Original Japanese: https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0113012
MHA Voice Actors Daiki Yamashita and Yuki Kaji are filled with love for their characters! We asked them about the emotions they put into their acting
We spoke with the My Hero Academia voice actors Daiki Yamashita (Izuku Midoriya) and Yuki Kaji (Shoto Todoroki) about their feelings towards their characters and things they keep in mind when acting.
The My Hero Academia anime is based on the popular manga running in Weekly Shonen Jump. Season four of the anime is airing now, and the second movie just came out as well. After seeing the movie, the two of them commented, “It was a great final episode... is what it makes you feel (lol). I understood what they meant when they said Mr. Horikoshi added an idea he had for the end of the series to this movie” says Kaji. “You think ‘oh this!’ when watching. Honestly I was thinking, are you serious!? (lol)” adds Yamashita, speaking frankly about his thoughts.
The movie tells the story of Deku and the other students of U.A. High School’s Hero Department 1-A going to work as heroes on a remote island. Villains suddenly appear and they end up having to stand up against them as heroes to protect the people of the island.
Impressed by the Growth of Class 1-A!
The movie is filled with impressive action scenes of 1-A’s fights, and seeing how the characters have grown is surely a highlight for fans who have followed the story up until now. When asked about what growth of Deku’s to pay attention to, Yamashita says “There’s so many I don’t know where to start.”
“He’s really grown in how he controls his Quirk One For All. In the movie you get to see him using some moves from the original manga that haven’t been shown in the anime yet, and you can see a bit into the future. In the anime, Deku meets a little girl named Eri at the beginning of the hero intern arc and he’s still fighting to save her, but the movie takes place after that is all over, so I thought he’s probably matured some mentally too and kept that in mind when acting.”
“I think 1-A’s teamwork itself is really how they’ve all grown,” says Kaji, and Yamashita agrees saying “It’s really touching to see, isn’t it.”
Kaji plays Todoroki, Deku’s classmate and one of the most powerful students in the class.
“Todoroki was originally simultaneously really mature... and really just a kid. Ever since his heart was laid bare by Midoriya during their fight in the U.A. Sports Festival (season two) I think he’s kept his appeal as a character and the abilities and maturity he had up until now have started moving in a really good direction. In the movie, you see other characters depending on him and him depending on them back too. As the actor, getting to see glimpses of his teenage years I felt like “You’ve really grown, Shoto. You’ve really gotten stronger, Shoto,” it makes me feel like I’m his older brother or his father.
The Two of Them Have an Unspoken Understanding
Although Deku and Todoroki have a great relationship now, it wasn’t like that when they first met. The two voice actors reflected on their characters now since their intense battle during the Sports Festival and their confrontation together against the evil villain Stain.
“Todoroki-kun wasn’t looking at anyone in the class. He made eye contact with them, but there was a coldness there that made you realize he wasn’t really seeing them. He was so focused on his anger towards his father Endeavor, so stubborn and proud, but now he really looks at everyone naturally. I’m happy to see Todoroki-kun genuinely talking with everyone now,” comments Yamashita.
Yamashita comments that he found the season four moment when Deku is dealing with hard things and holding back tears in the cafeteria and Todoroki offers half of his soba to Deku particularly memorable.
“I think he probably spoke up because after having been through so many things together, he was able to notice the subtle differences in Deku,” says Yamashita.
Kaji nods deeply while listening to Yamashita speak. “I think Midoriya is probably the first friend Todoroki has ever made,” Kaji adds.
“There’s a lot about Todoroki’s life before entering U.A. High School that still hasn’t been revealed, but I think before entering U.A. he wasn’t thinking ‘I don’t need friends’, I think he had just never even realized the importance of having friends or relationships with people like that. I think his abilities and life experiences lead him to grow up faster than other kids, and maybe it looked like he was okay but... there were still some things he needed to work on. Midoriya created the opportunity for him to learn those important human things while he’s still at school,” says Kaji.
“And now it feels like he says ‘Midoriya’ every chance he gets (lol)” says Kaji seriously, and Yamashita agrees. “I think they’re really good friends! And I think that ever since Todoroki-kun, Iida-kun, and Deku survived that life or death encounter (The Hero Killer Stain Arc in Season Two), there’s an unspoken understanding between them,” says Yamashita happily.
Getting the Courage to Never Give Up on Your Dreams from Deku
Yamashita and Kaji have been acting as their characters since season one in 2016. Yamashita says one thing he’s always been careful about is that there is a foundation of “love” in Deku.
“Deku is working his absolute hardest to become a hero. But even more than that, he’s filled with love. He loves researching heroes, he loves heroes in action, he loves watching heroes and doing his best, and he loves working towards his dreams. I think his foundation is that he loves to work hard even if it’s tough, and I try to never let that falter. I believe that stance of his will never change, and think about that while acting,” says Yamashita.
Deku taught Yamashita not to give up.
“If Deku decides he’s not going to give up, he really doesn’t give up. He’s given me the courage to feel like it’s okay to chase my own dreams like he does. He’s a character that’s taught me not to give up and to simply believe in my feelings,” explains Yamashita.
On the other hand, Kaji says he pays attention to the tone of his voice when acting. He’s very particular about it, with the warmth and coldness like Todoroki’s half-cold half-hot Quirk.
“Although Todoroki has a hot flame power, at first he freezes over half of himself and pretends like he doesn’t have it. Now that the ice has melted, he’s learning both mentally and physically how to use his new flames and his ice. I think the tone of his voice changes before and after he meets Midoriya, but it also changes based on the depth and closeness of his relationships with the people he’s speaking with. It’s also important to balance his sharp voice when fighting and then his surprisingly oblivious normal voice. Just looking at the art in the original manga, sometimes you can imagine his voice going either way, so whether we make the line have a cold impression or a hot expression is up to me and the direction of the sound team. So this is something have to think about carefully and take responsibility for when acting.”
Regarding the movie, Kaji speaks proudly saying, “I think everyone involved with the film really filled it with their best work. Midoriya and the others go all out in their fighting as well. I think it’s an extremely MHA-like film.”
Yamashita agrees with Kaji, “The film is filled with a lot of really MHA-like scenes,” and reveals that “Watching the students doing their best to reach their dreams, seeing how they keep trying even as they get covered in mud, I really feel empowered watching them and feel like I can do my best tomorrow thanks to it.”
(Original Cinema Today Editor Misaki Koyama)
