Breaking Into Anime Voice Acting: A Practical Guide for Australian Actors

You don’t need to be fluent in the Japanese (日本語, Nihongo) language to get hired for voice-acting roles in English-language anime dubs. The responsibility for translating and adapting the dialogue falls on the localisation team – a specialised team of professional translators, writers, and editors. An understanding of the cultural context of anime, however, can be extremely beneficial for voice actors hoping to enter the anime field.

Sydney-based full-time voice actor Aimee Smith has managed to break into this niche corner of the industry, working on shows including Dragon Goes House-Hunting,
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, and the Prince of Tennis series. She has voiced over a thousand characters across gaming, animation, anime, and more, and also offers voice-acting coaching services to others – including specifically in anime. 

In the early days, Smith says she “very rarely” came across auditions for anime on her talent rosters – and when they did come in, “it was specified that you needed to be able to attend their US studio, which I could not.”

By the end of 2020, however, Smith started to notice more anime auditions being open to remote applicants and more home studios being considered. 

“I instantly started taking some remote dubbing classes and took incredible care with those auditions,” she says. “By February 2021, I had been notified that I had booked my very first anime dub as a Teddy Demon in Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle. I cried.”

1. Start with strong acting fundamentals. 

Anime dubbing is performance-driven and emotionally demanding, so acting training – whether through theatre, screen work, improv, or voice coaching – is essential. The goal isn’t just doing voices, but delivering believable, dynamic performances.

2. Learn how dubbing and ADR actually work. 

Anime voice actors must sync dialogue to animated mouth movements, respond quickly to direction, and jump between emotional beats. Practising automated dialogue replacement (ADR), the process of recording or rerecording dialogue in sync with existing visuals, at home and attending dubbing workshops will give you a clear advantage.

According to Smith, you need to juggle timing on two fronts:

• When to start speaking: “This is triggered by three even-timed ADR beeps, and you need to start on the imaginary fourth beep.”
• The visual of your loop: “Ensuring that you’re tracking the mouth flaps, any pauses the character may make, and being aware of the overall duration of the loop as you’re watching one pass of the original language. This is imperative so that you get a feel for how fast, slow, segmented, or fluid your read in English needs to be on the next run to match it.”

3. Build experience in adjacent voiceover work first. 

Most anime voice actors don’t start in anime. Video games, animation, indie projects, and ADR work help you develop stamina and prove your versatility to casting teams.

“Dubbing can be really, really tricky. It triggers a part of your brain that doesn’t need to be as active in other voiceover mediums,” Smith says. “This absolutely differs from the audio-only mediums I work on, like audiobooks, radio advertisements, and e-learning.”

4. Create an anime-focused character demo reel. 

Your reel should highlight expressive characters, emotional range, action efforts, and clear storytelling. This is a key tool when approaching international studios.

5. Invest in a professional home recording setup. 

Many anime studios now work with approved remote talent, but only if audio quality meets broadcast standards. A quiet recording space with good acoustics is essential.

6. Network both nationally and internationally. 

Anime dubbing is largely based in the US and Japan, so it’s crucial to connect with overseas studios, casting directors, and workshops. Attending conventions (more on that below), following casting announcements online, and engaging with anime and gaming communities can help you get on the radar. Keep your eyes peeled for relevant voice acting jobs too.

Keep on the lookout for upcoming industry and community events, such as the SMASH! anime and manga convention in Sydney, the AVCon anime and gaming festival in Adelaide, the Animaga anime convention in Sydney and Melbourne, the Tokyo Alley anime convention in Perth, and Tasminé, a growing anime and pop-culture festival in Tasmania.

7. Be patient and strategic. 

Anime voice acting is competitive and often a long-term goal rather than an entry point. With consistent training, relevant credits, and a genuine connection to the medium, it can become a realistic and rewarding career pathway.

For aspiring anime voice actors considering reaching out to studios, Smith recommends having all your materials ready first. “I really need to recommend having a strong business infrastructure before reaching out,” she says. “For example, at a minimum you should have a character demo, some previous work booked, some training, perhaps a website, and a home studio.” 

1. Create a home studio 

“For any kind of remote voice-acting work, you absolutely need to have a home studio,” Smith says. “It doesn’t need to be expensive, but you do need to be vigilant in making sure your voice isn’t bouncing off the walls and that you haven’t got things like the washing machine on in the background!”

2. Keep evolving with the industry

“You can refine your space and your gear as you grow in the field,” Smith says. “For any kind of dubbing work specifically, I really recommend training. It’s hard to get booked as a remote talent in anime, so absolutely don’t just close yourself off to [other types of work]. Building your voice-acting portfolio in games and animation helps too.” 

3. Practise to ensure that you’re prepared 

“It’s important that when you get the opportunity, you are ready, understand what a live-directed session is going to be like, and you’re prepared for how fast they actually move,” Smith says. 

4. Network

“Make a great first impression [with industry contacts you meet], and they may call on you to come back for another show,” Smith says. “Back before I booked my first anime, I had taken remote dubbing workshops with Jason Lord, and he still runs them!”

These studios handle most official English anime dubs and are the primary employers of English-speaking voice actors, including remote recording work.

• Sound Cadence Studios (US) was founded by former Funimation directors, and the studio works on both anime and video games. Its titles include the Digimon films and The Prince of Tennis.
• Crunchyroll/Funimation (US) is the largest anime-dubbing operation in the world. It handles titles such as My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and Demon Slayer.
• Bang Zoom! Studios (US) is one of the most respected English-dub studios. It’s known for Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Sword Art Online.
• Bandai Namco (Japan) produces anime adaptations of games including Dragon Ball, Tales, and One Piece.
• NYAV Post (US) is known for prestige and performance-driven dubs. Its credits include Violet Evergarden, Your Name, and A Silent Voice. 

The average voice actor in Australia earns AU$83,000 a year. Entry-level voice actors may earn around AU$59,000, while those at the top of the ladder can make up to AU$102,000. Anime is a niche field, of course, and how much you can earn once you break in varies even more. 

In Smith’s experience, “specifically for anime, our guidelines are the US nonunion standards, which is US$125 per session hour with a two-hour minimum, as per CODA and GVAA standards. However, the GVAA acknowledges that there are many different dubbing studios that charge less, which many of us experience.”

Aussie star Cate Blanchett is renowned for her Hollywood roles, but she has also dipped into the world of anime, voicing the character Gran Mamare in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo. (Fun fact: The 2008 Studio Ghibli film is the eighth-highest-grossing anime film of all time.)

One of the biggest voices in anime for English-speaking audiences is actually Australian. Highlights from Scott McNeil’s prolific career include being cast as the original voice of Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z, Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing and Gundam: Battle Assault 2, and Koga from the hit series Inuyasha. McNeil was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and grew up in Vancouver, Canada.

Born and raised in Melbourne, actor and comedian Thomas Bromhead is another Aussie with a busy voice-acting career that spans into anime and manga. Now based in LA, he has leant his voice to films including Studio Chizu’s Belle, Studio Ghibli co-pro Earwig and the Witch, and the Netflix-produced series BNA: Brand New Animal.

Sydney-based Joseph Tetsuro Bizinger is a great example of someone who has landed speaking roles in anime and video games without pursuing a traditional acting education. Known online as The Anime Man, as well as his stage name, Ikurru Kamijou, the Japanese-Australian creator, musician, and voice actor built a strong following on YouTube, where his content focuses on Japanese popular culture. He has voiced characters for the series Pop Team Epic and The Art of Murder.