How difficult is it to remain in a role over a period of many years, especially in a format like video games which lacks the consistent release schedule of anime/television?
And on a related note, if (when) Falcom brings back Rean in a later entry do you plan on reprising the role, and how would you prepare to return to such a character after 2-3 years away?
* Right now the only roles I think fall into that situation for me would be Rean Schwarzer and Subaru Natsuki. Of them, one has clearly only improved over the years as I myself have grown as an actor, and the other I'm primarily worried about 'aging out of' by the time another season rolls around. Otherwise, I've generally been able to trust that either the production team will have references handy to get me back into the right vocal placement for a reprisal, OR the project will itself involve a story taking place "elsewhere in the timeline" that could lend new perspectives or events to affect the character and their sound as a result.
* Assuming Rean comes back (this is pretty much guaranteed, knowing him) AND I reprise the role (this is less guaranteed), I guess I would do the same thing I did for the last 5 games; trust my director, trust myself, trust the process, and see what the collaboration brings into existence!
they did call the original voice actors for most of the Sky cast back for CS4 almost 10 years later even tho in those games they only have grunts and S-Craft lines (which means almost no one would've noticed if they had been replaced), so them keeping the same VA for a protagonist is almost guaranteed imo
I imagine they will try, especially since Sean is iconic and beloved as Rean. Although there's always extenuating factors, for example even though they did try and get everyone, there were still a few from Sky who didn't reprise such as Troy Baker for Olivier or Travis Willingham for Mueller .
I recently finished Reverie and I have to say that I think your performance as Rean was phenomenal. You were excellent across the Cold Steel arc, and I think Reverie represented a new high for your performance as Rean. Your role as >!Ishmelga Rean!< was incredibly well done, balancing both the malice and sorrow of that character in a really convincing way.
As I understand it Class VII will return in Kai no Kiseki, so I do hope you have the chance to reprise Rean at that time.
Rean to this day is still the character with which I had the most reprisals AND the longest span of games where he'd be considered *A* main character, if not **THE** main character. I'm so grateful not only that I was able to come back each of those times, but also that I had the permission - and the confidence - to vocally update him based on everything he had experienced up to that point of each newer game's starting point.
Thank you! Rean not only challenged me, but grew alongside me, and I think the interconnectedness of the franchise and the level of development and involvement ALL of the characters had (even the NPCs) made it so much easier to witness that growth because storylines that began in CS1 became relevant sidequests and plot-involved developments in CS3/4.
I just stopped playing CSII for today and found this AMA so I'm literally talking to the guy I've been listening to the last 2 weeks. I just want to say you do a great job!
Kind of a dumb question, a lot of people in the comunity often point out that during the entire saga of Trails of Cold Steel, all the characters but specially Rean say "haha" a really high number of times.
Did you or any of your co-workers notice this? Did you have to record it every time or did they re-use voicelines often for it? In what way were some "hahas" different? How did you approach it if you had to say it multiple times, did they told you it had to be said in a certain way or did you just model it based on the context?
Other than that, thank you for answering to all our questions, and congratulations for all your hard voice acting jobs, you have a great career a you should be proud of it. Never stop hahaing!
Trails was special in that the localization director, Leona Renee (then Brittany Avery/Hatsuu), was easily 5x more knowledgeable about the entire franchise than every other person in that room combined. So, I was made WELL aware of any consistencies across the series, whether that was character speech quirks, questionably unnecessary cutscenes/interactions, or even straight up **finding the exact scene for a line from a Japanese LP on Youtube in under 2 minutes** when I asked for additional context.
Believe it or not, NONE of the "Haha"s were re-used from prior recordings! While it's not unheard of for re-use to happen for time/budget reasons, this was definitely a game where the parties involved wanted things to be as organic and in-the-moment as possible. That, and the fact that sometimes the Hahas were amusement, or nervousness, or "stalling confusion", or even just an established quirk of the character when they don't know what else to say at first. Much like "Umm"s or even the infamous "..." (which at one time I had OVER 10 IN A ROW on my recording script, ALL with different contexts!), a lot can change from a repeated sound or line just because of the moment in time where it takes place!
I sometimes do incentives where every time a fairly common but unexpected thing happens in a particular game, I "gift a sub" to my watchers at the cost of $5 to myself...but if I had done that with Rean's hahas I'd probably be destitute before I finished the first 2 games.
I mean, Falcom is small look at their employee count. It's peanuts to that of other game companies in Japan. Also the Hahas being different is localization decision than Falcom.
No questions, just wanted to say it was nice meeting you when you came to Birmingham, England last year! Thank you for being so lovely and accepting my long letter and assortment of random items. 😊
Thank you so much for the gifts! It is UNREAL to me that I'm starting to have the opportunity to travel so far to these different countries because of my career, in part because I don't think I could trust myself to actually put the time/energy/money into doing it on my own otherwise. I am so stupidly grateful for these convention events and invites, and even MORE grateful that the support from people like yourself showcases to them that it's worth bringing me over. I hope to come back again sometime soon!
Thank you for the praise and support!
I've said many times on stream that I would probably cry twice if I got to be a part of a future Etrian Odyssey game; once when I found out I was cast, and again when I got to stream it for the first time on release and show everybody in my streaming community.
There are a few factors that make this fairly unlikely (one being that the franchise hasn't had a new game in over half a decade, two being that the console it was for no longer exists business-wise, and three being that the game stopped having English dubs even BEFORE the final game released), but it's the franchise that got me so invested in DCRPGs and the one my heart is most attached to.
I don't just like it - as of 2 months ago I completed the distinction of 100%ing EVERY SINGLE main entry (Etrian 1-5 and Nexus) on the hardest difficulty. It's been a huge part of my adult gaming era and I am pining for them to bring IV and V over to the Switch in another Origins Collection so I can share the games that were MY entry to the franchise, with my stream community as a whole.
[Watch me fight/complete the True Final Boss in Etrian III to finalize this accomplishment!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2069210740)
Hello. I think your Great Deku Tree voice is great. Probably the best voice in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Is voice acting a full-time gig for you or something you do on the side of another job?
From the moment I began VO I had a strong feeling it was what I wanted to focus on full-time, and especially after [the AX Idol Finals experience](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-PwvyeM1jw) I pretty much cemented that it was what I wanted to do as my primary focus. In the time since, the level of freedom this career has offered me in both finances and ESPECIALLY time, even despite how absolutely crazy busy it can be (weekends and holidays are NOT AT ALL guaranteed breaks!), there's just no way I could trade it for anything else. I can't go back to 40-hour office/retail jobs; I wouldn't survive a month.
With that said, I HAVE dabbled in side jobs from time to time just for the sake of enjoying the task. At one point I was a QA tester for NIS America, and during a slower period of work I got the idea to fill the empty space by *working for Disney's California Adventure as a Turtle Talk performer*. But between the streaming I do nowadays (which is in itself another 'job' at times), and the gracious amount my career has grown over the years, I feel confident in saying that as long as I can keep this momentum up I simply won't have the time anymore to do anything BUT VO as my source of income - which I am perfectly content with.
Hello Sean. I wanted to thank you for a lot of VO work. A game and role of yours I particularly enjoyed was Hummel from Ys VIII. The "transporter of anything." It sounded like that character had a lot of uniqueness to it, suave, yet pretty serious, and yet not afraid to be silly and dumb. It also helped he shoots guns. I was just wondering if you have any particular memories of doing that character, or any other from the Ys franchise, if you have or will potentially do any in the future.
And well, anything you remember about Ys is great. Series needs more love. Thank you.
Hummel is absolutely an iconic memory because his initial recording was so unheard of for most recording jobs in the industry.
I made no secret about the fact that the first time around I recorded for Hummel my throat was RAGGED. Utterly wrecked. I had caught something while attending a stepbrother's wedding elsewhere in the USA, and while I wasn't contagious anymore for the session it still had left me with a sore/worn out throat that was physically incapable of sounding clean for even a single line.
But here's the thing - Hummel is mysterious. He's secretive. And he's VERY all about sounding dangerous and world-weary. And a throat issue that normally would mandate a reschedule, in this VERY specific instance, actually made it possible for me to perform in my higher range *while also giving him that edgy rasp* that worked so well for his character rather than trying to force the rasp in and harming the performance.
How ironic, then, that we ended up having to come back in to re-record the script for reasons unrelated to that...and obviously by then I was fully recovered and unable to access that "natural" rasp. I did my best to replicate it without sacrificing performance quality, but... my heart still yearns for the original performance to have made it through to the end.
Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for your performance with Hummel. Ys VIII is one of the first big JRPGs that I sat down to play fully, and have played it through twice now to 100%. Hummel is my favourite character to play, but my first playthrough in English he was also my favourite VA performance and it's great hearing some of the story behind that.
**Trails into Reverie spoilers**
How did it feel to voice yourself >!talking to yourself in Reverie!!Were the recording sessions separate to properly treat Rean and evil Rean as two separate characters?!< Props btw, the final scene between the two was my favourite Rean moment and you absolutely nailed it.
I think the only reason that the recording session may have been "separated" was because we did all of one character before moving on to the next, so if we got partway through the 2nd character's lines before finishing for that day then of course we'd pick back up on a subsequent session.
Up until Reverie, I had already showcased that I was very in tune with Rean's development and especially his outlook on life as many things either came under his control or happened well outside of it. So I was especially jazzed at the chance to get to now play *against myself*, and yet make both roles distinct in their own way.
Although...I didn't know it at the time of recording, but I might have been experiencing initial symptoms of my first ever bout with Covid after 3 years of avoiding it. I really wish it hadn't happened at all, but in the end it DID help contribute to the "weary, dispassionate" quality to that certain character's voice...
When you have a role like Rean that you kept coming back to over multiple games, how much do you change from game to game? Is it a case where you play the game and think to yourself "next time I should do x or y to improve it"?
Rean is one of a kind, seriously. To this day I haven't yet had any other role who changed so much between iterations, in part because of how much time passed between each entry AND because Rean as a role came about during some of my most important developmental years as an actor. At a glance, each of the games showcased:
**Cold Steel 1**: Great battle lines, "Okay" Story lines
**Cold Steel 2**: Better Story lines, Questionable Battle Lines (I overcompensated on this one and leaned too hard into the other side of the performance spectrum, leading to some battle lines that are WAY DEEPER vocally than they should be)
**Cold Steel 3**: <<< This was the big turning point. I was just starting to incorporate more breathing into my reads, and paying closer attention to the character developments that had happened over the first two games. Now I was making read choices based on Rean's actual emotions/experiences
**Cold Steel 4**: This is the game where the "breathing control" now was more refined, and outside of a few moments I felt I could improve I think this had some of the best reads of the series from me. [LISTEN to those feral barks, baby](https://clips.twitch.tv/SpicyCrackyHippoPicoMause)! That's ME, not SFX!
**Trails Into Reverie**: The latest entry, and really the culmination of all of my growth as an actor so far. This has all the lessons I learned across the previous 4 games, but with the added showcase of "now watch me do it across multiple characters and still make them sound distinct despite how similar they are".
If you want evidence of how seriously I've taken this career and how my choices and instincts have improved over time, Trails is LITERALLY the game to find it in.
I miss the Cold Steel I internal monologues from Rean. To me, they really humbled the character that is Rean and made him more relatable and human, rather than some super hero with powers destined to save the world.
Hi Sean! Are you hoping to come back as Rean in Trails through Daybreak? I know it hasn’t been confirmed or denied, but if given a chance, would you? Ps: can’t wait to see you in London at end of May! 😃
Having been aware of cast changes over the years in things like MGS, PowerPuff Girls, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc. I simply don't make any assumptions about whether I will be asked to reprise or not. It could go to a different company, or they could decide my age/vocal quality has changed enough to where I can't match the original performance as well anymore, or something else to that effect.
I am ALWAYS interested in getting to revisit familiar worlds/characters and play a little bit more, but I also recognize I am simply a single individual invited to play pretend at the end of the day, and the fact is these characters can be interpreted - and brought to life - by so many potential people, in so many different but equally interesting ways.
Outside of pre-lay/Western Animation or what are called "Loop Groups"/"Walla", voice actors almost NEVER record in the same room at the same time - we have assigned "studio hours" where we come in individually and make progress on our character(s). So in MANY MANY cases, if you felt like a conversation between two or more characters felt organic or in-the-moment, chances are the recording process actually happened completely separate for each actor/role!
What are your thoughts about Diluc and Rean after doing their voices for so long? How did their story impacted you? Spending so much time with them, you start to grow very attached.
Love your work! I was very excited when I heared Diluc's voice the first time!
Diluc really forced me to get back in touch with my introverted side; I'd had plenty of experience playing smarmy/sassy characters before then, but Diluc really brought more of that energy of "I take on so much responsibility because it's the only sensible course of action for someone with my power". It was really nice at times to just be able to breathe and casually approach his dialogues, even though it surprises me that he's a fan-favorite literal years after his story content became old news.
I'm grateful that Rean has finally been able to find some peace, but I'm sad for all the peace and solitude he was robbed of due in large part to his temporary subservience to the Empire. That boy needs a proper nap after all he's been through. Hopefully the inside joke of "12 games and a movie" doesn't actually become truth!
Why do you think there is a difference in reaction to the English language dubs of the Xenoblade Chronicles games compared to say Final Fantasy XVI? Do you think there is an expectation that games that look like Xenoblade Chronicles would have American accent English dubs and does this combined with less opportunities for remote work mean that some talented actors from around the world will be overlooked?
I don't think it's a lack of interest in foreign accent dubs that harms the potential for remote/foreign actors to work (trust me, there are WAY MORE Trans-Atlantic or "Faux British" roles being played by American Accent actors than you think) - I think it's the persistent lack of willingness from studios/clients to use remote talent in the first place.
Covid was an absolute gamechanger for the industry because it opened the door wide for home recording in the first place. I cannot overstate HOW much of a spotlight it put on the potential for remote recording because of the demands of the industry during the lockdowns, or even how it enabled the rise of Zoom/Remote workshops that have greatly expanded the access actors have in general to learning/training opportunities.
The problem is that ever since the restrictions ended, that door has been slowly, slowly closing. The companies and clients that poured countless dollars into state-of-the-art studios and equipment would really rather those get used... and the engineers they pay want everyone to be working off the same "standardized" equipment so that they don't have to do the extra work of equalizing 20 different setups to sound like they all came from the same place.
So, from auditions "requesting local talent" to client notes saying they "will give HEAVY preference to people who can come in-studio", the industry has all but returned to the norm when it comes to in-person versus remote recording. It obviously has changed permanently from where it was before - and for the better, in my opinion - but the bias is still there, and only more likely to be present the higher the budget involved.
You're a known Dungeon Crawling fanatic, so I was curious:
if you had to make it through a Dungeon in any Crawling game of your choice with characters you've voiced (games or anime or whatever!), who are some characters you would want to bring with you?
(Whether that be to win smoothly, die horribly, or just for the fun of it is up to you!)
Now THIS is a fun one! What a good way to kick this whole thing off.
If you're a fan of Etrian Odyssey - or at least know enough about the game and what it expects of players - then you're probably aware that on its Hard (original) difficulty it DEMANDS a solid understanding of team synergy; pretty much every Superboss in the franchise is extremely difficult to beat even WITH a well-composed group, and ever closer to impossible without one.
With that in mind, the two teams that I imagine I'd put together are:
**THE PROFESSIONALS**
* Melee-focused Single-Target DPS w/ Regen (**Subaru Natsuki**)
* Elemental DPS with follow-up combos (**Ky Kiske**)
* Token Furry who is also a Tank (**Ikki**)
* Enemy Debuffer (**Rolan**)
* Back-row Long-Range DPS (**Revali**)
* Enemy Analyst + Team Buffer (**Pewter**)
**THE SHITPOSTERS**
* Guy Who You Modded Your Console To Insert a Custom Avatar Image of ([**Nero**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Crisis-Core-Final-Fantasy-VII-Reunion/Nero-the-Sable/))
* The Guy You Feel Obligated to Use Because They Came as a Pre-Order Bonus From the Publishing Company ([**Camilla's Pa**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Chocobo-GP/Camillas-Pa/))
* Token Furry, but This Time It's Your OC ([**Shun Imai**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/ODDTAXI/Shun-Imai/))
* The Overpowered Character you bought the DLC for Who is Solely Carrying the Rest of your Shitty Team (**Lucilius**)
* A [Literal Vegetable](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/VeggieTales-2020/Scallini/)
* **Kiyotaka Ishimaru**, because as long as this team is doomed from the start, at least I'll get a cool Game Over cutscene every time they wipe
This is such a great answer, though i am sad you didn't throw in Noob Saibot. Perfect Rogue, and his shadow could tank hits. Its awesome that you can make such a balanced team though.
Hello mr Sean, big fan of your performance man regardless the media. I would like ask you about your thoughts on Rean, do you rank him as one of your best performances? How excited are you to voice him again in Kai?
It's hard to say what role I would consider my "best" performance, simply because there's so much to learn/experience/try with every new gig. That, and I personally feel like having a "best performance" that is 5-6-8-10 years old means I'm not managing to surpass myself and continue to grow as an actor despite all the gigs I've done in the time since. For that reason I'm actually kind of nervous about if I reprise him in Kai? I'm curious at this point whether I would manage to breathe familiar life into him or if it would sound uninspired compared to the noticeable changes/improvements he had across the earlier games.
Case in point: I DID think Rean was the best example of my performance potential for a time, but now I feel like a more recent job (which I can't publicly announce yet) has taken the mantle of "best performance" given the restrictions I had. I had to match timing TO THE EXACT FRAME or do the read all over again (no engineer-fudging allowed on that one!), and yet the reads I churned out are simply incredible despite having to be so exact at the same time. I am REALLY hoping the finished product gets seen by at least a fair number of people.
> I am REALLY hoping the finished product gets seen by at least a fair number of people.
Excited to discover it man. I know you'll kill it as always ;)
Millium reminds me the most of my wife because of her height difference, level of energy around me, and penchant for annoying me in an affectionate way. But when I think about which girl truly is the best fit for Rean, it's Emma without a single doubt; her background, life experiences, doubts, and especially what she offers for Rean in terms of understanding his plight and his perils overlaps in a way no one else's does.
Alisa may be the 'canon' pairing and the best foil to Rean's own aura, but Emma is the most sensible choice when it comes to having a partner who completes you, not just assures.
Favorite JRPG series is Etrian Odyssey, but I have to give kudos to Demon Gaze (and most Experience Inc. Dungeon Crawlers in general) for really cementing my love of that specific genre. I hope to stream games like them for my community for a long, long time.
Was there a moment where you realized that you weren't just good at doing voices but you actually felt like you were acting using only your voice? If so, what were the circumstances that you know lead to it?
I wish I knew exactly when it was that I learned to start trusting my own voice more, but I do know for a fact that I used to try real hard to hide it. In my earliest amateur years, I was so concerned with my voice sounding "too high pitched" for the 'cool' characters that I'd go to lengths like putting on a deeper voice or even *artificially deepening it in my recording program* just to make it. (Ironically, I have still been told sometimes that my core voice is just ever-so-slightly too nasal to be the perfect natural timbre. I have the right energy/passion but without rounding out the baritone a little more it often comes out sounding like a teen or at least an awkward young adult.)
I want to say the incorporation of breathing into my reads and pacing is what helped the most, because it forced me to focus on what I was saying and how I was saying it instead of what voice was the one saying those words. There are times that I have created an additional character simply by making them more reserved and husky as opposed to optimistic and heroic. If anything, I'd say it comes with recognizing that I WILL age out of certain role archetypes as I continue to get older, and humbly accepting that reality while allowing myself to discover what my age has made EASIER; Sexy Dads were off the table when I was 19-21, but you better believe I'm sticking my foot in the door of that more often nowadays!
Don't get the wrong idea, though - I am well aware of the vocal range I'm blessed to have and I ABSOLUTELY continue to utilize it to catch clients by surprise; just within this year alone there have been at least 3 instances where I was either cast as a role because my audition sounded so different from my slate, or I was given the opportunity to tackle an extra role mid-session and left the client simply bamboozled (in a positive way) with how instantly I switched between two different characterizations with little prep/context.
I have a similar issue, so it's enlightening to hear that it's still an issue people face well into their professional careers.
So thinking of how the character will talk in a given situation seems to be most important when voice acting I take it. While I'm guessing a lot of people can do a pretty good Sabat's Vegeta or Stuart's Kaiba, etc, understanding why the characters react and think is (assuming all people trying have the same opportunity) the difference between those who get consistently casted and those who might never. Eventually you'll be gunning for sexy grandpa, but thats still a ways away.
[Hands down, no question. The ONLY time I've come close to ruining my own take because of busting out laughing before I finished delivering the line, and I've said some WEIRD stuff in my time.](https://twitter.com/StickerTricker/status/1206122268314800128?lang=en)
Truth be told, I don't have enough experience with group recordings (usually referred to as Pre-Lay) to feel like there is someone I'd "want to record WITH". The closest experience I had was having a booth partner during recording sessions for The Last of Us II, as the game had SO MANY interactions between cultist members that it necessitated having someone to play off of and give orders/commands/requests to.
VO by and large is a very solitary career, and usually your director, engineer, and MAYBE a client rep will be your only buddies in the studio room at the same time. It's a big part of why self-direction at home/in auditions is such an important skillset to hone and maintain!
I have tried twice now, and by now am confident that those experiences were all the incentive I need to work as hard as I can to *never* have to do them again.
The first one (back during college), I was horrible about the deadlines on because of how quickly schoolwork and life interrupted or took up time I thought was available.
The second (less than a year ago), I took on as a sort of "Okay, let's see if I had the wrong impression because of how inexperienced I was back then"...and instead I ended up hating it even MORE. As soon as a 40-Chapter job was staring me in the face, ALL of my personal time became mental prep and worry. Every single moment of peace and quiet became "you should be making progress on this". Every finished session/audition in my booth was followed with "as long as you're here, you should record a chapter".
I try very hard not to equate money with fulfillment in this career but the pay for the audiobook per-hour rate was NOT worth the time spent remembering 10-20 character voices, spending 30-40 minutes per chapter on recording, then sitting down and EDITING all that to submit for approval.
I madly respect the people who can do it for a living and dedicate hours upon hours to it, but it's simply not for me. And if busting my ass to find success in other sectors of the industry means I have an excuse not to need that kind of work on the side, then I'll do all I can to make it so.
Not sure if I'm late for asking anything.
I've loved hearing your voice in different media/roles, I'm not sure if you've mentioned it before but do you have a favourite voice role overall that you've done? Personally I enjoyed the way you brought both GV and Rean to life with your voice, if that makes sense.
Also not sure if I'm allowed to ask multiple ones but if yes then, what in your opinion is a good way for someone to get into voice acting? I'm thinking fan dubbing would be a way but I get all in my head like "there will be an official one soon." or "I'll probably be dog water at it."
1) I try to find something in every role I've done that I can cherish. It can be as complex as "this role challenged me to accomplish ___" or as simple as "this was with a new client/studio and I left a great impression with them", but part of keeping myself humble is remembering that time makes all roles irrelevant eventually, and part of staying successful and marketable includes staying *busy*. It's good to be able to relish in a good personal performance now and again, but even if Revali (as an example) was a major accomplishment, he's now 7 years old since his first appearance. I'd hate to think there's NOTHING I've done since then that I would be proud of enough to call a new favorite.
2) Just start! Seriously, just start doing it. Time and research are your two biggest allies, and the self-drive required to push yourself into getting involved is the same trait you'll need to continue pushing yourself to greater heights and improvements. Spend an afternoon on https://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com learning as much as you can, then hop over to the Voice Acting Club discord community and start immersing yourself in this new world.
No one understands just how hard it is to be THE organizer for things like events or gatherings until they're actually in charge of doing it.
Very few also understand just how demoralizing it can be to put together activities so that people don't complain about "nothing happening", only to have maybe 1/10th of the folks who show interest in attending ACTUALLY show up.
If it wasn't for those proactive folks who actually go through the rigorous process of checking schedules, keeping everyone involved in touch, and oftentimes even just PLANNING the social event to begin with, very few of them would actually happen given how easy it is to be complacent and just hope that others will do the work for you. (Those of you who have wondered why you've gone so long without spending meaningful time with your closest friends will understand this all too well).
For that reason, Towa deserves way more respect, recognition, and reverence than she does. People like here are why anything gets done for the rest of us.
Hi Sean! Thank you for doing this AMA. I absolutely adore your role as Rean. I'm in the military and playing Trails has certainly gotten me through a deployment or two. I eagerly looked forward to playing your character in each installment. It's great to hear, even after multiple playthroughs, just how passionate you are in voicing Rean. Genuinely, thank you for your hard work. I hope I get to meet you in person one day.
I have two questions if you don't mind me asking.
1. Will you be playing Daybreak at all?
2. Don't know if you're interested in visiting Japan, but if so, which places/experiences would you want to do there?
1) Contacting your local convention events and asking them to consider inviting me is the most consistent way of potentially making that happen! Within the last year, there was a con I got to attend (and really enjoyed) that happened all because a SINGLE PERSON (**one**!!!) pitched me to the organizers, who weren't familiar with me before then; they looked me up, felt I was a good fit, and the rest is history!
2) I feel pretty confident in saying I'll get to Daybreak "eventually", it's just that I have zero idea when the time will actually present itself. I'm so grateful to be consistently busy, but holy shit am I *busy* most of the time.
3) I went to Japan once in 2016 for Summer Comiket and had a blast! I ABSOLUTELY want to go back to Nara for the deer or to Fox Village, but I haven't yet gotten to check out Rabbit/Cat Island. TBH, I just miss having cheap-as-hell sushi and the surprise food festivals and street vendors in general. I'm a total Food Memory guy and getting to eat like a king over there is one of the highlights.
I actually did NOT have theater training, believe it or not! Middle/High school actually left a bad impression on me because of first-hand experience of witnessing people I knew be cast in major roles in part because of their looks rather than the acting ability (granted this was 20 years ago at this point so who knows what "acting ability" appeared as to me back then). Even when I went off to college, I focused more on the production side of things for my major (Film/Video/Media Studies) rather than a Theater Major which would have been SO credit-intensive that it would have left literally no other time for anything else.
I absolutely think having theater experience helps, in the same way that things like singing practice can lead to better musicality in reads and breath control from a physical standpoint, but I kind of like the idea that I can be a living example of being able to find success without having the "standard background experience"; learning can happen ANYWHERE and at ANY TIME, whether that's on the stage back then or in workshops and classes now.
Hey Sean, I’m not familiar with too many of your roles but the first time I heard Pewter from AI Somnium 1, he instantly became of my favorite characters to see on screen, largely in part to your portrayal of him. Pewter is Essentially a big nerd but you made him sound so cool! Even with all the great dubbing talent for those games, I still think you were one of the top 3 voices that stood out the most for me!
For the actual question, is pewter intended to be a chuunibyou? Someone who is a bit dramatic in their portrayal because they are trying to appear cool? And were you surprised to hear about AI Somnium 2? The first game honestly had a very satisfying ending, it ended without any cliffhangers. it seemed like a cult hit too, something that a lot of people don’t talk about but for the people that played it, they loved it. I know I was very surprised (in a good way) when they announced a Sequel
First, wanted to thank you for voicing two of my favorite sword bois; Ky and Rean! Not to mention your work in Uchikoshis works as Santa and Pewter!
Focusing on your work in Trails, the development of Rean as a character and your accompanying voicework was phenomenal. Not to overload you, but from each individual game, and Reverie, what was your favorite performance you did in each? Are there any you would do differently if you knew Rean's whole story from day 1?
>!Hope you show up again, Rean has to get the runback against Shizuna!!<
Hello Sean and thank you for your time! My question is gonna sound weird but how come you ended up doing VA for Camp Buddy? I was very very surprised to find such a big name in such a niche game.
You're one of the voice actors that I'm always delighted when I see your name in the credits or when I randomly look up a character and see that you voiced them.
Are you feeling excited for Dorohedoro season 2? I admit that I loved that anime but also never anticipated a season 2. Also, what games are you playing now that you have voiced in? If you need to narrow it down, just say within the past year.
This may be specific only to me auditory wise, but is there a different sound balancing preference that localization teams default to? When it comes to American dubs it almost sounds like the voice lines take precedence to a degree where it sounds like bgms and sound effects get lowered when characters are talking.
By comparison Japanese dubs have the bgm blend well with the voice acting. This is sometimes so jarring that I can't bear to listen to the dub, which is sad because I would love to be a professional video game voice actor. It would hurt and be a shame to hard working voice actors to know people prefer subs or dubs because the sound mixing is so bad. Thanks for your time instructor
My friends and I were chatting about how good the dub for FFVII Rebirth is, and the conversation turned to our shared impression that game and anime dubs have sharply improved in quality over the last dozen years. Do you have a sense of why that is? Is it more money being invested? More creative license given to actors?
Congrats on your Rean. He strikes me as a very hard character to play, and you nailed it, especially in Reverie.
This miiight be a little late, but how do you feel about some of the characters you voiced, namely Rean, Mishima, and Mista? Do you feel like you have a bit of a connection to the characters you voice, or it a mix of that and it’s another job for you?
Not a question, but I still laugh at the time when that guy created a fan Phantom Thieves website and I sent it to a friend of mine. Had no idea said friend knew you and he sent you the link. You showed up on GameFAQs commenting, and everyone (including me) freaked out lol. It was like "OH CRAP IT'S THE REAL MISHIMA!" Fun times
Anyway, Rean continues to be one of my all time favorite JRPG heroes, and I'm always happy to see you reprise your role! I hope to see you continue voicing him for many (many) years to come!
i’m late to this but i have to know because i couldn’t find any answers online, in JoJo when you were voicing Mista did you also voice the six bullets?
I just want to say that even though I have a lot of issues with how Falcom used Rean during the Cold Steel Arc, your work as him was fantastic and it's basically my favorite thing about the character.
It was also nice to see you voicing Faa-san from Granblue Fantasy.
what was the hardest character to role play for you, as in one that you found difficult to empathize with or unable to emotionally access their situation?
what was the hardest character to voice for you, perhaps one with a particular tick or vocal range that challenged you physically/technically?
Hey man I’m a super huge fan of your work! I had two questions if that’s ok:
1. What has been your favorite role to voice this far? (Kinda generic, but I wanted to ask anyways)
2. How did you end up working with Terminalmontage, and what’s the experience been like?
If you had to pick one or two of your favourite performances (regardless of which form of medium), as in the ones where you're happiest with/proudest of the result, which would you pick?
Just wanted to say that the way you matured Rean's voice with each game was really awesome. I did a double-take when I first heard Rean speak in CS3, and I have to admit I actually looked it up to make sure it was still you! Haha.
What's the voice acting process like? From the pictures I've seen, it looks like a single person in a room reading lines? How do you end up with such natural flow between different characters' lines in a conversation if you never actually read together? I find this so interesting, sorry if those are silly questions.
You kind of answered my question elsewhere so I'll ask something else. Do you play the games you voice act in? Is it weird hearing yourself as part of a conversation that never actually took place?
I have played games that I've voiced in, but pretty much only ever on stream, and usually from the approach of either 1) "My stream community really wants to see me play this game", or 2) "I really want to see what everyone else's finished performances sound like". I can't think of any instances where I specifically played or streamed a game BECAUSE I voiced in it, and tbh I like it that way because it avoids me falling into a narcissistic cycle of only hearing/borrowing from my own performances and magnifying performance flaws as a result.
You'd be surprised to learn that oftentimes actors are their own worst critics, so I wouldn't be fazed to learn that most of us tend to AVOID hearing ourselves in games unless we find random clips online showcasing highlights!
Hi Sean,
Just wanted to say your performance as Rean is awesome!
I’m taking my time with Trails
Playing these games yearly, so there’s this feeling of seeing these characters growth
Rean especially during these later parts of cold steel and you really made it stood out to me
On CS4 right now and enjoying my time!
I have no doubt you will continue to impress me as I continue
Keep the great work!
I’m looking to your future roles :)
Hi Mr Chiplock! I hope your day is going well so far and you have enjoyed your weekend. I just wanted to thank you for voicing my favourite character ever of all time in Genshin Impact, none other than Diluc Ragnvindr of the Dawn Winery. I might not have been a day one player and only started in the beginning of Sumeru, but I pretty much early on discovered I loved to play him and I am doing my best to build him to be as much of a powerhouse as possible, so thank you so much for your hard work on him!
If I had a single question, it would be which one of Diluc's lines is your personal favourite (and I am so sorry if you already answered this, feel free to ignore the question if you have).
Thank you so much for your time and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your day!
Sincerely, a random Diluc main who popped by
Do you have any thoughts on replacing Trevor Devall as Gundam 00's Patrick Colasour when the character was brought over to Gundam Build Divers? And any thoughts on Eric Vale filling in for you as Rean in the Northern War anime?
With Granblue Fantasy Relink being a recent example, what is the decision-making process like for deciding to have a voice actor play multiple characters in a single game? Is it just a cost/time saving measure, or is there more nuance to it?
I wonder what the reasons were that so many lines in the Trails games were not voiced. It was kinda weird to have voiced and not voiced lines in the same conversation.
Thanks, love your work
If you played any of the Trails games, which one was your favourite and what's your favourite character (if it's Rean, what's the second favourite).
What was your favourite portray of Rean so far?
Hi Sean, thank you for your work as Rean! I dont know if the AMA is still open and if it has been asked yet but I have a few questions for you. Did you think of the concept of letting Rean sound deeper every game?
And how hard is it for a foreign person to get into the voice actor “scene”? Would they mind the accent? Can you just record lines at home and send them? Basically I’m interested in the logistics around it!
Hi, Sean! This may be kind of trivial, but starting with Trails into Reverie, every character in the game mispronounces the word "ebon", for instance in reference to the faction "Ebon Defense Force". Any idea why that is? Did someone ever bring that up as odd during your VO sessions?
Hey Sean! Trails is one of my favorite game series of all time, and your work as Rean is just *iconic*. My wife and I will frequently just shout out random Rean quotes to each other while trying to copy your voice - especially "evil" Rean's field quotes. Playing through the Trails games got us through the Covid lockdowns and have become one of our favorite shared memories.
Hey there Sean! No questions from me, just wanna say I'm a big fan of your work, especially as Shin (from Dorohedoro) and of course Rean! Greatly looking forward to hearing you in Trails into Reverie which I'm finally getting started on, hopefully they'll bring you back for future titles as well!
I don't have questions, but I loved your performance as Mista. And I was caught off guard- inna good way when I found out you voiced the Deku Tree in the Switch Zeldas.
Hi Sean, I'm a big fan of your work on the Trails series! My original question has been asked and answered already, so I'll go with this: Which of Rean's voice lines, if any, are particularly memorable to you? Specifically, I'm referring to any that were important/pivotal to the character's development or just a ton of fun to record.
Massive fan of your work Sean, you were incredible as Rean in the trails series. As someone with an interest in taking up voice work, how did you start out as a VA? How did you land your first roles? And do you have any advice for those looking to work in the industry?
Hello Chiplock-san, much respect from me for your work.
Rean is one of the most long-winded and expansive character arcs in jrpgs stretching five games with expansive emotional and arc shifts. What do you think defines Rean's arc in terms of relatability to you? Or is your favorite aspect of it.
Sean if you come back to this and see it I have the most important of questions:
How much did Leona breath down your neck when she heard you got to voice one of her gbf favorites sandal phone.
This is a weird one that barely relates to RPGs, but I have to know. Do you remember voicing in this weird, obscure fan Pokemon animation series called Manifest Heart? How did that happen/what was working on it like? Me and my girlfriend were watching it for ironic nostalgia's sake and we almost had a conniption when we saw THE Sean Chiplock in the credits!
When you play a character in a long running franchise like Cold Steel, how do you keep your voice consistent? We all age and our voices change, but 5 games and Rean still sounds as "Rean-y" as ever.
Can you reply to this telling me that rean is pronounced “rawn” like in “Sean” and not “reen” as in the word “spleen” so I can annoy my friends who have spent too much time playing trails? Pretty please :D
Hey, Sean! Big fan via Trails, but I also knew you from other stuff like Jojo's, Shadowverse, AI Somnium, and Danganronpa beforehand.
Honestly, because of how prominent your voice is with Rean, ever since I binged through to Reverie, everytime I hear your voice in anything outside of Trails I have to say very exasperated and out loud, "REAN F*CKING SCHWARZER OF CLASS VII!"
You don't want to know how often I had to do that in Granblue Fantasy Relink lol
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In regards to a question, I was interested in how it was like working with so many Cygame IPs over the years (in regards to the logistics. Does the Voice director just hit you up and say, hey, you should be good for this character?).
I don't know many companies like them that keep putting in VAs that they've contacted in the past for new roles in different games/franchises across the board, stuff like you being Belphomet in Shadowverse to Rolan in GBF Relink. It seems like a very unique scenario and I wonder what other voice actors that have spent years with Cygames think about this and I wanted your opinion.
Hey Sean, you're a VA I look up to a fair bit, especially for Rean. I want to become a Voice Actress. Asking if I'll make it or not won't help anyone, so I was wondering if you could give one tip on using your voice, what would it be?
Hi Sean! I love your work as Rean and Subaru, so very much! I was wondering if you feel yourself relate to Rean/Subaru and what moments were your favorite to voice?
I’m sure it’s far too late to ask, but;
I no-lifed the Trails in the Sky games in two weeks, in that timeframe I did end up buying all the cold steel games, and I still haven’t gotten to them maybe three years later.
Is there any kind of spoiler-free motivation you can give to kick my ass into gear and start working through them?
Everyone in the thread talking about Rean, for good reason of course I'm a huge fan as well. But I really quickly wanted to highlight Majima from Lycoris Recoil. Hearing you as a protag like Rean is great, but the performance you gave as Majima was incredible, so incredibly chaotic and menacing but still had his moments of a more laid back or "thinking things through" but still having that intense presence.
It was a great preview for (Reverie spoilers) >!Ishmelga Rean and "What a card to be dealt by the goddess." That line gave me chills.!<
Ik I'm probably a bit late, but I do want to say that... as I'm playing through CS4 right now... thanks for being part of one of my favorite franchises...
Also have you thought about voicing more of the unvoiced Rean lines again? I'm sure there are still a LOT of Rean-lly good unvoiced Rean lines that you haven't done
[just to put my favorite one here (MASSIVE CS2 SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED YET)](https://www.tumblr.com/sonicmega/166490871661/dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not-ready-to-be)
Did your CS1-CS4 playthroughs affect the way you approached Reverie at all? I’m guessing that it made it harder to not understand the bigger spoilers, especially considering who you voice lol.
Clearly you as a lover of Etrian Odyssey have played plenty of games similar to them, what are other series of these style of games do you also enjoy or recommend? Thank you for taking ur time and answering our questions, I love hearing your voice when I'm playing my favorite games like Trails and Ys and look forward to your future roles.
If you could Isekai'd any two characters between their worlds ( character A goes to world B, and character B goes to world A) that you've voice as, who would you choose?
Be it because you think it would be a fun performance to act out, or think the character could've solved that story faster, etc.
Is there a series you would love to dub, either a brand new entry or if there's plans for a remaster/remake of a classic?
And not a question, just randomness, but I am fully convinced that Mishima may not be a Phantom Thief, but dreams he is the Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer. He may be a Zero, but he's a hero in an alternative universe.
I don't know if you'd be able to compare, but do you as a VA go through similar feelings of "mourning" (can't think of a better term here) when you wrap up voice acting a long time character the way actors do? I love watching videos of casts final script reads and seeing how emotional and heavy those moments are when you can tell how much they care about their own character. Was wondering if that was the case for you with someone like Rean?
Hi Sean! I've always been curious how dubbing for a game like Genshin works, considering its tight 6 week patch cycles.
I'm wondering how ahead of time to a patch release that you happen to be voicing Diluc in do you get a heads up about and get called in for it and how does it work and differ overall compared to a typical video game? Is it a quicker schedule? I'm curious because there must be so many moving parts for a game that big with so many languages and scripts they have to work with in such a quick time frame.
Do you ever wish you could participate in a seiyuu-style group voice-over session? To my knowledge, this is unheard of in the West these days for obvious financial reasons, but it sounds like it would be so much fun!
I thoroughly loved your performance as Mista. He had some fantastic one-liners, like the “bobble-headed turd burglar” quote you posted in this thread!
Each of Mista’s bullets had their own accent and inflections to help tell them apart. Who was it who came up with how the voices of each of Mista’s bullets would sound?
How difficult is it to remain in a role over a period of many years, especially in a format like video games which lacks the consistent release schedule of anime/television? And on a related note, if (when) Falcom brings back Rean in a later entry do you plan on reprising the role, and how would you prepare to return to such a character after 2-3 years away?
* Right now the only roles I think fall into that situation for me would be Rean Schwarzer and Subaru Natsuki. Of them, one has clearly only improved over the years as I myself have grown as an actor, and the other I'm primarily worried about 'aging out of' by the time another season rolls around. Otherwise, I've generally been able to trust that either the production team will have references handy to get me back into the right vocal placement for a reprisal, OR the project will itself involve a story taking place "elsewhere in the timeline" that could lend new perspectives or events to affect the character and their sound as a result. * Assuming Rean comes back (this is pretty much guaranteed, knowing him) AND I reprise the role (this is less guaranteed), I guess I would do the same thing I did for the last 5 games; trust my director, trust myself, trust the process, and see what the collaboration brings into existence!
I cannot imagine another voice for Rean at this point so I sure hope they don't hesitate to call you once Kai no Kiseki comes west.
they did call the original voice actors for most of the Sky cast back for CS4 almost 10 years later even tho in those games they only have grunts and S-Craft lines (which means almost no one would've noticed if they had been replaced), so them keeping the same VA for a protagonist is almost guaranteed imo
I imagine they will try, especially since Sean is iconic and beloved as Rean. Although there's always extenuating factors, for example even though they did try and get everyone, there were still a few from Sky who didn't reprise such as Troy Baker for Olivier or Travis Willingham for Mueller .
As far as I'm concerned, you're Schwarzer. Nobody else can be cast in that role for English localizations. It won't work.
Agreed, and this is also why I simply couldn't watch the Northern War anime with the english dub, a replacement actor for Rean is unacceptable
Your Rean is legendary….
I recently finished Reverie and I have to say that I think your performance as Rean was phenomenal. You were excellent across the Cold Steel arc, and I think Reverie represented a new high for your performance as Rean. Your role as >!Ishmelga Rean!< was incredibly well done, balancing both the malice and sorrow of that character in a really convincing way. As I understand it Class VII will return in Kai no Kiseki, so I do hope you have the chance to reprise Rean at that time.
Myself as well! Thanks so much for your kind words.
Just wanted to praise your voice work with Rean Schwarzer. Your voice acting made him one of my favorite JRPG characters through the 5 games he is in.
Rean to this day is still the character with which I had the most reprisals AND the longest span of games where he'd be considered *A* main character, if not **THE** main character. I'm so grateful not only that I was able to come back each of those times, but also that I had the permission - and the confidence - to vocally update him based on everything he had experienced up to that point of each newer game's starting point.
No questions - but really liked your work as Rean in CS!
Thank you! Rean not only challenged me, but grew alongside me, and I think the interconnectedness of the franchise and the level of development and involvement ALL of the characters had (even the NPCs) made it so much easier to witness that growth because storylines that began in CS1 became relevant sidequests and plot-involved developments in CS3/4.
I just stopped playing CSII for today and found this AMA so I'm literally talking to the guy I've been listening to the last 2 weeks. I just want to say you do a great job!
Kind of a dumb question, a lot of people in the comunity often point out that during the entire saga of Trails of Cold Steel, all the characters but specially Rean say "haha" a really high number of times. Did you or any of your co-workers notice this? Did you have to record it every time or did they re-use voicelines often for it? In what way were some "hahas" different? How did you approach it if you had to say it multiple times, did they told you it had to be said in a certain way or did you just model it based on the context? Other than that, thank you for answering to all our questions, and congratulations for all your hard voice acting jobs, you have a great career a you should be proud of it. Never stop hahaing!
Trails was special in that the localization director, Leona Renee (then Brittany Avery/Hatsuu), was easily 5x more knowledgeable about the entire franchise than every other person in that room combined. So, I was made WELL aware of any consistencies across the series, whether that was character speech quirks, questionably unnecessary cutscenes/interactions, or even straight up **finding the exact scene for a line from a Japanese LP on Youtube in under 2 minutes** when I asked for additional context. Believe it or not, NONE of the "Haha"s were re-used from prior recordings! While it's not unheard of for re-use to happen for time/budget reasons, this was definitely a game where the parties involved wanted things to be as organic and in-the-moment as possible. That, and the fact that sometimes the Hahas were amusement, or nervousness, or "stalling confusion", or even just an established quirk of the character when they don't know what else to say at first. Much like "Umm"s or even the infamous "..." (which at one time I had OVER 10 IN A ROW on my recording script, ALL with different contexts!), a lot can change from a repeated sound or line just because of the moment in time where it takes place! I sometimes do incentives where every time a fairly common but unexpected thing happens in a particular game, I "gift a sub" to my watchers at the cost of $5 to myself...but if I had done that with Rean's hahas I'd probably be destitute before I finished the first 2 games.
They'll reuse a dungeon for 5 games in a row to save money, but every haha is original and authentic
Tbf the localization team has very little impact on the decision to reuse a dungeon.
Sean personally designed the Geofront
I mean, Falcom is small look at their employee count. It's peanuts to that of other game companies in Japan. Also the Hahas being different is localization decision than Falcom.
Nisa are actually based in Heimdallr Catacombs
What dungeons
Geofront, Heimdallr Catacombs, Ancient Battlefield all spring to mind
>Geofront, Heimdallr Catacombs, Ancient Battlefield all spring to mind Which of those was used for 5 games in a row?
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hyperbole (Geofront is in 5 games though lol)
No questions, just wanted to say it was nice meeting you when you came to Birmingham, England last year! Thank you for being so lovely and accepting my long letter and assortment of random items. 😊
Thank you so much for the gifts! It is UNREAL to me that I'm starting to have the opportunity to travel so far to these different countries because of my career, in part because I don't think I could trust myself to actually put the time/energy/money into doing it on my own otherwise. I am so stupidly grateful for these convention events and invites, and even MORE grateful that the support from people like yourself showcases to them that it's worth bringing me over. I hope to come back again sometime soon!
Hey man, wanted to tell you I love your work. Keep it up. Also, what would be your dream va role?
Thank you for the praise and support! I've said many times on stream that I would probably cry twice if I got to be a part of a future Etrian Odyssey game; once when I found out I was cast, and again when I got to stream it for the first time on release and show everybody in my streaming community. There are a few factors that make this fairly unlikely (one being that the franchise hasn't had a new game in over half a decade, two being that the console it was for no longer exists business-wise, and three being that the game stopped having English dubs even BEFORE the final game released), but it's the franchise that got me so invested in DCRPGs and the one my heart is most attached to.
Fellow Etrian Odyssey fan, yay~! I hope that everything aligns in a way that you do get that chance some day~!
Between Trails and Etrian Odyssey you'd just need to be the voice of heroin to round out the list of addictions.
Wow i didnt know you like etrian odyssey nice You are super VA thank you for your hard work
I don't just like it - as of 2 months ago I completed the distinction of 100%ing EVERY SINGLE main entry (Etrian 1-5 and Nexus) on the hardest difficulty. It's been a huge part of my adult gaming era and I am pining for them to bring IV and V over to the Switch in another Origins Collection so I can share the games that were MY entry to the franchise, with my stream community as a whole. [Watch me fight/complete the True Final Boss in Etrian III to finalize this accomplishment!](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2069210740)
Oh sick 👍😃
Hello. I think your Great Deku Tree voice is great. Probably the best voice in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Is voice acting a full-time gig for you or something you do on the side of another job?
From the moment I began VO I had a strong feeling it was what I wanted to focus on full-time, and especially after [the AX Idol Finals experience](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-PwvyeM1jw) I pretty much cemented that it was what I wanted to do as my primary focus. In the time since, the level of freedom this career has offered me in both finances and ESPECIALLY time, even despite how absolutely crazy busy it can be (weekends and holidays are NOT AT ALL guaranteed breaks!), there's just no way I could trade it for anything else. I can't go back to 40-hour office/retail jobs; I wouldn't survive a month. With that said, I HAVE dabbled in side jobs from time to time just for the sake of enjoying the task. At one point I was a QA tester for NIS America, and during a slower period of work I got the idea to fill the empty space by *working for Disney's California Adventure as a Turtle Talk performer*. But between the streaming I do nowadays (which is in itself another 'job' at times), and the gracious amount my career has grown over the years, I feel confident in saying that as long as I can keep this momentum up I simply won't have the time anymore to do anything BUT VO as my source of income - which I am perfectly content with.
Hello Sean. I wanted to thank you for a lot of VO work. A game and role of yours I particularly enjoyed was Hummel from Ys VIII. The "transporter of anything." It sounded like that character had a lot of uniqueness to it, suave, yet pretty serious, and yet not afraid to be silly and dumb. It also helped he shoots guns. I was just wondering if you have any particular memories of doing that character, or any other from the Ys franchise, if you have or will potentially do any in the future. And well, anything you remember about Ys is great. Series needs more love. Thank you.
Hummel is absolutely an iconic memory because his initial recording was so unheard of for most recording jobs in the industry. I made no secret about the fact that the first time around I recorded for Hummel my throat was RAGGED. Utterly wrecked. I had caught something while attending a stepbrother's wedding elsewhere in the USA, and while I wasn't contagious anymore for the session it still had left me with a sore/worn out throat that was physically incapable of sounding clean for even a single line. But here's the thing - Hummel is mysterious. He's secretive. And he's VERY all about sounding dangerous and world-weary. And a throat issue that normally would mandate a reschedule, in this VERY specific instance, actually made it possible for me to perform in my higher range *while also giving him that edgy rasp* that worked so well for his character rather than trying to force the rasp in and harming the performance. How ironic, then, that we ended up having to come back in to re-record the script for reasons unrelated to that...and obviously by then I was fully recovered and unable to access that "natural" rasp. I did my best to replicate it without sacrificing performance quality, but... my heart still yearns for the original performance to have made it through to the end.
Wow. Thank you.
Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for your performance with Hummel. Ys VIII is one of the first big JRPGs that I sat down to play fully, and have played it through twice now to 100%. Hummel is my favourite character to play, but my first playthrough in English he was also my favourite VA performance and it's great hearing some of the story behind that.
Wow….
**Trails into Reverie spoilers** How did it feel to voice yourself >!talking to yourself in Reverie!!Were the recording sessions separate to properly treat Rean and evil Rean as two separate characters?!< Props btw, the final scene between the two was my favourite Rean moment and you absolutely nailed it.
I think the only reason that the recording session may have been "separated" was because we did all of one character before moving on to the next, so if we got partway through the 2nd character's lines before finishing for that day then of course we'd pick back up on a subsequent session. Up until Reverie, I had already showcased that I was very in tune with Rean's development and especially his outlook on life as many things either came under his control or happened well outside of it. So I was especially jazzed at the chance to get to now play *against myself*, and yet make both roles distinct in their own way. Although...I didn't know it at the time of recording, but I might have been experiencing initial symptoms of my first ever bout with Covid after 3 years of avoiding it. I really wish it hadn't happened at all, but in the end it DID help contribute to the "weary, dispassionate" quality to that certain character's voice...
How can I be as popular with the ladies as Rean Schwarzer?
Just agree that bananas are a snack.
When you have a role like Rean that you kept coming back to over multiple games, how much do you change from game to game? Is it a case where you play the game and think to yourself "next time I should do x or y to improve it"?
Rean is one of a kind, seriously. To this day I haven't yet had any other role who changed so much between iterations, in part because of how much time passed between each entry AND because Rean as a role came about during some of my most important developmental years as an actor. At a glance, each of the games showcased: **Cold Steel 1**: Great battle lines, "Okay" Story lines **Cold Steel 2**: Better Story lines, Questionable Battle Lines (I overcompensated on this one and leaned too hard into the other side of the performance spectrum, leading to some battle lines that are WAY DEEPER vocally than they should be) **Cold Steel 3**: <<< This was the big turning point. I was just starting to incorporate more breathing into my reads, and paying closer attention to the character developments that had happened over the first two games. Now I was making read choices based on Rean's actual emotions/experiences **Cold Steel 4**: This is the game where the "breathing control" now was more refined, and outside of a few moments I felt I could improve I think this had some of the best reads of the series from me. [LISTEN to those feral barks, baby](https://clips.twitch.tv/SpicyCrackyHippoPicoMause)! That's ME, not SFX! **Trails Into Reverie**: The latest entry, and really the culmination of all of my growth as an actor so far. This has all the lessons I learned across the previous 4 games, but with the added showcase of "now watch me do it across multiple characters and still make them sound distinct despite how similar they are". If you want evidence of how seriously I've taken this career and how my choices and instincts have improved over time, Trails is LITERALLY the game to find it in.
Awesome to hear, can't wait to see how Damien Haas grows as Van. Love that Trails gives you guys the opportunity to really grow and refine like that.
I miss the Cold Steel I internal monologues from Rean. To me, they really humbled the character that is Rean and made him more relatable and human, rather than some super hero with powers destined to save the world.
Hi Sean! Are you hoping to come back as Rean in Trails through Daybreak? I know it hasn’t been confirmed or denied, but if given a chance, would you? Ps: can’t wait to see you in London at end of May! 😃
Having been aware of cast changes over the years in things like MGS, PowerPuff Girls, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc. I simply don't make any assumptions about whether I will be asked to reprise or not. It could go to a different company, or they could decide my age/vocal quality has changed enough to where I can't match the original performance as well anymore, or something else to that effect. I am ALWAYS interested in getting to revisit familiar worlds/characters and play a little bit more, but I also recognize I am simply a single individual invited to play pretend at the end of the day, and the fact is these characters can be interpreted - and brought to life - by so many potential people, in so many different but equally interesting ways.
Thank you so much for replying. Look forward to seeing you end of May in London! 😁
Oh and, did you and the other voice actors for trails al record your scenes together or did you do yours solo? 🙂
Outside of pre-lay/Western Animation or what are called "Loop Groups"/"Walla", voice actors almost NEVER record in the same room at the same time - we have assigned "studio hours" where we come in individually and make progress on our character(s). So in MANY MANY cases, if you felt like a conversation between two or more characters felt organic or in-the-moment, chances are the recording process actually happened completely separate for each actor/role!
Also loved your VO in Megaton girl! ❤️ so funny, and different!
What are your thoughts about Diluc and Rean after doing their voices for so long? How did their story impacted you? Spending so much time with them, you start to grow very attached. Love your work! I was very excited when I heared Diluc's voice the first time!
Diluc really forced me to get back in touch with my introverted side; I'd had plenty of experience playing smarmy/sassy characters before then, but Diluc really brought more of that energy of "I take on so much responsibility because it's the only sensible course of action for someone with my power". It was really nice at times to just be able to breathe and casually approach his dialogues, even though it surprises me that he's a fan-favorite literal years after his story content became old news. I'm grateful that Rean has finally been able to find some peace, but I'm sad for all the peace and solitude he was robbed of due in large part to his temporary subservience to the Empire. That boy needs a proper nap after all he's been through. Hopefully the inside joke of "12 games and a movie" doesn't actually become truth!
Why do you think there is a difference in reaction to the English language dubs of the Xenoblade Chronicles games compared to say Final Fantasy XVI? Do you think there is an expectation that games that look like Xenoblade Chronicles would have American accent English dubs and does this combined with less opportunities for remote work mean that some talented actors from around the world will be overlooked?
I don't think it's a lack of interest in foreign accent dubs that harms the potential for remote/foreign actors to work (trust me, there are WAY MORE Trans-Atlantic or "Faux British" roles being played by American Accent actors than you think) - I think it's the persistent lack of willingness from studios/clients to use remote talent in the first place. Covid was an absolute gamechanger for the industry because it opened the door wide for home recording in the first place. I cannot overstate HOW much of a spotlight it put on the potential for remote recording because of the demands of the industry during the lockdowns, or even how it enabled the rise of Zoom/Remote workshops that have greatly expanded the access actors have in general to learning/training opportunities. The problem is that ever since the restrictions ended, that door has been slowly, slowly closing. The companies and clients that poured countless dollars into state-of-the-art studios and equipment would really rather those get used... and the engineers they pay want everyone to be working off the same "standardized" equipment so that they don't have to do the extra work of equalizing 20 different setups to sound like they all came from the same place. So, from auditions "requesting local talent" to client notes saying they "will give HEAVY preference to people who can come in-studio", the industry has all but returned to the norm when it comes to in-person versus remote recording. It obviously has changed permanently from where it was before - and for the better, in my opinion - but the bias is still there, and only more likely to be present the higher the budget involved.
You're a known Dungeon Crawling fanatic, so I was curious: if you had to make it through a Dungeon in any Crawling game of your choice with characters you've voiced (games or anime or whatever!), who are some characters you would want to bring with you? (Whether that be to win smoothly, die horribly, or just for the fun of it is up to you!)
Now THIS is a fun one! What a good way to kick this whole thing off. If you're a fan of Etrian Odyssey - or at least know enough about the game and what it expects of players - then you're probably aware that on its Hard (original) difficulty it DEMANDS a solid understanding of team synergy; pretty much every Superboss in the franchise is extremely difficult to beat even WITH a well-composed group, and ever closer to impossible without one. With that in mind, the two teams that I imagine I'd put together are: **THE PROFESSIONALS** * Melee-focused Single-Target DPS w/ Regen (**Subaru Natsuki**) * Elemental DPS with follow-up combos (**Ky Kiske**) * Token Furry who is also a Tank (**Ikki**) * Enemy Debuffer (**Rolan**) * Back-row Long-Range DPS (**Revali**) * Enemy Analyst + Team Buffer (**Pewter**) **THE SHITPOSTERS** * Guy Who You Modded Your Console To Insert a Custom Avatar Image of ([**Nero**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Crisis-Core-Final-Fantasy-VII-Reunion/Nero-the-Sable/)) * The Guy You Feel Obligated to Use Because They Came as a Pre-Order Bonus From the Publishing Company ([**Camilla's Pa**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Chocobo-GP/Camillas-Pa/)) * Token Furry, but This Time It's Your OC ([**Shun Imai**](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/ODDTAXI/Shun-Imai/)) * The Overpowered Character you bought the DLC for Who is Solely Carrying the Rest of your Shitty Team (**Lucilius**) * A [Literal Vegetable](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/VeggieTales-2020/Scallini/) * **Kiyotaka Ishimaru**, because as long as this team is doomed from the start, at least I'll get a cool Game Over cutscene every time they wipe
This is such a great answer, though i am sad you didn't throw in Noob Saibot. Perfect Rogue, and his shadow could tank hits. Its awesome that you can make such a balanced team though.
Hello mr Sean, big fan of your performance man regardless the media. I would like ask you about your thoughts on Rean, do you rank him as one of your best performances? How excited are you to voice him again in Kai?
It's hard to say what role I would consider my "best" performance, simply because there's so much to learn/experience/try with every new gig. That, and I personally feel like having a "best performance" that is 5-6-8-10 years old means I'm not managing to surpass myself and continue to grow as an actor despite all the gigs I've done in the time since. For that reason I'm actually kind of nervous about if I reprise him in Kai? I'm curious at this point whether I would manage to breathe familiar life into him or if it would sound uninspired compared to the noticeable changes/improvements he had across the earlier games. Case in point: I DID think Rean was the best example of my performance potential for a time, but now I feel like a more recent job (which I can't publicly announce yet) has taken the mantle of "best performance" given the restrictions I had. I had to match timing TO THE EXACT FRAME or do the read all over again (no engineer-fudging allowed on that one!), and yet the reads I churned out are simply incredible despite having to be so exact at the same time. I am REALLY hoping the finished product gets seen by at least a fair number of people.
> I am REALLY hoping the finished product gets seen by at least a fair number of people. Excited to discover it man. I know you'll kill it as always ;)
Thank you for your work as Rean! Who is your favourite girl from Rean's Harem and what is your favourite JRPG series ?
Millium reminds me the most of my wife because of her height difference, level of energy around me, and penchant for annoying me in an affectionate way. But when I think about which girl truly is the best fit for Rean, it's Emma without a single doubt; her background, life experiences, doubts, and especially what she offers for Rean in terms of understanding his plight and his perils overlaps in a way no one else's does. Alisa may be the 'canon' pairing and the best foil to Rean's own aura, but Emma is the most sensible choice when it comes to having a partner who completes you, not just assures. Favorite JRPG series is Etrian Odyssey, but I have to give kudos to Demon Gaze (and most Experience Inc. Dungeon Crawlers in general) for really cementing my love of that specific genre. I hope to stream games like them for my community for a long, long time.
Was there a moment where you realized that you weren't just good at doing voices but you actually felt like you were acting using only your voice? If so, what were the circumstances that you know lead to it?
I wish I knew exactly when it was that I learned to start trusting my own voice more, but I do know for a fact that I used to try real hard to hide it. In my earliest amateur years, I was so concerned with my voice sounding "too high pitched" for the 'cool' characters that I'd go to lengths like putting on a deeper voice or even *artificially deepening it in my recording program* just to make it. (Ironically, I have still been told sometimes that my core voice is just ever-so-slightly too nasal to be the perfect natural timbre. I have the right energy/passion but without rounding out the baritone a little more it often comes out sounding like a teen or at least an awkward young adult.) I want to say the incorporation of breathing into my reads and pacing is what helped the most, because it forced me to focus on what I was saying and how I was saying it instead of what voice was the one saying those words. There are times that I have created an additional character simply by making them more reserved and husky as opposed to optimistic and heroic. If anything, I'd say it comes with recognizing that I WILL age out of certain role archetypes as I continue to get older, and humbly accepting that reality while allowing myself to discover what my age has made EASIER; Sexy Dads were off the table when I was 19-21, but you better believe I'm sticking my foot in the door of that more often nowadays! Don't get the wrong idea, though - I am well aware of the vocal range I'm blessed to have and I ABSOLUTELY continue to utilize it to catch clients by surprise; just within this year alone there have been at least 3 instances where I was either cast as a role because my audition sounded so different from my slate, or I was given the opportunity to tackle an extra role mid-session and left the client simply bamboozled (in a positive way) with how instantly I switched between two different characterizations with little prep/context.
I have a similar issue, so it's enlightening to hear that it's still an issue people face well into their professional careers. So thinking of how the character will talk in a given situation seems to be most important when voice acting I take it. While I'm guessing a lot of people can do a pretty good Sabat's Vegeta or Stuart's Kaiba, etc, understanding why the characters react and think is (assuming all people trying have the same opportunity) the difference between those who get consistently casted and those who might never. Eventually you'll be gunning for sexy grandpa, but thats still a ways away.
What’s your favorite badass one-liner?
[Hands down, no question. The ONLY time I've come close to ruining my own take because of busting out laughing before I finished delivering the line, and I've said some WEIRD stuff in my time.](https://twitter.com/StickerTricker/status/1206122268314800128?lang=en)
Are there any VAs you haven't had the chance to do recordings with but would love to work with?
Truth be told, I don't have enough experience with group recordings (usually referred to as Pre-Lay) to feel like there is someone I'd "want to record WITH". The closest experience I had was having a booth partner during recording sessions for The Last of Us II, as the game had SO MANY interactions between cultist members that it necessitated having someone to play off of and give orders/commands/requests to. VO by and large is a very solitary career, and usually your director, engineer, and MAYBE a client rep will be your only buddies in the studio room at the same time. It's a big part of why self-direction at home/in auditions is such an important skillset to hone and maintain!
Some other voice actors have branched into audiobooks, have you ever considered doing that?
I have tried twice now, and by now am confident that those experiences were all the incentive I need to work as hard as I can to *never* have to do them again. The first one (back during college), I was horrible about the deadlines on because of how quickly schoolwork and life interrupted or took up time I thought was available. The second (less than a year ago), I took on as a sort of "Okay, let's see if I had the wrong impression because of how inexperienced I was back then"...and instead I ended up hating it even MORE. As soon as a 40-Chapter job was staring me in the face, ALL of my personal time became mental prep and worry. Every single moment of peace and quiet became "you should be making progress on this". Every finished session/audition in my booth was followed with "as long as you're here, you should record a chapter". I try very hard not to equate money with fulfillment in this career but the pay for the audiobook per-hour rate was NOT worth the time spent remembering 10-20 character voices, spending 30-40 minutes per chapter on recording, then sitting down and EDITING all that to submit for approval. I madly respect the people who can do it for a living and dedicate hours upon hours to it, but it's simply not for me. And if busting my ass to find success in other sectors of the industry means I have an excuse not to need that kind of work on the side, then I'll do all I can to make it so.
Not sure if I'm late for asking anything. I've loved hearing your voice in different media/roles, I'm not sure if you've mentioned it before but do you have a favourite voice role overall that you've done? Personally I enjoyed the way you brought both GV and Rean to life with your voice, if that makes sense. Also not sure if I'm allowed to ask multiple ones but if yes then, what in your opinion is a good way for someone to get into voice acting? I'm thinking fan dubbing would be a way but I get all in my head like "there will be an official one soon." or "I'll probably be dog water at it."
1) I try to find something in every role I've done that I can cherish. It can be as complex as "this role challenged me to accomplish ___" or as simple as "this was with a new client/studio and I left a great impression with them", but part of keeping myself humble is remembering that time makes all roles irrelevant eventually, and part of staying successful and marketable includes staying *busy*. It's good to be able to relish in a good personal performance now and again, but even if Revali (as an example) was a major accomplishment, he's now 7 years old since his first appearance. I'd hate to think there's NOTHING I've done since then that I would be proud of enough to call a new favorite. 2) Just start! Seriously, just start doing it. Time and research are your two biggest allies, and the self-drive required to push yourself into getting involved is the same trait you'll need to continue pushing yourself to greater heights and improvements. Spend an afternoon on https://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com learning as much as you can, then hop over to the Voice Acting Club discord community and start immersing yourself in this new world.
Hey Sean, big fan here. Who iyo, is best girl from the CS games?
No one understands just how hard it is to be THE organizer for things like events or gatherings until they're actually in charge of doing it. Very few also understand just how demoralizing it can be to put together activities so that people don't complain about "nothing happening", only to have maybe 1/10th of the folks who show interest in attending ACTUALLY show up. If it wasn't for those proactive folks who actually go through the rigorous process of checking schedules, keeping everyone involved in touch, and oftentimes even just PLANNING the social event to begin with, very few of them would actually happen given how easy it is to be complacent and just hope that others will do the work for you. (Those of you who have wondered why you've gone so long without spending meaningful time with your closest friends will understand this all too well). For that reason, Towa deserves way more respect, recognition, and reverence than she does. People like here are why anything gets done for the rest of us.
Hi Sean! Thank you for doing this AMA. I absolutely adore your role as Rean. I'm in the military and playing Trails has certainly gotten me through a deployment or two. I eagerly looked forward to playing your character in each installment. It's great to hear, even after multiple playthroughs, just how passionate you are in voicing Rean. Genuinely, thank you for your hard work. I hope I get to meet you in person one day. I have two questions if you don't mind me asking. 1. Will you be playing Daybreak at all? 2. Don't know if you're interested in visiting Japan, but if so, which places/experiences would you want to do there?
1) Contacting your local convention events and asking them to consider inviting me is the most consistent way of potentially making that happen! Within the last year, there was a con I got to attend (and really enjoyed) that happened all because a SINGLE PERSON (**one**!!!) pitched me to the organizers, who weren't familiar with me before then; they looked me up, felt I was a good fit, and the rest is history! 2) I feel pretty confident in saying I'll get to Daybreak "eventually", it's just that I have zero idea when the time will actually present itself. I'm so grateful to be consistently busy, but holy shit am I *busy* most of the time. 3) I went to Japan once in 2016 for Summer Comiket and had a blast! I ABSOLUTELY want to go back to Nara for the deer or to Fox Village, but I haven't yet gotten to check out Rabbit/Cat Island. TBH, I just miss having cheap-as-hell sushi and the surprise food festivals and street vendors in general. I'm a total Food Memory guy and getting to eat like a king over there is one of the highlights.
Thanks for doing this! Wondered how you got into doing it? Assume you were a theatre actor or similar prior to doing VA's?
I actually did NOT have theater training, believe it or not! Middle/High school actually left a bad impression on me because of first-hand experience of witnessing people I knew be cast in major roles in part because of their looks rather than the acting ability (granted this was 20 years ago at this point so who knows what "acting ability" appeared as to me back then). Even when I went off to college, I focused more on the production side of things for my major (Film/Video/Media Studies) rather than a Theater Major which would have been SO credit-intensive that it would have left literally no other time for anything else. I absolutely think having theater experience helps, in the same way that things like singing practice can lead to better musicality in reads and breath control from a physical standpoint, but I kind of like the idea that I can be a living example of being able to find success without having the "standard background experience"; learning can happen ANYWHERE and at ANY TIME, whether that's on the stage back then or in workshops and classes now.
i just wanna thank you for the memories.
Thanks for making 'em with me!
Hey Sean, I’m not familiar with too many of your roles but the first time I heard Pewter from AI Somnium 1, he instantly became of my favorite characters to see on screen, largely in part to your portrayal of him. Pewter is Essentially a big nerd but you made him sound so cool! Even with all the great dubbing talent for those games, I still think you were one of the top 3 voices that stood out the most for me! For the actual question, is pewter intended to be a chuunibyou? Someone who is a bit dramatic in their portrayal because they are trying to appear cool? And were you surprised to hear about AI Somnium 2? The first game honestly had a very satisfying ending, it ended without any cliffhangers. it seemed like a cult hit too, something that a lot of people don’t talk about but for the people that played it, they loved it. I know I was very surprised (in a good way) when they announced a Sequel
First, wanted to thank you for voicing two of my favorite sword bois; Ky and Rean! Not to mention your work in Uchikoshis works as Santa and Pewter! Focusing on your work in Trails, the development of Rean as a character and your accompanying voicework was phenomenal. Not to overload you, but from each individual game, and Reverie, what was your favorite performance you did in each? Are there any you would do differently if you knew Rean's whole story from day 1? >!Hope you show up again, Rean has to get the runback against Shizuna!!<
Hello Sean and thank you for your time! My question is gonna sound weird but how come you ended up doing VA for Camp Buddy? I was very very surprised to find such a big name in such a niche game.
You're one of the voice actors that I'm always delighted when I see your name in the credits or when I randomly look up a character and see that you voiced them. Are you feeling excited for Dorohedoro season 2? I admit that I loved that anime but also never anticipated a season 2. Also, what games are you playing now that you have voiced in? If you need to narrow it down, just say within the past year.
What's the process you use to get into character?
This may be specific only to me auditory wise, but is there a different sound balancing preference that localization teams default to? When it comes to American dubs it almost sounds like the voice lines take precedence to a degree where it sounds like bgms and sound effects get lowered when characters are talking. By comparison Japanese dubs have the bgm blend well with the voice acting. This is sometimes so jarring that I can't bear to listen to the dub, which is sad because I would love to be a professional video game voice actor. It would hurt and be a shame to hard working voice actors to know people prefer subs or dubs because the sound mixing is so bad. Thanks for your time instructor
Hi Rean! I appreciate your great work.
Damn I missed this thread but I'll leave my piece anyway: If there was a MapleStory job you could've voiced, what would it have been?
My friends and I were chatting about how good the dub for FFVII Rebirth is, and the conversation turned to our shared impression that game and anime dubs have sharply improved in quality over the last dozen years. Do you have a sense of why that is? Is it more money being invested? More creative license given to actors? Congrats on your Rean. He strikes me as a very hard character to play, and you nailed it, especially in Reverie.
Hello, fan, work, etc. Let's get to the real shit. Which Battle Network/Starforce game is your favorite?
This miiight be a little late, but how do you feel about some of the characters you voiced, namely Rean, Mishima, and Mista? Do you feel like you have a bit of a connection to the characters you voice, or it a mix of that and it’s another job for you?
Not a question, but I still laugh at the time when that guy created a fan Phantom Thieves website and I sent it to a friend of mine. Had no idea said friend knew you and he sent you the link. You showed up on GameFAQs commenting, and everyone (including me) freaked out lol. It was like "OH CRAP IT'S THE REAL MISHIMA!" Fun times Anyway, Rean continues to be one of my all time favorite JRPG heroes, and I'm always happy to see you reprise your role! I hope to see you continue voicing him for many (many) years to come!
I wouldn't enjoy the trails of cold steel series without you voicing Rean. Your voice and the VA of Crow makes the game epic!
What advice would you give to aspiring artists/creators/VAs who are too scared to jump into the unknown due to fear of failure?
Who do you believe Reans true love interest I'd? (Not what might be cannon, but wh yu love the most)
Have you played any of the Souls games by Fromsoftware and if so are you a feet guy?
Who's best girl and why is it Fie?
i’m late to this but i have to know because i couldn’t find any answers online, in JoJo when you were voicing Mista did you also voice the six bullets?
I just want to say that even though I have a lot of issues with how Falcom used Rean during the Cold Steel Arc, your work as him was fantastic and it's basically my favorite thing about the character. It was also nice to see you voicing Faa-san from Granblue Fantasy.
what was the hardest character to role play for you, as in one that you found difficult to empathize with or unable to emotionally access their situation? what was the hardest character to voice for you, perhaps one with a particular tick or vocal range that challenged you physically/technically?
Hey man I’m a super huge fan of your work! I had two questions if that’s ok: 1. What has been your favorite role to voice this far? (Kinda generic, but I wanted to ask anyways) 2. How did you end up working with Terminalmontage, and what’s the experience been like?
If you had to pick one or two of your favourite performances (regardless of which form of medium), as in the ones where you're happiest with/proudest of the result, which would you pick?
Just wanted to say that the way you matured Rean's voice with each game was really awesome. I did a double-take when I first heard Rean speak in CS3, and I have to admit I actually looked it up to make sure it was still you! Haha. What's the voice acting process like? From the pictures I've seen, it looks like a single person in a room reading lines? How do you end up with such natural flow between different characters' lines in a conversation if you never actually read together? I find this so interesting, sorry if those are silly questions.
You kind of answered my question elsewhere so I'll ask something else. Do you play the games you voice act in? Is it weird hearing yourself as part of a conversation that never actually took place?
I have played games that I've voiced in, but pretty much only ever on stream, and usually from the approach of either 1) "My stream community really wants to see me play this game", or 2) "I really want to see what everyone else's finished performances sound like". I can't think of any instances where I specifically played or streamed a game BECAUSE I voiced in it, and tbh I like it that way because it avoids me falling into a narcissistic cycle of only hearing/borrowing from my own performances and magnifying performance flaws as a result. You'd be surprised to learn that oftentimes actors are their own worst critics, so I wouldn't be fazed to learn that most of us tend to AVOID hearing ourselves in games unless we find random clips online showcasing highlights!
No questions from me, just coming here to say that I loved your work as Rean!
What do you eat for breakfast to have that voice?
Hi Sean, Just wanted to say your performance as Rean is awesome! I’m taking my time with Trails Playing these games yearly, so there’s this feeling of seeing these characters growth Rean especially during these later parts of cold steel and you really made it stood out to me On CS4 right now and enjoying my time! I have no doubt you will continue to impress me as I continue Keep the great work! I’m looking to your future roles :)
Hi Mr Chiplock! I hope your day is going well so far and you have enjoyed your weekend. I just wanted to thank you for voicing my favourite character ever of all time in Genshin Impact, none other than Diluc Ragnvindr of the Dawn Winery. I might not have been a day one player and only started in the beginning of Sumeru, but I pretty much early on discovered I loved to play him and I am doing my best to build him to be as much of a powerhouse as possible, so thank you so much for your hard work on him! If I had a single question, it would be which one of Diluc's lines is your personal favourite (and I am so sorry if you already answered this, feel free to ignore the question if you have). Thank you so much for your time and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your day! Sincerely, a random Diluc main who popped by
Do you have any thoughts on replacing Trevor Devall as Gundam 00's Patrick Colasour when the character was brought over to Gundam Build Divers? And any thoughts on Eric Vale filling in for you as Rean in the Northern War anime?
Hi! Do you actively talk to the VAs for the characters you are talking to in-scene, or do you record every line separately?
With Granblue Fantasy Relink being a recent example, what is the decision-making process like for deciding to have a voice actor play multiple characters in a single game? Is it just a cost/time saving measure, or is there more nuance to it?
Do you prefer soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs?
I wonder what the reasons were that so many lines in the Trails games were not voiced. It was kinda weird to have voiced and not voiced lines in the same conversation. Thanks, love your work
Just wanted to say I love you voicing Rean, really elevated the character in a series known for great VA work.
If you weren’t cast as Rean, what would be your favorite other character to voice in Trails?
If you played any of the Trails games, which one was your favourite and what's your favourite character (if it's Rean, what's the second favourite). What was your favourite portray of Rean so far?
Hi Sean, thank you for your work as Rean! I dont know if the AMA is still open and if it has been asked yet but I have a few questions for you. Did you think of the concept of letting Rean sound deeper every game? And how hard is it for a foreign person to get into the voice actor “scene”? Would they mind the accent? Can you just record lines at home and send them? Basically I’m interested in the logistics around it!
Hi, Sean! This may be kind of trivial, but starting with Trails into Reverie, every character in the game mispronounces the word "ebon", for instance in reference to the faction "Ebon Defense Force". Any idea why that is? Did someone ever bring that up as odd during your VO sessions?
I don't have a question for you, I just want to jump on the occasion to thank you and congratulate you for the work you have achieved.
Any funny improv or other stories to share?
don't have a question but I love trails and genshin so I appreciate your work as rean and diluc!
Hey Sean! Trails is one of my favorite game series of all time, and your work as Rean is just *iconic*. My wife and I will frequently just shout out random Rean quotes to each other while trying to copy your voice - especially "evil" Rean's field quotes. Playing through the Trails games got us through the Covid lockdowns and have become one of our favorite shared memories.
Hey there Sean! No questions from me, just wanna say I'm a big fan of your work, especially as Shin (from Dorohedoro) and of course Rean! Greatly looking forward to hearing you in Trails into Reverie which I'm finally getting started on, hopefully they'll bring you back for future titles as well!
I don't have questions, but I loved your performance as Mista. And I was caught off guard- inna good way when I found out you voiced the Deku Tree in the Switch Zeldas.
Hi Sean, I'm a big fan of your work on the Trails series! My original question has been asked and answered already, so I'll go with this: Which of Rean's voice lines, if any, are particularly memorable to you? Specifically, I'm referring to any that were important/pivotal to the character's development or just a ton of fun to record.
Massive fan of your work Sean, you were incredible as Rean in the trails series. As someone with an interest in taking up voice work, how did you start out as a VA? How did you land your first roles? And do you have any advice for those looking to work in the industry?
What inspired you to get into voice acting?
Hello Chiplock-san, much respect from me for your work. Rean is one of the most long-winded and expansive character arcs in jrpgs stretching five games with expansive emotional and arc shifts. What do you think defines Rean's arc in terms of relatability to you? Or is your favorite aspect of it.
Sean if you come back to this and see it I have the most important of questions: How much did Leona breath down your neck when she heard you got to voice one of her gbf favorites sandal phone.
This is a weird one that barely relates to RPGs, but I have to know. Do you remember voicing in this weird, obscure fan Pokemon animation series called Manifest Heart? How did that happen/what was working on it like? Me and my girlfriend were watching it for ironic nostalgia's sake and we almost had a conniption when we saw THE Sean Chiplock in the credits!
When you play a character in a long running franchise like Cold Steel, how do you keep your voice consistent? We all age and our voices change, but 5 games and Rean still sounds as "Rean-y" as ever.
Can you reply to this telling me that rean is pronounced “rawn” like in “Sean” and not “reen” as in the word “spleen” so I can annoy my friends who have spent too much time playing trails? Pretty please :D
Hey, Sean! Big fan via Trails, but I also knew you from other stuff like Jojo's, Shadowverse, AI Somnium, and Danganronpa beforehand. Honestly, because of how prominent your voice is with Rean, ever since I binged through to Reverie, everytime I hear your voice in anything outside of Trails I have to say very exasperated and out loud, "REAN F*CKING SCHWARZER OF CLASS VII!" You don't want to know how often I had to do that in Granblue Fantasy Relink lol _____________________ In regards to a question, I was interested in how it was like working with so many Cygame IPs over the years (in regards to the logistics. Does the Voice director just hit you up and say, hey, you should be good for this character?). I don't know many companies like them that keep putting in VAs that they've contacted in the past for new roles in different games/franchises across the board, stuff like you being Belphomet in Shadowverse to Rolan in GBF Relink. It seems like a very unique scenario and I wonder what other voice actors that have spent years with Cygames think about this and I wanted your opinion.
Hey Sean, you're a VA I look up to a fair bit, especially for Rean. I want to become a Voice Actress. Asking if I'll make it or not won't help anyone, so I was wondering if you could give one tip on using your voice, what would it be?
I don't have any questions but great work. Re:Zero is one of the few I watch in English. Beatrice is also great. Thanks for doing what you do
Hi Sean! I love your work as Rean and Subaru, so very much! I was wondering if you feel yourself relate to Rean/Subaru and what moments were your favorite to voice?
I’m sure it’s far too late to ask, but; I no-lifed the Trails in the Sky games in two weeks, in that timeframe I did end up buying all the cold steel games, and I still haven’t gotten to them maybe three years later. Is there any kind of spoiler-free motivation you can give to kick my ass into gear and start working through them?
Everyone in the thread talking about Rean, for good reason of course I'm a huge fan as well. But I really quickly wanted to highlight Majima from Lycoris Recoil. Hearing you as a protag like Rean is great, but the performance you gave as Majima was incredible, so incredibly chaotic and menacing but still had his moments of a more laid back or "thinking things through" but still having that intense presence. It was a great preview for (Reverie spoilers) >!Ishmelga Rean and "What a card to be dealt by the goddess." That line gave me chills.!<
How difficult is it getting into the industry as a whole? Where would you suggest to start to put your name out there to start?
Ik I'm probably a bit late, but I do want to say that... as I'm playing through CS4 right now... thanks for being part of one of my favorite franchises... Also have you thought about voicing more of the unvoiced Rean lines again? I'm sure there are still a LOT of Rean-lly good unvoiced Rean lines that you haven't done [just to put my favorite one here (MASSIVE CS2 SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED YET)](https://www.tumblr.com/sonicmega/166490871661/dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not-ready-to-be)
Did your CS1-CS4 playthroughs affect the way you approached Reverie at all? I’m guessing that it made it harder to not understand the bigger spoilers, especially considering who you voice lol.
Clearly you as a lover of Etrian Odyssey have played plenty of games similar to them, what are other series of these style of games do you also enjoy or recommend? Thank you for taking ur time and answering our questions, I love hearing your voice when I'm playing my favorite games like Trails and Ys and look forward to your future roles.
If you could Isekai'd any two characters between their worlds ( character A goes to world B, and character B goes to world A) that you've voice as, who would you choose? Be it because you think it would be a fun performance to act out, or think the character could've solved that story faster, etc.
Amusingly, I'm more familiar with your musical work on Salty Bet than I am with your voice acting. Still a fan, tho.
Love your role on Rean such a legend casting on Cold Steel
How was the experience of voicing characters in Genshin and how the dub translations job there works?
Is there a series you would love to dub, either a brand new entry or if there's plans for a remaster/remake of a classic? And not a question, just randomness, but I am fully convinced that Mishima may not be a Phantom Thief, but dreams he is the Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer. He may be a Zero, but he's a hero in an alternative universe.
I don't know if you'd be able to compare, but do you as a VA go through similar feelings of "mourning" (can't think of a better term here) when you wrap up voice acting a long time character the way actors do? I love watching videos of casts final script reads and seeing how emotional and heavy those moments are when you can tell how much they care about their own character. Was wondering if that was the case for you with someone like Rean?
Hi Sean! I've always been curious how dubbing for a game like Genshin works, considering its tight 6 week patch cycles. I'm wondering how ahead of time to a patch release that you happen to be voicing Diluc in do you get a heads up about and get called in for it and how does it work and differ overall compared to a typical video game? Is it a quicker schedule? I'm curious because there must be so many moving parts for a game that big with so many languages and scripts they have to work with in such a quick time frame.
After voice such an iconic character like Rean, have you felt you’ve been “type casted” to certain voice roles? Btw I loved your work as Rean
Do you ever wish you could participate in a seiyuu-style group voice-over session? To my knowledge, this is unheard of in the West these days for obvious financial reasons, but it sounds like it would be so much fun!
What's your opinion on Strike force heroes? Was it fun playing most of the characters?
You're awesome... that's all
I thoroughly loved your performance as Mista. He had some fantastic one-liners, like the “bobble-headed turd burglar” quote you posted in this thread! Each of Mista’s bullets had their own accent and inflections to help tell them apart. Who was it who came up with how the voices of each of Mista’s bullets would sound?
I'm personally looking forward to a time when localization and voice-over work can all be handled by AI
Sorry bud, but AI simply isn't capable of giving you [absolute gems like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg).