The original voice actor of Bleach anime’s Yoruichi Shihōin is facing criticism after lashing out on X over recasting decisions for the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War English dub.
Yoruichi is one of the most famous Black anime characters of all time, and she was set to receive her first POC voice actor in the English dub of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War until the recasting was reversed last minute. The English-language voice of Yoruichi had been performed by Wendee Lee since 2004, but on Oct. 7, voice actor Anairis Quiñones announced on X that she would be taking the role in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Season 2. Two weeks later on Oct. 21, Quinoñes stated that the role had been recast, presumably to former voice actor Wendee Lee, although this was only later confirmed by Lee via her responses on X.
As fans and voice actors reached out to Quiñones on X to express sympathies at the recasting, Lee replied to several with seeming disdain, claiming that Studiopolis made a casting mistake due to scheduling conflicts and that Viz Media wants the "iconic OG cast intact." Her comments garnered a lot of criticism on X and sparked further controversy on the decision to recast Yoruichi again.
Lee is a seasoned voice actor who, in her 40-year career, has taken on major anime roles such as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop and Kei in Akira. She carries a notable legacy, especially within English-dubbed anime, although her recent comments have brought negative light to some of her other roles, as this is not the first time she’s been cast as the voice actor for a character of color. She previously voiced Kiva in Megas XLR and Sprocket in Viewtiful Joe, among others.
Lee has since announced that she apologized to Quiñones and welcomed her to the cast in her role as Hiyori. However, the reaction to Lee’s comments speaks to a larger controversy around representation among voice actors for characters of color. Bleach’s spot among the "Big Three" with One Piece and Naruto makes the recasting of Yoruichi particularly contentious. Some fans maintain that keeping the original voice cast is important to the integrity of the series, while others argue that accurate representation is more important to the integrity of the character.
Viz Media and Studiopolis have released no official announcements regarding the casting. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus.
Source: X
