"He doesn't really sound like Eugene yet; he's got too much gravitas (lol)" — Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Yuichiro Umehara & Yasuaki Takumi Interview

——"I'm sure you've had recordings for games and other projects, Takumi-san, but this was your first time recording for the anime in a while, wasn't it?"

Takumi："In game recordings, I mostly find myself playing Akihiro from the final battle, so I had developed a strong internal image of him having a very rugged, heavy voice. Because of that, when I first started performing this time, I think I sounded closer to the Akihiro from the final episode. Even while practicing at home, I felt that if I didn't reclaim my 'past self,' I was going to be in trouble."

——"Did you receive any specific directions or feedback from the director?"

Takumi："The director kindly told me, 'You sounded like an old man' (lol). When I did the test take, I could see the faces of the staff members—they were smiling but also kind of looking down like, 'Hmm...' (lol). Once I adjusted and tried again, they said, 'Yes, exactly like that!' so I’m glad it worked out in the end."

——"Does that mean you sounded a bit too philosophically detached?"

Takumi："Even though I knew this was an interlude story, it might have been a result of me being a bit too tense. Mentally, I felt like I had returned to that time, but it was still difficult. However, when friends and acquaintances who watched it told me, 'You sounded exactly like you did right after Season 1,' I felt a huge sense of relief."

——"I wonder if the other voice actors struggled in the same way?"

Takumi："When we talked about it, they were saying pretty much the same thing, weren't they?"

Umehara："That’s true. I think our life experiences from the past eight years just naturally seep into our voices."

Takumi：That’s true.

——"Thank you so much for sharing such valuable insights!"

"This interview offered a glimpse into how Eugene and Akihiro were brought to life once again after eight long years. It captured the struggles they faced as actors and provided a look at the unique chemistry and back-and-forth that can only happen in a recording booth."

Furthermore, the special compilation film Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Urdr-Hunt: Path of the Little Challenger and the 10th-anniversary new short Interlude Wedges are now progressively becoming available for digital purchase (Sell) and rental on various streaming services as of Friday, December 5, 2025.

Reported, photographed, and written ／kato
(C)創通・サンライズ