With gaming becoming more and more advanced over the years, the expectation of having a good presentation over the years has gone up with it. The same can be said about voice acting in video games, which used to be a rarity in games before the 1990s, which can now make or break a game based on performance.
Since voice acting has become so prevalent in games, developers are going to want to track down the best in the business to bring out the best in their characters. Despite this though, there are some characters who could not be more different in personality or voice but share the same voice actor. Here are some instances of characters that are surprisingly voiced by the same person.
10 Joel (The Last Of Us 1 & 2) And Pagan Min (Far Cry 4): Troy Baker
Troy Baker is one of the most well-known voice actors in the industry today, so much so that most who know his work will be able to identify his voice. However, these two characters have such different accents that most probably would not be able to tell that they are the same person.
Though they do have some common ground with having high body counts, Joel does so out of survival while Min does it to assert dominance. The fact Baker can play two separate characters so believably really goes to show his range.
9 Edward Richtofen (Call of Duty Series) And The Guardian’s Ghost (Destiny): Nolan North
Another well-known and well-respected voice actor, North has incredible range as a voice actor and that is apparent in these two roles.
Richtofen is the lovable, fearless, and crazy Nazi that appears in Call of Duty’s zombies while the guardian’s ghost is ever cautious and saner. They may sound a bit similar but North gives his all to both characters that makes both all the more memorable.
8 Urdnot Grunt (Mass Effect 2 & 3) and Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat: Series): Steve Blum
Steve Blum has voiced a number of characters in cartoons, anime, and video games alike and has a distinctive gruff voice. While this same gruffness can be found in Sub Zero, the disciplined and collected fighter and leader of the Lin Kuei. The same cannot be said though for Grunt who is always aching for a fight and lacks the discipline Sub Zero has.
Most would not be able to tell Blum voices Grunt due to his voice pitch being lowered. Nevertheless, though, Blum’s experience shines through with his portrayal of each character.
7 Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed) And Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic: Colors To Now): Roger Craig Smith
The Assassin’s Creed and Sonic games could not be more different in turns of tone and style. But they do have one thing in common, Roger Craig Smith has voiced the protagonists of each game at some point.
Sonic is the face of Sega and epitomizes too cool for school while Ezio is perhaps Assassin’s Creed’s best character but would find Sonic too cocky for his own good. The fact they are both voiced by the same person makes all the more strange.
6 Goku (Dragon Ball Series) And Lucario (Super Smash Bros. Series): Sean Schemmel
Perhaps the best known and loved anime hero of all time, Goku has been voiced by Schemmel for the English dub for the Dragon Ball anime and a number of games as well. Goku has been requested to be a fighter in Super Smash Bros. for years now but there is already a connection that most might have missed.
That connection is that Schemmel voices Lucario in Smash’s fourth and fifth installments. The Lucario voice is gruffer sounding than Goku’s, hence why most would not be able to tell the difference.
5 Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2) And Perfect Cell (Dragon Ball Series): Dameon Clarke
Sticking with Dragon Ball, Cell, specifically his perfect form, is one of the franchise’s most iconic villains and it would not be a proper Dragon Ball game if he is not included. Handsome Jack on the other hand is another iconic villain in his respective series and has a lot in common with Cell in terms of personality.
The two sound completely different but are both voiced by the same person Dameon Clarke.
4 Spyro The Dragon And Spongebob Squarepants: Tom Kenny
The mascot of Nickelodeon has appeared in a number of games over the years, some good and some bad, in which he was voiced by Tom Kenney. Coincidentally Tom Kenney helped voice one of the mascots for the first PlayStation, that being Spyro the dragon in Spyros 2, 3, Enter the Dragonfly, and the Reignited Trilogy.
Spongebob has a somewhat high and joyous tone to his voice while Spyro has a slightly deeper, slightly raspy voice to make him sound cool. Either way, both voices Kenney provides is bound to make both kids and adults alike fall in love with them.
3 Pete The Cat (Kingdom Hearts) And Urdnot Wrex (Mass Effect 2 & 3): Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings has voiced a number of Disney characters over the years but he is perhaps best known to Kingdom Hearts fans for voicing Pete the cat, Maleficent’s loyal servant. However, Cummings also provides the voice for the more commanding and brash Urdnot Wrex, who is the leader of Clan Urdnot in Mass Effect should Wrex die.
Cummings may have a distinct voice, but much like with Steve Blum, it is hard to tell he is also Pete since his voice is pitched low to sound like krogan. Either way, the man gives an overall underrated performance to both characters.
2 Brynjolf (Skyrim) And The Medic (Team Fortress 2): Robin Atkin Downes
Brynjolf, the person who introduces the Dragonborn to the Thieves Guild, and the mad healer of Team Fortress 2, the Medic are actually both voiced English actor Robin Atkin Downes.
Brynjolf’s calm and collected demeanor with a Norse accent is in stark contrast with Medic’s mad German scientist. Downes may not be as well known as Troy Baker or Nolan North, but the fact he can pull off these two characters so well really goes to show how good his range as a voice actor is.
1 Mario (Mario Bros. Series) And Paarthurnax: Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet may not be a name most people know, but chances are gamers know the voice of Mario, the face of Nintendo. Who would think that the Italian plumber shares the same voice actor as the dragon at the top of the Throat of the World in Skyrim, Paarthurnax?
Though the two could not sound any more different from each other, they do have some things in common like their bravery for instance. Mario is always willing to risk his life to save Peach while Paarthurnax is willing to betray his people to free humanity of their enslavement. Martinet deserves a lot of praise for his commitment to both roles.
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