A.I. technology is improving at a rapid rate and, as it evolves, it's understandable that companies are exploring different ways to utilize software and improve other things. On that note, one of Amazon's latest decisions was to add artificial dubbing to popular anime on its platform. Now, one Dragon Ball actor is really letting the company have it as a result.
Daman Mills, most notably known for his role as Frieza in Dragon Ball Super after the passing of Christopher Ayres, saw the online chatter about those with a Prime subscription noticing Amazon testing out A.I. dubbing on shows like Banana Fish and Vinland Saga. As someone who makes a living off providing his voice to similar shows, he opted to weigh in. The actor shared a pointed statement about the subject on X, and didn't hold back what he thoughts:
Anime is more popular than ever. This year alone had two of the highest grossing animated movies to date at the box office — both of which are eligible for Oscar nominations. Amazon’s choice to use AI to dub Banana Fish is a massive insult to us as performers. AI continues to threaten livelihoods of performers in EVERY language (yes even Japanese performers who are also incredibly vocal on this topic). Voice Actors deserve the same level of respect as on camera performers.
Mills' take on the A.I.-related matter didn't stop there either. He also brought up how actors are paid for anime dubs and how that should relate to the industry:
Anime already pays talent very little. Dub production costs shouldn’t make a dent in these companies’ pocketbooks. Using AI for a dub of a show that released nearly 8 YEARS AGO AND HAD NO RUSHED SCHEDULE just spits in our faces, has infuriated the consumer, and completely destroys the art. All they’ve done is make a shitty product and pissed off a lot of people.
Mills makes a number of relevant points, including about how the A.I. decision has apparently irked a number of people. Some have even found more overt ways to chastise this method, with some fans sharing clips of the show to see how poorly A.I. performs in comparison to voice actor-spearheaded work:
Amazon's AI English Dub for Banana Fish is hilariously bad at times.#BANANAFISH pic.twitter.com/CtiE47W4yhNovember 29, 2025
Now, it's worth noting that Banana Fish was released in 2018 and, to this point, it has not received an official dub. For a company like Amazon, the idea of using A.I. to dub anime would be a cost-effective maneuver and allow it to further service consumers who don't want to read subtitles with another way to watch an acclaimed series.
Conversely, the point Daman Mills and others in the anime community are making is that the voices are soulless and lack the proper amount of emotion that makes characters memorable and iconic. It's interesting to hear actors like Ben Affleck talk about how movies will be one of the last things that A.I. comes after, when it appears it's already being utilized to replace voice acting in some respects.
Prime Video is one of the smaller players in the anime game compared to offerings available on Crunchyroll or even with a Netflix subscription. That said, one can't help but wonder if this is setting a dangerous precedent, where we'll see more streamers turn to artificial intelligence for their offerings rather than hiring actors to provide the voices for characters. First, it's anime, but imagine if Netflix decided to do this for Season 3 of Squid Game.
Whether this is a practice that's seen more when the 2026 TV schedule ramps up remains to be seen. Given what's been going on as of late, though, it wouldn't be surprising if fans and actors alike continue to voice their opinions whenever they notice A.I. being utilized within certain productions.
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