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Who was chosen to voice the Monkey King in the Japanese-language version of League of Legends? His voice sounds oddly familiar…we’re just Saiyan’.

League of Legends–a hugely addicting multiplayer online battle arena, real-time strategy game, also known as the most-played PC game in North America and Europe for which you can win US$1 million if your team manages to win at the annual high-profile World Championship. Feel like quitting your day job now?

Originally released in 2009, the game has already proven its popularity in parts of Asia, including in China, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries. Late last year, Japanese fans were ecstatic to hear that game developer/publisher Riot Games finally confirmed their intention to distribute League of Legends domestically in Japan in the near future. Audio clips have since begun surfacing online of some of the Japanese voice actors who will be providing their voices to the characters in the Japanese version, including the following:

One such playable character of particular interest to Japanese gamers is Wukong the Monkey King, a champion within the game who is in turn based on the enduring character from the 16th century classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. In the west, the Monkey King is perhaps best known as the inspiration for Son Goku’s character in the iconic Japanese Dragon Ball franchise.

▼ Child Son Goku in Dragon Ball, complete with his monkey-like tail

songokuDragon Ball Wikia

▼ Another modern interpretation of the Monkey King. Get a feel for Wukong’s character in this League of Legends Champion Spotlight.

In fact, Wukong’s Japanese voice was recently revealed on SoundCloud in a series of four audio clips–clips from when you select Wukong as your champion, when moving, when joking, and when attacking. We were curious to hear what the character would sound like in Japanese, so we tuned in to listen for ourselves…and had a small spell of déjà vu.

Does Wukong’s Japanese voice sound a little bit familiar to you?  [Wukong appears in the four clips marked with “美猴王 ウーコン”]

That’s right, it’s none other than Dragon Ball‘s Son Goku speaking! In the clips, we can hear Wukong exclaiming such lines as, “I’ll become the strongest ever!“, and “There really isn’t anyone stronger around here?” in the exact same voice as Son Goku. Masako Nozawa, the now 79-year-old veteran voice actor of Son Goku (and his two sons), must have had a fun time recording the voice for yet another incarnation of the Monkey King in popular culture.

Despite Japan’s love for both the character of Son Goku and Ms. Nozawa’s iconic portrayal of him, net users were mixed in their reactions to hearing that her voice would be used for Wukong in League of Legends:

“It’s Kakarot!!”

“I have a feeling that I won’t be able to focus on the game whenever I hear Wukong’s voice…”

“Ugh. Riot’s really messed this one up.”

“Hey, Ms. Nozawa’s not at fault here.”

“Truthfully the voice doesn’t fit the character, but it fits League of Legends‘ trend of paying homage to popular characters.”

“Whatever; I don’t care about the voices, just give us an actual date for when the Japanese server will be released!”

You can keep up to date with the latest news about League of Legends’ Japanese release by following their official Facebook page.

Source: Game*Spark via My Game News Flash
Featured image: Facebook/League of Legends (Japanese)