Save Our Voice Actors!

For about eight years now, English Pokémon fans everywhere have watched the dub of the anime produced by 4Kids. In that time, the list of things the fans love about the series grew very, very long. But, admittedly, in that time, the list of complaints also grew very, very long. We loved the series, but we always felt the English dub could do a better job.

But still, there is one thing the fans have always loved - the voice actors. Their voices became a part of the characters themselves, a key part of their identities, like Ash's hat, Misty's love of water, and Brock's uncrushable determination to find that perfect girl.

A few months ago, details came to light about 4Kids losing the merchandising rights to the Pokémon series to Pokémon USA. Speculation went wild on what this would mean for the anime itself, but nothing could be confirmed.

Even more details have come to light since then. And now here we are, on the verge of realizing both our greatest dreams and worst fears.

The dubbing of Pokémon is falling under the control of another company, TAJ Studios. This company has worked on the Pokémon series before - and fans are estatic, because 4Kids is highly unpopular in the anime community. The most notable example of this is One Piece, an anime which many fans whole-heartedly agree was butchered. Pokémon was spared from problems at the level of One Piece, but there is a widespread notion that the Pokémon dub will be handled better in new hands.

However, there's a catch to this: There is already a high possibility that we will lose the voice actors which we have known and loved for so many years. Instead, cheaper replacements casted to sound like the old voice actors are being brought in. They have already dubbed The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, a special which will air on April 29th. Presumably, if the new voice actors are received well, they will replace our favorite voice actors.

If they are received well.

The people who are a part of Save Our Voice Actors have already heard enough. We don't want cheap replacements, imitations of the real deal. We want the voice actors who have been bringing these characters to life for the past eight years.

And we will do everything in our power to make ourselves heard.

Time is short. Young fans, old fans, new fans, veteran fans, parents of young fans, sympathizers to our plight - if you support our cause, do everything in your power to make yourself heard, too. Tell your friends. Write letters to Pokémon USA. If we work together, there's no telling what we can accomplish!