New to anime. Japanese dub or English?

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Whichever one you prefer

Subs are better.

Japanese voice acting is insane.

The main thing is that only some shows get dubs made for them. Generally the most popular ones, so if that’s what you’re after there’s no issue. But if you wanna watch something weird then it’ll probably be sub-only.

Also people can and do watch some shows subbed and others dubbed depending on the quality of one vs another, how much they like the actors involved, etc.

If you want to watch it in English, then watch it in English

If you want to watch it in Japanese, then watch it in Japanese

Most of the time Japanese will have better voice acting, as it’s the original and they’ve been voice acting anime for longer than America, but each year English is getting better, so just watch whatever you want

Try both. See what clicks for you.

I watch anime in Japanese. It's the original language and I want to experience the work in a way close to how it was originally intended.

That's not to say that English dubs are bad. I've seen a few that were pretty good. It's just that the preformance can convey slightly different emotions and tone.

it's really on a case by case basis....most newer stuff you can expect a pretty solid effort went into dubbing and localization. anything from the early 2000's or before is pretty hit or miss and the dub is less likely to be of high quality. it's down to personal preference though and there have only been a handful of anime that i've switched back to the sub after trying the dub.

It totally depends on youd preference, how you watch, and where you watch. 


Crunchyroll used to have great subtitles, now they are shit like most other services where the subtitles are straight wrong or just not quite right. 


I usually prefer Japanese VA's quality and sound production tends to be a bit higher, but thats not always the case. Jobless Reincarnation I HAVE to watch in Japanese due to poor english va/sound mixing, but tons of other shows have great English VA's. 


Sometimes I watch trash and do t care abiut watching the screen 100% of the time, so English it is. 


Try them both, pick your side of the fence, but try to not to see it in black and white.

I personally watch sub because it gives me the most organic experience personally. Though there are tons of dubs that are just as good as conveying emotions and whatnot. At the end it all comes down to what you prefer. The average person is most likely to prefer dub though, since it's much easier to follow along, which also allows people to do things in the background while watching.

The only *objective* reason to watch subbed over dubbed is the simple fact that not all anime get dubbed, so limiting yourself to only dubbed means there are some anime that you simply can't watch. **EDIT:** Also, hearing/visual disabilities can make watching one over the other necessary for some people, but that doesn't apply to most people.

*Everything else is subjective and just people's opinions.* If a series has both as an option, I think you should watch an episode or 2 with both options and decide for yourself which you prefer, because it'll vary by series. But if you eventually decide to go all subbed or all dubbed in the end, that's fine too. It's your opinion, don't let other people's opinions detract from your experience.

Dubs have come a long way from what they were even 10-15 years ago. and a lot of shows will have them releasing at the same time now.

There’s an odd elitism with sub vs dub, tbh idk why. You’ll usually get downvoted on here if you don’t parrot the line that subs are the only way to watch.

Personally when I’m watching something new I watch the first episode both ways and decide what I like best. It’s probably about 50/50 these days.

But if they’re close I usually lean dub just so that I can enjoy the animation and what’s happening on screen more without having to worry about reading.

At the most you'll lose cultural marks that either can't be translated into English or conveyed easily in a character's line in an attempt to match mouth movements.

I prefer Japanese tbh because it’s the OG language but it genuinely doesn’t matter. If you watch dub you will be miss out on great vocal performances from Japanese dub but it’s easier to watch anime in English dub so do whatever you find easier

I'm not an English speaker, so I have watched dubbing in several languages as well as the original audio, and I can tell the English dub is not great. Japanese voice acting it's really in a whole different level than any other voice acting and you definitely will miss a lot by avoiding it.
But at the end of the day, if you don't want to read subtitles, go ahead with whatever is more comfortable for you, nobody should tell anyone what to do.

Always japanese, english dub makes it 10 times more cringe

Neither japanese nor English is my fist language but because when I've started watching anime tiu couldn't really find subs in my language I got used to see it in Japanese with English subtitles. And a lot of times if I'm rewatching something I'll go for dub then the third time the one that I thought it's better

I only watch dub but that’s my preference everyone prefers it there own way just see what works for you

Japanese voice acting is just better 90% of the time and the cast is closer to the project and how it's supposed to be portrayed so if you can then watch it in Japanese.

But if subtitles are an issue then it's better to watch dub than not watch at all. Plus these days I'd say 90% of dubs are at the very least good enough, if not amazing.

Just watch.

It's what ever you like better. There are shows I grew up watching in Japanese that I will only watch in Japanese with Dub because it's waht I was used to and experienced when watching it growing up. There is not one all be all, yes there are good dubs, and bad dubs.

Both have strengths and weaknesses, which I can enumerate if you want several paragraphs of reasoning.

But otherwise just pick the one you enjoy more.

Japanese is original and English is just copying it. You can copy the dialogue but it is difficult to copy the emotions of the original work but some VA's do give near perfect copy.

At the end of the day it's your preference which matters. That said if you can keep up with reading subs go for japanese, if you don't like reading subs go for English

Been watching anime for over 25 years - I've watched both dubbed and subbed. Here is my two cents on the matter.

Dubbed is great if you want to watch something without having to constantly refer to the subtitles to see what is happening - this can be especially helpful and worth it for shows that have a lot of plot relevant talking (Attack on Titan \[as an example\]) or shows with lots of action (majority of shonen such as Bleach or Jujutsu Kaisen \[as examples\])

Personally, I prefer watching things dubbed because I can both watch what is actually happening on screen and understand what they are saying at the same time.

Voice acting has come a long way so the majority of modern anime have great voice acting and the older shows, while not always having the same level of quality in their voice acting, have a great level of charm. There are also plenty of voice actors that have been continuously working in the field for decades so you are also bound to find some that you recognize in both old and new works.

The main thing you will find with watching anime dubbed is that a lot of anime will never receive a dub - most of the big ones that become incredibly popular will but there are always going to be shows produced that just don't receive a dub. So if you want to watch loads of things, you'll need to watch some things subbed.

you are getting a lot of non-answers here "w-w-whatever you prefer!!!!" like that helps

watch anime with japanese voice and english subtitles. dont give it another thought, you're wasting your time

Both are pain since companies are using Ai yo translate its been annoying and dub is alright but voice acting can change a character

Do you ever watch any non-anime (whether live action or still animated) foreign films or series? It's the same thing with that. As someone who always watches everything in its native language regardless of the individual language and individual medium in question, the dub just feels more removed from and incongruent with the original work to me, because they weren't the actors chosen and cast by the people closest to the creative vision of the original script/story working with the original director, etc.

And more seems to be changed in the dialogue - this happens in subtitling too as no language translation is 1:1, but it's typically even a little more extreme and detached in the dub version.

Subbed feels closer to the original also because you're getting a translated version either way, but at least with the original Japanese audio and English subtitling (or replace English with whichever your native language is, if subtitles are available in it) you're *hearing* the original audio beyond the non-verbal soundscape and music (and sometimes even music like intros/theme songs gets changed in dubbed versions) which feels like a fundamental part of the whole package if you're used to experiencing foreign works that way.

This is the dumbest gatekeeping Pandora box you opened. Watch however you want to

In Japanese you'll have more anime options; not all anime is available dubbed in another language, especially the older and less popular ones, so if you plan on watching them, you'd better get used to Japanese.

I say older anime is def better subbed, but newer anime has great dubs

you do you.

A debate as old as time. I watch both depending on what is available, hell some series I check out both versions (I've watched Chainsaw Man show + movie both in sub and dub.) It really just comes down to personal preference. I hate having to speak like this but unfortunately sub fans are incredibly biased on the matter and won't budge on their opinions on how "crap" english dubbing is. In my opinion its incredibly disrespectful to the VAs, we are long past the 80s which yes had terrible dubbing most of the time. Yes there are bad dubs just like there are bad subs, but dubbing has come a long way. A good percentage of people who tell you Sub aren't doing so to give you a better experinece is to be elitist and hold their noses up because they watch it "the right way." Ultimately its just what you are gonna prefer. I watch a lot of anime during my lunch breaks on my phone so dub also helps me not have to strain my eyes reading the text lol Funny enough, King of the Hill is pretty popular in Japan and the Japanese argue over sub vs dub as well. If you wanna check out a fun video about the dubbing an older anime and its influence, I highly recommend this 20 minute vid! [Why the FLCL Dub is so Important](https://youtu.be/QGiTZYrY34Y?si=N8hiR7s4XJeQPggc)

As someone who started watching mainly in dub, my reason was I wanted to actually understand what the people were saying, I wanted to hear the emphasis on certain words and not rely on italics in the subtitles. I also wanted to be able to focus on the screen and not constantly be reading. But what ended up happening was, my buddy wouldn’t even consider dub I couldn’t watch shows with him or we were both watching an ongoing anime, I’d had to wait a week or 2 for the dub, or in some cases months (some anime don’t even have dubs). He ended up showing me an anime that didn’t have a dub but I really enjoyed the first episode, so I watched it and realized it wasn’t that bad. Now after watching sub only for years, it’s very natural, and I much prefer the sub voice actors. Whenever I listen to dub it sounds sooo off.

Ultimately it’s up to you, but if you don’t want to bother with “do they have this dubbed” or “I got X spoiled because I was waiting for the dub” I’d say just commit to sub. Not to mention, in time you will start to pick up on certain words or phrases. I always enjoy when I finally connect a sound to a word and “unlock” a part of the language.

Edit: mixed subbed and dubbed

Try both, you also don’t have to settle for only one option.

It’s up to you honestly, there are some snobs who will be down on you for watching dubs, but Dubs are fine especially if you’re just wanting to watch and enjoy the show, I still enjoy the subs as some things get lost in Translation in the dubbing process sometimes and you get episodes quicker that way.

In the end it’s up to you as long as you’re watching and having fun that’s all that matters

The real answer is whichever you prefer, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Personally, I much prefer Sub over Dub, and that goes for all entertainment mediums. Matching lip flaps is an issue for example, either the lips don't match, or they change the way the English is spoken to better match the flaps, which affects line delivery.

Also, Japanese voice acting is often done in one room, with all voice actors present, so they are basically acting out the scene together, which leads to better performances imo.

Only anime I felt better dubbed was Big O

The only time I would watch the dub is on Anime with lots of fight scenes. I wouldn't get time to read the subtitles

We seasoned fans are just as useless at giving valid arguments. Me included.

That said, some anime might just not receive an English dub on release (and some anime don't even get/have English dubs).

Though I do imagine that most of the new and popular anime will receive an English dub.

It's personal preference.

If you like one more than the other then just watch that one.you don’t need an iron clad rule for it 

English dub means you don't have to focus on reading. If you eat while watching or anything else that takes your eyes off the screen, dubs are the way to go.

I prefer watching in Japanese with English subs, it’s a more authentic experience for me personally. I find the voice acting conveys the tone better too. Sometimes English dubs can come across as very melodramatic and completely change the feel, making some characters appear irritating, which might not be originally intended.

I prefer to watch all foreign content in its original language with English subs. Especially live action, which I despise dubbed. Lip sync issues and English speaking just provides an immediate disconnect for me, I find it hugely distracting. I’m fortunate enough to be able to keep up with subtitles and not miss what’s happening on screen, which I know some people find difficult.

Always best to sample both though and find which suits you best. It’s your chosen way of watching after all is said and done.

If you want the full dialogue as intended then sub is the way to go, a lot of misunderstanding based gags are set around two Japanese words sounding similar though most anime explain the joke with a written note on screen. Not to mention dialogue can change up based on translation issues and with sub having honorifics involved with the dialogue it can provide a better understanding of the relationships between characters.

Dub on the other hand can be of lower quality and just not sound right depending on the era the anime is from. Some shows do sound better in dub for example Dragonball Z and Attack on Titan (personal opinion of course). However in recent years I've had the opinion that there's no longer such a thing as a bad dub however there will always be exceptions to the rule.

Personally I usually prefer sub because I'm a damn weeb, however it requires more focus to keep up with the subtitles which isn't ideal when I'm doing my parental duties so dub has been growing in popularity with me.

My advice, watch a few minutes of the first episode in sub or dub then switch and decide which you like the sound of better. So many anime don't get dubbed due to a plethora of reasons but I still encourage you to check them out if it interests you.

At the end of the day it's about your viewing pleasure, welcome to anime.

I don't speak Japanese so it feels more natural to watch English dubbed anime. However I do watch ones in subbed if they don't have a dub available.

I started anime watching dubbed. After a point, I found that hearing the same VAs in English from one character to the next became an issue. The same level of emotion from one character in a comedy that was displayed by a different character in a drama became jarring.

The VAs in the original language didn't do that to me, even if the voice was highly recognizable. So. I favor subbed watching.

Ultimately, watch them in the manner that brings you the best entertainment. Try both.

You aren't going to receive some special award from a third party for choosing the "correct " way to watch a show. You won't win the internet by choosing the "correct" way of watching a show. So, receive the reward of enjoying a show in the format that you enjoy best.

Anyone that tells you there is a right or wrong way to watch them, please just picture Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons behind a computer, giving you a pretentious lecture. If Comic Book Guy's approval of the way you watch a show brings you more joy than your own preference, by all means pursue that approval. You've only got one life, so find that thing that brings you the most joy.

It will just be down to personal preference and how quick you read.

I’m used to subtitles and honestly prefer the more “authentic” Japanese voice acting, and I personally find most English VAs pretty sub par even as far as English voice acting goes.

I’d personally recommend Japanese dub with subtitles, but try both and see what you prefer.

And as others have said dubs are going to be limited in availability even if they’re more common now.

It's a matter of taste. In my case, I love Japanese VA while I don't like English dubs at all, so I avoid the latter. I also pick up some Japanese vocabulary and phrases while watching subs. See what works better for you, however you enjoy anime best is what really matters.

My preference is dub. I like to be able to look at the details of a scene more than reading text, and I don't mind small inconsistencies in translation.

The Dub and the subtitles are both localized anyways so I guess it just depends what voice you want to hear.

[The Boys but it's an anime dub](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-alVW-ldyA)

I've been watching anime for a loooooong time and something you used to find is dubs that completely change the character.  Some are notorious(ly funny) but lots of times it was just to make anime more edgy and "not your grandpa's cartoons" tryhard crap. 


Then there are times where the dub is actually quite good, but the streaming service has their own agenda and replaces the dubs with something inferior.  I can't in good faith recommend an anime I love the dub of if you have no way to hear the same dub that I did.


Then there's the fact that dubs don't always exist or sometimes only come out way later.


Dubs, when done well, make it a lot easier to enjoy the anime because you can just watch the show and not always have an eye on the text.  Sometimes the dubs are even (arguably) better than the original Japanese.  


Overall though, subs, meaning watching with original audio, is just way more dependable.  

I personally prefer the original language. English dub will miss a lot of cultural context and imho sounds very forced and unnatural to me, which breaks my immersion. This is also why I prefer to listen to Chinese films/donghua in Chinese rather than some Japanese dub.

Though I know some people can't be bothered to read subtitles or just want something playing in the background so they can listen to it, in which case English dub makes sense.

[Breaking Bad except dubbed over by the average anime dub voice actors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci8dIpNcyEY)

You'll never unhear it.

Try both and see what works. I got used to watching subs back when the source for anime aside from I think Sailor Moon at like 5am was fan subs on IRC/torrent. Subs also would include cultural commentary back then, which was fun to read.

For whatever reason, most English subs feel like they use the same two or three generic cartoon voices, while the original voices seem to have a broader range, but that's purely subjective. 

- some shows get dubs, but not all.

- those dubs are of varying quality.

- many currently airing shows have the sub air first.


Imho, I usually watch sub but it’s honestly a case by case basis. There’s actually a number of shows (Steins;Gate, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Cowboy Bebop) where I will straight up say the dub is better. There’s a good deal more shows where I will defend the dub as completely solid and respectable, on par with the sub. For example, FMA and FMAB, nothing wrong with the sub for those, it’s also excellent, but the dub is top tier as well. If a show has a good dub, I’ll try it out. If the dub runs me the wrong way, I’ll watch subbed. 

A lot of people wade into anime with English dubs, and the vast majority will then migrate over to Japanese dubs. Couple reasons: first, the voice acting tends to be better in Japanese. Second, there are tons of incredible anime that you miss out on by only being willing to watch English dub. The anime that are dubbed are like a lake and subbed are like the ocean.

At the end of the day though it’s really whatever you like and it doesn’t matter much.

I prefer subs.

I like how the voices sound. They tend to really get into it. Dubs can often seem kind of flat or off and not quite in sync with what's going on.

It also helps me pay attention. If I watch a show in English I'm liable to get distracted and miss half of what's going on.

Supposedly the translations are more accurate for subs since the dont have to match the mouth movements. Newer stuff doesnt always seem to matter, but for older shows like dragonball, I definitely watch subs. You can switch back and forth and sometimes stuff will be so different it changes the whole tone or actual story of what's going on.

Depends how invested you want to be in it. If you don't mind reading and focusing on the show it self, then i recommend jp dubs, but if you are busy and don't have much time to focus on the show and you need to multitask work, then En Dubs is best.

It's a long debate what is better, some people grew up with end dub and prefer it. But More often then not the Jp has better voice acting and acting direction, the exception being If it's a BIG popular IP that's getting translated to English . Japanese Seiyu's go through a lot just to get small rolls and act their heart out, while most of the time a lot of English voice actors are just looking to get some Credits under there belt to get into the bigger shows.

The way it was explained to me long ago was "Would you rather eat at a restaurant with cooks who cook like they are a Michelin restaurant Or at a restaurant with cooks who would rather work at a Michelin restaurant"

Personal preference, but here are some that are like absolutely required viewing in one language or another. Like, for dubs, I'd say Golden Boy, Cowboy Bebop, and Dragon Half are absolutely must-watch in English. But stuff like ReZero, JoJo, and Eminence in Shadow are far superior in Japanese. Check reviews when possible.

Depends on your personal preference, but there are some things to keep in mind

1. Not all anime get dubs. And if they do get a dub, it most likely won't receive one until after the show has stopped airing in JP. Though there are some cases where a show gets a dub at the same time the subs are released, or they're only a few weeks behind the subs. If you care about not getting spoiled and/or want to watch a show alongside a community (weekly for example), then you'll be better off with subs

2. The quality of dubs. From what I've seen, English dubs have gotten better over the years, compared to let's say 10-20 years ago. There's a lot of new faces and several veterans in the industry that you may hear across different shows. However, the quality of the voice acting isn't always consistent or even good. You might watch a show where there's bad voice acting, bad voice direction, or the audio mixing is terrible. You might also run into issues with the script, as some dubs have been known to alter dialogue. Jokes can also be lost in translation if they're not localized well.
With the JP dubs, the voice acting is of a higher and consistent standard. These VAs went to a dedicated voice acting school to perfect their craft. Of course, bad JP voice acting exists but you'll have to look deep to find something.

3. Dubs have the advantage of you listening to an anime in a familiar language, while with subs, you will have to quickly read what's on screen and then look at what's happening on screen, which might be difficult for some people.

4. Anime girls. Specifically, younger girls who are supposed to have high pitched voices (social, friendly, children, etc). You might watch a show and you might think the high school aged girl on screen has a voice that's too high pitched. Maybe you hate it and that's okay. For dubs, maybe the voice is more normal, or around the pitch you are used too. But you might also think that the high school girl on screen sounds too mature. Or maybe the VA in the dub is trying to sound youthful but they come off as annoying. This is something you have to get used to when watching anime, subbed or dubbed.

Personally, I watch anime subbed since I like to watch seasonal anime and I enjoy JP voice acting (I love when I can correctly guess the the VA that's voicing the character on screen). Plus I don't have to wait for a dub to come out and get spoiled.

You can always do some shows dubbed and some shows subbed. Or switch between English and Japanese dubs when you're watching the same show to see which one you like more.

There isn't a hard answer. Older people will swing English sub more often because even "good" dubs twenty five years ago are mediocre by today's standards, with only one a handful of the best examples being of similar quality to a good modern dub. 


Watch however you want to watch. Why do you care about other people's opinions? 

I enjoy Japanese voice actors more. Certain roles might be closer written to what each voice actor can perform. So you might have someone who has done 30 years of voicing particular kinds of villains and the director or producers know this so they can play off that experience. There are far fewer English voice actors with that much experience and are often not as carefully selected. That said things have gotten better with simulcasting and there's some union stuff that complicates things but generally most big budget stuff is going to be decent. Just choose what you enjoy most. 

Always Japanese

Depends on when the show was made, if you're going back to the '90s or before dubs generally aren't great.

For more modern stuff the dubs are fine, so it really comes down to the individual series but in general it's personal preference

Would recommend starting with dubs unless youre interested in learning Japanese. With subs you end up spending most of the time reading whats going on than enjoying the visuals. I generally prefer subs but personal preference though I sometimes have to rematch or rewind a scene to get the full experience

Your preference. Don't listen to anyone else. Choose for yourself

I like sub because it's closer to the original vision of the creators and because you never have to wait for it like you do with dubs. Yes there are simuldubs but not for all shows and in fact some shows never get a dub like Bocchi the Rock.

Not to mention I watch a lot of music themed anime and hearing English dubbed dialogue followed by the same character singing in Japanese a few minutes later, is very strange to me.

This is the oldest conversation in anime. It shouldn’t be hard to find a lot of discourse on the topic

I absolutely love Japanese voice actors and voice actresses, so I always prefer watching anime in the original Japanese with subtitles. Their voices, emotions, and performances add so much more depth that I wouldn’t want to miss. Sub over dub, always.

Either or is fine. Dub I like when bexuase I cant sometimes be distracted and I dont know Japanese. Sub i also use when the series is new and im impatient to wait for dubs. I go back and forth all the time.

If you really care about the experience, then watching in sub is the way to go 95% of the time. English dubs have to swap some words and tonalities and such to match the mouth movements of the animated scenes, which oftentimes messes up the original dialogue's intended meanings, emotional expression, etc.

That's not to say there aren't banger dubs out there that shine even in the face of some of these problems. For example, it's mine and many other's opinion that the dub for the Dragon Ball series is better because they do an excellent job of conveying everything that needs to be conveyed. My Hero Academia also has a great dub (the plus ultra speech in the fight with All Might vs. the Nomu is way better dubbed imo). Usually the bigger the series, the better the dub will be.

But if you're the type that really doesn't like reading subtitles, then dub is just fine for the most part.

It's all about preference. No one can tell you what you will like better than you.

In my opinion, dubs exist to not alienate newer fans. Most of what you already hear is in english, so if this one thing you watch is in another language, you might not want to watch it.

There's a whole sub/dub debate that's gone on for a long time.

I used to only want to watch dubs, now I'm the exact opposite, where even if the dub is good/watchable I just choose not to watch it. To boil down some of the differences, because the script language is typically written in Japanese and then translated, it can lead to some very noticeable differences in the tone of the story presented in the sub or dub versions. If you watch for a long time, you may pick up some words or prefer the sound of some VAs in each language and associate them with a certain type of character they tend to be casted for. It's hard to switch.

For me, when it comes to anime-like media, with video games like final fantasy, code vein, etc. the dub here is often times on par or in some cases noticeably better than the JP versions (like in final fantasy 16). Dubs in anime can be fun. I would really only enjoy watching some shows like infinate stratos in english because of the liberties the VAs get to take, but I also really wouldn't want to watch shows like Apothecary Diaries or JJK in english, even though some of the VAs are good, overall it just doesn't hit the same.

I tried watching black clover dubbed, but season one screaming asta was horrible. The English dub was much more palatable. Meanwhile, I was busy while watching konosoba for the fifth time and moved to English so I would be able to double task. The jokes weren’t as funny and the voices were just too far off for me. Give me Japanese magamine yelling explosion any day.

Most of the time, dub is better, both in talent and in dialogue. Big series, English is pretty close. Like Naruto, no real loss between the two.

Deeps honestly. I find a lot of comedies usually have pretty great dubs that are funny in ways the Japanese dub aren’t. Other wise big name anime’s now usually have good dubs, but if you’re not watching one of those two categories I’d say it’s usually good to stick to jape as dubs.

Japanese

SUUUUB

english

It depends on taste and how you decode communication. I personally prefer the native language because it better conveys the humor and emotions than the dubs. It really brings out the paralinguistics. For me, the english voices always sound too disconnected from the characters and too chirpy.

Depends on the anime. There are even series that have multiple different English dubs. Some easier to find than others. The scripts and actual voice acting vary between stuff that's faithful to the original characterization and stuff that just doesn't fit at all. Older dubs tend to censor more, omit entire episodes, and sometimes even "Americanize" character names. Newer ones (2010s-present) are generally better in my opinion and more faithful to the original Japanese versions.

I say just try some subs and try some dubs. See which ones you prefer. You might find that there's a certain anime you just want to play in the background while you're doing something else, so in that case the dubbed version is the better option. Subs demand your full attention or else you're going to miss stuff.

It's all preference. Don't listen to others, choose what you like more!

Honestly do both, there are amazing English and Japanese voice actors I’ve gotten attached too and are so worth hearing both sides.

The only big difference is sub has a much larger library of shows you can watch, dub takes longer and not all shows get a dub Due to licensing or popularity here in the west for a show being much lower than it is in Japan.

OHH!! watch ghost stories in DUB I demand it. it’s amazing if it’s your sense of humor.

It’s definitely controversial. Most people start with dubs because it’s more accessible/they’re not used to reading subtitles. People in non-English speaking countries usually don’t mind as much, as we’re more used to watching stuff with subtitles from a young age. Subs have a lot of pros though:

-More anime choice. A lot of anime’s aren’t dubbed, especially recent or less popular ones. Watching in subs give you access to all anime.

-intact cultural references and meanings. Dubs take a lot of liberties, they’re localizing more than translating, they change meanings, add profanities, they shorten or lengthen phrases to somewhat match lip sync, they’ll usually completely get rid of all the first name/last name/honorifics subtleties. For dragon ball, doesn’t matter too much. For more mature shows, set in real world Japan, you lose a lot. How do you translate a whole conversation about omitting -San? Or two teenagers getting closer and starting to call each other by their first names instead of last name? It would make no sense in English, so they’ll rewrite the whole thing.

-original voice actors. Animes are made with the Japanese VAs in mind. They have a more prolific VA industry that specifically studies and trains to voice anime, the studios have more control over who voices who than when licensing a dub, it results in just overall better quality voice acting that matches the intended tone better. Something like Violet Evergarden has a pretty well liked English dub, but if you compare Violet’s voice in English and Japanese, it’s a complete different vibe. One sounds robotic and emotionless, because that’s a big part of the plot, the other sounds overly sweet and on the verge of tears from the beginning, which is contradictory to the story.

You will never get a good consensus on this issue. For me it’s definitely dubbed. I want to actually watch the show not read subtitles the whole time. Plus, to me, the female Japanese VA’s sound like they are mid orgasm for every line and the male VA’s sound like 49 year old chain smokers. But that’s just me.

[well...](https://youtu.be/3KdkFvTiK7A?si=1P5dMMneUTyvESWy)

As I commented several times in this thread, a brillian Eng. dub was the mafia anime "91 Days". I don't see any cultural context being lost as it is set in a late-1920s town in Illinois. For the record, I watch lots of Eng. simuldubs and Eng. subs each year.

As I commented several times in this thread, a brillian Eng. dub was the mafia anime "91 Days". I don't see any cultural context being lost as it is set in a late-1920s town in Illinois.

Some points: I have 2 native Japanese co-followers on Twitter/X who like Eng. dubs of anime. I don't know if it is true or not, but supposedly some Japanese people preferred the Eng. dub of "Code Geass". Next, while I don't know well their vocal performance in Eng. compared to the Japanese, there have been a few times where a seiyuu reprises their role in the Eng. version. A notable case of this was with Carol in "Tomo-chan".

Whichever one you enjoy more. And its okay for your preference to change over time. Just because you start with dub or sub, doesn't mean you have to stick with it. Or you can enjoy both or enjoy them selectively.

I started with dub first back in the 90s to early 2000s. But late 2000s onwards I am mostly subs. Just to my ears, the Japanese audio mix and balancing sound better.

Some dubs I do prefer over the original Japanese is FMAB, Godannar, Hetalia, Hellsing, and a lot of 80s and 90s animes. Although the latter is probably nostalgia since I can enjoy them both in sub and dub. But with some other animes, the colorfulness of butchered accents does add to the character of the series.

Also Gundam (notably UC era like Unicorn, Thunderbolt, Hathaway's Flash ) is one I prefer to watch in dub rather than sub. Probably one of the only animes that I will specifically look to watch in dub for initial viewing rather than sub. I think what helps with Gundam outside of the setting is that from what I'm aware of, Sunrise is a bit more picky as to who gets to localize/translate or dub their works.