These Video Game Dubs Might Just Convince You Dub Is Better Than Sub

It has been a debate that has raged on since the earliest days of international media coming to local shores. Is it better to experience through the language it was originally made in, or one that is adjusted to fit the vernacular? As time has advanced, this conversation has only raged further, with no clear winner ever to be crowned.

And with good reason, because there is no obvious answer. It occurs on a case-by-case basis, with some dubs feeling more authentic to the setting than even the original spoken language. This is of course a very subjective stance, and there will always be difficulty in translating all the nuances from one language to another. What makes these dubs stand out so well is using the dubbed language to its advantage in all regards, rather than a 1:1 translation.

Devil May Cry

Cheesy And Endearing All At Once

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence

Developer(s)

Capcom

Publisher(s)

Capcom

Engine

RE Engine

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer

Franchise

Devil May Cry

Platform(s)

PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

How Long To Beat

11 Hours

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Metascore

89

It’s easy to forget that Devil May Cry even has a Japanese voice track. In the early days, it was rare a Japanese game would ever release internationally with its original voicework, and thus was frequently dubbed over in English. As such, it wasn’t until later entries you could even hear the Japanese language in Devil May Cry. By then, the English had solidified among fans.

The thing is, the voice-acting left something to be desired in the first two games. Dante especially was incredibly overdone. Endearing, but not exactly exceptional. By Devil May Cry 3 though, the English went all-in. Dante became emblematic of a rebellious culture common at the time, and that personality grew across the games. Nero too, with his angst showing so well in English, and Vergil’s cool nonchalance.

The Witcher 3

You’d Forget Geralt Is Even Meant To Be Polish

ESRB

M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content

Developer(s)

CD Projekt Red

Publisher(s)

CD Projekt Red

Engine

REDengine 3

Cross-Platform Play

yes

Cross Save

yes

Expansions

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Franchise

The Witcher

Steam Deck Compatibility

verified

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

How Long To Beat

52 Hours

X|S Optimized

yes

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Metascore

94

Excusing the English of the original Witcher game, the rest of the series is packed with exceptional voicework. Everyone is incredible, of course, though praise must of course go to Doug Cockle’s Geralt of Rivia, whom you will be hearing the most of all across the series. His gravely voice is iconic, though even the most background NPCs bring the setting alive.

The thing is, dubs are so often seen as a thing done to Japanese works, that people forget every other game is not made in English first. Jacek Rozenek has been Geralt’s Polish voice actor from day one, and does an exceptional job at it. That said, the way English and its many accents are used to showcase the diversity of culture within The Witcher’s world is what makes it stand out so well.

Bloodborne

Technically, It’s Always Been In English Anyway

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence

Developer(s)

From Software

Publisher(s)

Sony

Engine

Havok

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

ps4,ps5

Cross Save

yes

Steam Deck Compatibility

no

Platform(s)

PlayStation 4

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

How Long To Beat

33 Hours

X|S Optimized

no

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium

This one is slightly cheating because from day one, Bloodborne has always had a English voicetrack. With Yharnam so heavily based on England, it feels a perfect fit for the setting. Manyof the voice actors even got extra input on their characters to make the accents, dialogue and direction of he voices fit the setting that much better.

The reason we acknowledge it as a dub is from the simple fact that with the Old Hunters DLC, a Japanese voicetrack was added to the Japanese version of the game. And not to call it bad by any stretch, but it pales in comparison to the original English voice-acting. It lacks the diversity of the voices, and overall comes off as more of an afterthought than a genuine way to experience the game.

Kingdom Hearts

That Disney Voice-Acting Does A Lot Of Heavy Lifting

Kingdom Hearts

Released

September 17, 2002

ESRB

E for Everyone: Violence

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

Cross-Platform Play

android, ios

Cross Save

yes

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

Platform(s)

PS2

How Long To Beat

29 Hours

X|S Optimized

no

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium

From the beginning, Kingdom Hearts was an absurd idea. Blending the worlds of Final Fantasy with Disney. That sad, with Disney’s pedigree of voice-acting talent behind it, Kingdom Hearts came with an exceptional English dub from day one. In fact, because of Disney itself being American, one would think that the English would be the original, right?

But of course, the game was made in Japan, and Disney films get dubbed there, too. So the Japanese voicetrack instead uses the official Japanese voice actors for these characters. Still, there is no getting past the nostalgic quality of these English voices, and it helps that Square Enix has always done lip sync for both the Japanese and English languages in the series.

Final Fantasy 12

The Diversity Of English Accents Really Deepens The Setting

Final Fantasy, especially in the earlier entries, has always been hit-or-miss when it comes to its English voice-direction. While FF10 was the first voiced game in the series and had a strong direction, all of the extended media suffered from more directionless voice-acting. So for Final Fantasy 12, a very specific idea was employed for the English dub.

The world of Final Fantasy 12 is a large one, with a lot of different people. So the dub gave different English accents to all of them. There is the more typical posh British accent, but then there is the accent used in Bhujerba, one that isn’t seen very often at all, and that is a Sri Lankan accent. Even the Viera speak with more Icelandic accents. It is a unique approach to use a variety of accents in English that are not native to the language to greater showcase the culture of Ivalice.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

It Can Be Hit-Or-Miss, But The Stars Really Shine

In general, and while it has changed in recent years, there is a tendency to dub anime-adjacent projects with a Standard American English accent, and for those accents to attempt to emulate Japanese mannerisms that do not exist in English. Fire Emblem Three Houses isn’t free from this entirely, but the moments in which it is, it truly soars.

The trio of house leaders especially stand out. Dimitri’s deep formality that shifts to a gruff mania as the story advances is excellent, and the confidence in Edelgard’s voice with a tinge of underlying fear sows a great depth to her character. A particular standout is Rhea, who is incredibly soft-spoken, yet takes on a much sharper, threatening voice when you disagree with her.

Xenoblade Chronicles

The Beginning Of British Voice-Acting In Videogames

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

4.5/5

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

Developer(s)

Monolith Soft

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Engine

XC2/Torna

Franchise

Xenoblade Chronicles

Platform(s)

Switch

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Metascore

89

It has become much more common in games over the last few years for English dubs to use actual English voices over American ones, and in turn using many more British accents than the Standard American one that is so often used. And who have we to thank for this? None other than the original Xenoblade Chronicles.

Due to Xenoblade Chronicles originally being denied an American release, the team decided to use a English voice cast local to Europe, resulting in the distinctly British dub direction. Being the base, it has remained for all the future games save Xenoblade Chronicles X, and had a massive influence on the industry, too.

It’s So Rare To Ever Hear Such A Variety Of Accents In Any Game

Metaphor: ReFantazio

5.0/5

Released

October 11, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Developer(s)

Studio Zero

Publisher(s)

Atlus

Engine

GFD

Number of Players

1

Steam Deck Compatibility

Playable

PC Release Date

October 11, 2024

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

October 11, 2024

PS5 Release Date

October 11, 2024

Platform(s)

PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

How Long To Beat

65 Hours

How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)

104 hours

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

81.15 GB

The natural result of Xenoblade Chronicles’ English dub can be realised in Metaphor: ReFantazio. For years, it has grown, though still typically remained as just English accents, none from the immediately surrounding nations. Metaphor recognises those accents, giving an English dub that is both more diverse in terms of voice actors, but also gives the world greater depth, too.

Characters like Junah speak with an Irish accent, while Grius is given a Scottish accent. In general, many more English accents are used too, with the Magnus brothers using a more northern Scouse accent. It drives the political message of the game too, with characters who are looked down upon typically falling farther from the more typical British accent used for the nobility.