Interview With Erica Mendez: The Voice Behind Gon From "Hunter X Hunter"
"Hunter X Hunter" has been considered as one of the most popular anime not only in Japan but also in some other parts of the world. The madhouse's 2011 version of "Hunter x Hunter" seemed to draw more viewers, particularly in the North America.
The "Hunter x Hunter" series was brought to the west in high style by Viz with a Blu-Ray release and a prominent slot on Toonami. Gon Freecs who is the central protagonist in the series possesses a cheering character with optimism and fighting spirit.
Here comes Erica Mendez - an actress with so many years of experience in voicing anime characters and the person behind the voice of Gon Freecs. Mendez was an anime fan before she started as a voice over artist. Anime for her is different compared to the majority of Western cartoons.
"I can't think of any specific ways it has. If anything, I'd say that being a fan makes it so that the usual tropes don't catch me off guard. I did a video game session once where the client was like "So, this character is a Tsundere..." and I'm like "Got it. I know exactly what to do." So maybe it just leads to not having to waste as much time for directors or clients to have to explain things to me," Erica Mendez said in an interview.
Now, everyone is curious about how did Mendez get the role in "Hunter x Hunter". According to Erica Mendez, she read the script for Gon, Kurapika, Menchi, and Killua. After a few weeks of auditioning, Mendez was called back for Gon. She also got an email that she was included in the short listing of the characters and a month after that, she found out that she was already a cast in the series.
When asked about the complexity of the role, Mendez answered that it all depends on the client. They don't want Gon to have a scratchy-voiced. Adding rasp to a voice will make it sound more believable to the audience.
According to Anime News Network, Gon's character doesn't need a lot of rasps unless he is dealing a tense situation. Most of the time, the voice should sound like a little girlish, naive, and happy. Erica Mendez usually stands with her legs apart to keep her energy up.
According to Mendez, the weirdest thing about "Hunter x Hunter" is Hisoka. Meeting fans of her characters at conventions is great. People like her interpretations of the characters and how she makes the character lively and almost real.