Male anime characters voiced by female Seiyuus

Female voice actresses voicing male characters, especially boys, is no surprise. The higher pitch suits younger characters perfectly. However, there are several older male characters who are voiced by female voices in Japan. You may have heard that Naruto, Luffy and Goku are voiced by extremely skilled voice actresses, but what if we told you that there are actually several male characters with a female seiyuu? The voices of these characters are not only completely believable, but also so skillfully done that you can’t help but whine about them. Once again we are surprised by how fascinating anime casting can be. It’s truly commendable to create unique, fitting voices for our favorite characters.

What’s absolutely brilliant about hearing male characters’ voices through females is witnessing their vocal range. While you might expect these characters to be higher pitched, some may surprise you by being very low to match the character’s personality. Usually a character gets a female voice actor to portray the softer side of the character. But just because a character has softer energy doesn’t mean it’s weak in any way.

Here are some of the most popular male shonen characters with a female seiyuu that might shock you. We wouldn’t be surprised if you were overtaken by their charms.

Orochimaru: Naruto

Orochimaru is often considered one of the really strong characters in Naruto. The character made a great first impression and remained a favorite with many. Orochimaru is considered gender neutral, but some sources claim that the character is actually male. Their voice actress Kujira. Kujira is an accomplished voice actress who has voiced several male characters before. The hard power in her voice is no joke, and I can bet everyone would agree that no one would have guessed Orochimaru had a female voice actress without a cast credit list.

Over time, Orochimaru has had several voice actresses as they can take on different bodies. While most of these other bodies have female voices, we chose to focus on Kujira as she voices the original form of Orochimaru.

Zorome: Darling in the Franxx

Zorome is one of the main characters in the popular Shounen series, Darling in the Franxx. He is quite vocal through most of the series and often tries to prove that he is better than the rest. The first time, it is almost impossible to predict that Zorome has a female seiyuu. He is voiced by Mutsumi Tamura, a voice actress with an amazing vocal range. In her career as a seiyuu, she has voiced multiple male characters from different age categories. However, Zorome stands out as one of the most popular shonen characters.

Zorome’s sarcastic and loud personality is clearly displayed through her voice, making her a fitting piece.

Reg: Made in the abyss

Considering Reg is a very young character, it might not come as much of a surprise to know that he is voiced by a female character. Reg is voiced by Mariya Ise, who has a long history of voicing various popular male characters. The character is a robot named after Riko’s dog. He loses his memories when he first meets Eiko. In the anime, Reg goes through multiple emotions, each of which is perfectly portrayed by Mariya Ise.

Reg usually comes across as innocent and very cute. The high-pitched voice suits this posture well.

Kurapika: Hunter x Hunter

Several characters in Hunter x Hunter are young boys, which is why most of them are voiced by female seiyuu. However, Kurapika is a 17-year-old male character, voiced by a female voice actor. Although his voice is lighter, it is almost hard to believe that Kurapika was voiced by a woman. Kurapika voice actress Miyuki Sawashiro is immensely popular for this role.

Kurapika is quite strong and wants to take revenge for his clan and also get crimson eyes. He serves as a major character through several parts of the series. People love Kurapika for his cool and calm personality and visibly strong skills.

Killua: Hunter x Hunter

As mentioned, Hunter x Hunter has several female voice casts for its young male characters. Killua is definitely one of the main characters that come to mind when you think of voice actresses being cast as male characters. Killua is voiced by Mariya Ise. We think this character is worth mentioning in the list because of his great portrayal. What’s even more amusing about Killua’s voice is that it gets deeper as the character gets bolder. When you hear Ise’s real voice, it’s amazing to realize that her voice can go so low and keep overflowing with emotions.

Killua is the popular Hunter x Hunter deuteragonist who stays Gon through thick and thin.

Kenshin Himura: Rurouni Kenshin

The titular character of Rurouni Kenshin is yet another male character voiced by a female voice actor. If it was believed that women could only pronounce younger boys, then Kenshin Himura is a strong opponent of the statement. The character is a supreme swordsman who gives up killing. He is voiced by Mayo Suzukaze. Kenshin has a calm personality and the calm is audible in Suzukaze’s voice. Even if you read the manga, you can imagine how fitting this calming voice would fit the character.

Suzukaze Mayo has voiced more male characters, most of which seem to have similar personalities to Kenshin. Kenshin carries himself with a sense of pride and has an aura of serenity around him.

Edward Elric: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Edward Elric is known as one of the best alchemists and is full of optimism. While trying to recover his missing limbs and his brother’s body, he finds himself in the midst of the wars of the power-hungry homunculus. Edward is a male character in his teens whose husky voice is credited by Romi Park, a voice actress widely known for her bold voice. Her voice fits the young character perfectly and within seconds she switches from funny to serious (and vice versa).

Hayato: Heion Sedai no Idaten Tachi

Hayato is the main character of the Heion Sedai no Idaten Tachi anime series. He is very strong and proves to be very reliable in battle. In general, however, Hayato is very stupid. He often annoys the other characters and gets beat up by them. Hayato has a strong personality and is voiced by Park Romi. Her bold voice matches the character’s personality and does her best to show us his best side. Throughout the series we see his efforts, constantly trying to be the strongest.

Armin Arlert: Attack on Titan

Of the three main characters of Attack on Titan, Armin was the one who loved books the most. While both Mikasa and Eren were often in the street fighting the kids, Armin was the one who was often bullied. Not that Armin is considered weak (pretty much clear from last season), but he was stronger mentally than physically. He has always had a softer side, so a higher pitched voice suited him perfectly.

Armin Arlert is voiced by Marina Inoue, the same voice actress who voiced really cute characters like Yaoyorozu Momo in the My Hero Academia anime. However, you can hear the huge difference in the personality and pitch of both characters.

Yuuta Okkotsu: Jujutsu Kaisen 0

The recently released anime movie, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, is one of the most successful anime movies in Japan. The anime features Yuuta Okkotsu, the main character of the prequel manga, and his journey from one who is haunted by a curse to one who can overpower the curse and use it as its power. Yuuta has a soft voice, but it’s almost hard to believe that he was voiced by a female seiyuu.

Okkotsu is voiced by Megumi Ogata. Her voice has often been used for prince-like characters. This time, her role as Yuuta Okkotsu is highly appreciated. While you might initially wonder if Yuuta needed a female voice actor, once they hear Megumi Ogata’s voice as a character, they would agree on how well the voice fits the character’s imagery and personality.

Also Read: Is Yuta Okkotsu Stronger Than Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen?