Naruto’s latest fighting game faces criticism for some questionable voiceover lines, leading to accusations of AI manipulation.
Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is the newest brawler based on the hugely popular anime series (which itself adapts the hugely popular manga). Rather than purely adapting one part of the anime, however, Naruto X Boruto skims through almost the entire saga and adapts events already covered in previous games. But when comparing the new game’s dub to those previous entries, fans have been left confused.
Like night and day, The original is ∞ better than this crap I don't want to disrespect VAs but this time they didn't deliver acting well 😔 pic.twitter.com/0Ry832mVdyNovember 16, 2023
ShonenGameZ on Twitter posted an example from the game (embedded above) that shows one such cutscene with slightly jarring voice delivery and an odd change in pitch during a flashback. To make matters worse, fans went back and compared these fresh dubs with older renditions. Twitterer Storm_Master responded with a version of that exact same cutscene (also embedded above) from a previous Ninja Storm game, which thankfully doesn’t have the same issues.
Naruto’s English voice actor, Maile Flanagan, replied to the viral clip with some confusion: “I can guarantee I did not say that line that way. What’s that from? And I guarantee no voice director of Naruto or the games would have me do that in that way.”
The goofy “wake you up” line isn’t the only snippet that’s come under fire, though. Kawaki, Kakashi, and Konan’s special moves (featured in previous games/trailers) have also been redubbed with takes that have drawn criticism. Konan’s clip in particular directly compares the same stilted line from Naruto X Boruto and Ninja Storm 4, and the differences are stark.
its time to unleash the power of ghaaad 😂🤣Connections🤢🤮Storm 4 😍🥰 pic.twitter.com/kYp7XqahmHNovember 22, 2023
This was the one in the trailer why they change it 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5ybSVLT0j9November 23, 2023
NOT KAKASHI TOO LORD PLEASE pic.twitter.com/7QkL9za8cINovember 15, 2023
Kawaki’s English voice actor, Micheal Schwalbe, reacted to his character’s odd delivery with: “bro what???? I screamed my lungs out for hours and they chose that?”
Schwalbe then took to social media to share his suspicions about the use of AI. The actor explains that he sent the clips to a tech-savvy friend who then used AI detection software to conclude that a mix of human performance and AI-generated content was used in-game. “This was a union game. Generative AI use is supposed to be forbidden,” Schwalbe explains, later clarifying that AI can’t be used “unknown to the talent involved.”
We’ve reached out to publisher Bandai Namco for clarification on the matter.
AI voice work is not a new controversy, but recent months have seen a surge in AI-generated or AI-altered content in video games. Explicit Skyrim mods caused a huge stir earlier this year due to how some deepfaked actors’ voices without consent. A similar controversy then reached Persona 5 when one actor’s voice was manipulated for an AI song cover.
Several voice actors, from Starfield to Star Wars stars, recently slammed Microsoft’s AI decision. Famed video game director Hideo Kojima also stated that “humans should be above AI.”
