Tower Of God season 2 voice actors interview: Going head-on with Bam and Rachel's complex journeys

Note: This feature was first published on 4 December 2024.

At AFA Singapore 2024 (check it out here in photos), we sat down with two of the main voice actors from Tower of God Season 2: Ichikawa (Bam) and Hayami (Rachel). Both actors were excited to share their experiences in preparing for their roles and bringing these popular characters to life.

When asked about their initial reactions to landing the roles, both actors expressed their excitement. Ichikawa explained, “It was really an honour for me. I had read the original story and really liked it. So I was already a fan when I got the audition. It was a huge opportunity.” Hayami echoed his sentiment, adding, “Yes, I felt the same. This series is so popular globally. I was very happy to be a part of it. But Rachel is a very unique character, so I was also nervous about how to portray her.”

Regarding their preparation, Ichikawa focused on studying the original source material. “I read the original (manhwa) over and over again to get into Bam’s mindset,” he said. Hayami, on the other hand, balanced the original story with the anime script. “I read the original story along with the script for the voiceover,” she said. “It’s important for me to follow the direction of the director and sound director, as they have a clear vision of the tone they want to achieve for Rachel.”

Bringing their characters to life posed different challenges for the two. Ichikawa found it easier to connect with Bam’s pure, straightforward nature. “Bam is someone who faces challenges head-on without overthinking. He has a task in front of him, and he just moves forward,” he explained. Hayami, on the other hand, found Rachel’s complexity more difficult to capture. “Rachel is very focused on her goal, and that sometimes leads her to make morally complicated decisions. I really tried to understand the motivation behind her actions,” she shared. “Season 2 was challenging because the director and sound director always asked for more, more emotion, more intensity. It wasn’t just about acting; it was about being in the role.”

When asked if they empathised with their characters, Hayami was rather candid about Rachel’s morally ambiguous actions. To sum up her thoughts about Rachel, it was hard to empathise with all of her actions. “However, Rachel is purely motivated by her goal, and I can understand that.” Ichikawa, discussing Bam’s evolution in Season 2, explained that he could relate to his character’s single-minded determination. “Bam becomes more stubborn and focused on what he wants,” Ichikawa said. 

As the interview progressed, both actors talked about the preparation required for their roles. Both Ichikawa and Hayami spoke about how they navigated challenging moments in the recording booth. For Ichikawa, he noted that portraying Bam’s emotions required restraint. He explained that the challenge of playing Bam in Season 2 was not allowing his emotions to overwhelm him. “Even though he had so much feelings, so much emotion within him, he had to suppress it, he had to compress everything.”

Hayami, in contrast, emphasised the importance of expressing Rachel’s inner conflict. She wanted to show the contrast between "her earlier, gentler self, and the colder Rachel later on". 

Besides the challenges they faced with voicing the characters, the actors also spoke about how their approach to their characters evolved during the recording process. Ichikawa shared that there were moments when he had to adjust his initial approach to Bam’s emotions based on the direction he received. “I had an idea of how I wanted to portray Bam’s emotions, but the director asked me to suppress them more than I had planned."

Hayami also reflected on how Rachel’s character arc influenced her performance. “In the beginning, Rachel was more gentle, but by Season 2, I had to show a much more complicated side of her. It was a challenge, but it was also exciting.”



Tower of God season 2 is available for streaming on Crunchyroll now. The streaming service is available starting from S$5.49/mth.

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