Back in the past, video game characters rarely had actual voices. It was either a bunch of blips and beeps, or a voice clip crunchier than breakfast cereal. As technology progressed it became more and more common. Now nearly every character has a voice, be it a full role with reams of dialogue or just a few lines for a cameo.
Many characters have been voiced by different actors over the years for one reason or another. The most iconic characters end up changing the person in the booth eventually. However, there are a lucky few who voice their characters for decades.
9 Ikue Ōtani As Pikachu
There are going to be a lot of Japanese names on this list as Japanese studios don’t tend to change their voice actors a lot. It’s been said they’d rather retire the character than replace them if they needed a new VA. That’s not always the case, but as the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Hence, Ikue Ōtani’s run as the sparkly squeaker Pikachu.
She voiced Ash's Pikachu in the Pokemon cartoon since 1998 (but not for long), then made her video game debut the following year in the original Super Smash Bros. Her work as the series' mascot would continue through the rest of the Smash series, along with all the following Pokemon games, spin-offs, and all. Aside from her 24-year run as Pikachu, she may be familiar to fans as Tony Tony Chopper in One Piece, and Morgana from Persona 5.
8 Makiko Ōmoto As Kirby
Kirby’s first vocal role was actually done by his creator Masahiro Sakurai for Kirby Super Star. However, the pink puffball’s most familiar squeaks, babbles, and cutesy sounds have been provided by Makiko Ōmoto for the past 24 years.
Like Ōtani, she also started her run in the first Super Smash Bros, then continued into every other Kirby game since then, like Kirby’s Epic Yarn or Kirby: Planet Robobot. She also voiced the character in the original Japanese run of Kirby: Right Back At Ya! If the flying little blob wasn't enough, she gave Earthbound's Ness a voice in all the Smash Bros games as well.
7 Junichi Kanemaru As Sonic
The Sonic series’ English voice cast has changed every few years, leading to fans arguing one way or another over who did Sonic, Knuckles or the rest the best. This hasn't been the case in Japan because, aside from the Hedgehog being more popular in the West, Junichi Kanemaru has been Sonic’s sole voice actor since 1998’s Sonic Adventure, lasting 25 years and running.
Kanemaru’s performance can be heard in the Blue Blur's peaks and valleys in games. He can also be heard in the Sonic X anime, where his Sonic would break out into English to sound cool ("Oh what a great view!"). That said, he isn't the only recurring role from Sonic Adventure. Nobutoshi Kanna and Taeko Kawata would last just as long as the Japanese Knuckles and Amy Rose respectively.
6 Isshin Chiba As Jin Kazama
Tekken’s voice acting is curious. Most of the non-Asian characters have been voiced by multiple actors per incarnation, with Capoeirista Christie Monteiro changing actors 6 times across 5 appearances. Even when the characters have a new voice reciting their dialogue, their old VAs’ cries, and shouts are still used during gameplay.
It’s less obvious with the Japanese-speaking cast as they’ve largely stayed the same since Tekken 4. Isshin Chiba stands out as he’s been Jin Kazama since the character's debut in 1997’s Tekken 3. That’s a total of 26 years, including his upcoming return in Tekken 8 and non-game roles like Tekken: Bloodline, which has its own curious voice cast.
5 Shinichiro Miki As Akira Yuki
Virtua Fighter also followed Tekken’s lead in mixing old growls with new vocal dialogue. That’s Bianca Allen saying Vanessa Lewis’ lines in Virtua Fighter 5’s different releases, with Donna Burke’s strains from Virtua Fighter 4 whenever she does a move.
The Japanese cast has also been largely stable, and Shinichiro Miki’s run as Akira is one of the most consistent roles in the game. Better known as the Japanese voice behind Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super and James in Pokemon, he’s been voicing the series’ premier kung fu man since Virtua Fighter 2. But Akira debuted in the first game. Who voiced him then?
4 Takenobu Mitsuyoshi As Kage-Maru
Aside from being Akira’s original voice actor for the first Virtua Fighter, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi is also the set of pipes behind the series’ resident ninja. He’s been the man behind Kage-Maru’s mask for nearly 30 years now. Which is a surprise as, while he has a resumé as a voice actor, he’s best known as a music composer.
He’s credited on many classic Sega games for his musical expertise, from the Space Channel 5 series to Yakuza 4. On top of that, he sang all the catchiest songs on Daytona USA, and made an eager little snippet for Sega Rally Championship that’s still remembered fondly to this day (“GAME OVER YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!”).
3 Masako Nozawa As Goku
Masako Nozawa’s run as Goku (as well as his sons and dad) from Dragon Ball are the textbook example of Japan’s dedication to vocal roles. The actress turned 86 as of October 2022 and is still voicing the shouty Saiyan brood almost 40 years later. This would continue into video games, starting with Dragonball Z: Super Butōden in 1993 and going up to 2020's Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and beyond.
It was enough to earn her two Guinness World Records: one for Longest-Serving Video Game Voice Actor, and Longest Video Game Voice Acting Career at 30 years come 2023. While she is perhaps the longest for reciting actual written dialogue, there are two Western contenders that rival those records. Let's hear their cases.
2 Charles Martinet As Mario
Some prefer the older, Italian-American takes given to Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot from the TV shows. However, after roughly 31 years in the role, Charles Martinet is the definitive Mario. His chirpy, Italian tone has fit the character like a glove ever since he first voiced the character for tech demos at trade shows. Video game-wise, most people would’ve heard his vocals for the first time in 1996’s Super Mario 64.
PC-savvy players would’ve heard him first in 1995’s Mario FUNdamentals (“Come here, fishy-fishy!”). However, this is where the arguments start as he would’ve broken Masako Nozawa’s record if 1992’s Super Mario Bros Pinball counted. It had visual graphics, controls (via flippers), and as much story as any other Mario game, but it’s not the same as an SNES game or arcade machine. As such, the claim is rather debatable here.
1 Ed Boon As Scorpion
Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon’s work as its hot-headed ninja Scorpion is more definitive. While Scorpion himself has been portrayed by different actors for physical performances and story scenes, his famous “GET OVER HERE!” cry has always been provided by Ed Boon. The line first appeared in the original Mortal Kombat back in 1992, then it popped up in every subsequent Scorpion appearance afterwards, including the live-action movies.
Still, does that really make it a performance? If Pikachu and Kirby’s babbles count, so can one sentence. The Mortal Kombat series are also honest-to-goodness video games than fancy pinball tables. So, as far as one actor playing one role across multiple games go, Ed Boon’s 31 year-run is a solid contender for the Longest-Running Video Game Voice Acting record.