With anime's growing popularity in the West, talented voice actors from all over the world have traveled to Japan, lending their skills to a variety of characters.
Some of these voice actors are household names in Japan, despite hailing from elsewhere. Here are the anime characters who have non-Japanese voice actors.
10 Albert Volanadel, Voiced By Jeff Manning (Free!-Dive To The Future-)
Albert Volanadel was recently introduced in the third season of Free!-Dive to the Future-, with fans eager to see more of him in the upcoming fourth season and movie. The free-spirited Swedish swimmer can never sit still, always finding an opportunity to sneak away from his coach. Jeff Manning provides Albert's voice in the Japanese version.
Manning is a voice acting veteran who originally came from the United States as a missionary. He's been in voice acting since 1983 in various Japanese commercials, video games, and anime. Other anime characters he's played are Ed McKay and Zhong Han Chen from Case Closed, Freddie Brown and Rupert Grazer from Sensual Phrase, and Billy from Azuki-chan.
9 Ralph, Voiced By Peter von Gomm (Free!-Dive To The Future-)
Albert's serious coach, Ralph, does what he can to keep him on track, but that doesn't always work out. Ralph may be strict, but he understands what it takes for his student to win. He means well, even if he's harsh at times.
German voice actor Peter von Gomm voices Ralph, but fans can also hear him in other video games and anime such as Dragon Quest and Zoids. He moved to Japan in 1995, where he's done various television commercials, narrations, and trailers.
8 Klara, Voiced By Jenya Davidyuk (Girls Und Panzer The Movie)
Girls und Panzer fans will remember Klara, the calm and collected Russian transfer student. She appeared in the anime movie, coming from Pravda Girls High School. Klara is talented in Sensha-do and an excellent strategist addition to Katyusha's team.
Klara is played by fellow Russian and prominent voice actress, Yevgeniya, or "Jenya," Davidyuk. Davidyuk's career dates back to 2009 when she voiced Misha Mama in Everyday Mother. She's done various roles throughout her voice acting career, such as Lady Doubt from Mysterious Joker, Wiora from Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, and Elena Arshavina from World Break.
7 Raising Heart, Voiced By Donna Burke (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
Nanoha Takamachi's weapon of choice is Raising Heart, a powerful, multi-faceted tool that helps Nanoha in her battles. Raising Heart has gone through multiple upgrades throughout the series but remains one of Nanoha's go-to most treasured items.
Australian musician and voice actor Donna Burke lends her voice to Raising Heart and other video game and anime roles. Some of the characters she played are Yuko Miyabe from Strange Dawn and Catharine from Trip Trek.
6 T.K., Voiced By Michael Rivas (Angel Beats!)
T.K. from Angel Beats! is a character shrouded in mystery. He has an endless library of nonsensical phrases but can still be understood by those around him. T.K. has a strong background in dancing, and he can always be found moving his feet to a beat.
Michael Rivas provides his voice. Rivas is a Hawaii-born voice actor who has lent his voice to other minor roles in HaruChika, Amagami SS, and Astro Fighter Sunred.
5 Shingo Tsukino, Voiced By Seira Ryu (Sailor Moon)
The 2014 remake of Sailor Moon introduced a new cast of voice actors except for Kotono Mitsuishi, reprising her role as Usagi. Usagi's bratty younger brother, Shingo, specifically was voiced by one new voice actor. Her name is Liu Jingluo, also known as Seira Ryu.
Born in Beijing, China, Seira Ryu grew up an avid fan of anime and voice acting. During high school, she lent her voice to various dojinshi and video game projects under the name "kkryu" and eventually moved to Japan to pursue her acting career. She voiced other characters such as Tarte from Dragon Collection, Minato Yasukawa from Idol Memories, and Jia-Ling Lin from Okko's Inn.
4 Shuko Shiomi, Voiced By Lu Ting (The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls)
Fans of the rhythm game and anime franchise, The Idolmaster, will recognize Shuko Shiomi. Shuko debuts in the anime's spin-off series, Cinderella Girls; her laidback but occasional mischievous personality making her a fan favorite.
Chinese voice actress Lu Ting lent her voice to Shuko. Raised in Osaka, Japan, Ting's voice acting career began in 2013 when she voiced Rishuri Maezono from the Tokyo 7th Sisters' game and anime franchise. Shuko is her most famous role to date.
3 Risu, Voiced By Soungdok (Dorohedoro)
Risu from Dorohedoro has slowly become a fan favorite since the anime's release. He was an outcast for being unable to produce smoke and joined the Cross-Eyes to escape his abusive childhood. He was murdered and later resurrected by the En family and has an unknown but strong connection to the protagonist's past.
The Magic-User is played by Korean voice actor Soungdok, who currently lives in Osaka, Japan. Songdok has lent his voice to two other anime characters: Jo Wol-Saeng or "Moonphase" from Sword Art Online: Alicization and Josh Richardson from Marvel Future Avengers.
2 Mr. Sandal, Voiced By Vinay Murthy (Sakura Quest)
Alexandre Sena Davis Celibidache, or "Mr. Sandal," is a mysterious foreign traveler from Sakura Quest. His lack of knowledge in Japanese makes him appear unapproachable, but he's friendly once people get to know him.
Indian-English voice actor Vinay Murthy lends his voice to Mr. Sandal as well as the Australian swimmer, Chris, from Free!-Dive to the Future-. He also works as a stand-up comedian around Tokyo when he isn't voice-acting.
1 Kong "China" Wenge, Voiced By Yousei Bun (Ping Pong: The Animation)
Kong "China" Wenge, the antagonist from Ping Pong: The Animation, is a constant source of frustration for Smile and Peco. His passion for ping pong drives him to battle the strongest players, desperate to test the limits of his abilities. Chinese voice actor Yousei Bun lends his voice to this heavyweight player.
Unfortunately, there isn't much information on Bun except that he was born in Guangzhou, China. He also voiced another Chinese character, Zixuan Chen, the open-minded but sharp-tongued Breakers member from the 2016 cheerleading anime Cheer Boys!!.
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