Hey friend! Terry here, resident tech geek and data analyst coming at you with an in-depth breakdown on whether Genji, Overwatch‘s cybernetic ninja, actually speaks Japanese or not. As a longtime fan of Overwatch, especially anything related to the Shimada bros, I‘ve done my fair share of digging into Genji‘s backstory and voice lines. So strap in as we slice and dice this topic together!
A quick recap on Genji
For those unfamiliar, Genji Shimada is one of the heroes in the popular team shooter Overwatch. Along with his elder brother Hanzo, Genji hails from the Shimada ninja clan, a powerful crime family in Japan. But after a violent falling out, Hanzo attempted to kill Genji, leaving his younger brother mortally wounded.
Genji was then rebuilt into a cyborg by Overwatch‘s Dr. Angela Ziegler, given a second shot at life. Though conflicted at first, Genji has come to accept his cybernetic body and joined Overwatch as a fighter for peace.
Now, as an instantly recognizable green cyborg ninja, Genji is one of the most popular heroes in Overwatch. And a big part of his appeal lies in the Japanese aesthetic and voicelines that reflect his background.
Behind Genji‘s voice – Gaku Space
Bringing Genji to life is the talented voice actor Gaku Space, who records Genji‘s voice in both English and Japanese. Born in Japan but raised overseas, Gaku is a bilingual voice over artist adept at switching between English and Japanese lines.
In interviews, Gaku has spoken about drawing from his own background to voice Genji, a character caught between Eastern and Western worlds. As someone fluent in both languages, Gaku relished the chance to blend English and Japanese for Genji‘s unique voice over.
Fun fact: Gaku Space has voiced a number of other Japanese-inspired characters like Kubo from Kubo and the Two Strings and Leonardo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He seems to have carved out a niche portraying animated ninjas!
Genji mixes Japanese and English lines
Now, does Genji actually speak Japanese in Overwatch? The short answer is yes – but not exclusively.
Within the game, Genji speaks using a mix of English and Japanese voicelines. Certain iconic phrases like his ultimate line "Ryūjin no ken wo kurae!" are in Japanese. This helps Genji stand out from other heroes and gives him authenticity as a Japanese character.
However, the majority of Genji‘s voicelines are actually spoken in English. Gaku Space uses an accent to pronounce the English words, but they remain English phrases. So Genji‘s in-game speech patterns combine both languages.
According to Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan, this mix was intentional to balance flavor and accessibility:
“We wanted to capture Genji’s Japanese heritage through his voicelines. But we also wanted to ensure players could understand what he’s saying in the middle of combat.”
So Genji sprinkles key Japanese phrases throughout script that‘s predominately English. This adds just enough authenticity while keeping callouts comprehensible.
Genji speaks in a Kansai dialect
Genji doesn‘t just speak standard Japanese – he speaks in a specific regional dialect. The Japanese voicelines use vocabulary and grammar typical of the Kansai dialect spoken in south-central Japan.
Some examples of Kansai dialect in Genji‘s speech:
- Using "ani" for older brother instead of "nii-san"
- Saying "wo kurae" instead of "wo kure"
This links to Genji‘s lore, as the Shimada clan is based out of Hanamura, a city within the Kansai region. So Genji speaks the Japanese of his clan‘s homeland.
Funny fact: Genji‘s Kansai accent is much thicker than his brother Hanzo‘s, which has sparked debates on Overwatch forums about Japanese dialects.
Key translated Genji voicelines
For those interested, here are translations for some of Genji‘s major Japanese voice lines:
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
| "Ryūjin no ken wo kurae!" | "Taste the dragon‘s blade!" (Ult line) |
| "Mada mada" | "Not yet" (Friendly) |
| "Okiro" | "Wake up" (Respawn) |
| "Koko de tamashī wo nagasu ga ii" | "Here is a good place to die" (Enemy resurrecting) |
| "Yoshi" | "Alright" (Ult status) |
| "Ureshii zo" | "How delightful" (Healed) |
So in heated combat, you‘ll hear Genji barking commands and quips in his native Japanese tongue. It adds to the ambience when Genji unsheathes his sword and starts chanelling his inner shinobi!
Compared to Hanzo‘s fully English voicelines
An interesting contrast is Genji‘s brother, the archer Hanzo. Unlike Genji, Hanzo speaks exclusively in English in Overwatch.
According to Hanzo‘s voice actor Paul Nakauchi, voicing the Japanese ultimate line proved difficult. As a result, they decided to stick with English for all of Hanzo‘s voicelines.
So this is another way Genji and Hanzo differ – Genji embraces both tongues, while Hanzo only speaks English. Fans speculate this hints at how Genji is more in touch with his Japanese roots compared to the wayward Hanzo.
Genji‘s Japanese voice expanded in Overwatch 2
With the launch of Overwatch 2, Genji has received expanded Japanese voice over. In the updated game, players can swap Genji to a full Japanese voice pack.
In this Japanese pack, all of Genji‘s in-game dialogue is spoken completely in Japanese rather than just select voicelines. So Overwatch 2 finally gives us Genji speaking his native language from start to finish.
Early impressions from Japanese fans have been positive. Native speakers appreciate hearing Genji speak more expansive dialogue in a natural way. And his unique Kansai accent remains intact, adding regional flair.
The bottom line – Genji authentically speaks Japanese
So in summary friend, while not every voiceline is in Japanese, Genji does incorporate enough of his native language to come across as authentic. Between the expert voice acting by Gaku Space and the inclusion of regional Kansai dialect, Genji‘s Japanese speech is handled with care in Overwatch.
And with the new full Japanese voice pack in Overwatch 2, players can immerse themselves even more in Genji‘s Japanese side. The expanded Japanese voicelines help reinforce Genji‘s cultural identity within the game‘s diverse cast.
So that wraps up my take on Genji‘s Japanese voice lines! Let me know in the comments if you‘d like me to tackle any other fun Overwatch topics in the future. Your friendly neighborhood tech geek Terry signing off for now!
