Voice Actor Spotlight: Ian Sinclair

In the world of English Dub Voice Acting, there are few voices as iconic and recognizable as Ian Sinclair. I often play a game when I start a new dubbed series where I see just how long it will take for him to show up as a character, and often it is a very short game!

The face behind the voice! - Ian Sinclair

Ian Sinclair - Instantly Recognizable

Sinclair is an incredibly talented voice actor, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of his key roles that have stuck with me throughout my anime Journey. Over the course of my anime watching journey, he has quickly become one of my favourite "Hey, it's that guy!" Voice Actors.

First Highlight - Brook (One Piece)

Former member of the Rumbar Pirates, Brook is brought (back) to life in English by the voice of Ian Sinclair

The Soul King of the Straw Hat Pirates had to be the first name on this list, as the ongoing performance that Sinclair brings to this role is beloved by fans world wide. It takes real talent to bring the emotion to a character whose face typically should not be able to be expressive. If this swashbuckling, serenading swordsman could know how many people learned the lyrics to Bink's Sake (Bink's Brew in English) based on his performance, it would warm his heart and bring a smile to his lips... if he had them! YOHOHOHO!

Second Highlight - Choi Jong-In (Solo Leveling)

"The Ultimate Human Weapon" is the most powerful Fire Mage in Solo Leveling

Though he is one of the most famous S-Rank hunters in South Korea, he acts like more like a commanding officer than a mere hunter. Hunter Choi leads the aptly named Hunters Guild and tends to act as the chief strategist on S-Rank collaborative missions such as the Jeju Island Raids. Ian Sinclair gives us the voice of the Ultimate Human Weapon not just as one of the most powerful hunters, but also the deeper character of the tortured man who just can't walk away from the failed raids of Jeju Island, and the business man at the top of South Korea's largest guild. He is a man who revels in his own strength, but knows he is not all-powerful.

Third Highlight - The Narrator (Kaguya-Sama: Love is War)

While it is impossible to find a photo of a disembodied voice, his presence is felt in every scene!

Shuchiin Academy is host to a cast of characters vying to outwit each other in a game of love that should be Checkers, but they are determined to make it 5D Chess. We are guided through their hilarious antics by the voice of the narrator, who not only explains the "battles" with the intensity and booming voice of a very biased sports commentator who loves their job too much, but also can shift their tone softer to match the more tender moments, before getting angry and ranting at the characters for their shenanigans. The Narrator isn't just an exposition device, he is a character in his own right, and alongside the audience, he cares deeply about Kaguya and Miyuki and wants to cheer their victories and lament their defeats. Ian Sinclair's performance is one of the chief reasons why the Kaguya-Sama dub is my go-to example of peak dubs in this generation of anime.

RESULTS FOR TODAY'S BATTLE: Ian Sinclair wins.

Honourable Mention - Gabriel (The Devil is a Part-Timer!!)

The kind of man who responds to being called a "bad guy" by saying "I'm good, just look at my hair!"

I am not an emotive anime watcher, usually a comedy show will get a smile out of me at best; but the work put in by Ian Sinclair and voice directors Jeremy Inman and Sara Ragsdale to bring Gabriel to life nearly had me falling out of my chair in laughter. I had the chance to talk to Ian Sinclair about this role at Fan Expo Canada in 2023 and he was an absolute delight. He said that the idea that they went with was someone who "made cool career youth pastor their whole identity". Whether falling on his self-proclaimed "beautiful butt-cheeks" or proudly declaring that he would draw a sword on a toddler that is beating him in a fight. It is easy to get distracted by how goofy he acts and forget the sinister undertones to this antagonistic archangel. This show's second season dub really deserves an entire article on its own, but this is truly one of my personal favourite roles that Ian Sinclair has taken on.