Japan's national treasure voice actress, Masako Nozawa, is best known for her iconic roles as Goku, Gohan, and Goten in the "Dragon Ball" series. Voicing all three generations of characters, she remains a pivotal figure in the industry at 88 years old, truly a legendary voice actress.
Today (July 9), at a special pre-screening stage greeting for "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" (released in 2022) held at Marunouchi Toei in Ginza, she unleashed a powerful "Kamehameha" with full energy. She also personally revealed her secret to maintaining such explosive vocal power, much to the surprise of many fans.
This event served as a tribute to the long-standing "Marunouchi Toei" cinema, which is set to close on July 27. This theater is Toei's last directly managed cinema and Japan's final "street-level cinema," having accompanied moviegoers for 65 years. Toei launched the "Farewell Marunouchi Toei" project, screening over 100 classic films for 80 consecutive days starting in May. "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" will be featured in the 11th week (July 18 to 24).
Hailed as a "legend in the voice acting world," Masako Nozawa is the familiar voice of Goku, Gohan, and Goten. Upon her appearance, she immediately greeted the audience by switching between the three characters' voices, showcasing her incredible skill and earning thunderous applause.
The event host remarked that despite the intense battles in the "Dragon Ball" series, "Nozawa-sensei is always the most energetic one," a sentiment echoed by other voice actors. She laughed and said, "I'm not intentionally energetic; I just can't sit still!" She also recounted how, during the recording of "Dragon Ball Super: Broly" in 2018, Broly's voice actor, Bin Shimada, was so exhausted after an intense fight scene that he collapsed in the hallway, while she was still full of energy and went to check on him.
During the event, Masako Nozawa boldly demonstrated the Kamehameha on stage, her voice incredibly powerful, much to the audience's delight! When asked if she practiced regularly, she candidly admitted, "Honestly, I'm super lazy. As a voice actress, I should practice, but I often slack off."
So, how does she take care of her throat? She made a surprising revelation: "Every day, after I shower, I just 'gurgle, gurgle—spit!' And that's it." This incredibly simple "secret" caused a stir among the audience, with the host unable to resist confirming, "Um... isn't that just regular gargling?" She confidently replied, "Yep! Gargling is all you need!"
The host shared an amusing anecdote: another popular voice actress, Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy's voice actress), once said, "Masako-san is someone who can unleash a Kamehameha right after waking up." Nozawa smiled and nodded, "Yes! She really did say that, and I really can do it! I don't need to warm up my voice in the morning; I just go 'Ah ah ah ah!' and I'm ready!"
At 88 years old, Masako Nozawa's voice remains full of vigor. Her ability to switch between three characters in a second and unleash a Kamehameha at any moment continues to amaze fans. It's no wonder people say that the strongest character in "Dragon Ball" isn't just Goku, but Goku's voice actress herself—Masako Nozawa!