

I've always been wondering: why do female voice actors act for male characters
in anime?

For example: Mayumi Tanaka for Luffy, Takeuchi Junko for Naruto, even Goku's
voice actor (Nozawa Masako), etc.

When there are such good male voice actors (for example the ones for Zoro,
Sanji, etc.), why do the main leads get female actors?

Is there any specific reason or is it just the way it is?


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anime-production voice-acting
Is there any specific reason why female voice actors act for male roles in anime?


This is common for pre-pubescent male characters who haven't had their voice
drop yet. To have people voice male characters like that, the two choices, in
general, are having a woman voice them or having a pre-pubescent boy voice
them. It's a lot easier to find good good women to voice the boys than to find
good young boys.

From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_acting_in_Japan):

> Voice actors for child roles are sometimes selected from renowned youth
> theatrical companies, such as the Troupe Himawari. In most cases, adult
> female voice actors play child roles.

This is also not unique to Japan. Bart Simpson, for example, is voiced by
[Nancy Cartwright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Cartwright), who also
voiced characters such as Chum Chum from Fanboy & Chum Chum. Timmy Turner is
voiced by [Tara Strong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Strong). There are
numerous other examples.


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Your question is somehow related to this
[question](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/3259/how-common-is-it-
for-men-to-voice-women/3260#3260).

> Sometimes, an animated character is better suited for being voiced by a
> voice actor of the opposite sex. Maybe a higher voice is needed for a male,
> or a lower voice for a female.
>
> A common variant for this is for young boys, usually 12 and under, to be
> voiced by an adult woman. This is because real little boys' voices deepen
> when they go through puberty. Not to mention that it's easier to find
> experienced actresses than experienced prepubescent male actors. The
> producers don't have to deal with child labor laws that limit the amount of
> time a child can spend in a studio, either. Women are often able to maintain
> the role longer, as well, since their voices don't change like a growing
> boy's.
>
> There are exceptions, of course — sometimes an adult man or an actual child
> will voice a little boy. In films, this is the rule rather than the
> exception, as voice recording for a film generally takes much less time than
> for a TV series.
>
> And on a related note, sometimes, for comedy purposes, a deep-voiced woman
> will be played by a man.
> ([source)](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CrossDressingVoices)
>
> Also, female seiyuu voice acting as a male character is much more common
> than male seiyuu voice acting as a female character probably because it is
> easier for women to lower their voice's pitch than a man to make his voice's
> pitch higher like that of a woman.

As to why female dubbers mostly get the main role, aside from the fact that
female voices' are more flexible in acting than those of males', popularity
also is a major factor. There are many female dubbers that are also in their
singing career so it kinda boost up both the anime and the dubber's popularity
by having that person get a main role. But I think the flexibility of females'
voices are the main reason.


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There are multiple cases.

1) **Child _seiyuu_ (voice actors) are pretty much unheard of in Japan.** (It
is not impossible [for example, [Matsuura
Aya](http://www.theatre.co.jp/talent/178.html) voiced Kaga Rin in _Usagi Drop_
, which aired when she was about 10 years old], but most _seiyuu_ are at least
14 years old when they begin working [such as Maaya Sakamoto when she debuted
as Kanzaki Hitomi in _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ , a character of her own age]). It
is common to debut through audition or to complete a degree in an Anime Manga
Seiyuu _senmongakkou_ (technical college). Finding a young boy to voice boy
roles is uncommon. It is worth noting that **very young girl roles are
likewise usually played by adult women, not by young girls** (for example, the
younger sister Mei in _Tonari no Totoro_ ). When casting young girls or boys
in Japanese theatrical stage productions, usually 2 to 4 children must be cast
for a single role, because child labor laws do not allow a child to work more
than a certain number of hours per week (for example, Chibiusa and Chibichibi
in the _Sailor Moon_ musicals a.k.a. _SeraMyu_ and Rudolf in _Elisabeth_ );
this is also partly why it is common to cast adult women as young girls and
boys even in Japanese live-action stage plays).

2) Many characters in anime, such as protagonists of extremely long-running
children's series, are boys who have not yet hit puberty, which is when their
voices would change (for example, Satoshi in _Pokemon_ and Conan in _Meitantei
Conan_ ). Employing a female _seiyuu_ allows the character a high-pitched,
youthful, cute sound, and the **series can go on for decades without any need
to replace the voice (whereas if a young male had been cast, his voice might
break and become too low for the character).**

3) **_Bishounen_ (pretty-boy) characters** are often, though not always,
voiced by women. **In some cases, the fact that the character is male is not
revealed until a number of episodes after the character is introduced** ,
which creates gender-bending hijinks for the other characters who aren't yet
in the know.

4) **Characters whose sex and/or gender is intended to remain ambiguous** are
often given female _seiyuu_ (for example, Frol in _11 Nin Iru!_ and Alluka in
_HUNTER x HUNTER_ ). **Characters who switch sexes** are often given female
_seiyuu_ , which allows the same _seiyuu_ to voice the character at all times
(for example, the Sailor Starlights in _Sailor Moon_ or Dilandau in _Tenkuu no
Escaflowne_ ). In contrast, in dubs of _Sailor Moon_ in other languages, 2
voice actors were cast for each of the Starlights, 1 to voice the female
scenes and another to voice the male scenes. The benefit of the Japanese style
is to employ a single _seiyuu_ who can play the entire role as well as perform
the songs for CD character image songs.

5) As compared to voice actors in other countries, _seiyuu_ have a very high
level of skill and training, and it is a lucrative career. This valid career
option allows _seiyuu_ who become famous and beloved by their fans to continue
to work for decades (they need not worry about signs of aging as much as live-
action film actors do). Other than those with very low masculine voices, their
own age in real-life is irrelevant regarding what age of character they can
play (this is a reason that child _seiyuu_ are not necessary). _Seiyuu_ can
acquire large fan bases, and production companies will hire them partly based
on the **star power** of having their name in the cast (in other words, some
viewers will watch an anime simply due to the fact that a certain favorite
_seiyuu_ is in the series). Some _seiyuu_ have a wide range of character roles
they can play, others are "typecast" --- but in a way that fans know what to
expect out of them and it is generally viewed as a positive feature rather
than a limitation. As a result, **certain female _seiyuu_ are more likely than
others to be employed in roles of young boys or _bishounen_ , because they are
renowned for such work** and/or it's what the fans want to hear.

It is worth noting that sometimes Japan does the unexpected in terms of voice
casting. The female mother wolf character of Moro in _Mononoke-hime_ is voiced
by Miwa Akihiro, a male _seiyuu_ who is a drag queen with a low, deep voice.


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