Blade Runner: Black Lotus boasts impressive casts of voice actors in both its English and Japanese versions. While the subtitles vs. dub debate may never be settled, those who appreciate each format can be certain that the first Blade Runner animated series is a high-quality production. This is not surprising given the talent behind the series includes Appleseed director Shinji Aramaki, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama and Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe.
The first television series produced in the Blade Runner universe, Blade Runner: Black Lotus is the product of a joint venture between Adult Swim and CrunchyRoll. Black Lotus is set in the year 2032, firmly between the two Blade Runner movies, 10 years after the creation of replicants was outlawed completely. The series centers around an amnesiac young woman named Elle, who exhibits amazing fighting prowess despite her apparent youth.
While Elle is an original character created for Blade Runner: Black Lotus, the series features characters who previously appeared in Blade Runner 2049. In some cases, the English Blade Runner cast includes the original actors from the movies voicing the same characters they played in live-action. Here is a rundown of all the core characters from the show and the actors who play them in both the English and Japanese versions.
Elle – Jessica Henwick (English) and Arisa Shida (Japanese)
The main character of Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Elle is a woman without a past and an uncertain future. Elle is voiced in the English version by Jessica Henwick, who previously voiced Alexia in Netflix’s Blood of Zeus and will soon be appearing opposite Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Resurrections. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Elle is voiced by Arisa Shida, who is best known as Ameno in the Japanese version of Naruto: Shippûden.
Doc Badger – Barkhad Abdi (English) and Takayuki Kinba (Japanese)
The first person to show Elle any kindness on the streets of Los Angeles, Doc Badger runs a pawn shop but has more than a few shady side-hustles. Barkhad Abdi, who played Doc Badger in Blade Runner 2049, plays the role once more in the English version of Blade Runner: Black Lotus. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Doc Badger is voiced by Takayuki Kinba, who previously voiced various characters in Tiger & Dragon.
Joseph – Will Yun Lee (English) and Shinshu Fuji (Japanese)
A mystery man who runs a junk yard, Joseph also tries to help Elle uncover the secrets of her past. In the English Blade Runner cast, Joseph is played by Will Yun Lee, who is best known for playing Dr. Alex Park in The Good Doctor, Sang Min in Hawaii Five-0, and protagonist Kovacs in Altered Carbon. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Joseph is played by Shinshu Fuji, who is best known for playing Percival Gibbons in anime Lupin the Third and Risotto Nero in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Alani Davis – Samira Wiley (English) and Takako Honda (Japanese)
Alani Davis is a rookie detective, new to Los Angeles, but more than capable of handling herself. In the English Blade Runner cast, Alani is voiced by Samira Wiley, who is best known as Poussey Washington in Orange Is the New Black and Moira Strand in The Handmaid’s Tale. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Alani’s voice is provided by Takako Honda, who is most famous for voicing Touko Aozaki in The Garden of Sinners franchise and Anko Mitarashi in Naruto.
Senator Bannister – Gregg Henry (English) and Masane Tsukayama (Japanese)
A notable politician with strong positions on replicant reproduction, Senator Bannister is one of the few familiar faces in Elle’s fragmented memories. In the English Blade Runner cast, Senator Bannister is played by veteran actor Gregg Henry, who was most recently seen as Martin Wexler in the Netflix action-thriller show Hit & Run. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Senator Bannister is voiced by Masane Tsukayama, who is perhaps best known for voicing Guile in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.
Niander Wallace, Sr. – Brian Cox (English) and Takaya Hashi (Japanese)
The founder and CEO of the Wallace Corporation, Niander Wallace, Sr. is ruthless even by the standards of businessmen in the world of Blade Runner. Brian Cox, who famously played William Stryker in X2: X-Men United and is currently known as Logan Roy in Succession, plays the elder Wallace in the English Blade Runner cast. He is voiced by Takaya Hashi, best known as Toki in Fist of the North Star, in the Japanese Blade Runner cast.
Niander Wallace, Jr. – Wes Bentley (English) and Takehito Koyasu (Japanese)
While he will go on to become the villain of Blade Runner 2049, in 2033 Niander Wallace, Jr. is a brilliant young scientist with dreams his father cannot grasp. Wes Bentley, best known for, among other roles, playing Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games, lends his voice to Niander Wallace, Jr. in the English Blade Runner cast. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Niander Wallace, Jr. is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who is best known as the voice of Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus Supporting Characters and Cast
Marlowe – Josh Duhamel (English) and Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese): Marlowe is a dangerous Blade Runner. In the English Blade Runner cast, Marlowe is voiced by Josh Duhamel, who played Captain Lennox in the first Transformers movie. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Marlowe is voiced by Taiten Kusunoki, who recently voiced Rude in the Final Fantasy VII remake.
Josephine Grant – Peyton List (English) and Yoshiko Sakakibara (Japanese): The wife of the LAPD’s police chief, Josephine Grant is voiced by Peyton List (Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo in Star Trek: Picard) in the English Blade Runner cast. She is voiced by Yoshiko Sakakibara (The Puppet Master in Ghost In The Shell 2.0) in the Japanese Blade Runner cast.
Earl Grant – Stephen Root (English) and Hochu Otsuka (Japanese): Police Chief of the LAPD, Earl Grant is voiced by Stephen Root (Bill Dauterive in King of the Hill) in the English Blade Runner cast. He is voiced by Hochu Otsuka (Signalman in Gekisou Sentai Carranger) in the Japanese Blade Runner cast.
Doctor M – Henry Czerny (English) and Akio Nojima (Japanese): A brilliant doctor and professor of medicine, Doctor M is voiced in the English Blade Runner cast by Henry Czerny, who also plays Eugene Kittridge in the Mission Impossible franchise. In the Japanese Blade Runner cast, Doctor M is voiced by Akio Nojima, who also voiced Marquis Halim Ondore IV in Final Fantasy XII.
Hooper – Jason Spisak (English) and Kazuki Yao (Japanese): A journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation, Hooper is voiced by Jason Spisak (Wally West in Young Justice) in the English Blade Runner: Black Lotus cast. Hooper is voiced by Kazuki Yao (Franky in One Piece) in the Japanese Blade Runner cast.
The Blade Runner: Black Lotus series premiere is Saturday, November 13.
