Notice how young male characters are voiced by females but their friends aren't?

[tb4000]

Case in point, FOP - Timmy voiced by Tara Strong, A.J. and Chester voiced by male actors, and most of the other males are as well.

Jimmy Neutron - Debi Derryberry

Carl and Sheen - Rob Paulson and Jeff Garcia, respectively


Xiaolin Showdown - Omi is Tara Strong yet again

Clay and Raimundo are Jeff Bennett and Tom Kenny


In Omi's case I know he's younger, but Timmy and Jimmy are both the same age as their friends pretty much. I guess they decided to cast them first, but it was just something I noticed in a few shows with that format.

[Neo Ultra Mike]

I wouldn't say it's case and point for all shows (for example on the Simpsons Bart is voiced by Nancy Cartwright but his friend Milhouse is also voiced by a female VA, Pamela Hayden) but that is an interesting point. I believe it has to do with the fact you want to have your main leading star, the one you spend the most time with, sound the most like a kid, while the others can sound a bit more "grown up" since they're not the prime focus. (I kind of prefer the way shows like Hey Arnold or Avatar did it: have the main leading kid stars be voiced by actual kids. It sounds way more authetic then someone pretending to sound like a kid).

[Lutochris]

Problem is the kid VAs grow up, but their characters very often don't.

[Pc-Famicom64]

Lets just leave it as this.

Kids doing a kid's VA = Bad Idea.

Adults doing a kid's VA = Good Idea.

[JVipond]

Lets just leave it as this.

Kids doing a kid's VA = Bad Idea.

Adults doing a kid's VA = Good Idea.

Bill Melendez would disagree, having produced the Peanuts animated specials and movies for over 40 years. But even he had casting quirks, despite using all juvenile actors: A boy performed the voice of Marcie in at least one Peanuts TV special.

[Pc-Famicom64]

Bill Melendez would disagree, having produced the Peanuts animated specials and movies for over 40 years. But even he had casting quirks, despite using all juvenile actors: A boy performed the voice of Marcie in at least one Peanuts TV special.Oh, I see, but witch came 1st, adults doing kid's VA, or kids doing kid's VA?

[Elven Moon]

I think most of the kids on Hey Arnold! were voiced by kids. They had to change Arnold's voice a few times, though, once they hit puberty.

Actually, I think using real kids gives it a sort of charm, instead of a 40 year old trying to sound like a 13 year old. Not that it doesn't work when done right. Either way is fine.

[Kagetsu]

Also remember, the best VA's have experience in working their voice, usually stage acting. That tends to make them older. Where as child actors who can do child voices start mostly because they look cute. I rather hate listening to the stilted voices of child actors on sitcoms. Then you've got the amount of time they put in to reach a dead line, they have restrictions on kids. Sometimes it works for them, Rachel Hirschfeld did a great job as Anita King in ROD tv.

[MagemanSP]

I think most of the kids on Hey Arnold! were voiced by kids. They had to change Arnold's voice a few times, though, once they hit puberty.

Actually, I think using real kids gives it a sort of charm, instead of a 40 year old trying to sound like a 13 year old. Not that it doesn't work when done right. Either way is fine.

It may have just been me, but in the last few episodes Arnold sounded like a jerk to me. Something about his voice...

[Elven Moon]

It may have just been me, but in the last few episodes Arnold sounded like a jerk to me. Something about his voice...

Yeah, he just didn't fit right. Almost like he had a throat condition (or at least he sounded that way in April Fools).

[Bluebrotherx7]

Naruto in both versions have the main voiced by a woman and friends that are voiced by males.

King of the Hill since Breckin Meyer took over for Joseph.

[wingdarkness]

For some reason every shonen male character from Goku and Gohan to Luffy and Naruto seem to get a lighter almost feminine type of voice in English dubs...it happens all the time as those are only a few examples of many more...For the most part I honestly don't find much fault in it...

[Prism]

It depends on the story. Disney's Peter Pan and Aang from Avatar are voiced by boys as are the three Eds. Mostly it's heroic characters.

[Kaoru]

Billy & Mandy - Billy's male voice and Irwin is female. So that's inconsistent with tb4000's theory.

[Cullen]

And there are some adult male voice actors who are good at voicing little boys.

ROB PAULSLEN - Mighty Max and PJ from Goof Troop
RICHARD HORVITZ - Billy from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
DEE BRADLEY BAKER - Numbah 4 from Codename, Kids Next Door
And of course DAWS BUTLER who voiced Auggie Doggie and Elroy Jetson.

[Lutochris]

Also Trey Parker and Matt Stone on South Park. They do almost all the male voices, kid or not. When they record the voices they just turn the frequency on the recording way up so they have higher voices when they're recording for the kid characters.

[OverMaster]

In Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinji (Original Japanese dub) was voiced by a woman (Megumi Ogata), but his friends Touji and Kensuke were voiced by men.

[TheMecca]

Oh, I see, but witch came 1st, adults doing kid's VA, or kids doing kid's VA?
Does that really matter which came first?