The dubs vs subs war has raged on for decades. Both sides stubborn in their staunch belief on how someone should enjoy their anime. Should they watch it as some believe God intended with the original Japanese audio, relying on the hasty subtitle work of translators to enjoy their Japanese animation. Should they instead watch it in their own language? That way they can focus on the action instead of flip-flopping between what's on the screen and the subtitles below it. It's a question that has plagued anime watchers for years now and has caused arguments, humiliation, and potentially even death (probably not!) among our fellow otaku.
Of course, the answer isn't easy. Both sides have their faults and merits that make choosing one definitive experience over the other nearly impossible. So for now, the war will rage on. Though CBR isn't about war, it's about love! So in the spirit of friendship, unity, and love of the medium, let's rank the top 10 anime dubs of all time!
10 Golden Boy
This was bound to show up somewhere on here. It's hard to deny that Doug Smith seems to have a lot of fun playing the protagonist, Kintaro. He enthuses just the right amount of energy into the character's voice. Every over the top line, every lecherous word, and even the serious scenes are performed with a gusto for the character that perfectly captures all of Kintaro's noble and dubious traits.
He isn't the only one with a stand out performance though. Laura Chapman absolutely kills is as Reiko Terayama. She perfectly captures her more elegant and wild sides and has a standout performance with a motorcycle during one particular scene. If you watched it, you know which one in particular. You pervert.
9 Full Metal Panic
Another entry in the series that has an outstanding performance by a male lead. Chris Patton plays Sousuke Sagara to perfection. Whether it be the perfect soldier or the fish out of water thrust into highschool, Sousuke Sagara is acted with just the right amount of undeserved confidence and smooth operator that is necessary for the role.
Though, Chris isn't the only one that gives a standout performance. The whole voice cast is filled with talented voice actors like Luci Christian as Chidori and Greg Ares as Shinji. Trust me, "it's not a problem" to watch this dubbed.
8 Ghost Stories (ADV Dub)
Ghost Stories is what happens when a whole dub goes off the script. Basically an official version of an Abridged Series, ADV thought that was the only way to fix the inherent problem with the series. The problem being that it was a dud.
Far from anything groundbreaking at the time, Ghost Stories failed in Japan and was set to do the same in the US. Then, in a desperate attempt to salvage this series, ADV threw out the whole script and replaced it with a gag script. Changing the overall tone of the show from a low-class horror show into a South Park-esque comedy with all the politically incorrect humor and pop culture references that could fit into 25 minutes. They were only required to keep names, exorcisms, and meaning behind each episode intact when changing the script, which resulted in one of the most infamous dubs in anime history.
7 Samurai Pizza Cats
Now we go from a dub that changed the script out of a desire to succeed to one where it was absolutely necessary. The whole process described aptly in the opening, "As soon as someone finds the script we might begin the show."
Unlike anime today which includes translated treatments, scripts, and bibles for the show, Samurai Pizza Cats came with either poorly translated versions of those things or none at all. Leaving the localizers a whole show they needed to make sense of. So they decided to improvised the whole thing, and that's how we got the Samurai Pizza Cats we know and love.
6 Dragon Ball Z (Funimation)
This one is kinda awkward to bring up at this moment, considering how audio of the cast reading NSFW material and saying homophobic slurs just leaked. Regardless, it is hard to deny that the voices of the Funimation dub aren't the first ones the English fanbase thinks of when concerning Dragon Ball Z.
The grunts, the screams, the attack names, and the occasional voiced lines aren't the only thing that really set this dub apart. It also comes with a rockin' theme song that has captured the hearts of many and replaced Cha-La Head-Cha-La as the official theme to many fans of the series that still Rock the Dragon to this day.
5 Yu Yu Hakusho
Here is another dub that has its own incredible English opening song. Though this one was more faithful to the original than Rock the Dragon, it is still just as catchy. An earworm that seems to pop into the minds of its fans from time to time.
That's not to say the rest of the dub wasn't a success. In many ways, the American dub could be considered better than the original Japanese dub. It added several jokes and in character lines that are absent from the original release that fit the amazing voice acting and characters, making this a treat to watch from start to finish.
4 Baccano
This is one of the rare cases where an English dub can have an advantage over a Japanese dub. Mostly taking place in 1930s New York, it allows plenty of its English speaking cast to bring out their best accents. Even having the occasional thug for that good ol' gangster voice.
Even beyond the stellar accent work, the script is just well-acted. Specific shout outs going to Bryan Massey who plays Ladd Russo with sadistic glee, and J. Micheal Tatum and Caitlin Glass who nail the over the top personalities of Isaac and Miria.
3 Cowboy Bebop
The dub for Cowboy Bebop is a classic and it shows. From the cool as a cucumber voice of Spike Spiegel to the femme fetale tone of Faye Valentine and even how the words of Jet Black seem to contain wisdom comparable to his age, Cowboy Bebop should be near the top of any dub fan's list.
Add that dub to the sweet tunes that permeate throughout the soundtrack of each episode, and you have the perfect accompaniment to those cool jazz beats that tell a story about how the past shapes your future and how its never easy to let go. Cause damn, baby! Those are the Real Folk Blues!
2 Hellsing Ultimate
Some of the lines still give fans chills. It's no secret that Hellsing Ultimate left an impression on many people who watched the dub. It's not just the excellent choice of voice actors like Crispin Freemon for Alucard and Katherine Gray for Seras Victoria, but also the enthusiasm and delivery in every line of the series.
One scene, in particular, being the part where Alucard battles Luke Valentine to judge his true worth as a vampire. The excitement, the bloodlust, the enthusiasm, that eventual descent into fear and disappointment in the scene are a true hallmark to what a dub is capable of.
1 Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Just like the original anime, the Brotherhood follow up really displays some excellent voice work. Each of the voice actors brings some believable voices to the cast of this fantasy anime. Furthermore, you have the fact that the setting itself seems to be loosely based on Europe during the industrial revolution to give the English dub more credence.
Unlike a lot of the anime on this list, there isn't just one or a few stand out voices in the cast, everyone equally contributes to an excellent dub as a whole. Which is something that really brings a dub to life when every character, major or minor, feels perfect for the character and setting
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