Aug 20, 2026 4:47pm IST
‘Black Torch’ Voice Actors A.J. Beckles and Ryan Colt Levy Weigh in on The Sub Versus Dub Debate (EXCLUSIVE)
The anime industry is booming more than ever before. Total market value reached 3.84 trillion Japanese Yen ($25.25 billion) in 2024, according to a report by the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), and is expected to reach about $37 billion to $45 billion this year. International revenues remain the driving force, contributing 56%. Voice actors lie at the heart of
“Black Torch,” a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsuyoshi Takaki, tells the story of a teenage boy who can talk to animals. His encounter with an immortal mononoke (vengeful spirit) turns into a life-changing and body-altering event as he soon gets infused with a cat mononoke named Rago and sets out to stop other rampant monsters as a member of the Bureau of Espionage. The anime premiered on July 4 on Crunchyroll and has aired seven episodes so far.
A.J. Beckles, who voices the English dub for the lead character of Jiro Azuma, and Ryan Colt Levy, who voices Ryosuke Shiba, discuss the fantasy action anime in a conversation with Variety India.
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About getting into their characters as they start dubbing, Ryan Colt Levy says, “It’s very different than on-camera work in the way that we actually don’t get scripts ahead of time. We walk in on the day our session is booked, and it’s set up in the booth, and your script is there, and the screen is there, and that’s when you start working. So much of what we do is making sure that you are as trained as possible to be like a switchblade of different tools. You get used to diving into the essence of a character very quickly, because there is little time to get method with it.”
A. J. Beckles adds, “There’s very little prep time. We get the script when we are about to dub, so a lot of it is about trusting our director to make sure that everything is aligned, because they have the ultimate vision of all the voices coming together.”
Having worked on several anime projects over the years, Beckles says getting the pronunciation of Japanese words right has become an important part of the job. “We’ve been working in this field for a couple of years. We get to absorb the culture and work with people who are far more knowledgeable about it than we are. So there’s always someone who makes sure we get the pronunciation right. You have to train yourself to understand (the words) because you want to say it correctly.”
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Levy shares, “A lot of it is about making sure that you are covering your bases. It’s important to be respectful to the culture. So, whenever certain words come up, I get a little anxious and say, ‘Can I hear the reference 15 more times, please,’ to ensure that I get them right.”
Weighing in on the famed debate of whether subtitled or dubbed anime is the way to go, the two take a more neutral stance. Beckles, who calls himself a “self-proclaimed nerd,” wishes for a peaceful existence. “I don’t see the point in competing or arguing over it. We’ve never thought of it in that manner. We’re lucky that the work we are doing is having such a worldwide cultural impact. It’s a win for all of us because we get to enjoy this together.”
Both voice actors express an interest in lending their voices to an Indian animated project someday. Levy calls the anime industry a “worldwide group project,” and says, “I find myself listening to every single kind of dubbed version that’s available because getting to hear everyone’s different interpretations, no matter the language, allows us to learn and appreciate what they bring to the table. I’m on team everybody.”
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