Masako Nozawa

"As long as the Earth exists, I want to keep doing Dragon Ball with Goku."— Masako Nozawa, preview screening for Battle of Gods, Shinjuku Wald 9, March 12, 2013.

Masako Nozawa (野沢 雅子) born Masako Tsukada (塚田 雅子) on October 25, 1936 in the Tokyo Metropolitan area,Japan) is a Japanese voice actress and actress affiliated with Aoni Production. Her pet name is Mako. Her husband, Masa'aki Tsukada is also a voice actor.

As a voice actress, she is most known for the role of Goku in the original Japanese version of the popular anime franchise Dragon Ball, both as a child and an adult, as well as Gohan, Goten and Goku Jr.She is alo well known for voicing Goku's father, Bardock and Tullece. She has also voiced Tetsuro Hoshino (Galaxy Express 999) and Kiaro (GeGeGe No Kitaro, first and second series). In addition, she has also voiced two separate characters named "Hiroshi", a character in Dokonjo Gaeru, and the character known in the U.S. as "Pidge" in Hyakujuo Golion (the "Lion Force" arc of Voltron).

Anime
Leading roles in bold
 * Urusei Yatsura (Kintarō)
 * Oz no Mahōtsukai (Princess Ozma)
 * Obake no Q-tarō (TBS edition) (Shin'ichi Ōhara [first series])
 * Kirarin Revolution (Grandmother)
 * Kindaichi Case Files (Tomoyo Konta)
 * Galaxy Express 999 (Tetsurō Hoshino)
 * Hakaba Kitaro (Kitaro)
 * Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro (Kitaro [1st & 2nd series])
 * Kimba the White Lion (Gibo)
 * Casshan (Māru)
 * World Masterpiece Theater series
 * Araiguma Rascal (Rascal)
 * Tom Sawyer no Boken (Tom Sawyer)
 * Ai Shōjo Pollyanna Monogatari (Polly Harrington)
 * Tiger Mask (Takeshi)
 * The Mysterious Cities of Gold (Esteban)
 * Combattler V (Ropet, Oreana, Kinta Ichinoki)
 * Tsubasa Chronicle (Kaigyo)
 * Digital Monster X-Evolution (Dukemon)
 * Digimon Savers (Dukemon)
 * Digimon Tamers (Guilmon, Narrator)
 * Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure (Urara Nanjōin)
 * Hamtaro (Hamtaro's Granny, Roko-chan's ["Laura"'s] Grandma)
 * Dragon Ball (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z'' (Son Goku,Son Gohan,Bardock,Son Goten,Vegetto,Gotenks,and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball GT (Son Goku,Son Gohan, Son Goten and Son Goku Jr.)
 * Dragon Ball Kai (Son Goku,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Gotenks and Bardock)
 * Golion/Voltron (Hiroshi Suzuishi/Pidge, Honerva/Haggar)
 * Futari wa Pretty Cure series (Sanae Yukishiro)
 * Pokémon Advanced Generation (Masamune)
 * Sally, the Witch (original) (Tonkichi Hanamura)
 * Maya the Bee (Willy)
 * Case Closed (Furuyo Senma)
 * Shugo Chara! Shugo Chara!! Doki - (Maruyama Haruki [episode 75])
 * La Seine no Hoshi (Danton)
 * Kaibutsu-kun (TV 1980) (Tarō Kaibutsu)
 * Dororon Enma-kun (Enma-kun)
 * Tsurikichi Sampei (Sampei)
 * Love Get Chu (Takemiya-sensei)
 * Space Girls (Tatsuo)
 * Love Hina (Hina Urashima)
 * Ohayō! Spank series (Spank; 2s voice)
 * Rockman EXE Beast+ (Electel Mama)
 * Mirmo! (Kinta)
 * One Piece (Doctor Kureha)
 * Ginga Hyōryū Vifam series (Kentsu Norton)
 * Attack No.1 (Tonan high school captain Higaki)
 * Cross Game (Nomo)
 * Calimero (Buta)

Anime Films

 * Galaxy Express 999 (Tetsurō Hoshino)
 * Flying Phantom Ship (Hayato)
 * Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers (Guilmon)
 * Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon (Guilmon)
 * Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball: The Path to Power (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone'' (Son Goku,Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : The World's Strongest (Son Goku,Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : The Tree of Might (Son Goku,Son Gohan and Tullece)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Lord Slug (Son Goku,Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Cooler's Revenge (Son Goku,Son Gohan,Bardock)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Return of Cooler (Son Goku,Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Super Android 13! (Son Goku, Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (Son Goku, and Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Bojack Unbound (Son Gohan,and Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Broly - Second Coming (Son Goten, Son Gohan, and Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Bio-Broly (Son Goten,and Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Fusion Reborn (Son Goku,Son Gohan, Son Goten,Gotenks and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Wrath of the Dragon (Son Goku,Son Gohan , andSon Goten)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Bardock - The Father of Goku (Bardock and Son Goku/Kakarotto)
 * Dragon Ball Z : The History of Trunks (Future Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans'' (Son Goku,Son Gohan and Tullece)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return! (Son Goku,Son Gohan,Son Goten and Gotenks)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Battle of the Gods (Son Goku, Son Gohan,Son Goten, and Gotenks''')
 * Dragon Ball GT : A Hero's Legacy (Son Goku Jr, and Son Goku)
 * Nobita's Adventure: Drifts in the Universe (Rogu)
 * Tokyo Pig (Wenworth)
 * Digimon X-Evolution (Dukemon)
 * Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart (Round, Sanae Yukishiro)
 * Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart 2: Yukizora no Tomodachi (Muta, Sanae Yukishiro)
 * Toriko, One Piece and Dragon Ball Z Collabration Special (Son Goku, Son Gohan, Son Goten and Gotenks)

Video Games

 * Digimon : Rumble arena - (Guilmon/Gallantmon)
 * Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout - (Son Goku (adult and Child),Son Gohan, and Vegito)
 * Super Dragon Ball Z - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan (Pre-teen and Teenager)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Budokai - Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan (Young,Pre-teen and Teenager)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Budokai 2 - (Son Goku/Kakarrotto',Son Gohan',Son Goten,Gokule,Gotenks, and Vegito)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Budokai 3 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Vegito,Gogeta and Gotenks)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Budokai Tenkaichi - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Gotenks,Vegito and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Tullece,Gotenks,Vegito and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Budokai Tenkaichi 3 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Tullece,Gotenks,Vegito,Future Son Gohan and Gogeta')
 * Dragon Ball Z : Burst Limit - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,and Bardock)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Hyper Dimension - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Gotenks and Vegito)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Infitnite World - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Vegito,Gogeta,Gotenks and Bardock)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Shin Budokai - Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Gotenks, and Vegito)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Shin Budoaki Another World - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Future Son Gohan, Vegito,Gotenks,Gogeta and Bardock)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Super Butoden - (Son Goku/Kakarotto and Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Super Butoden 2 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto and Son Gohan)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Super Sonic Warriors - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan and Gotenks)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Tenkaichi Tag Team - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Gotenks,Vegito and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Ultimate Battle 22 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Goten,Gotenks,Vegito, and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Ultimate Tenkaichi - (Son Goku/Kakarotto,Son Gohan,Son Geten,Gotenks,Bardock,Vegito, and Gogeta)
 * Dragon Ball : Origins - Son Goku/Kakarotto
 * Dragon Ball : Origins 2 - (Son Goku/Kakarotto)
 * Draon Ball : Raging Blast - (Son Goku/Kakarotto, Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Gogeta,Vegito and Gotenks)
 * Dragon Ball : Raging Blast 2 (SonGoku/Kakarotto, Son Gohan,Son Goten,Bardock,Tullece,Gogeta,Vegito, Future Son Gohan and Gotenks )
 * Dragon Ball : Revenge of King Piccolo - (Son Goku)
 * Dragon Ball Z : Battle of Z - (Son Goku/Kakarrotto, Son Gohan, Son Goten, Bardock and Gotenks)
 * Kingdom of Hearts 2 - ('Merryweather)'
 * Kingdom Of Hearts : Birth by Sleep - (Merryweather)
 * One Piece : Pirate Warriors - (Dr, Kureha)

Knownable Roles

 * Son Goku/Kakarotto (all his appearances)


 * Son Gohan (all his appearances)


 * Son Goten (all his appearances)


 * Bardock


 * Son Goku Jr. (all his appearances)


 * Tullece


 * Vegito


 * Gotenks


 * Future Son Gohan


 * Guilmon


 * Tetsuro Hoshino


 * Doug Funnie
 * Dr.Kureha

Dub Roles

 * The Goonies (TV edition) (Clark a.k.a. "Mouth")
 * The Lion King 1½ (Timon's mother)
 * The Poseidon Adventure (Robin Shelby)
 * Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Short-Round)
 * Sleeping Beauty (1959 film) (Merriweather)
 * Switch (Maggie Philbin)
 * Nickelodeon's Doug (Doug Funnie)
 * Richie Rich (film) (Richie)

Quotes
"As long as the Earth exists, I want to keep doing Dragon Ball with Goku."

"Goku and I are actually “equal”

Dragon Ball GT

"When Goku is done fighting and he's riding on Shenron; when he says, "It's warm....". The meaning is that Goku is leaving the mortal life and going to God's world, however, they (the writers) never say that he died. That was good. He went there and continued to train."

"To me, I don't think the last 12 years have ended yet. DragonBall and Goku are still a part of my life and will forever be a part of my life. We will live together, and move on together. This is an extrodinary powerful feeling and it will forever stay in my heart. Thinking about it now, 12 years sure went away quickly. "

"Um...this is certainly a hard question to answer (smiles). I still find Gokou with a tail the most attractive and the cutest. Even though Gokou has grown from a kid to an, but his personality, and his inner-self has never changed. Thus, there isn't really a specific part I like about Gokou, I like Goku as a whole."

"Yeah, of course. Actually, I remember once when I was on the monorail on my way back home, there was a young married couple with their son sitting opposite me. They greeted me and told me that their son is a huge fan of Gokou and they asked me if I could say Gokou's famous line "Kamehameha" for their son. I thought about it and said to myself, if I did do a "Kamehameha", I might scared all the people on the monorail, and it might give the others a bad impression of Gokou. I had to refuse at the end, and the child was a little disappointed."

"I have received a letter from an elderly lady and in her letter she wrote she loves watching DragonBall with her grandchildren. She wrote that she never misses an episode. So I guess DragonBall isn't just for kids and teenagers afterall!"

"Have you ever had any regrets of doing the voice of Goku?"

Masako Nozawa :"Absolutely not!"

"What was the atmosphere like in the recording studio?"

Masako Nozawa: "It was just great. The people I work with for so long, instead of calling them by their real names, I just refer them with the corresponding DragonBall character's name. It was just great working with such a wonderful team of people."

"Any last words for the DragonBall fans before we end the interview?"

Masako Nozawa: "I like to say thank you to all the DragonBall fans around the world. Please do not think as if DragonBall has finished and Gokou will not be back again. I believe Gokou will be back. I know that one day, doesn't matter how long I have to wait, but I know Gokou will be back with us again."

Dragon Ball Z Kai

“Dragon Ball Kai” (“Kai” from here on out) certainly develops at an incredibly fast rate. It really surprised me!! For instance, Goku is already dead by episode 3! It made me wonder what kind of a beginning this was. But things are progressing rapidly in the world today, so perhaps this kind of tempo is a good thing. In “Dragon Ball Z”, just gathering ki would be dragged out over 3 weeks, while in “Kai”, I can fire right away! I think only “Kai” has that sort of compactness."

"Speaking of the advantages of “Kai”, when doing post-recording I can see the images for every scene. This allows me to more naturally perform the mid-battle banter, which is the best part of the “Dragon Ball” series, and makes it easy for me to put some real force into it. And my chemistry with everyone during post-recording is great! There’s been no letup in performing Goku for the games and other jobs like that, so from the first post-recording session, while I didn’t get a feeling of “it’s been so long”, I didn’t feel out of place either. While in “Kai” right now I’m performing Goku, Gohan, as well as Goku’s father Bardock in episode 11, I’m not really conscious of switching between roles. For example, even when performing a scene where Goku is fighting and Gohan is crying, there are two switches in my head for “Goku” and “Gohan”, and I picture myself naturally switching between them. In particular, I never have to get myself ready if Gohan’s crying scene is next. In this way I can make the flow of my lines even smoother. So in this sense, the pictures being already done in time for post-recording makes acting easier."

"Me, I really love Goku. No matter what kind of pinch he’s in, he never gives up, and protects everyone with all of his strength! I’ve been privileged to perform many heroes like that, but Goku stands out! I think people who use their power for others are really something. Gohan’s like that too. He’s a good little kid, without any snottiness to him, so he’s almost like a representative of all children. I mean, he was able to change Piccolo’s personality, when Piccolo was such an evil guy! He was still only five during the battle with Vegeta. Though he was a real crybaby at first, he turned out just fine (laughs). I think part of the appeal of “Kai” is how Gohan, unaware of the power he has, grows strong through his training with Piccolo and the battles on Planet Namek. As we recorded things this time around, I thought again about how unforgivable Vegeta is (laughs). I can empathize with Goku and Gohan no matter what, but Vegeta is always hard. Ryō Horikawa-kun, who plays him, says that it feels good, but that sort of cruelty really gets to me (laughs). I just thought “Damn!” to myself whenever doing post-recording for times like when Vegeta attacks Goku even though Goku is all beat up. I think everyone watching the TV broadcasts already knows about this, but when it looks like Kuririn is going to finish off Vegeta2, Goku stops him. The week after we recorded that, Mayumi Tanaka-chan (who plays Kuririn), and Hiromi Tsuru-chan (who plays Bulma), both said to me, “Mako-san! Why did you let Vegeta get away?!” I told them that it wasn’t me, it was Goku who did it!! Somehow it seemed to them as if I was the one who stopped Kuririn (laughs). But even though Vegeta is a real nasty guy, of course we seiyuu all get along just fine (laughs). I’m always a little hungry after recording3, so I go out to eat with everyone. We even talk about the “Kai” episode: “What, today’s episode was made from 10 episodes of Z?!” (laughs). The producers will even join us too, and we’ll enjoy the meal together."

"Of course, since I’ve been doing this for so long, I’ve grown attached to other characters besides just Goku and Gohan. It’s hard to choose one over the other, but Bulma and Kuririn are certainly two special cases. Bulma was Goku’s very first partner, and was the first to help him out when he was in trouble. That’s really cute. And even after the battle with Vegeta, Bulma was the first to go over to Goku. Chi-Chi is his wife, but even she went over to Gohan, and I thought “What the hey?!” (laughs). And then Goku really loves Kuririn, which is quite nice. Oh, and I also like when Gohan and Kuririn team up! It’s great how, despite the difference in their ages, they still both trust each other as comrades! In particular, the two of them are really active during the Planet Namek arc, so I hope you look forward to that!"

"For those who have bought this box set, I think that instead of just having one, you should have two — one for regular viewing, and another for permanent preservation (laughs). And when watching it, always invite three friends over. Then those three can recommend the show to three more people, and it will increase even further (laughs). I’d be really happy if people from all over Japan watched “Kai”! In Dragon Ball, above all else, the characters have a great way of living! The way that they rescue the weak really tugs out the heartstrings. So I’d love for everyone to enjoy the show: parent, child, and grandparent. If you raise your kids watching “Kai”, they’ll definitely become good little kids like Gohan! I want people throughout all of Japan to be going “Dokkan-Dokkan”!!

DBZ Battle of the Gods Movie

"It didn’t feel like it had been that long. Even after the series ended, I’ve played Goku in games and such, so I’ve constantly lived my life with Goku. But, when I heard that this time would be a theatrical release, I thought, “All right!” It’s been a long time since I was able to meet up with everyone at the theater."

"Playing him is the same in both games and movies. Goku is Goku. But, in people being able to see him on the big screen at the theater, I did feel a special significance. First of all, the size shown on the screen is different, you know? At the theater, there is an absolute size that the studio just can’t compete with."

"It was split between [cast] members I’m able to meet with often, and those, not so much, and those who I hadn’t seen in a while said things like “Mako-san, long time no see!” The majority of the cast are those who I see often, so we just chatted normally. When Goku comes up in conversation, he feels less like a character, and more like just another person."

"The ones that left the deepest impression were the trio of Shu, Mai, and Pilaf. They hardly appear at all [in the series], so it had been a while since I’d seen them."

"Yama-chan‘s Beerus is very good. He’s wrapped up with me a lot of the time, so I really wanted to record together with him, but our schedules just wouldn’t match up, so I recorded first. I’ve worked together with Yama-chan on a variety of other works, so I recorded while imagining, “this line would probably come out like this”. I hear Yama-chan recorded while listening to my voice as well; before seeing the test screening, I was a bit nervous about it, but it was spot-on, so I was satisfied."

"Within me, it feels as though it’s just normally the same world as my own. I can’t think of it separately. It feels as though Goku is living together with me. Of course, there is the world of Masako Nozawa as an individual, as well, but it’s a world I can enter without feeling out of place. With the Dragon Ball family, even after it ended, there are always been other works [I see them with], and since we’ve made a family bond, it doesn’t have any special feeling. It’s just very normally, like they are living near to me. Within myself, I can’t think of it on its own, separate from me."

"Something like “Battle of Gods” was different from what I’d imagined. When I read the script, I was surprised: “Whaa? So it’s like that?” I thought, “you mean there’s a God of Destruction?” But once I saw the character, it was a perfect fit. You can’t see him as an enemy. He’s a god who’s not godlike. A god who’s absentminded, mischievous, and lovable. To Goku, I think he’s a good opponent, who he immediately takes a liking to. When it comes to Beerus, [Goku]‘d probably be able to call him without an honorific, like, “Hey, Beerus!” But he’d use an honorific with Whis, and call him “Whis-san“. In Goku’s mind, they’d have that sort of position [relative to him."

"After this battle ends, Goku says how he felt in his own way, so I believe he’ll be training again. Goku is always pushing himself higher. He has no ambitions to become greatest on Earth, or to conquer it; he’s just someone who feels happiness in becoming stronger. Also, he’ll probably stand up against a new, strong foe. I want to keep pushing myself higher, as well. I’d like to keep on living so that Goku and I can make it into the Guinness Book together."

"*smiling* Hmmm... That's tough. Well, if you mean cutest, of course Gokou when he has his tail, because when he's got the tail, he's really cute. But honestly, he's never changed, and so, I didn't want to change his personailty."

"That's right. Many actors and actresses sent tapes and then a special committe made selections. (The final selection was made by Akira Toriyama) Normally performer's names are announced before the tape is played, but Akira Toriyama didn't want to hear the performer's names, instead he only listened to the voices and selected the best actor based on only hearing the voice. And he picked me! Later, the staff told me this story, and it made me so happy. Then, when I met Akira Toriyama, he told me, that because of my voice, Gokou's role has impressed everyone, I was even happier when I heard that!"

Interviewer: "That's a very honorable thing for an actress. Well then, do you have any episode that you liked the best with Gohan?

Masako: "That is with Gohan..... The one with Gohan and the robot, Episode 9.** I love that the best. Me as Gohan, and the robot's voice actor were the only two roles in the episode. That was the first time something like that was done in an anime. Therefore, with just two characters, it's very tough to make a good story. People said, "No, don't do it", but the animation staff said it would be okay; and so the TV company decided to give it a try. After it aired, we received so many fan letters from people telling us that they were "touched" by the episode or saying, "I loved it so much.".

Interviewer: "Do fans of the show ever look at you and say, "Oh look! It's the person who does Gokou's voice!" ?

Masako: "Oh yeah. Once I was on a train and a family asked me, "Could you please do Gokou?". I smiled, and thought if I said, "Kame Hame Ha!!", people would wonder what exactly I was doing. So I smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to bother the other passengers."

Interviewer: "Do you have a message to the character of Son Gokou who you've performed for the past twelve years?"

Masako: "I think Gokou is extremnely pure, in the world of Dragon Ball, as he gets older. I just want him to keep his pure feelings and heart. Like in the Dragon Ball: GT TV Special, I wanted him to be young forever. I also want him to be with me forever. That's my message."

Trivia

 * Masako states in the second 'Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files that the filler<' episode "The Strangest Robot" was her favorite episode voicing Gohan.
 * Her pet's name is Mako.
 * Masako said that out of all of Goku's appearances. She love voicing him in his young appearance.
 * Fans also love how she does adult Goku, Tullece, Bardock, Goten and Goku Jr.
 * Her favorite role is Son Goku.