Dragon Ball dub: who replaces Mike McFarland as Master Roshi?

Master Roshi has a new English voice. Kellen Goff has been hired to replace the late Mike McFarland in the role, and Alejandro Saab is taking over Mike's other Dragon Ball character, Yajirobe. The news is bittersweet, but to me Goff's casting is a very swell and positive outcome.

Why I have recommended watching Dragon Ball subbed

I've been critical of the English dub of Dragon Ball in the past. I'm more critical of the older dubs than the more recent ones, but I still hold that you need to watch it in Japanese at least once to experience the true show.

There are too many dub changes. If you want to get everything and understand it all, I always recommend watching everything subbed. This update, though, is for the people who prefer to watch Dragon Ball dubbed, and it is bittersweet news.

Mike McFarland, Master Roshi's voice since 1999, has passed away

The bitter part is that we lost Mike McFarland. I had a couple of run-ins with him over the years. I hosted some panels he was a part of, and I interviewed him a while ago. "He was always very very professional with me."

Even though Mike is gone, the Master Roshi character he voiced since 1999 is still going to be around. If you've read the manga, you know Roshi will indeed be in the Galactic Patrol arc, because he appears in the Moro arc in the manga.

Kellen Goff is the new English voice of Master Roshi

The actor hired to replace Mike is Kellen Goff. We'll be hearing him as Roshi in all the upcoming Dragon Ball games from now on. Outside of archival material Mike completed before he passed, Goff is going to be doing the voice.

He will also be back for all future Dragon Ball anime projects, including Galactic Patrol and whatever else may come down the pipeline. He's already a very accomplished anime actor. The man has a resume, and that to me is a very swell and positive outcome.

Alejandro Saab takes over Yajirobe in the Dragon Ball dub

Mike also voiced Yajirobe, and that role is going to Alejandro Saab. He will voice Yajirobe in all upcoming Dragon Ball products now that Mike is no longer with us.

Congratulations to both of them on getting the roles. I'm sure they wish it was under better circumstances, considering that Mike McFarland was loved and respected by everyone.

When I talked to Saab many years ago, we discussed him getting into Dragon Ball, and he did get an earlier Dragon Ball role. Now he gets to play an actual main Dragon Ball character.

Why I count Yajirobe as a main Dragon Ball character

Yes, Yajirobe is a main character, even though he's been on the sidelines for years. He was a very important part of the Piccolo arc. He became comic relief after that, but he helped out against Vegeta. So I still count him as part of the Dragon team.