Recently, Crunchyroll has come under fire for some very serious allegations. David Wald, voice of such beloved characters as Gajeel from Fairy Tail, has blown the whistle on allegations of Crunchyroll stealing fan mail addressed to him. Wald posted on “X” (formerly Twitter), “Dear friends: if you sent me anything care of Funimation or Crunchyroll in the last 5 years, I apologize, I didn’t get it. I learned yesterday that Crunchyroll opened my private mail, threw away your letters, and passed out any included items to their staff.”
It appears that Wald has been upset enough that he is now quitting Crunchyroll. This means that Gajeel has been quickly and abruptly recast. A few fans have noticed that Gajeel sounded different during the latest episode of Fairy Tail: The 100 Year Quest, but now we know why. There is no official word on who the new voice actor is, as Crunchyroll is known to keep a tight lid on recastings of a controversial nature.
Dear friends: if you sent me anything care of Funimation or Crunchyroll in the last 5 years, I apologize, I didn’t get it. I learned yesterday that @Crunchyroll opened my private mail, threw away your letters, and passed out any included items to their staff.
— David Wald (@DavidWald_VA) October 25, 2024
Crunchyroll has given Anime News Network an official statement on the controversy:
“Anime fans have a special connection with dub voice talent and that emotional expression is important in fueling more love of anime content. We are currently investigating the matter regarding the allegation of undelivered fan mail to a voice actor. We respect the privacy of all of our voice actors and do not intentionally open mail or packages not intended for Crunchyroll. Any fan mail should be sent directly to talent and their management.”
This also means that his role of Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu will have to
be recast if that character appears in season eight of My Hero Academia. We probably will still hear Wald in other dubs, as he has worked with Sentai on a few dubs. His most notable Sentai role is Welf Crozzo in Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon.
Admittedly, this is not the first time the company has come under fire for its alleged business practices or treatment of employees. We will keep you posted with any objective and verifiable factual news related to these serious allegations against Crunchyroll.
