Yuri Lowenthal Reflects on Voicing Sasuke for 17 Years: ‘It’s Unheard Of’

During a recent interview with ComingSoon, prolific voice actor Yuri Lowenthal discussed his thoughts on voicing Naruto‘s Sasuke Uchiha for over a decade and a half.

While talking about his role as Mon-El in DC’s animated Legion of Super-Heroes movie, Lowenthal reminisced on the experience of playing one of anime’s most iconic rivals.

“It’s unheard of. It is. It is the best. I can’t compare it to anything else. I haven’t played any other character for 17 years. Most actors don’t get to do that ever, period, end of story,” Lowenthal said. “For me to be able to play that character and have his story and his character constantly changing over the years has been this amazing gift that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replicate with any other character. I’m surprised it’s gone on this long, but I’m thrilled at Sasuke’s journey and being along there with him and seeing the fans follow it as well.”

The Naruto manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, becoming Naruto Shippuden in 2005. The series follows the titular ninja as he strives to become the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Naruto has enjoyed immense popularity since its debut, becoming one of Shonen Jump’s iconic “Big Three” series of the mid-2000s alongside One Piece and Bleach. Currently, the sequel series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is airing.