{"id":675872,"date":"2025-06-18T17:17:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/atsushi-abe-on-voicing-and-playing-game-characters\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T17:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:17:07","slug":"atsushi-abe-on-voicing-and-playing-game-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/atsushi-abe-on-voicing-and-playing-game-characters\/","title":{"rendered":"Atsushi Abe On Voicing And Playing Game Characters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Voice actor Atsushi Abe<\/strong> is no stranger to the world of game<\/a>s or anime<\/a>, with his career spanning across multiple franchises. From 16bit Sensation: Another Layer<\/em> to Zenless Zone Zero<\/em>, Abe is known for many roles in the gaming and anime industry. In this interview with Anime Trending from FanimeCon 2025, Abe shared with us his experiences not only as a dedicated voice actor, but also as a curious gamer. Abe also discussed the special connection he feels with fans \u2014 especially as IDOLiSH7 celebrates its 10th anniversary \u2014 highlighting the experience of seeing fans\u2019 support for his projects.<\/p>\n

This interview was conducted through an interpreter and has been edited for clarity.\u00a0Questions submitted by Gerrymelyn Casupang and Melvyn Tan.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Anime Trending: You voiced Mamoru Rokuta in the <\/strong>16bit Sensation: Another Layer <\/em><\/strong>anime, which came out two years ago. What was your relationship with the visual novel, and how did that influence your performance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe:<\/strong> The original story is different from what\u2019s shown in the anime. When they made it into an anime, they made the story into something that could only be done in anime.<\/p>\n

[Such as,] the element of time travel<\/a> was introduced in the anime version, and that was not in the original. I think that the time travel element was combined very well with the passion that people have for games, so that made it into a very special product as a result of that combination, a kind of alchemy of the two coming together.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been almost a year since the launch of<\/strong> Zenless Zone Zero<\/em><\/strong>, in which you provide the Japanese voice for the protagonist, Akira\/Wise. Looking back, how has your journey with the game and the character been?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>The work\u2019s been going on for about two years now. At first, I didn\u2019t really quite understand the game system when I was working on it. It was released about a year ago, and when it was released, I picked the main character \u2014 which in Japanese is Akira, but the English version is Wise. I\u2019ve been playing it a lot. I was actually playing it in my room earlier. I\u2019m still working on it, and I\u2019m recording for that at least once a month. I\u2019m looking forward to where the story goes.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re in a lot of video games and anime based on games. How do you interact with those things after you\u2019re done recording with them? Do you play the games, or do you watch some of the anime that you star in? How do you connect with those things as a fan rather than just as a seiyuu?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>When I\u2019m doing my work as a voice actor, I look at it from the perspective of the character. However, when the product is released and I\u2019m playing it or watching it, I take on the perspective of the viewer or player, which is completely different. I actually make new discoveries when I engage with the product as a fan.<\/p>\n

For example, when I\u2019m recording, I might think, \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t this person understand this feeling? I don\u2019t understand why it\u2019s not being conveyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But then later on, when I engage with the final product, I might go, \u201cOh, I can see that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Image source: Zenless Zone Zero YouTube<\/a> channel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you have another specific example in mind? Like a specific character or situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>As an example, I voice Sogo Osaka in IDOLiSH7<\/em>. Osaka\u2019s a little bit stubborn sometimes, and so when I\u2019m voicing the character, I might take it from Osaka\u2019s perspective and be like, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t understand why it\u2019s not going well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But then, [through] other characters like Tamaki Yotsuba when I\u2019m playing the game or when I\u2019m viewing it, I can see both perspectives. I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, I can see that [Sogo\u2019s] actions are a little bit rough,\u201d or \u201cSogo might not be very polite with the way he\u2019s talking,\u201d or something like that.<\/p>\n

I think my own character is a little bit awkward sometimes.<\/p>\n

We see a lot of stories with seiyuu in the industry where they become the biggest fans of their own games, and we see that pattern over and over again.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>Yeah, that\u2019s right!<\/p>\n

You share several series<\/a> with another one of the guests here at Fanime, Tsubasa Yonaga-san, from IDOLiSH7<\/em> to Yowamushi Petal<\/em> and Cardfight!! Vanguard.<\/em><\/strong> It\u2019s cool that you keep interacting with him across different years and different franchises. What has it been like to work with him in that time and space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>We\u2019d actually been at the same voice acting school at Ken Production. It\u2019s been over 20 years, which is a long time, that we\u2019ve been familiar with each other and working together. We entered at the same time and were also cast into shonen-type roles. I think that also brought us close together.<\/p>\n

It would have been a rare situation for us to both succeed in that sense, especially when you work in the shonen genre. Usually, there are typecast roles, right? There\u2019s the younger kind of character, or the hero character. I\u2019m really glad that we both have actually been able to succeed within that kind of bucket.<\/p>\n

It almost feels like over time, there\u2019s a competitive drive between you two trying to succeed together.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>It\u2019s an interesting mix. I have this feeling of rivalry toward everybody, but at the same time, it\u2019s like we\u2019ve fought battles together. We have that kind of special camaraderie that you only get from working together like that. Having been together through so many things, we\u2019ve seen each other audition for things, and we\u2019ve been on the side of the person who gets the part and then the other person doesn\u2019t get it, or vice versa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen each other both be like, \u201cYeah!\u201d or \u201cAw!\u201d so we understand each other\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9BNOI\/\u30a2\u30a4\u30ca\u30ca\u88fd\u4f5c\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IDOLiSH7<\/em><\/strong> is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. There have been a lot of announcements, like a new season of the anime series and a compilation movie. How does it feel knowing it\u2019s been a decade and that the series is still loved by so many fans around the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>I\u2019m very happy that it\u2019s been such a huge success. When I actually got the script<\/a> originally, I wasn\u2019t sure if it would be such a great success. I was actually a bit worried if it would go well or not. So it\u2019s just been really nice that it has been.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When we started working on it, I could really feel the support of the fans, especially when we prepared for the live performance. I could really feel the passion of the fans, and that was really wonderful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to what\u2019s been publicly announced, there\u2019s more going on behind the scenes, so I\u2019m also looking forward to what\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n

In <\/strong>IDOLiSH7<\/em><\/strong>, you\u2019ve done the live concert and animated concert. Can you tell us about your experience performing the two? And were there any unique challenges for each format?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>When the anime characters are on the screen, they\u2019re professional idols, right? So they\u2019re shining, shimmering, and glowing. For the animated version, the characters are the ones performing on the screen, but the ones singing are the voice actors. It was interesting to have that feeling that the characters are there, but it\u2019s actually us, like the unison or the combination of those.<\/p>\n

The difference between when we are performing as ourselves and when the characters are performing is that, for the animated version, the people making the animation have also put a lot of thought and effort into showing the background of why that song is being performed and what\u2019s going on. It\u2019s harder to do that in an in-person performance versus an animated performance.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of moving parts in live performances versus animated performances, which seems like it\u2019s character-driven. So, do you have to act in the animated performance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>When I\u2019m preparing for the role, I often only get the boards. It\u2019s not completely finished yet. When we go in to do the actual recording, most of the time, I\u2019m only seeing it for the first time at that moment. Then the music comes on, so it can be very moving for me as well.<\/p>\n

\"9-nine
\u00a9\u30af\u30ea\u30a2\u30ec\u30fc\u30f4\u30fb\u30de\u30fc\u30d9\u30e9\u30b9\u30fb\u30b0\u30c3\u30c9\u30b9\u30de\u30a4\u30eb\u30d5\u30a3\u30eb\u30e0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ll be reprising your role as Kakeru Niimi in the 9-nine- Ruler\u2019s Crown<\/em> anime. What was it like to record for the character again for the anime instead of the visual novel, and what can fans of the game or newcomers to the franchise look forward to with the anime?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atsushi Abe: <\/strong>One big difference between the game and animation voice acting is that for games, they take each voice separately and then they combine it later. For animation, we all work together. That\u2019s something that\u2019s different and something that I think comes through in the final product, so I\u2019m hoping that fans can enjoy that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, there are some really mentally tough parts for my character coming up. I also have to be ready for it, and in some sense, I\u2019m also preparing myself for that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n