- Interview Date: 8/22/2025
- Interview Location: Anime NYC 2025
- Interview Format: Spherical Robin
Anime Nook: The rivalry between Seto Kaiba and Yugi is likely one of the most iconic in fashionable anime. How do you method the scenes at any time when they conflict?
Kenjiro Tsuda: Kaiba is a personality with robust psychological fortitude. Generally, he’ll be pushed right into a nook in battle, however he by no means offers up. That’s the mindset that I deliver to these classes.
Anime Nook: Do you relate to him in any manner when he has that mentality?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I believe he’s a cool particular person and I aspire to be like him. Whenever you take a look at his duels, loads of the time he’s on the shedding aspect, however in his thoughts he by no means loses. (Laughs)
Queens Gazette: You had stated that there are occasions when episodes are filled with consecutive duels. “The workers would ask us, ‘What number of duels are you able to deal with at the moment?’ They had been continuously testing our endurance.’ What’s the most quantity of duels you’ve carried out in sooner or later?
Kenjiro Tsuda: Most likely two was probably the most. I imagine that we may have carried out three. After two, the workers was involved for our well being.
Black Ramen Podcast: When choosing up a brand new function, do you learn the supply materials, or do you may have the manufacturing crew inform you about the right way to play the character?
Kenjiro Tsuda: For Kaiba, I did learn the supply materials as a reference. Nonetheless, the TV collection went on so lengthy that there have been anime-original episodes and movies. For the anime-original episodes, there isn’t a publicly out there supply materials. The supply materials is necessary to attract from when enjoying the character. What I treasured most is the way it felt when recording.
Anime Herald: Do you bear in mind the casting course of from Yu-Gi-Oh!, and in that case, are you able to share some ideas from that point?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I auditioned for the function. Again then, I used to be simply beginning my voice performing profession. I had loads of vitality and I used to be aggressive getting in. I believe the manufacturing staff loved that vitality.
The Pure Aristocrat: In the case of Yu-Gi-Oh!, what’s your most memorable fan interplay, at a conference or in any other case?
Kenjiro Tsuda: Many of the Yu-Gi-Oh! followers are actually on the market. (Laughs)
This 12 months marks the 25th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh!. I do loads of anime, and seem on TV. Once I’m on set, or within the recording sales space, loads of workers who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh! will quietly come as much as me and say, “I was a duelist,” with a childlike expression on their face. They see Kaiba in me. Having that interplay makes me blissful.
Anime Nook: Regardless of primarily being egocentric and specializing in his personal targets, Seto Kaiba sometimes helps out Yugi and his mates. Do you method these moments in another way than others?
Kenjiro Tsuda: To me, it’s the identical motivation. Yugi is Kaiba’s greatest rival. If Yugi loses, it’s the equal of Kaiba shedding as properly. He desires Yugi to be robust. That’s his motivation. To attain the strongest self, Kaiba will assist Yugi. The ulterior motive is to turn into stronger himself. The crazed enthusiasm to be robust is the attraction of Kaiba.
Queens Gazette: Why do you assume folks love Kaiba’s highly effective strains?
Kenjiro Tsuda: He’s such a robust character. Together with his charisma, he doesn’t care in regards to the guidelines different folks created. He creates his personal guidelines. From an outdoor perspective, he’s annoying, however while you take it to that excessive, it feels good to see him push the bounds like that. Followers admire that a part of him.
Physician Anime: How did you modify your method because the collection went on?
Kenjiro Tsuda: My method hasn’t modified. Nonetheless, ten years after the preliminary collection ended, I voiced Kaiba in a online game. One of many reactions on the web was “Wow, he aged.”
That basically pissed me off. Once I did Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Darkish Aspect of Dimensions, I actually gave it my all so I may negate the consequences of ageing. (Laughs)
Black Ramen Podcast: Would your first ardour be movie directing? After your success with voice performing, would you ever return to doing documentaries once more?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I don’t need to do one thing midway. For a time, I stayed away from directing and writing movies. Then, I spotted you solely stay as soon as, and life is brief. I’m within the strategy of writing once more, so possibly sometime.
That stated, I need to deepen my craft as an actor as properly.
Anime Herald: Whenever you first acquired the function of Seto Kaiba, did you ever think about it could play such a big function in your profession?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I by no means imagined it could. I believe it was considerably of a fated encounter. Taking part in Kaiba helped me develop as a voice actor. I grew alongside him.
The Pure Aristocrat: Understanding what you already know now, when you may return would you inform your self to do something in another way?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I’d inform myself that that is such a tremendous collection and it’ll develop rather a lot. Again then, I used to be nonetheless working at a component time job. I’d inform myself it is a career-defining function for you, so go full throttle.
The Pure Aristocrat: What was the half time job?
Kenjiro Tsuda: A lot of them. (Laughs)
(Editor’s be aware: There was a short dialogue about New York. This was Mr. Tsuda’s first time visiting New York. He famous Jim Jarmusch and Spike Lee graduated from NYU. He felt like Hollywood movie administrators had strain to be industrial, whereas New York administrators had been edgy and creative. “I’m interested in that. Being right here and seeing steam rising out of the manholes has been nice.”)
Anime Nook: If Seto Kaiba may see how fashionable Yu-Gi-Oh! is, how would he really feel about it?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I believe he would take pleasure in it. Kaiba is the type of one that pursues state-of-the-art expertise. Within the movie, he went as much as area. I believe he would in all probability be excited by AI.
Queens Gazette: How have followers who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh! totally different or the identical between America and Japan?
Kenjiro Tsuda: The identical. I haven’t had a lot interplay with US Yu-Gi-Oh! followers, however they’re in all probability the identical.
I believe that Yu-Gi-Oh! has such a multi-faceted attraction to the collection. There’s the story and the characters, in addition to the gameplay, and the expertise of accumulating the playing cards. The followers deeply love the collection, the characters, and the story. That’s one thing all of them have in widespread.
Physician Anime: Quite a lot of the time Kaiba is seen as an antagonist or rival. Followers love him as a tragic character. How do you painting that aspect of him?
Kenjiro Tsuda: Within the story, narratively Kaiba is usually portrayed as a villain, typically as a rival. He’s a supporting character. However he doesn’t consider himself as a supporting character. I believe that (Kazuki) Takahashi-sensei had a thoughts to show something destructive that he felt right into a optimistic factor. He mirrored that in Kaiba greater than he did with Yugi. Once I play Kaiba, I attempt to channel that darkish aspect that Takahashi-sensei had.
Black Ramen Podcast: The place do you see the Japanese voice performing business going within the subsequent 5 years and do you may have any considerations about [Generative] AI?
Kenjiro Tsuda: Historically, the Japanese voice performing business has adopted the outdated system of how issues had been carried out. I do assume we are going to see modifications in how the business operates. I’m the type of one that will welcome and adapt to the modifications. I really feel optimistic for the way forward for the voice performing business in Japan.
The excellence for drama, movie, and voice performing has historically been very clear. Nonetheless, loads of voice actors, myself included, have began showing on TV, and vice versa. I believe the boundaries are being damaged.
AI is such an advanced situation. Japan could be very sluggish to regulate legal guidelines and laws and adapt to issues like that. I hope we are able to pace issues as much as catch up. If there’s something I can do to assist facilitate that, I’d be blissful to.
AI can in all probability seize superficial issues just like the voice and the tone, however in terms of performing, it’s intrinsically human. AI will in all probability not be capable of seize the soul of a personality, so I’m not too pessimistic.
There may be a brand new technology that may favor AI voice and AI performing, like with vocaloids, however I do imagine it’s the human voice that may contact the human soul.
Anime Herald: That was an amazing reply.
I’m going to lighten this up. Do you may have any enjoyable tales from recording Yu-Gi-Oh! that you just wish to share?
Kenjiro Tsuda: All the recording classes had been enjoyable. It’s such a enjoyable place to be. Generally, Takahashi-sensei would come to the recording classes and we’d hang around afterwards.
Pondering again, the voice actor for Yugi, Shunsuke Kazama, was sixteen. He would present up for the recording classes in his college uniform. Having seen that, and to see him develop up and turn into an amazing actor in Japan is giving me loads of emotions.
The Pure Aristocrat: Between the TV collection, the films, and the video games, what has been probably the most difficult line to ship?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I’ve gotten used to doing this. Generally the IP will collaborate with clothes and merchandise. I’ve to say the product names in Kaiba’s voice. Generally I ponder if it sounds okay. That was the toughest factor to stability. However the remainder of voicing him has all the time been enjoyable.
Physician Anime: Now that it’s the 25th anniversary for the anime, why do you are feeling it’s so beloved?
Kenjiro Tsuda: I wish to know that, myself. What drew US followers to Japanese anime? Perhaps there was one thing totally different about Japanese anime.
I bear in mind the every day battle in center college. I’d go to the movie show and see motion pictures with James Dean and Audrey Hepburn. That was my escape from actuality. Maybe for lots of worldwide followers, it’s anime and manga that offers them that escape and happiness that they should face actuality once more.
If there’s something common, it doesn’t matter the place it comes from.
