Roxas' Voice Actor

[Sakide]

So, here I'd like to talk a bit about the Japanese voice actor of Roxas, Kōki Uchiyama. He supposedly voiced Roxas in all KH games, including II and 358/2 Days. Yet in 358/2 Days, he sounds completely different.

Here's a scene from 358/2 Days. When comparing the same scene as it appears in KHII, Roxas' voice sounds much more mature, even though that shouldn't be the case since 358/2 Days comes before II chronologically.
(And also, the games' release dates are "only" four years apart... Even if it is due to Uchiyama aging, I think it shouldn't be that much noticable. ;D)

They seemingly also let Keiji Fujiwara re-voice his character Axel in these scenes, but at least he sounds roughly the same.

And also when I saw the scene 闇の海岸 (Yami no Kaigan, "Seashore of Darkness") in 358/2 Days, I wondered if the other figure besides Xemnas is really Roxas, because again, he sounded way different, like an entirely different person. But maybe that's because I had other loudspeakers at that time.

What do you think? After all, they probably didn't change voice actors for Roxas in 358/2 Days. Still, it kinda sounds as if they did. This really confuses me. How can there be such an enormous difference? :biggrin:

 

[Hirokey123]

Outside of aging a similar thing happens in the english version and the answer I believe is the scene itself. While the scene is the same the point in the story it's presented is very different from one another. In Days it's presented as a massive emotional moment that the story had been building up to so everything is given more weight. In KH2 it's just a fleeting memory from Roxas, it shows us the moment they split but it's more to establish where their relationship stands for the player than anything.

You will see this happen in others scenes as well, and while the beach is one of them I think a more noticeable example is Roxas and Axel's spiritual goodbye. in KH2FM+ sounds much heavier and somber verse the Days opening where it sounds more chipper and the musing lighter. Which is sort of the point because in KH2FM+ it's this huge big emotional scene where Roxas and Axel say their goodbyes and muse over everything that has transpired to them, at least everything the player knows at the time. While in Days it's stuck in opening and meant to feel like one of their regular talks, something to set the familiar friendly day to day tone you can expect from the game.

 

[Sakide]

Yes, that's what I noticed about the music too. My actual point is that Roxas sounds much younger in Kingdom Hearts II. ^_^
Maybe it might also be to show that he is more "depressed" and vulnerable compared to 358/2 Days? I mean, he kinda lost his memories, at least that's what I think after 358/2 Days' ending. So basically after he gets out of that Simulated Twilight Town which I accidentally read about on the Wiki (if he does at all), he is like a new person. This is how you could explain it if you wanted to include his voice change into the canon. ;D
(But that still doesn't explain why the scenes that re-appear in 358/2 Days are voiced differently... Oh well. Let's just say that 358/2 Days is how it really happened, and the same scenes in II is how Roxas remembers them. Don't you know these moments when you try to remember what a particular scene from a movie you saw years ago actually sounded like, and then when you watch the movie again you notice it's far different from what you remembered it to be like? Well, the same thing happened with Roxas. Except the movie is his life. And this particular scenes probably happened only a few weeks ago. ;D)

I actually find Axel's performance better in 358/2 Days but Roxas' better in II. lol
Can't wait until I can finally see the whole voiced 358/2 Days experience, and then start with KHII! <3

Actually, I think I'll watch 358/2 Days right now. Screw homework.

 

[Dandelion]

Yes, that's what I noticed about the music too. My actual point is that Roxas sounds much younger in Kingdom Hearts II. ^_^
Maybe it might also be to show that he is more "depressed" and vulnerable compared to 358/2 Days? I mean, he kinda lost his memories, at least that's what I think after 358/2 Days' ending. So basically after he gets out of that Simulated Twilight Town which I accidentally read about on the Wiki (if he does at all), he is like a new person. This is how you could explain it if you wanted to include his voice change into the canon. ;D
(But that still doesn't explain why the scenes that re-appear in 358/2 Days are voiced differently... Oh well. Let's just say that 358/2 Days is how it really happened, and the same scenes in II is how Roxas remembers them. Don't you know these moments when you try to remember what a particular scene from a movie you saw years ago actually sounded like, and then when you watch the movie again you notice it's far different from what you remembered it to be like? Well, the same thing happened with Roxas. Except the movie is his life. And this particular scenes probably happened only a few weeks ago. ;D)

I actually find Axel's performance better in 358/2 Days but Roxas' better in II. lol
Can't wait until I can finally see the whole voiced 358/2 Days experience, and then start with KHII! <3

Actually, I think I'll watch 358/2 Days right now. Screw homework.

Keep in mind, that a lot of it probably actually IS age. The actor would have been 14/15 ish when II was recording, and four years is still a lot.

 

[Sakide]

Keep in mind, that a lot of it probably actually IS age. The actor would have been 14/15 ish when II was recording, and four years is still a lot.

You do raise a good point. Maybe I should've looked up when the voice actor was born after all. If it's from like 15 to 19, then I guess such a change seems only natural.
- Still, when I find a way to somewhat logically include things as these into the lore, I do that.

*continues watching 358/2 Days*