The Voice of Legoshi Talks Beastars, Fandom, and the Finale

We had the opportunity to talk about all things Beastars with Jonah Scott, the English-dub actor for everyone’s favourite grey wolf, Legoshi. Below, Jonah goes in-depth into voicing Legoshi, the fandom, and his love and appreciation for the character and the franchise.

Jonah Scott has starred in several English dub casts for Netflix anime, including Kengan Ashura, High-Rise Invasion, The Way of the House Husband, Record of Ragnarok, Edens Zero, Super Crooks, and Ranma 1/2. Outside of Netflix, Scott has acted in the English dubs of One-Punch Man, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Attack on Titan, Fire Force, One Piece, My Hero Academia and Kaiju No 8.

Prior to acting in English-dubbed anime, Jonah Scott’s voice acting career began in video games and is best known for voicing Aiden Caldwell in the Dying Light franchise. 

The final season of Beastars, where you can hear Jonah Scott as the voice of Legoshi, is now available to stream on Netflix.

Jacob: So, how did you find Legoshi’s voice? Were you already a fan of the manga? How aware were you of the property before auditioning? 

Jonah: Yeah, I had known about the Beastars manga, which I hadn’t read exhaustively, because I think at that point, when I auditioned, it wasn’t done yet. I hadn’t finished the manga, and I really like reading ongoing manga, but I also like reading a manga with an ending or a finish. Like picking up a novel and knowing you’re gonna be able to get some sort of closure at the end of it. 

But yeah, I have read the manga in its entirety. I’m a fan and really enjoyed it, which is why I was so nervous to read for all these characters because I knew them. Not necessarily as intimately as I would know Legoshi, but it was one of the first properties I got an audition for that I was like, “Oh wow! That’s an established IP I already know.” So I could make informed choices here, dissect the audition from all sides, and do justice to this very specific character. 

The crazy part about Legoshi’s voice is that I can sound older without sounding old, and can sound younger without sounding too young. He is in this butter zone between 18 and 21, so the voice can flip between vulnerability and confidence, and maybe even dare say wisdom in some places, and because there are some situations that Legoshi finds himself in that he’s informed on and can deliver information that’s important to people, so there’s a confidence that comes with that.

Picture: Legoshi in Beastars season 1 (left) and Beastars season 2 – Orange

So, if you’ve watched Beastars, and as far as season one goes, you can tell he’s a nervous little bean. He’s nervous and anxious, he doesn’t like talking to people, and he doesn’t engage even with his friends. He stays on the outskirts, he works on the lights in the theatre department, and up in the rafters, being that shadowy figure, so he’s this sort of intimidating, scary, shadowy figure. But as the seasons go on, he finds himself, which I think is really cool.

If you listen to the voice, it changes markedly. So, from season one, this is me being Jonah, a nervous actor, not really giving my 150 percent performance. I don’t know what I can do; I’m not sure what I’m allowed to do. I’m in this booth, and I’m like, “Oh my god, okay, am I allowed to change the line? Am I allowed to offer edits or offer advice or anything like that?” I was really in my own head about it, and then season two rolls around, and I am familiar with the director, producer, and the engineer. I could talk with them, engage with them, and because we had built this character in season one, we were able to expand on that and get really grounded, real intimate reads.

So when Legoshi is thinking to himself, or waxing poetic over a shot of the ocean, or something like that, it sounds like somebody is talking to themselves or thinking very intimately and that’s not something you get in anime very much, and if you watch something like Jojo’s, or Dragon Ball Z where everything is turned up to 11, and they just keep cranking that diel all the way up to make it as crazy as possible. This is the opposite end of that spectrum, which was a fun challenge to try to make an anime as engaging as a movie or something like that, right? And to really meet the audience where they’re sitting, and feel like you’re 10 feet in front of them, rather than a thousand feet in space, and you’re watching this spectacle–rather, you’re living this life with this character. The sound design really helps that out, and getting the opportunity to just be pretty much myself.

Picture: Legoshi the grey wolf – Orange

Legoshi’s voice isn’t really like discovering a voice; there’s no character voice there, it’s me acting. It’s just Jonah performing, and there may be a little bit of affectation every now and again. You know, Jonah doesn’t fight people or bite people like Legoshi. So there’s a little bit of acting, but like a little bit of heightening, and the realism of it, finding the voice, was relatively simple because it’s just me. We’ve all been anxious teenagers, trying to figure ourselves out and wade through this torrent of emotions coming from us. It was a really neat study, and I’m just blessed that people like my voice and the way I sound.

Jacob: I wasn’t aware of Beastars before it was announced that the anime was coming to Netflix, but I immediately learned of its association with the furry community, thanks to the anthropomorphic side of things. If people gave it a chance, it is a very deep and nuanced story. 

Jonah: My best way to get people to watch Beastars is a little psychoanalysis, right? People have reached out and said, “I’ve heard some scenes, and you sound great, but I just bring myself to sit down and watch the show because it’s a little weird.” So the best way to get someone to do something, like watching Beastars, is to tell them they’re not allowed. So what you do is say, “yeah, you’re right, the show’s not really made for you,” and it’s not “no, you can’t, you probably wouldn’t be able to make it past episode two. But maybe if you make it past episode two, then you might be able to watch it.” Then they’re like, “What do you mean, not made for me? I can make it past episode two!” There’s a little playful challenge there, and it’s that challenge that gets people really invested.

Picture: Beastars Manga Volumes 12, 13 and 14 – Netflix

It’s a little bit of a joke, but once they do get past episode two, then you get to episode three, then four, and then you just start binge-watching it. Before long, they realise they relate to this character, and they get over the shame of feeling that way about them. But the furries are the reason this show is good and as prominent and big as it is. I wouldn’t be in LA right now without furries helping me pay my rent for like six months while I was out there.

Jacob: There are some significant gaps between seasons, which means there are gaps between recordings. I was going to ask how you would get back into character, but you continued to use the voice on YouTube, so you’d been using the voice repeatedly.

Jonah: Yeah. I haven’t put out a YouTube video in probably two or three years, but I do stream on Twitch. That’s how I engage with my fans. I stream on YouTube every now and again. It’s like putting on your favourite jacket, so you don’t have to prep too much, or certainly I don’t feel like I have to. I had already read the manga, so I didn’t need to read much, and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Japan and tour Studio Orange. The majority of English voice actors don’t get the opportunity to do that, so I’m super blessed. It was super cool, and literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience to voice this character. 

This time round, it’s less coming back and more doing it for the last time. It’s hard because I’ve put a lot of myself into this character, and because of him, my career has blossomed and bloomed, so it’s really difficult to say goodbye.

Picture: Legoshi (left) and English dub voice actor Jonah Scott (right) – Orange

I will say, I hope we do get some other spin-offs or something like that. I hope I get an opportunity to voice Legoshi again in some way, but honestly, my career’s doing freaking good, and I’m proud of myself and what we as a team — again, nobody does this alone — and what we have been able to accomplish. I’m working on some really cool stuff right now.

So Legoshi will always be with me, and I will always be part of that character, and I will always be here for the furry community! I will always be here for people who enjoy romance stories, and this is one of the best romance stories of the past ten years. Especially in season one, there are so many really grounded cinematic moments. 

Jacob: In the final batch of episodes, what would you say your most proud performance was?

Jonah: So there was a lot of effort, and by that I mean there’s a lot of screams, grunts, eating, pouts, and howls. There’s fighting, fighting, and all sorts of crazy stuff. A lot of voice actors like to pride themselves on physically or mentally demanding takes, like “I bled when I screamed” or “I did nine takes”, or I had to go ahead and take a walk in between takes.” You’re doing your job, y’know? That’s cool, but I didn’t have to injure myself in order to be good, and when people listen to it they’ll say “maybe he did? But hand to god, I’m fine, guys. 

There was no bleeding or blowing out a blood vessel; my eyes aren’t bloodshot or anything crazy like that. It just comes from a place of real, raw emotion, not trying to force it out. So, those are the ones I’m really proud of.

I’d like to take a second to shout out writers in anime, it’s really nuanced, technically demanding, subtle writing, and I’m not gonna lie, it takes a lot of skill. You have to know the media, you have to know the medium, you have to know the production pipeline, and you have to know how this stuff gets made for people and writers to write in this Shakespearean chewy dialogue that is just incredible. I am immensely proud of every writer who has worked on that, including a shout-out to Madeleine Morris, one of the best anime writers in the valley, and a fantastic person.

Picture: A fan cosplaying as Legoshi (left) with voice actor Jonah Scott (right)

They wrote season two of Beastars, and what I got to do was go in and massage some lines. Not necessarily rewrite anything, but make it sound more realistic and grounded. The writer doesn’t have us reocrded right? So they get another person in the scene recorded, and I get to sit down, hear what they say, and mould the line a little bit, changing it, contracting some things, uncontracting others. One thing a lot of people complain about anime is that it either sounds too rushed or too slow, so finding that happy medium is really nice and leads to a very human performance. But, shoutout to the anime writers, producers, directors, and everybody who stays there longer than we do. They really keep the boat floating, and we’re just the wind filling the sails

Jacob: It sounds like a collaborative effort from all sides. 

Jonah: It has to be if it’s going to be good. When it’s not good, boy, does the internet let you know. You can tell when it’s lazy.

Jacob: When it’s not good, oh boy, does the internet let you know!

Jonah: Oh you can tell! But not necessarily not good, but lazy. I watch anime constantly, and everybody I know in the industry does their job. But if you have the time, the budget, and the staff, and they are all dialling it up a little bit, with a little extra-special sauce and a little pepper on it —you don’t have to rewrite the whole thing, just add your own bit of sauce. There’s a difference between saying as a character, “I don’t want to do that” (confident) and “I don’t want to do that” (nervous). There’s a huge difference in those two lines; you feel the humanity. Like, how often do you have an anime character that has to breathe through their nose? You’re thinking about that sort of thing, adding more layers, which is always good.

Picture: Legoshi (left) and Melon (right) in Beastars – Netflix

Jacob: If you could give Legoshi one piece of advice for the end of the series, what would it be?

Jonah: Oh, buddy, I think Legoshi just needs to calm down. I think he sees himself as a protagonist, like it’s his own story, but he just needs to relax. He’s not screwing up anything by simply existing. He also probably needs to get a therapist, like I’m sure there’s a macaw or somebody that specialises in carnivore psychology and psychoanalysis. I don’t think he needs medicine; he just needs to take a good trip, like a cruise or vacation, or go to the amusement park with his girlfriend. But I certainly think spending more time with Haru is definitely his therapy. 

Picture: Legoshi (left) and Haru (right) in Beastars – Orange

Jacob: So, years from now, when you think back on Beastars, what do you hope fans will remember about the character of Legoshi and your performance?

Jonah: I hope that they look at Legoshi 10 years from now and say, “Yeah, I saw myself in that guy. I felt myself in that character.” Chikahiro Kobayashi, the Japanese voice of Legoshi, had an amazing opportunity in production because they filmed the whole thing on a soundstage, motion captured it and then animated everything to his performance, so even in Japanese, you feel the motion, you feel how everyone is moving and talking, and the space that they’re in, and that’s the strength of the Japanese dub. As for us, the English dub, in my opinion, the strength came from the fact that we were afforded the time, and thanks to the animation, we could make this anthropomorphic wolf and those around him the most human characters you will hear. I don’t want people to look back and say, “That’s a furry show.” I want them to look at it, listen to it, and say, “Wow, this team knows what they’re doing.”

Picture: Chikahiro Kobayashi, the Japanese voice actor of Legoshi

As with any art ever, if it made them feel something, whether that was pissed off, disgusted or whether they were aroused, whether they were elated, I did my job. I just need to make you feel something, even if that’s you watching 12-episodes and you sent yourself for it. If you watch it and think Haru the bunny is hot, I did my job. If you think it’s one of the best pieces of fiction you’ve ever seen, I did my job.

Have you watched the final season of Beastars? What did you think of Jonah Scott’s performance as Legoshi? Let us know in the comments below!