Top 10 English Dub Anime List [Best Recommendations]

Mary Lee Sauder

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Final Thoughts

Author: Mary Lee Sauder

After the hard-hitting East Coast lifestyle hit me a bit too hard, I started pursuing my passion as a writer in my cozy home state of Ohio. Aside from that, I spend my time cooking, cosplaying, collecting anime merch, and being an improv comedy actor. I also love sneaking alliterations and stupid puns into my writing, so be on the lookout for them! 😉

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Top 5 Anime by Mary Lee Sauder

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Original Article Below

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Final Thoughts

Author: Antoine Rizal

I"ve been an anime fan for as long as I can remember. Actually, anime is very much a part of me now for I have extended my reach beyond just watching them. I am a fansubber for more than 8 years now and contributed a lot to the anime community. Me and my group has translated shows, manga, drama CDs and doujinshi. Right now I"m learning Japanese so I can better serve the community and read interesting stuff about the Japanese culture as well.

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Top 5 Anime by Antoine Rizal

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Original Article Below

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For anime fans, dubs can be a touchy subject. Some English speakers, for example, appreciate being able to watch anime in their native language. Others… Well, let"s just say the hardcore purists would rather that dubs don"t exist at all.

To me, either "sub" or "dub" is fine. As long as the acting is good, the characterization is spot-on, and important plot points aren"t omitted or changed, I"m fine with watching anime in a language other than Japanese.

Thankfully, there are more than a handful of shows that fit the criteria I mentioned. Some of the best ones are the following:

• Episodes: 13


• Aired: Jan 2014 – Mar 2014

Where to start with this show? Let"s see: You have a main character, who"s a dandy guy in space, who"s named… Space Dandy. Along with a cat-like creature named Meow and a robot named QT, Dandy gets paid to discover new alien species for his clients. Actually, he"d rather be with the lovely ladies at the oh-so-subtly named BooBies, but he"s got his hands full doing his job and trying to shake off the Gogol Empire, which is tailing him for some reason.

Space Dandy is, first and foremost, an episodic comedy series. When you have that kind of format, it helps to have a strong leading man. And that"s exactly what Ian Sinclair delivers, when he gives us a goofy yet charming take on the titular character. Other strong performances from the English dub include Joel McDonald as Meow, and Kent Williams as the leader of the Gogol Empire fleet.

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• Episodes: 12


• Aired: Apr 2006 – Jun 2006

Nope, this isn"t a reboot of the 1954 monster film. It"s something better: A Japanese businessman, Rokuro Okajima, gets captured by a band of mercenaries while transporting a mysterious disc across the seas east of China. The mercenaries — who run the Lagoon Delivery Company — decide that Rokuro is a valuable hostage, and attempt to extort ransom money from his company in exchange for his life.

Unfortunately, the company doesn"t budge, and has Rokuro declared legally dead instead. Realizing that he has no other choice, Rokuro joins the Lagoon Delivery Company — made up of Revy, Dutch and Benny — and takes on the name "Rock". Meanwhile, the disc they captured turns out to be more than they bargained for.

The English script really works well for this anime, since most of Black Lagoon"s characters are non-Japanese. Each of them has a distinct accent and personality, so they"re fun to listen to. Of course, your mileage may vary on the English actors" interpretation of certain characters — like Revy, for instance — but overall, this dub nails the essence of the show.

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• Episodes: 26


• Aired: Apr 1998 – Sept 1998

With a name like Vash the Stampede, how can you not be badass? Joking aside, Vash is the main character of Trigun, a show set in the desert world Gunsmoke. Vash has a knack for causing mass property destruction, so he"s always being followed by two smokin" hot insurance ladies: Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe. As the women get to know him better, they realize he"s actually a pretty nice guy — if you ignore his dark and troubled past, that is.

It"s hard to believe that Vash is Johnny Yong Bosch"s first voice acting role. Not only does Bosch stay true to Vash"s complex character, but he"s also able to put his own spin on the peace-loving, quirky hero. And when you have a pseudo-Wild West setting like Trigun"s, it"s hard to go wrong with an all-American cast.

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• Episodes: 50


• Aired: Apr 2005 – Apr 2006

Eureka Seven kicks off with Renton Thurston, a teenage boy who dreams of becoming part of a mercenary group known as "Gekkostate". One day, a girl named Eureka crashes into their garage with an LFO (Light Finding Operation), and inadvertently forces Renton to leave his comfortable life behind forever. Lucky for him, Eureka also happens to be a member of Gekkostate, and as Renton accompanies her, the two grow closer and closer. Meanwhile, a government conspiracy gradually unfolds around them, along with questions about love, life and humanity.

Like Trigun, Eureka Seven is a Johnny Yong Bosch starrer. His Renton is a bit whiny at first, but becomes less so in later episodes. Stephanie Sheh"s Eureka has a similar character progression: She starts off as a typical emotionless girl, and eventually becomes more in-tune with her human side later.

Aside from the two leads, you have Crispin Freeman as the Gekkostate leader Holland, Kim Strauss as the main villain Dewey Novak, and Kari Wahlgren as Eureka"s evil counterpart Anemone. They"re the other standout performances on this show, so keep your ears peeled for them.

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• Episodes: 16


• Aired: Jul 2007 – Nov 2007

Famous for its unconventional storytelling style, Baccano! constantly jumps between three different storylines set in three different years during the Great Depression. If that sounds a bit off-putting, don"t worry: All of them eventually come together and make sense as the series goes along. Also, despite the time period, the show"s not depressing at all; in fact, it"s pretty heavy on action, and sometimes ventures into comedic territory.

You could say that this show is meant to be dubbed. Even though it has a big cast of colorful characters — from ordinary immigrants to insane killers — the English actors bring them all to life. The various accents are a nice touch too, so don"t miss out on them!

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• Episodes: 10


• Aired: Feb 2006 – Dec 2012

This anime is set in an alternate reality, where the world is besieged by vampires, ghouls and other creatures of the night. To fight against them, England enlists the services of the Hellsing Organization, led by the iron-willed Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing.

Ironically, Integra"s most powerful weapon is a vampire named Alucard, whose bloodlust and power are second to none. So when the neo-Nazi organization Millennium decides to strike and cause another world war, it"s up to the Hellsing organization to stop them.

As Alucard, Crispin Freeman balances the monstrous and human aspects of his character perfectly. The rest of the cast isn"t shabby either: Steven Brand"s portrayal of Father Anderson"s religious fanaticism is spot-on, while Gildart Jackson is positively chilling as the creepy and insane Major. Considering that this show is set in Europe, it"s appropriate for the characters to have various accents — which the dub gets right, for the most part.

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• Episodes: 26


• Aired: Oct 2004 – Mar 2005

So far, all the anime we discussed had a Western — or Western-like — setting. Does this mean the aforementioned setting is the only thing that makes English dubs work? Judging by the work on Beck, that"s not necessarily the case.

In this show, we have 14-year-old Yukio Tanaka, a 100-percent Japanese boy with a 100-percent boring life. At least, that"s until he rescues a weird-looking dog from the clutches of some nasty kids. The dog, it turns out, belongs to Ryuusuke "Ray" Minami, a guitarist who"s spent some time in the States and introduces Yukio to rock music.

One thing leads to another, and the next thing Yukio knew, he"s become a vocalist/guitarist for the band BECK — along with Ryuusuke, vocalist Tsunemi Chiba, bassist Yoshiyuki Taira and drummer Yuuji "Saku" Sakurai.

Beck already has a solid story and cast to begin with, and fortunately, the dub doesn"t take away from that. Aside from their high-quality acting, the English voice actors also sing the translated songs themselves. Now that"s a feat to beat, no rhyme intended!

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• Episodes: 26


• Aired: May 2004 – Mar 2005

Another show that has an excellent English dub, even though it"s set in Edo-period Japan, is this one. Samurai Champloo revolves around an unlikely trio: a plucky girl named Fuu, an uptight and reserved samurai named Jin, and a dance-battling swordsman named Mugen.

Somehow, Fuu manages to drag the guys into a quest for the "samurai who smells like sunflowers", which is the closest thing this show has to an overarching plot. Otherwise, it"s a collection of mini-stories that are just so entertaining to watch, thanks to Shinichiro Watanabe"s masterful direction.

Since Fuu, Jin and Mugen are the main characters, it"s important that they have strong voice actors. In this regard, the English dub doesn"t disappoint: Kari Wahlgren"s Fuu is headstrong yet endearing, while Kirk Thornton"s Jin is exactly who you"d expect him to be. The award for "Knockout Performance", however, goes to Steve Blum, whose brash, guttural voice fits Mugen"s personality so well. If you"ve already seen the original Japanese version, I suggest you try this one too!

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• Episodes: 26


• Aired: Apr 1998 – Apr 1999

At first, Cowboy Bebop"s premise seems to be nothing more than "bounty hunters in space". After you watch it, though, you"ll understand why anime fans continue to rave about it even after nearly two decades of its release.

Everything about this show is so well-done. From the characterization of Spike Spiegel and company, to the various stories told in every episode, Cowboy Bebop hits all the right notes. And speaking of notes, Yoko Kanno"s score makes this series stand out all the more. If you"re a fan of jazz music in particular, you"ll find something to love here.

Like Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop is directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Also like Samurai Champloo, a main character — namely Spike himself — is voiced by Steve Blum. It"s great how Blum captures Spike"s cool personality, while lending him an air of mystery. As for the rest of the guys, their voice actors also did justice to their roles, so no complaints there.

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• Episodes: 6


• Aired: Apr 2000 – Mar 2001

Every now and then, a show comes along that"ll make you go "WTF" in the beginning, and "OOOOOH" by the end of it. FLCL (also known as "Fooly Cooly" or "Furi Kuri") is one of those shows.

Basically, it"s a coming-of-age story about Naota, an ordinary grade school kid. When he literally crashes into a girl named Haruko, his life instantly gains 10,000 points on the weirdness scale. Through increasingly bizarre visual metaphors, FLCL shows us how Naota grows up, and hands us a nice conclusion that only a show like this can deliver.

And speaking of "delivering", the English dub for this show is awesome. All the voice actors fit their characters to a T, and the writers took great pains to localize the script without diluting the charm of the original. If there"s ever a must-try dub for dub haters, this is it.

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I"m not gonna lie: This was a tough list to put together. I had to leave out a lot of shows with equally fantastic dubs, like the two Fullmetal Alchemist series, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Yu Yu Hakusho, Death Note, Spice and Wolf, Highschool of the Dead, Steins;Gate, Kill la Kill and almost all of the Studio Ghibli films. So if you know of other shows that sound great in English, especially if their dubs are underappreciated, we"d love to hear more about them in the comments!

I"ll start with Mushishi and Tiger & Bunny. What about you?

Author: Issa M.

Issa is a pen-wielding mercenary by day, and an anime fangirl by night. She might seem anti-social at first, but she"s actually quite friendly once you get to know her. Also, she"s learned to like Google+ after getting locked out of her own Twitter account for some mysterious reason, so say hello to her there!

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