The Voice Acting industry has been around for as long as most can remember, and with each year that passes, more and more aspiring entertainerstake to the recording booth. Kaiji Tang began his gig as early as 2005, and has voiced for 85 different shows, 20 movies, 70 games, and counting.
His most notable roles consist of Satoru Gojo fromJujutsu Kaisen, Ichiban Kasuga fromYakuza: Like a Dragon, and Riki fromRiver City Girls, which are a few to name. We sat down and talked with Kaiji, while he gave us the inside scoop on what it means to be a voice actor.
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GR:What do you wish you were told before pursuing voice acting?
Tang:While you can only be so prepared for an actor’s life, I do wish someone took me aside and explained to me the business side of things before I dove in. Taxes as a Freelancer can get wonky. The right ways versus the wrong ways to promote yourself as an artist can be hard to parse. There were always plenty of acting classes I wanted to take when I really should have gotten a more well-rounded study of the business.
GR:Do you have creative freedom for thecharacters that you voice? If you audition, do they give you a guideline, or are you free to make up a portrayal?
Tang:The character is the piece of metal, the actor is the blacksmith, the director, and client are the anvil. We all work together to make sure a character comes to life. I’m always free to pitch them ideas and usually everyone is pretty receptive within reason. I do ask if I can approach the character from the mindset of Macho Man Randy Savage at the beginning of every job just in case though.
GR:What character do you see yourself most closely related to? If you have one, does that affect your performance?
Tang:Hijiyama in13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimhad a passionate love affair with yakisoba-pan. And in those instances, he couldn’t get or lost that pan, I really tried to think about how much I loved dairy products and the despair I felt when I became too lactose intolerant to enjoy a random ice cream. I know that reads as a joke, but I’m very serious about my lactose intolerance discomfort, it’s terrible.
GR:Elaborating on the previous question, what is the most criticism you’ve received? Has that evolved your work ethic at all?
Tang:When I’m doing dishes I think I’m doing a really good job. Like I’m pretty sure each time I rinse and scrub right before I put it into the dishwasher, right? But when my wife unloads the dishes she always finds like little stuff I miss. Which is crazy! How did they even get there? You know how we’ve all been doing dishes for like a decade or more and at some point we get pretty okay at it? Yeah, I don’t know what that’s like. So when I do dishes now I’m super paranoid.
GR:What are your thoughts on AI voice work? Should you retire, would you want your voice to still be used through deep fakes in future productions?
Tang:Horrifying, right? I mean we’re all in the same boat in that AI is coming for most of our jobs. It’s like an existential looming tide. We know it’s about to change the way we do business but no one knows exactly how it’s going to do that yet. The worst-case scenario is voice-over is about to get a lot harder to get into. Traditionally a lot of newer voice actors cut their teeth on stuff like Walla or NPC characters. If it becomes far more cost-efficient to fill out that background dialogue with AI then we lose that traditional proving ground, and it becomes harder for studios to get to know younger talent. I don’t think we’ll dive full tilt into robot voice actors in the next 10 years or anything, but I am saying from now on there’s going to be a cheaper option available for businesses. And we’re all going to have to evolve with that.
GR:Are there any other voice actors thatserved as an inspirationto your choice in taking up your current career?
Tang:The only voice actor I knew of before I accidentally fell into voice-over was Johnny Yong Bosch because I was a huge Power Rangers fan when I was growing up. He’s an absolute legend in the business and I wish him nothing but the best.
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GR:What kind of food do you think Gojo should make more of?
Tang:Gojo seems like the kind of man who snacks on too many sweets. He probably could cook and cook really well, but I see him as a grazing snacker for sure. Get some culture Gojo! Eat outside the candy shop!
GR:Whenyou attend conventions, do you live the “con life” and eat simple meals? Or are you more of a having a complete meal, kind of person? And how do you prepare for a con?
Tang:Generally we fly in way too late to eat anywhere, so we pick up whatever is open on the way to the hotel. The first day of the con I try to have a complete lunch if it’s not too busy and guests generally either try to get together for a meal that night or we go off and do our own thing. I like to eat something big at the end of the first day because the second day tends to be the busiest. Second day I’m probably eating an energy bar for lunch between events and at night I’m probably too tired to go anywhere so more than likely whatever is open in the hotel at that point. Third day is quieter, so there’s more time for a nice lunch, and we generally fly out before we gotta eat again. I prepare for cons by telling my cats how much I’ll miss them.
GR:Have you ever attended a convention as an attendee? This could be before or after you entered the industry.
Tang:I remember going to one convention before I fell into voice-over with a friend out of college. It was a magical experience. Everyone’sfirst con experienceis a little magical you know? Being surrounded for the first time by so many people who share the same passion as you is amazing. I spent too much money that day I think.
GR:As the industry advances, what development do you hope to see from it?
Tang:That’s a really complicated question since we’ve already talked about robots taking our jobs. Before AI this is where I would tell you the industry is developing just fine. There seemed to be work for everyone. Animation is obviously not stopping any time soon, neither are video games, etc. But now I don’t know. I just hope there’s still room for all of us when everything is said and done.
GR:Any advice for a newbie voice actor, wanting to enter the mainstream?
Tang:Stop acting, stop trying to make sure your voice sounds cool or right or whatever. Getin touch with your feelings. Get out there and live life. Know how you react to every single emotion. Without real-life experience to draw from you’re hamstringing yourself when you’re creating characters. You’re a storyteller. And the act of living sharpens your storytelling tools. Talk to people. Get their perspectives. People watch.
GR:Have you ever felt discouraged? If so, how did you get back up on your feet?
Tang:Oh absolutely. It’s easy to get discouraged as a human being here in 2023. Despite our wonderous tech advancements there seems to be less and less hope for the future every day. But you know what? I bet that every generation of humans have felt that exact same way. I think in those cases it’s best to take a second and place your bare feet on the grass and take stock of life. Everything was just fine before us. Everything will be just fine after us. And we’re here just doing the best we can. And that’s all we can do. Petty spite also sometimes works, ya know? Like if you haven’t cleaned your living room in a while you may have a conversation with yourself like, “Am I gonna let my CHEMICALS tell ME what to do!? I’m gonna pick up this vacuum and clean these floors JUST TO SPITE THE MICRO-ORGANISMS IN MY BODY TRYING TO KEEP ME FROM WHAT I NEED TO DO-” I mean you get it. Sometimes life can get you down, but it’s all about perspective.
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