hello skull face nation, today we lost skull face's japanese voice, takaya hashi. i know it's the english version of the game we're all most familiar with but in his memory i'd like to share with you some of his incredible work voicing our favourite little man.
this is the japanese version of the mission 30 dialogue:
and here's his rendition of the secretly recorded POW interrogation from ground zeroes:
and of course my other favourite, the call with zero:
i find hashi-san's voice for him really embodies the darkness and pure empty sorrow to skull face, obviously i can't comment much on the script and use of language because i can only read it in translation but i think his performance was powerful enough to transcend language and conveys so much about the character through voice and mannerisms alone. much of the contributions to this small fandom come from japanese artists who will always hear this voice in their head and for that reason i think listening to his performance has always been important for my understanding of the portrayal and perception of the character so i think now more than ever i'd like to recommend it to you.
there really wouldn't be a skull face without takaya hashi. i have always wished, half-jokingly, for a skull face cameo in delta but now i wish more than ever that it had happened, just to let him portray the character one last time. i know for many skull face is a small character, and is very self-contained to MGSV itself, but i think his presence and his words will never be forgotten, and i'm grateful to owe a character so characterised by concepts of words and language to such an incredible performer.
as a bonus, hashi-san's not-quite-in-character commentary over a side op:
(part 2 is here, i'll always smile when i hear his 'viszontlátásra' at the very end)
