Aya Hirano’s First Dragon Ball Appearance

In the 21st episode of Dragon Ball Kai, Gohan and Krillin stumble across a small Namekian village under attack by Frieza and his men. The village elder bravely defends two children… and can you guess who they are?

Still don’t know? Here is another clue, taken from the ending credits…

That’s right! It’s Dende, voiced by Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya) and his brother Cargo, voiced by Satomi Satou (Ritsu Tainaka). Our favorite voice actors have made their Dragon Ball Kai debut! Unfortunately, neither Dende nor Cargo get any lines in episode 21, and Cargo is killed by Dodoria in episode 22. However, Dende does get a few brief lines in 22 after being saved by Gohan. A short clip of that scene, featuring Aya’s unmistakable voice, can be viewed below.

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Aya Hirano of Namek

ANN is reporting that Aya Hirano, the voice of Haruhi Suzumiya, is slated to portray Dende in upcoming episodes of Dragonball Kai. Dende’s brother Cargo will be voiced by Satomi Satou, who played Ritsu in K-On!

Dragonball Kai is a HD remastering of Toei’s popular anime Dragonball Z, and features a condensed plotline which follows the manga more closely than the original series. All voice acting is being rerecorded for Kai; however, since the original seiyuu who portrayed Dende and Cargo, Tomiko Suzuki, passed away in 2003, it was necessary to find new actors.

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