Saturday, July 23, 2022

Respect for Zeno Robinson

So far, the voice actors for the Pokémon anime that I've featured in my "Respect for..." series of posts have been very significant ones related to it. The one I'd like to feature now may not sound quite significant, but the voice actor is just that, at least for the more recent iteration of the anime. He's also the first voice actor I'm featuring who is male, unlike the others who are female, and he's Zeno Robinson, the English voice of Goh in the Pokémon anime.

Among others, one of his distinguishing features is that he's a person of color, and even with that, he's been able to achieve success in voice acting, albeit mostly fairly recently (post-2017, he notes). Those who watch certain other popular anime series in their English dub (or other animated features) will also recognize his voice, not to mention the characters. Yet, it is certain that for Pokémon anime fans, the success lies in lending Goh a distinct voice.

On the personal side, he describes himself as a "new age nerd", and it's easy to see why. He has locks on his hair, perhaps not at all what one would expect from a voice actor, let alone one with multiple well-known characters... but then again, quite a few of the characters he has voiced in addition to Goh have their own "unique" hairstyle that stands up to that. He also has a "hipster" appearance, which works out well for him in addition to voice acting.

Like fellow voice actor Sarah Natochenny, he has an Instagram handle (@childish_gamzeno), and it is where he promotes and celebrates his work. That, of course, includes conventions where he has been and will be, for interaction with his fans. He's also rather outgoing and stylish, having gone to different places and having been asked to promote a few anime-inspired products, which can be seen there too. It might just be an inspiration for some.

I've only gotten to admire Goh recently, so it would make sense if I admire his English voice actor as well, and based on the above, there's quite a bit to be admired. Stylishness combined with a real voice talent makes him who he is, and that's saying something with regard to his voicing of Goh in the Pokémon anime. For that, he deserves some serious respect, as is true for any of the voice actors I feature in my post series then, now, and later on.

Five years ago: Cosplay in a Bag

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