Voice Actors Masakazu Morita and Noriaki Sugiyama Celebrate 20 Years of BLEACH

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles with Viz Media hosted a panel with Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu Ishida) of BLEACH. In promoting the third season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict, the two were invited for a Q&A and a live voiceover demonstration. In addition to Los Angeles, Morita and Sugiyama attended a similar event in New York and a panel at New York Comic Con. The chemistry between the actors played out exactly like the blue oni, red oni relationship between their characters.

Prior to the main events, the lucky hundred attendees were the first in the world to see the third episode of Part 3 before its broadcast on October 19. Starting from the first episode, the three episodes played sequentially without the opening or ending sequences. The two voice actors watched the crowd's reactions as the episodes screened, but the room lacked the usual enthusiasm found in convention panels given, the tense plot line. Consul General Kenko Sone attended on behalf of the Consulate General of Japan in LA, speaking to the Japanese government's intention to broaden its culture worldwide. As “entertainment exports rival the steel and chip industry,” they are promoting movies, games, and anime to “share more Japanese culture with the world.”

As Morita and Sugiyama kicked off the Q&A portion, they spoke about their twenty years on the BLEACH anime. Time flies, but even after two decades, the actors demonstrated how well-matched the cast members are to their characters. Morita passionately reflected on how fortunate they've been to be part of a long-existing franchise. He joked about how young he was at thirty-three years old and said that his youthful face was due to “CGI.” Ahead of his birthday on October 21, host Risa Light encouraged the room to sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

Despite the natural passage of time, Ichigo and Uryu are still 17 during the Thousand Year Blood War. Morita explained how his voiceover approach has changed, as his original voice was crafted to fit him at the time. “I reach my lower register these days compared to before.” He demonstrated the difference with two loud before-and-after shouts of: “BANKAI!” Now, he focuses on the vowels within the pronunciation. For Sugiyama, he straightforwardly shared how his delivery for Uryu is more natural than when the anime first started.

When asked what makes BLEACH a unique series, Morita enthusiastically polled the room to see how many people liked Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and Uryu. Of course, every hand was raised for all three, demonstrating the appreciation for the diversity of characters in the series. Sugiyama noted how the large cast allows for new, mixed match-ups in every battle scene.

Giving fans a peek behind the curtain, Morita reminisced on his time with the cast. Of all his fond memories, he recalled how Satsuki Yukino (Yoruichi) would always tease him. “Even with the gap in the anime, she's still doodling in my script. In the episode we just watched, where Ichigo yells, 'Let's go,' she drew a heart mark. I didn't notice when it was my turn to record, and I read his line as 'Let's go ❤' with an upward inflection.” Even though they've been cast mates for two decades, he joked that Yukino “has not matured.”

Sugiyama chimed in to comment on their long-time friendship. As for him, his favorite scene is when Ichigo and Uryu have to defeat the Hollows together, despite their initial rivalry. In an interview with Anime News Network before the panel, the two voice actors described the professional atmosphere on set. Despite the inclusion of “conflict” in Part 3's title, the cast works together and supports each other. “We strive to improve together while supporting one another, so there isn't meaningless competition between individuals. To create great work, there's no need for personal emotions,” said Morita.

Taking a break from the questions, the two BLEACH voice actors prepared for their live dubbing session. This marks the first time either has performed live in North America, and Morita cheekily commented how many gifts he gave fans on his birthday. Together, Sugiyama and Morita re-enacted three scenes from the anime as clips with subtitles played on the screen. The five-minute session included Uryu and Ichigo's first meeting, their first team-up, and their “eternal parting” from Thousand Year Blood War Part 2. Morita mentioned how they record similarly in Japan, except they'll have four standing mics between thirty to forty people. “It's called mic work in Japanese. Without knowing that skill, you can't be a voice actor. You also have to be absolutely quiet as the mic will pick up the rustling of papers. Japanese voice actors move very quietly, so if I stop being an actor, I'll be a burglar.” Sugiyama stepped in to play the straight man in their boke and tsukkomi routine so that they could continue their panel.

Outside of voice acting, Sugiyama and Morita dive into other arts to strengthen their skills. Originally, Morita wasn't training to be a voice actor but an on-camera actor. He was a stand-in for Emmy-winning actor Hiroyuki Sanada for a Japanese movie a long time ago. Also, Morita trains in martial arts, such as karate and kendo, and incorporates those skills into Ichigo. On the other hand, Sugiyama observes others, as everyday life has an impact on a character. “Whether it's on the train or somewhere else, I store those types of people in my head and bring them out when I can. Outside of my work and physical training, I study other anime and series as well.” He continued to say there are elements of speed, tempo, and beats that he keeps in mind for his expression of Uryu. “Uryu Ishida is a calm and cool character. Ichigo represents movement, while Uryu represents stillness.”

Closing out the event, the guests were asked what fans can look forward to. Of course. Morita and Sugiyama spoke about the high quality of the animation. Also, Morita recently heard that Tite Kubo had already seen everything, including the original story unique to the anime. “The crew had consulted Kubo-sensei about the story they wanted to portray. Kubo-sensei listed hints for the staff to work within the new story,” said Morita. “BLEACH has a lot of dialogue, and fans should pay attention to the subtext within the exchanges,” added Sugiyama.

Speaking to Anime News Network about Tite Kubo's involvement with Thousand Year Blood War, Morita mentioned that the manga author would always be present at the recording studio. “It makes me happy that I can talk with him and also consult him about my performances more frequently than ever.” Sugiyama revealed Kubo had given him direction regarding Uryu's emotions. “The direction I received, which left a significant impression on me, was to make sure that Uryu's internal emotions weren't too visible, so that those who read the original manga and those new to watching the Thousand-Year Blood War arc can enjoy a similar experience.”