Adam McArthur is best-known for voicing fan-favorite Marco Diaz in Disney’s hit series Star vs. The Forces of Evil for four seasons. Soon after, he transitioned into the world of anime and quickly made a name for himself in the genre. McArthur currently stars as Yuji Itadori in theaward-winning hit series Jujutsu Kaisen, based on the popular Japanese manga series of the same name. Season 2 follows Yuji as he continues to master his cursed technique, finds his place in sorcerer society and learns to control the powerful King of Curses inside him. Yuji and company will also face off against Mahito and Geto and their army of cursed spirits in a cataclysmic battle called “The Shibuya Incident.” It is streaming now and breaking viewership records on Crunchyroll, having just been named the world’s most in-demand TV show by The Guinness Book of World Records. To add to the momentum of the cult hit, Bandai recently released a video game based on the series called Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash, available now on all gaming systems. He can also be heard as one of the leads in Kaiju No.8. McArthur will voice Reno Ichikawa, the deuteragonist of the series who briefly worked at Monster Sweeper Inc. where he met and befriended Kafka Hibino. After witnessing Kafka’s transformation into a kaiju, Reno helped him enter the Defense Force and joined with him. It is airing now on Crunchyroll.
Things are not slowing down for McArthur. He also showcases his voiceover talent with a lead role in the action drama series Tokyo Revengers asChifuyu Matsuno, a First Division Vice-Captain of the Tokyo Manji gang. You can stream Season 2 on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.In addition, he reprised his role as fan-favorite Jouno Saigiku in season 5 of Bungo Stray Dogs, which is based on real-life playwrights. Jouno is blind and, though he has the calmest personality of the Hunting Dogs unit, he tends to get feisty and fans love him for it. The season is streaming now on Crunchyroll. McArthur also recently made his foray into the world of film in the anime First Slam Dunk, based on the popular Slam Dunk basketball manga. He voices Sota, the older brother of the main character. The movie is streaming now and also will be available on BluRay June 25th. His voice was also recently heard in the Critics Choice Award nominated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
McArthur’s impressive resume has earned him a loyal social media following including a verified TikTok with over 902,000 likes and over 85,000 followers as well as Instagram with over 48,000 followers. He is also on X.
Hi Adam and welcome to OLC! Can you share your journey into the world of voice acting and how you landed the role of Marco Diaz in “Star vs. The Forces of Evil”?
I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I just find all aspects of it really fun. My first professional job when I was 16 was in voice over, so I really just never stopped. I’ve done every kind of job under the sun from commercials, to kids games, until finally an audition came across my inbox for Star Vs. The Forces of Evil.
Transitioning from Disney to anime, what prompted your move, and how has the experience been, especially with prominent roles like Yuji Itadori in “Jujutsu Kaisen”?
When Star vs The Forces of Evil ended in 2019, I pretty much just asked myself what else I thought would be fun to do. I was watching My Hero Academia at the time, so anime was kind of just right there. Shortly after I had my fist audition and that’s when I landed the role of Yuji Itadori. I was pretty lucky!
With diverse roles like Yuji Itadori, Chifuyu Matsuno in “Tokyo Revengers,” and Jouno Saigiku in “Bungo Stray Dogs,” how do you approach portraying such varied characters?
The great thing about any kind of animation, whether you’re dubbing or it’s pre-lay, is it’s a very collaborative process. So the approach is always like putting a puzzle together, where all your pieces come from different sources. It’s a super fun process.
“Jujutsu Kaisen” has been a massive success. What challenges did you face voicing Yuji Itadori, and how do you connect with the character?
The beginning of my time on Jujutsu Kaisen was a big transition for me. We were at the height of Covid in 2020, I was working with a new studio, new director, new genre and because we were all locked down, I was recording from home in a makeshift studio where I had to be my own engineer. Add all that to the pressure of a hyped show and it definitely took me a few episodes to settle in. I’m really proud of how quickly I adapted!
Your involvement in the anime “First Slam Dunk” marks your foray into film. How did you prepare for this new medium, and what attracted you to the project?
I’ve actually done other anime films, but this was my foray into sports anime! And let me tell you, this movie is amazing. It’s not just a good anime movie – it’s a great sports movie. I highly recommend everyone checking it out.
From your experience, how does voice acting for anime differ from other forms of voiceover work, such as video games or animated series like “Star vs. The Forces of Evil”?
Anime is like acting inside a box. You have to fill in an empty space and make sure you don’t start early or end late. So, it’s often hard to add a lot of nuance or extra things you might add when you’re working on a project that’s animated AFTER your voice is recorded. Anime dubbing is a lot like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. It definitely takes skill!
With a significant social media following, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, how do you navigate and engage with your fan base?
I’m a big fan of all of this stuff too. So I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what fans are talking about, the memes, etc. These days I think I get more followers from my goofy comments on other people’s posts or from them being surprised I’m seeing their videos. It’s a lot of fun and a ride we’re all on together!
You’ve participated in various conventions and events. How do these interactions contribute to your connection with fans, and do you have any memorable experiences from these events?
Conventions are amazing! It’s so cool to connect with people in person and hear how your work or your show has impacted them. I have so many stories of really sweet people that just say the kindest things. I also get to see their talents too…there are so many amazing cosplayers out there! One memorable experience was when I met a giant college friend group who were all dressed up as Jujutsu Kaisen characters – they were missing one person so they printed out a photo of that characters’ face and taped it to their dorm air fryer. They were carrying it around and even had me sign it…it was a great time!
Having voiced characters in popular series like “Attack on Titan,” “My Hero Academia,” and “Legend of the Galactic Heroes,” how do you approach bringing these characters to life and making them unique?
Like I mentioned before – I just go to my sessions ready to collaborate with the director and we work together depending on the sound they need.
Your career includes work in video games like “Ghost Wire Tokyo” and “Final Fantasy XV.” How does your approach to voice acting differ when working on video games compared to animated series or films?
The tricky thing about video games is they are very secretive about what you’re working on, and they also don’t provide a whole script. So, oftentimes when you’re in the booth, you’re really relying on the director for contact and help to make sure they’re getting what they need from you. I’ve done so many games and I never know what they are until they come out!
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