Best Voice-Acted Kingdom Hearts?

[Buttercup Camera 229]

Kingdom Hearts was once well-known but nto only fot its unique crossover and storyline, but also for its amazing voice-acting.

 

In my opinion, Kingdom Hearts I, II and Re:CoM hold the best voice-acting chapters of the whole franchise. Being 3D and the new ones just awful.

 

I know that everyone ages, but is that an excuse to badly voice-act a character that you once did great? Sora's voice is now terrible. Riku's still awesome. Mickey's understandble due to the old actor's death; Kairi is also bad; Xion's voice actor gave up, being Kairi's actress now her voice; Roxa's voice is bad now and it used to be great back at KH2 and Days(DS). Even the Organization's voice acting decreased...

Even some of the Disney character sound terrible.

 

What's happening?... If it keeps getting worse and worse, I'll just stick to the Japanese dubs that hardly changed. Sora still sounds pretty much the same. They even get the Disney character right.

[Aru Akise 2,540]

I agree with you. Though I hate the English voice acting, it was better in those titles.

[hatok 6,413]

The 358/2 Days movie for Jesse McCartney's performance alone

Birth by Sleep was pretty bad, Re:Coded I'll wait on the new movie in English, KH2 is a weird mixed bag, kh1 is dated, Re:com butchered the dialog of the original

[FerroAxel7 237]

They'll definitely get better once the next console game is released. Bigger budget, better pay. 

[advfox 698]

The voice acting in all of the games has always seemed fine to me. Even if it bugged me, I wouldn't care about it much. I prefer to think of them as video games, not movies.

[TheKingdomkid 1,194]

I think we can all agree Aeriths voice was better in KH1 then it was in KH2 by a firetrucking mile it was just awful. I agree that KH1 did had the best voice acting when it came to the original characters and Disney characters (mainly because most of them where voiced by the original people or people who sound almost just like them) KH2 wasn't that bad either it was great again besides Aeriths that was just awful, along with some of the Disney voices mainly Port Royal I feel like they had the weakest voice acting.  Re:CoM was ok because it was the first time we actually heard English voices for those members of Organization XIII besides Axel, when it came to Sora and Riku I say they where still good but it wasn't their greatest performance, that was mostly Sora but it got better later on.  Days the original was alright and when it came to how it was in 1.5 again it wasn't that bad but Xion was just the worst in that one she was so much better in the DS version but when she had to talk more it just felt so weak.  BbS again the Disney voices where great because it was mostly their original voices or again people who sounded just like them, Erauqs, Master Xehanort, Vanitas, Ventus I really like their voices and have to say that was both Jesse McCartney's and Haley Joel Osment's best performance ever in my opinion.  For Dream Drop Distance I have to say I didn't like how Sora sounded either in that game but everyone else was great especially Young Xehanort. 

Kairi's voice was great in KH1 as well as KH2 it wasn't that bad, but when she was voice by someone other then Hayden Panettiere, like in Re:CoM it wasn't that great.  I have to say the same for Xion although Alyson Stoner did an ok job in the original Days for the DS but when it came to how it was in 1.5 just no it did not sound that great.

One can hope that in the next game and in Re:coded that the voice acting will be great for the original characters which I sure hope they are

[Hero of Light XIV 2,381]

I don't think any game had "terrible" or "awful" voice acting, after all most of these guys are professionals, however, I do think that some games outshined others in terms of voice quality. KH1 and KH2 definitely had the best quality in the series in my opinion, while the other side games that followed still had a decent quality to them.

 

Everybody in Re:CoM sounded great, though the lip-synching was probably the sloppiest I've ever seen in the series, and Wayne Allwine sounded a bit off for some reason (maybe he had a bit of a cold for those sessions or maybe his illness was starting to get to him), still good though.

 

358/2 Days had pretty good acting, for the few rendered scenes they had, and the HD archive they had still contained some decent quality acting from the whole cast, the best coming from the three main protagonists. It only sounded off a few times and sure, in most of the first half they almost sound emotionless half the time, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as they do have to voice supposedly emotionless beings. The best part was where Roxas was confronting Axel, Jesse has really grown as a voice actor (maybe it has to do with his singing talent or he just got some really good coaching, either way, that guy's an inspiration).

 

Birth by Sleep is a bit of a mixed basket for me. I do recognize that the main cast (aside from Osment, McCartney, Nimoy, and Hamill) do have some bumpy scenes here and there, particularly early on in the story. However, for as many "lesser lines" that Holland and Dohring have, they have 10 times as more heartfelt lines. By the end of each scenario, they have their respective characters' voices figured out so much that you really forget the few off moments they had throughout the game. The game had some weaknesses sure, but their strengths more than made up for them. Also, Mickey's new actor Bret Iwan made a pretty good debut as everybody's favorite mouse, and he's been getting progressively better with each game.

 

Re:Coded is more or less the same as Days in terms of quality, but since 2.5 isn't out in English yet, I can't compare the HD archives against each other yet either. But from the few rendered ones they've had on the DS, the voice in that game was pretty spot-on. Hopefully the HD archive will sound even better, especially with Sora, Mickey, and Jiminy, as they're the characters that carry the most weight in this story.

 

As for 3D, I would say that it's more or less in the same spot as Birth by Sleep for me, only with slightly less "bumps" along the way. Everybody sounds pretty up to par in this game, with small exceptions with Sora and Jiminy. Phil Snyder I can tell is really trying with Jiminy, and it's a hard job to follow in the footsteps of someone as talented as Eddie Carrol, who gave the character such a warm and sympathetic voice, the voice that anybody would want as a conscience. Snyder has been trying to get close to that warmth, but somehow is coming off as a bit shrill and "country" to me, which isn't terrible, but I feel that he could adjust himself. It's just a case of successor dilemma, Iwan sort of went through the same process in Birth by Sleep, but by this time I feel that he has found his own voice for Mickey, I feel we just have to wait for Snyder to get comfortable with Jiminy. As for Osment, all I can say is that he must have been trying to capture the sort of younger persona that Sora had in this game. I mean, it's Sora, he literally got transferred into his younger self, and he's in a dream world. Sora as a character acting more childish in a dream world, I can get behind as a premise. However, I guess Osment wanted to try to emphasize his regained childishness, which wasn't too much of a problem most of the time, however some lines did sound a little too, well again, "shrill" (in comparison to say, his KH2 work). However, Osment still gave Sora some very powerful lines, and when I think back on the game as a whole, I find it really hard to remember the weak points with clarity, the strong points are just too good for me. Everybody else was pretty spot on, and even though Terra and Aqua only got one line each, they still put all of the strength that they gathered by the end of Birth by Sleep, and that was important to me.

 

Overall, I'm just hoping that the voicework for Re:Coded HD and Kingdom Hearts 3 will take everything that's made it great over the years and makes it even better. They've had their ups and downs (and you can't always grab a hold of every celebrity for every game), but overall the series has had many memorable moments that ultimately win the race in the memory game, and whenever a new installment comes out, I always have the best of expectations. Here's hoping that it never ceases to amaze me.   

[Kaweebo 3,617]

Kingdom Hearts. Pretty much all of the voice-acting in that was great. The hiring of child acting prodigies Haley Joel and Hayden Panettiere (From Sixth Sense and A Bug's Life) was the best thing that could have happened to the English version of the franchise. Unlike most other games in the series, there was only one point in the original KH where I thought someone botched a line and that's when Riku is possessed by Ansem. But I feel like that was just bad voice-direction, not any fault on David Gallagher's part. Not to mention that KHI had the best voice actress of Aerith, who did not return for KHII. But the best thing about this game's voice-acting is how real it felt. Sora felt like a real kid, Kairi felt like a real kid, Riku felt like a real, douchey kid...and that's what I admire most about it.

 

Every other game has been hit-or-miss for me. KHII has damn good voice-acting, but there's some really stupid lines they threw in there at times. ("Don't mess with street rats!", anyone?) That, combined with the horrible monotonousness of Aerith's new voice actress just put me off. Though, at least KHII had the best voice for Namine, who also decided not to return for any game after. Re:CoM was decent, but nothing that really impressed me, other than how friggin' long some of the cutscenes were.

 

The original 358 cutscenes are all good, the voice-acting pretty amazing. The 1.5 kind of declined in quality a bit, probably because of the sheer volume of new lines. Quinton Flynn, as good a VA as he may be, fudged a few lines here and there and idk if it's just me, but Xion's VA sounded a lot better in the original cutscenes. Also, those fake laughing scenes that really got their start here? Yeah, they never work. And they especially don't work in BBS.

 

BBS isn't terrible, but there are some problem children here, as well. The most notable being Terra's VA. He's not bad, but he says things in a very stilted way sometimes, and I think that mostly reflects the way the dialogue is written, which kind of feels like Star Wars prequel dialogue sometimes. Aqua's a little better, but she messes up sometimes, too. The truly shining examples of good voice acting in this game are Jesse McCartney's Ventus and Leonard Nimoy's Master Xehanort. 

 

And DDD, which, from what I've seen of cutscenes, looks to be about the same level of good acting as KHII. Haley Joel and David Gallagher are the lead again, who always pull a good performance. Young Xehanort sounds pretty good for being ominously monotonous and I think this game has the best Braig/Xigbar performance I've heard since KHII.

 

This post went way longer than I thought it would have.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Kaweebo

[Elast0 147]

I didn't like Sora in 3D. I can't explain it but something felt off.

[Moni_22 335]

I like the voice acting in all games. BUT

 

ORIGINAL JAPANESE FOR THE WIIIIN

 

Sorry, I had to.

[HikariYami 354]

The voice acting in this game is great.

Jesse McCartney is the best. He is always great with Roxas. Of course Richard Nimoy and Quinton Flynn. I did not like Hayden as Kairi. I felt as if Laura Bailey would do a better job as Kairi. Her voice actor in Japanese is no better.

 

In before I like Japanese voices because I am a weeaboo and English is overrated type comments

Edited October 16, 2014 by HikariYami

[Master Keeper 687]

I was satisfied and happy with all voices in the all titles until I heard Sora from KH3D...

[Forever 3,550]

Am I the only one who thinks that Sora's voice has pretty much stayed the same, (if not slightly improved) And Riku is the one who's fallen a little short?

 

As much as I like him, even I have to admit that there were some moments in DDD that felt like he was just reading, and not really emoting. I still think Xigbar's actor is one of the most enthusiastic of the bunch, always delivering cheeky and sarcastic lines in an equally cheeky voice. And Paul St. Peter is still causing spontaneous 'gasms with Xemnas's hypnotic voice. Young Xehanort disturbs me when he speaks (in Japanese or English), I guess because he has a sinister undertone to his lines, despite how calm he "appears" to be most of the time. And that kind of subtlety is exactly what your looking for in a character like him, and it's not a very easy thing to achieve. And while we're talking about him, I'm gonna go ahead and say that unlike other Ansem SoD fans, I love his current voice. It's deep, menacing, and I think it goes along perfectly with his new model design.

 

Although, these days I think the absolute best voices still some from the "older" characters. Despite his age and current health issues, Leonard Nimoy STILL makes Xehanort's character his own, setting an unsettling and sinister atmosphere with every line he delivers. Ansem the Wise (despite having his actor supposedly changed) still sounds nice. He has an intelligent,  authoritative-sounding voice which is in line with his kingly character. Yen Sid is no exception. Although his main role in the game is to shout out plot exposition, his voice is so engaging that it draws you in, no matter how badly you wanna press "skip". 

 

However...there is one voice that confuses me. Xaldin. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Xaldin, but....what on earth is his actor doing?! He's the only character who sounds like a completely different person in each game that he's in, DESPITE having the same actor since KH2. It's not a bad voice, just odd. One minute he sounds Russian, in BBS he sounds British, in 358/2 Days he sounds Japanese/Russian.....it's just a very strange journey of unspecified nationality. But, at least he can speak. Axel's voice isn't bad, but sometimes he sounds a little tipsy, and other times he has these weird moments where he's trying to slip some kind of accent in is lines. I could have sworn Xion's name was Shawn after hearing him say it. "No, Shawn!! Come back Shawn!" Sheesh....

[Buttercup Camera 229]

I think we can all agree Aeriths voice was better in KH1 then it was in KH2 by a firetrucking mile it was just awful. I agree that KH1 did had the best voice acting when it came to the original characters and Disney characters (mainly because most of them where voiced by the original people or people who sound almost just like them) KH2 wasn't that bad either it was great again besides Aeriths that was just awful, along with some of the Disney voices mainly Port Royal I feel like they had the weakest voice acting.  Re:CoM was ok because it was the first time we actually heard English voices for those members of Organization XIII besides Axel, when it came to Sora and Riku I say they where still good but it wasn't their greatest performance, that was mostly Sora but it got better later on.  Days the original was alright and when it came to how it was in 1.5 again it wasn't that bad but Xion was just the worst in that one she was so much better in the DS version but when she had to talk more it just felt so weak.  BbS again the Disney voices where great because it was mostly their original voices or again people who sounded just like them, Erauqs, Master Xehanort, Vanitas, Ventus I really like their voices and have to say that was both Jesse McCartney's and Haley Joel Osment's best performance ever in my opinion.  For Dream Drop Distance I have to say I didn't like how Sora sounded either in that game but everyone else was great especially Young Xehanort. 

Kairi's voice was great in KH1 as well as KH2 it wasn't that bad, but when she was voice by someone other then Hayden Panettiere, like in Re:CoM it wasn't that great.  I have to say the same for Xion although Alyson Stoner did an ok job in the original Days for the DS but when it came to how it was in 1.5 just no it did not sound that great.

One can hope that in the next game and in Re:coded that the voice acting will be great for the original characters which I sure hope they are

 

Alison didn't voice Xion in 1.5.

I was satisfied and happy with all voices in the all titles until I heard Sora from KH3D...

Looks like some squeezed you know what-nuts whille he was recording himself.

Kingdom Hearts. Pretty much all of the voice-acting in that was great. The hiring of child acting prodigies Haley Joel and Hayden Panettiere (From Sixth Sense and A Bug's Life) was the best thing that could have happened to the English version of the franchise. Unlike most other games in the series, there was only one point in the original KH where I thought someone botched a line and that's when Riku is possessed by Ansem. But I feel like that was just bad voice-direction, not any fault on David Gallagher's part. Not to mention that KHI had the best voice actress of Aerith, who did not return for KHII. But the best thing about this game's voice-acting is how real it felt. Sora felt like a real kid, Kairi felt like a real kid, Riku felt like a real, douchey kid...and that's what I admire most about it.

 

Every other game has been hit-or-miss for me. KHII has damn good voice-acting, but there's some really stupid lines they threw in there at times. ("Don't mess with street rats!", anyone?) That, combined with the horrible monotonousness of Aerith's new voice actress just put me off. Though, at least KHII had the best voice for Namine, who also decided not to return for any game after. Re:CoM was decent, but nothing that really impressed me, other than how friggin' long some of the cutscenes were.

 

The original 358 cutscenes are all good, the voice-acting pretty amazing. The 1.5 kind of declined in quality a bit, probably because of the sheer volume of new lines. Quinton Flynn, as good a VA as he may be, fudged a few lines here and there and idk if it's just me, but Xion's VA sounded a lot better in the original cutscenes. Also, those fake laughing scenes that really got their start here? Yeah, they never work. And they especially don't work in BBS.

 

BBS isn't terrible, but there are some problem children here, as well. The most notable being Terra's VA. He's not bad, but he says things in a very stilted way sometimes, and I think that mostly reflects the way the dialogue is written, which kind of feels like Star Wars prequel dialogue sometimes. Aqua's a little better, but she messes up sometimes, too. The truly shining examples of good voice acting in this game are Jesse McCartney's Ventus and Leonard Nimoy's Master Xehanort. 

 

And DDD, which, from what I've seen of cutscenes, looks to be about the same level of good acting as KHII. Haley Joel and David Gallagher are the lead again, who always pull a good performance. Young Xehanort sounds pretty good for being ominously monotonous and I think this game has the best Braig/Xigbar performance I've heard since KHII.

 

This post went way longer than I thought it would have.

 

If you haven't played 3D, then you dunno. Sora's actor tries to sound 15 years younger instead of trying to sound his Kh2 version. His grunts and battle screams are so weak. I can't stand his voice or take him serious.

Am I the only one who thinks that Sora's voice has pretty much stayed the same, (if not slightly improved) And Riku is the one who's fallen a little short?

 

As much as I like him, even I have to admit that there were some moments in DDD that felt like he was just reading, and not really emoting. I still think Xigbar's actor is one of the most enthusiastic of the bunch, always delivering cheeky and sarcastic lines in an equally cheeky voice. And Paul St. Peter is still causing spontaneous 'gasms with Xemnas's hypnotic voice. Young Xehanort disturbs me when he speaks (in Japanese or English), I guess because he has a sinister undertone to his lines, despite how calm he "appears" to be most of the time. And that kind of subtlety is exactly what your looking for in a character like him, and it's not a very easy thing to achieve. And while we're talking about him, I'm gonna go ahead and say that unlike other Ansem SoD fans, I love his current voice. It's deep, menacing, and I think it goes along perfectly with his new model design.

 

Although, these days I think the absolute best voices still some from the "older" characters. Despite his age and current health issues, Leonard Nimoy STILL makes Xehanort's character his own, setting an unsettling and sinister atmosphere with every line he delivers. Ansem the Wise (despite having his actor supposedly changed) still sounds nice. He has an intelligent,  authoritative-sounding voice which is in line with his kingly character. Yen Sid is no exception. Although his main role in the game is to shout out plot exposition, his voice is so engaging that it draws you in, no matter how badly you wanna press "skip". 

 

However...there is one voice that confuses me. Xaldin. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Xaldin, but....what on earth is his actor doing?! He's the only character who sounds like a completely different person in each game that he's in, DESPITE having the same actor since KH2. It's not a bad voice, just odd. One minute he sounds Russian, in BBS he sounds British, in 358/2 Days he sounds Japanese/Russian.....it's just a very strange journey of unspecified nationality. But, at least he can speak. Axel's voice isn't bad, but sometimes he sounds a little tipsy, and other times he has these weird moments where he's trying to slip some kind of accent in is lines. I could have sworn Xion's name was Shawn after hearing him say it. "No, Shawn!! Come back Shawn!" Sheesh....

 

Xaldin's best performance was in KH2 English version. I can barely get what he says on the new FM recorded cutscenes.

 

Zexion's voice changed, even though it is the same actor.

 

Axel sounded better in KH2 and Days. Xigbar's actor sure is a good, but he kinda "slipped" in 3D. I dunno, KH voices sometimes feel forced.

I like the voice acting in all games. BUT

 

ORIGINAL JAPANESE FOR THE WIIIIN

 

Sorry, I had to.

Some of the japanese voices annoy me. Especially Donald and Goofy. I really enjoy the japanese ones in BBS and DDD because the original voice-acting is so bad in English that my brain only accepts jpn now.

[Ceriraye 485]

Well it is a video game and not a movie so it doesn't bother me much. Personally i think the voice suits each character in their own way.

[Kaweebo 3,617]

If you haven't played 3D, then you dunno. Sora's actor tries to sound 15 years younger instead of trying to sound his Kh2 version. His grunts and battle screams are so weak. I can't stand his voice or take him serious.

 

 

I've watched enough of DDD to get a good picture of what he sounds like, and I still think he sounds fine. I wouldn't say he tries to sound 15 years younger, though. His voice is too deep to make that convincing, so while he sounds older than he does in both games, he's not trying to sound like he's a little boy. Sora's a grown teenager by this point, it makes sense for his voice to continually get deeper each game. 

Edited October 16, 2014 by Kaweebo

[kristijan14 31]

Birth By Sleep. I really liked all of the protagonist's voices, also Leonard Nimoy.

[Moni_22 335]

Some of the japanese voices annoy me. Especially Donald and Goofy. I really enjoy the japanese ones in BBS and DDD because the original voice-acting is so bad in English that my brain only accepts jpn now.

 

Well, I mostly speak about KH characters, not Disney's. The only thing that bothers me is Lea's voice in DDD. It's like... he sounds a bit... different. You can compare him with KH2 or even BbS and you notice. But I didn't find anything bad. YX's voice was weird at first, because I was used to the japanese voice. But it's not that bad for me anymore.

 

In general I prefer jap voices, but there are some voices which I prefer in English (Vanitas for example)

[TheKingdomkid 1,194]

Alison didn't voice Xion in 1.5.

 Yes, yes she did

[Jermaine 79]

KH1 and KH2 Sora were very good. Every other game seems forced. Obviously kingdom hearts 1 and kingdom hearts 2, are gonna have the strongest because they are the console titles, and the I cannot lie, the handheld titles are lacking (except 358). But overall I think KH does not lack in voice acting, and I consider it a strength. They get big names like Leonard Nimoy and Mark Hamil, and I'm not disappointed.

[Sora96 17,256]

Kingdom Hearts II. Easy.

[Shulk 8,623]

KHI. They sound like ordinary kids, which fits really well. I love the voice work for every game, though (Yes, even Sora in DDD. I didn't have a problem with it at all, I really liked it actually).

 

Also, I'm going off of the English voices. I don't care much for the Japanese voices.

[Buttercup Camera 229]

 Yes, yes she did

She sounds SO different.. o.O

[Ryusuke 16]

Honestly? The Japanese version. Each and every actor is emotive and full of character. Even the calm and so-called 'emotionless' characters have a certain degree of emotion, but still convey that sense of coldness/mystery/whatever. They fill every scene with life and they're just so fun to listen to because of that. Even the Disney voice actors are pretty good even though sometimes Donald can sound a little awkward....though I think its the fault of the language itself for that voice. But, anyone who can enunciate in THAT voice gets mad props. Good lord. @_@

 

The English version tends to fall flat on its face a bunch of times. The acting tends to fall flat a majority of the time on original characters, FF characters and sometimes even Disney characters. They suck the scene dry with...well...even drier deliveries. Most of the best acting come from a decent bit of the Disney characters, Billy Zane, Christopher Lee, Corey Burton (despite sounding similar to his other characters), Mark Hamill and even Jesse McCartney is starting to get the hang of more emotional scenes. I just wish they went with trained voice actors for the leads and had a different director. But, if I had to pick one...it'll probably be Kingdom Hearts 1 that had the best voice acting.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Ryusuke

[EricBwn 86]

I love these games but the voice acting is some of the worst in gaming. KH1 had the best I think. The newer ones are really bad, I think Leonard Nimoy might be the only non Disney character that doesn't sound terrible.