". Los Angeles Times. August 7, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (August 12, 2015). "Film Review: 'Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F'". Variety. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Holub, Christian. "Watch Vegeta fight Broly for the first time in exclusive 'Dragon Ball Super: Broly' clip". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Friedman, Nicholas. "Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO Reveals Global Theatrical Release Dates, English Dub Cast [UPDATED]". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Brook's English Voice Actor Revealed! – Funimation – Blog!". Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "Cool Hand Fluke". Sofia the First. Season 3. Episode 1. August 5, 2015. Disney Junior.
- ^ "New Genie on the Block". Sofia the First. Season 3. Episode 7. October 16, 2015. Disney Junior.
- ^ "How the Sausage Is Made". TripTank. Season 2. Episode 12. June 27, 2016. Comedy Central.
- ^ "Deuce Ex Machina". TripTank. Season 2. Episode 17. August 2, 2016. Comedy Central.
- ^ "Sleepover". Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Season 2. Episode 22. September 26, 2016. Disney XD.
- ^ "Butterfly Trap". Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Season 3. Episode 51. March 10, 2018. Disney XD.
- ^ "Venom". Spider-Man (2017 TV series). Season 1. Episode 13. October 21, 2017. Disney XD.
- ^ "Race Against the Machine". The Casagrandes. Season 3. Episode 61. June 10, 2022. Nickelodeon.
- ^ "Sean Schemmel". Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "The Dark Knight Rises: The Mobile Game (2012) - 12 Cast Images | Behind the Voice Actors". Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Gameloft Divertissements Inc. (June 21, 2013). Gangstar: Vegas (Android). Gameloft S.A. Scene: Closing credits, Cast, 22:57.
- ^ "Sean Schemmel at WasabiCon 2016 (Schedule)". wasabicon.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Sean Schemmel [@SeanSchemmel] (May 30, 2014). "I'm voicing Lucario in that game..." (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d "Sean Schemmel (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 22, 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Behind the Voice Actors". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "THE BIG SPLASH by Jack D Ferraiolo Read by Sean Schemmel | Audiobook Review | AudioFile Magazine". AudioFile Magazine. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Tanya (June 3, 2013). "Winner of the 2013 Audie Awards | Industry News – Awards | Voices.com Blog". Voices.com Blog. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ "Most people performing a Dragon Ball Kamehameha". Guinness World Records. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
External links
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sean Schemmel.
- Sean Schemmel at IMDb
- Sean Schemmel at Behind The Voice Actors
- Sean Schemmel at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Sean Schemmel convention appearances on AnimeCons.com
- Sean Schemmel on Twitter
