Five Months in: Is Sabat the better Zoro?

Five Months later, who is the better English Zoro???

  • Christopher R. Sabat, bringing out the dry and deadpan Roronoa Zoro.

    Votes: 27 58.7%
  • Marc Diraison, 'The Golden Boy of the 4Kids adaptation', who suffered through horrible dialogue.

    Votes: 19 41.3%

  • Total voters
    46
Both had their good points but I prefer Sabat. The FUNi cast as a whole fits together really well so I have a hard time picturing Diraison fitting in. Diraison was easily the best of the 4Kids cast - that much has been established - but I think Sabat has a better handle on Zoro's character - a product of the superior script, no doubt. Zoro is a deadpan character who is always sleeping, so Sabat's characterization works better, I think.

I enjoyed Diraison's portrayal as much as was possible with his horrible script and the lacking in the rest of the series... but I prefer Sabat.
 
It's important to remember that Diriason said in a Shonen Jump magazine interview that 4K!ds and Toei encouraged them not to watch the original so they could put the points they felt the character needed into the dub. It's basically been confirmed (During Fullmetal Alchemist) that 1/2 the FUNi VA's watch the original and try to copy the character already established in Japan while 1/2 them try to put whatever spin they fill the character needs on it without watching the originals. That alone shows that the studios dub completely different, not accounting for the horrible script writing 4K!ds does with most dubs. It also explains why one character can have two completely different approaches.

That also solidifies how both are good parts for the job, but I still prefer Diriason's take over Sabat's take, though that may change as more episodes go along.
 
In my ignorance I realized that both portrayals are of two different characters. 4Kids' Zolo is very different from the character that both Sabat and the Japanese version portray so in a way this thread isn't exactly fair.
 
I personally enjoy Sabat's portrayal more for two reasons. 1. It's closer to the original voice and 2. I love the drier humor that Sabat's performance is providing far more than Diraison.
 
I voted for 4Kids, but I'm retracting it. As of tonight's episode, Sabat sounds better. If Diraison replaced him, he'd sound too much like Sanji.
 
Now that we have all had time to play through UA and movie eight or watch clips let's bring back this discussion and ask ourselves, who does better in fights? No, no, not those fights (although VAs duking it out at a con would be SWEET) but rather when it comes to battle grunts/roars/whathaveyou and attack cries.
 
*First post*WOOT

I say Steve Blum should of played him. He sounds exactly like Zoro's JP va. But, Sabat is doing a job to my liking, so it's all good!:)
 
Honestly, I like both guys...

Marc is a great voice actor, who really captured Zoro's personality. Well, when he wasn't forced to spew out awful puns.

As for Chris, he has come a LONG way since 1999. He's very talented and his Zoro is similar to Kazuya Nakai's (original JP voice actor).

HellCat said:
To be honest, whilst there's no doubt FUNimation has a great pool of talent, I do have to wonder if a majority of fans wouldn't just overlook anything bad they did simply because they aren't 4Kids. Anime fans can be fickle like that. It kinda reminds how there was this whole "4Kids turned Ussop into the comic relief!"...isn't he that 80% of the time in the original anyway? I've seen alot of clips from the new dub of Ussop freaking out. So, what? It's ok now because it's not 4Kids?

It's not that simple.

Usopp may be a liar and a coward, but he knows when to grow a backbone and fight when the time comes! However, it's like 4Kids refused to believe that such a funny-looking guy could be taken seriously, so they removed many of his character-defining moments! Most noteably, the scene in the Arlong arc, where he started crying when he realized that if he didn't fight, then he'd have no right to be in Luffy's crew!

Long story short, Usopp may be comic relief, but 4Kids turned him into a ****ing joke!

Back on topic, here's a video I found on YouTube, where somebody took voice clips of Marc as Guts, from Berserk, and timed them to footage of Zoro! Check it out, it's awesome!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qMUmWrFabGY
 
Sabat is getting better, but i think marc is still the better man. Now flame me all you want but i think his voice sounds like more of a pirate hunter too me. someone who seems eager to set sail and kick *****. But sabat is still good so im not complaining.
 

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