Tokyo Ghoul Sub vs. Dub: Which One Is Better?

Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul has become one of the most popular modern-day manga and anime franchises. In this article, we are going to be discussing the differences between the subbed and dubbed versions of the Tokyo Ghoul anime series, telling you, ultimately, which version you should watch.

Although it ultimately comes to each person’s personal preferences, our objective opinion is that the subbed version of each season of Tokyo Ghoul is much better than the dubbed one. This is due to the fact that the subbed versions feel more authentic and natural when compared to the dubs. Therefore, we recommend watching Tokyo Ghoul with subtitles, rather than the dubbed version.

The rest of the article is going to be all about the differences between the subbed and the dubbed version of Tokyo Ghoul. We are going to bring you all the necessary information you need to compare these two versions and finally give our verdict on which one is better. Enjoy!

Why is the subbed version of Tokyo Ghoul so good?

The anime adaptations had its flaws, but the voice work was certainly not among them. The actors (known as seiyū) did an amazing job and what fascinated us and many fans around the world was the fact that they have so vividly interpreted these characters through their voice acting. Each seiyū did an amazing job with their character and that is, ultimately, what gave substance to the characters themselves.

Plus, Tokyo Ghoul‘s story is very much centered on Japan’s capital and the original Japanese language is so befitting of the adaptation that it truly feels so natural and so authentic, like it’s the only possible way of interpreting the manga on the screen. As for the seiyū, here is a list of the names that appeared in the credits (only main and recurring appearances, no minor or guest ones):

Is the Tokyo Ghoul dub good?

As it is generally with anime, Tokyo Ghoul was broadcast in the rest of the world. Some streaming services offered the original version with subtitles, while other offered their own, original dubs, depending on the country. The English (i.e., American) dub is what interests us here and we are going to talk about that version of the show in our article.

As far as the quality of the dub is concerned, despite the censorship the show went through when it was broadcast in the West, the English dub of Tokyo Ghoul is among the better dubs you can find out there. The voice cast was great and the overall direction was good. But still, something was missing.

What was missing from the dub is the authenticity of the voices and the feeling of the characters being completely natural. It wasn’t bad, far from it, but you obviously see that these guys were never intended to speak in any other language than Japanese. And while this isn’t the issue with a lot of other anime adaptations (most of them aren’t Japan-centric and can function anywhere in the world and in any language, especially if you adapt some names), Tokyo Ghoul definitely feels a bit artificial in the dubbed version and that is the only major issue we could find, beside the obvious fact that the dub suffered because of the censorship the show went through before being broadcast in the West. As far as the voice actors are concerned, these are some of the names that have been credited and their roles:

Verdict: Which one is better?

Now that we’ve analyzed everything, we can finally give our short verdict on the “clash” between the subbed and dubbed versions of Tokyo Ghoul. We’ve also provided you with two videos so you can compare the two versions for yourselves. The fact is, with such things, it most often comes down to a viewer’s own personal preferences. Still, based on the quality of the original version and the dubbed version, we can draw certain conclusions and here is what we have to say on the topic.

Although the dub of Tokyo Ghoul is far from bad – we even think that it is among the better dubs currently out there – Tokyo Ghoul is a very specific anime series that incorporates a lot of things that are inherent to Japan. This actually means that the original version feels a lot more authentic and natural than the dubbed one, despite the quality of the dub. Tokyo Ghoul is very Japan-centered and some words, phrases and names just sound better in the original version than when spoken in another language.

In that aspect, our final verdict is that the subbed version is far better than the dub and that if you decide to watch the show, you should pick the subbed version instead of the dub. But, as we said, it ultimately comes down to your personal preferences so we are certain you’ll make the right choice. We just hope that our insight was helpful in the end and that you’ll have fun watching, whichever version you pick.