Hello.

This time, the topic is game voice actors, and I wanted to write about some voices in games that have left an impression on me.

Even with screen actors, I am often surprised to discover that two different roles were played by the same person, but it happens even more often with voice actors, whose performances rely on their voices alone, without a face to recognize. With that in mind, I have gathered a few examples, focusing on MapleStory characters that have stayed with me.

Voice Actor Bae Jeong-mi

With Bae Jeong-mi, I came to the connection in the opposite order from the other examples: I looked her up after learning that she voiced Dorothy in MapleStory, and only then discovered that she also voiced Miss Goldenweek from One Piece. Miss Goldenweek is not exactly a major character in One Piece, but I had liked both her and her partner, Mr. 3, which made the discovery all the more pleasing.

Dorothy's only voiced line, heard at 20 minutes and 12 seconds, is performed by Bae Jeong-mi.

Of course, Alicia has a much larger role in the story, and relatively few players have cleared floor 50 of The Seed themselves, so most of you probably know her better as the voice of Alicia.

When the Update Information Center video covering the improvements to The Seed came out, I remember being a little hopeful that she might use Dorothy's voice as well, though, as expected, that did not happen. I hope we will have another chance to hear her as Dorothy someday.

Voice Actor Yang Jeong-hwa

I knew Yang Jeong-hwa as the voice of Keroro from Sgt. Frog, so I was surprised to learn that she also voiced Hilla and Verus Hilla in MapleStory, given how different those characters feel.

Hilla has a presence that is nothing like Keroro's, and when I heard her voice, Keroro never came to mind at all.

Francis, another character voiced by Yang Jeong-hwa, still has a hint of Keroro about him, which I find quite cute.

Voice Actor Hong Beom-gi

I knew Hong Beom-gi as the voice of Yuzuhiko from Atashin'chi, so I was surprised to find him credited with so many roles in MapleStory, most notably the Black Mage and Luminous.

The same is true of his other characters, but the Black Mage in particular feels so far removed from Yuzuhiko that I found it hard to connect the two performances, which made the discovery especially fascinating.

His roles include Luminous, who is closely connected to the Black Mage, and

Damien, who is a fairly well-known character in the game in his own right. Personally, I find it quite meaningful that he voices both Luminous and the Black Mage, considering their story.

He also voices Ergoth, who could be described as a little Black Mage in a sense, so those roles share a similar feel.

He is also credited as the voice of Grendel the Really Old, all 5 of Dunkel's subordinates, and Gelimer. Looking at these roles together, it is Yuzuhiko who starts to seem rather different from the rest.

Voice Actor Im Ui-ju

Finally, I included 카이, the most recent voice on this list, simply because I already liked the character and felt that his voice made him even more appealing. Beyond gameplay considerations, such as the generous rewards relative to the difficulty, many players have praised the character himself, so I hope we will see more of him in the future, perhaps as a playable character in a Special World, and have more opportunities to hear his voice as well.

Thank you for reading.