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[Draugoth]

• Accusations have been made that AI tools were used to create voice lines in the English dub of the new Naruto game, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, but it has yet to be proven.
• Voice actors involved with the project and the public have intensified these AI accusations, with some analyzing clips and detecting a "blend of human and AI elements" in the voiceover.
• Bandai Namco, the publisher of the game, has not yet issued an official statement regarding the potential use of AI, leaving it unclear if AI was actually used in the game.

Bandai Namco is under fire for the voice acting in Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, which is causing a stir among players and even its voice actors.

Action brawler Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections launched November 17 and the more Naruto fans play the game the more they're questioning if something odd is going on with its voice acting. In fact, even the actors themselves are unsure what's going on.

Responding to one odd clip, in which Naruto's voice completely changes mid-sentence when saying "wake you up", voice actress Maile Flanagan claimed she didn't say the line like that in the recording booth, and said neither she or any voice director would find it acceptable.

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.

Flanagan wasn't the only voice actor to raise the alarm either. Michael Schwalbe, who played Kawaki in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, replied to a similar comment that criticised the voiceover of one of his lines, saying it sounds like the actors had no context for what they were saying.

You've got good ears, we weren'. They give you a list of lines and we go down the page and do two takes each, and it might say 'final attack', 'small pain', 'attacking'. But I swear to god I do not remember this being the line for that attack because there's ain't no way I'd do myself like that."

He also commented on a post from X/Twitter user Storm Master, who put another clip side by side with previous fighting game Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. The attacks shown are identical except for an odd shift in the voiceover in Connections, where the character pronounces "god" more as "ghad".

"Okay, this needs an explanation as soon as possible. I sent a couple of these clips to a friend. He ran the audio through an AI detection programme and look at the results. First is "wake you up", then "power of ghad". This is a union game. Generative AI use is supposed to be forbidden."

Via IGN

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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Lmao, they've just provided more ammunition for unionized VA to vote to strike. Well done, Bamco!

 

[lh032]

crap game deserve crap dub

 

[Roman Empire]

The dub of this game is the least of the worries Bandai should have. This is the most cash grab game from the whole series, and I say this as someone who knows this isn't the first.

I'm glad I only bought Storm 1, 2, and Generations. This franchise hasn't evolved since its PS3/360 days.

 

[ProtoByte]

Lmao, they've just provided more ammunition for unionized VA to vote to strike. Well done, Bamco!

Yeah, this is an unforced error.

It's one thing to start using AI for basic NPC barks, but a fighting game? Stupid move.

 

[March Climber]

Thank goodness greedy people are impatient. Could you imagine if they waited until this technology was near it's peak?

 

[FullMetalx117]

I don’t see a problem with this but echo others that it’s a crap game anyways.

To this day the best Naruto games ever made have been Rise of a Ninja and Broken Bond

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Lol that last example is too obvious.

 

[March Climber]

I don’t see a problem with this

Did you play those clips above?

 

[Lokaum D+]

Ppl who play/watch Naruto in English Dub must suffer, i m ok with this.

 

[FullMetalx117]

Did you play those clips above?

Yup and pretty bad but tbh I never really found the dub to be all that great/memorable. My comment is moreso I don’t have a problem companies using AI for voice acting

 

[Shubh_C63]

I'm in the middle of changing my career route to Machine learning and AI related stuff. not even kidding.
This shit is scary and amazing.

 

[March Climber]

F FullMetalx117 , as long as this:

Yup and pretty bad but tbh I never really found the dub to be all that great/memorable.

Isn't related in any way to this:

I don’t have a problem companies using AI for voice acting

Then I understand. However, if your reasoning for being pro AI is simply due to being anti-english dubbing, then I have some bad news to share to you that it will not simply stop at english.

My main issue with this is the laziness of it, because there's underhanded intent behind it if it's true. They allegedly would undercut recording booth time so that they could save money and tried to replace lines with AI and/or pre-recorded lines used from other scenes and takes.