Fans of English-dubbed anime from the past few decades are likely familiar with the work of the late Michael Lindsay. Having left his mark on iconic franchises such as Naruto, Bleach, Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam, Akira, Dynasty Warriors, and Digimon, he left a big a hole in the industry when he passed.
It's the latter project that we're discussing today, with the recent release of the newest Digimon film, Last Evolution Kizuna. We had the chance to speak with voice actor Robbie Daymond (Spider-Man, Sailor Moon) in support of the film, and while discussing his character of Joe Kido, he touched on the topic of taking over the character and carrying on the legacy left behind by Lindsay.
We also learned a bit about the Digimon characters he voiced in the series, such as Ankylomon and Armadillomonando, the fandoms he was a part of growing up. Click the podcast player below to hear our chat with voice actor Robbie Daymond. We've also included our talk with fellow Digimon voice actor Joshua Seth (Akira, Power Rangers).
1m 39s Literary Joe: How did you first get involved in Digimon, and what your journey has been from your first time voicing Joe until the new movie?
1m 48s Robbie Daymond: I came in during the Adventure's Tri era because Michael Lyndsay retired. I was asked to audition by a studio that I worked with very often. The whole thing is a little bit sad because Michael Lindsay retired and then went up North to live life, and he passed away last year. Whenever you're taking over for someone that's either passed or sick or has retired, you feel a special duty to do it justice, especially in this circumstance.
2m 18s Robbie Daymond: I came into it knowing that. Thankfully for me, we weren't trying to do any voice match because the Joe voice from the original show had aged up ten years or whatnot. We talked about what we wanted to do, keep to the qualities of what he was like as a kid, and then apply them to the rest of the series. Unless they decided to use real kids, I would love a chance to take a swing at the voice that Michael initially did. I think that's in my wheelhouse. That's the kind of stuff I do, but who knows if that will happen, I'm just glad to play the part for now. I've enjoyed it so far.
2m 49s Robbie Daymond: The fans are wild and crazy about this stuff. I missed it. That was outside of my window, by a couple of years, I was a little too old for Digimon. Not the say you've got to be a certain age, but it wasn't quite in my pocket of what was on cartoons in the morning. I got to learn about it through doing the work.
3m 21s Literary Joe: What about Pokemon? Was that in your wheelhouse?
3m 25s Robbie Daymond: Pokemon and Power Rangers were things I probably shouldn't have been watching, but I was watching anyway. Those two shows had this stigma around them. I remember in elementary school, only babies watched them. Well, I was a big fat baby.
3m 56s Literary Joe: What did you think of, without getting too spoiler heavy, the arc in this new movie for the characters, and how it wrapped everything up?
4m 11s Robbie Daymond: Well, thankfully, I'm not in it very much, so I have no idea. I just played Joe, and he's kind of on the outskirts going, "do good guys! Got to study for School". I'm watching the movie in its entirety for the first time at the watch party this Saturday. I got to be an insider-outsider. I like to know what's going on, but I don't know what will happen in the movie. So don't spoil it for me!
4m 47s Literary Joe: Is there a specific DigiDestined or Digimon that you feel you relate to the most? Even though you play Joe, what do you think about the rest of the characters? Is there one that jumps out to you?
5m 1s Robbie Daymond: In this movie, I also play - I am probably going to butcher the name and lose all of my street cred - Ankylomon. He looks like an Armadillo, and then the little version of him and then the big version.
5m 22s Literary Joe: Tell me about that!
5m 24s Robbie Daymond: When we were doing the series, I was like, "Hey, you guys think I could maybe play a Digimon at some point?" and they're like, "we'll see what we can do." It was like, Joe has 12 line's in this movie; you get to be a Digimon. We listened to the OG, which they are across the board. Some of them are amazing, and some of them sound like some guy from accounting.
*This interview has been edited for clarity. Sister sites writer Comic Brooks and cosplay actress Darth Lexii co-host.*
Tai is now a university student, living alone, working hard at school, and working every day, but his future is still undecided. Meanwhile, Matt and others continue to work on Digimon incidents and activities that help people with their partner Digimon. When an unprecedented phenomenon occurs, the DigiDestined discover that their relationship with their partner Digimon will come closer to an end when they grow up.
As a countdown timer activates on the Digivice, they realize that the more they fight with their partner Digimon, the faster their bond breaks. Will they fight for others and lose their partner? The time to choose and decide is approaching fast. There is a short time before "chosen children" will become adults. This is the last adventure of Tai and Agumon.
Digimon: Last Evolution Kizuna is now available on both Digital and Blu-Ray/DVD!