Zeno Robinson has become a prominent voice actor, lending his voice to several characters across both Western Animation and English Dubs of Japanese Anime. While not all of these roles have been for characters of color, it’s exciting to see more and more roles go to actors of color, especially in Anime. While the world of voice actors is small, and that of voice actors of color even smaller, it’s great getting to see someone so talented breaking barriers and ensuring there continues to be more diversity in this global medium.

RELATED: 10 Amazing Anime With Black Representation

Robinson’s voice has brought all sorts of characters to life, including Human/Alien hybrids, post-apocalyptic Firemen, and even Pokémon trainers. Most excitingly, he’s taken on fan favorites like Cyborg in Young Justice and pro-hero Hawks in My Hero Academia rounding out his impressive 78 voice acting credits to date.

10 Robinson Voices The Human/Pyronite Hybrid in Ben 10: Alien Force

Alan Albright - Ben 10 Alien Force

While searching for Grandpa Max through the Plumbers badge signal, Ben 10: Alien Force saw Ben, Gwen, and Kevin come into contact with other Plumber's kids. Many of these kids were half-human, half-alien hybrids, the first of which was Alan Albright. Alan was a Human/Pyronite Hybrid and turned into a version of one of Ben’s original aliens, Heatblast. Alan later becomes a pupil of Grandpa Max and enrolls in the Plumbers Academy.

In an interview with Nintendo World Report, Robinson revealed that Ben 10: Alien Force was his first in-studio voiceover role. As a kid who grew up on Cartoon Network, Robinson was excited to be a part of this project and said that it absolutely blew his mind.

9 Robinson Voices A John Boyega Look-Alike In Attack On Titan

Attack on Titan - Onyankopon

Season 4 of Attack on Titan introduces several new characters including Onyankopon who is revealed to be one of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers working under Zeke Jaeger. He is also the first character of color in the series, though Mikasa contains an unknown amount Eastern-Asian heritage in her bloodline. While Robinson voices Onyankopon, his look has been rumored to be inspired by actor John Boyega, an outspoken fan of the series.

8 It Takes A Talented Actor Like Robinson To Play The Number 2 Pro Hero

My Hero Academia - Hawks

Keigo Takami a.k.a. the Wing Hero: Hawks made his debut in Season 4 of My Hero Academia as the Number 2 Pro Hero. With Endeavor's inability to fill the void left by a powerless All Might, Hawks has become a rising star, inspiring hope. Hawks’ Quirk is called Fierce Wings which gives him incredible speed and individual use of his feathers.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: Class 1-A And Marvel Characters With The Same Powers

In an interview with Newsweek, Robinson spoke to the fact that Hawks is one of the first non-characters of color that he has gotten to voice. He said that originally it wasn’t even a sure thing that he would get the role for characters of color, in fact, he would often lose roles to white actors. However, his perseverance has allowed him the opportunity to play characters of all ethnicities like Hawks and even a few others on this list.

7 Robinson Was Shocked To See Just How Powerful His Character Was In Fire Force

Fire Force - Ogun Montgomery

Ogun Montgomery is a third-generation pyrokinetic who was introduced as a member of Special Fire Force Company 4 in Season 2. Ogun attended the Special Fire Force Training Academy alongside Shinra and Arthur and is a main character in the Chinese Peninsula arc. His signature technique is known as Flammy Ink which covers his body in tattoos that increase both his strength and speed, allowing him to go head-to-head with a Demon Infernal.

While Robinson has stated his love for Shonen anime and the action genre in general, his work on Fire Force has been more than even he could have imagined. In Season 2 Episode 9 titled “The Core”, Robinson's character goes on a full rampage to fend off the Demon Infernal, Tempeh, while Shinra prepares for an Adolla Link with the Women in Black. Robinson tweeted about his reaction to the scene implying that it was more intense than anything he had done to that point.

6 Robinson Brought Something Unique To DC Comics' Cyborg

Young Justice - Victor Stone (Cyborg)

From its premiere, Young Justice has been known for its diverse group of characters including depictions of heroes of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and even species. The series featured several fan-favorite characters of color including Kaldur'ahm (Aqualad), voiced by Khary Payton, who was the first voice for Cyborg in the 2005 Teen Titans series. Since then Victor Stone has been portrayed several times, including two live-action appearances by Joivan Wade in Doom Patrol and by Ray Fisher in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

RELATED: Young Justice: 10 Characters Who Are Members Of The LGBTQIA+ Community

However, Zeno Robinson brought something unique to the role, playing a Cyborg that was fused with a Fatherbox, Apokoliptian tech that is often described as pure evil. Season 3 ends with Victor as part of the Outsiders and the larger Justice League team now led by Black Lightning. While he will most likely appear in Season 4 titled, Young Justice Phantoms, it’s not yet revealed how he will play into the plot.

5 Goh From Pokémon Journeys: The Series Is The True Embodiment Of The Phrase “Gotta Catch 'Em All”

Pokemon Journeys, Goh, Ash, and Pikachu

Pokémon Journeys: The Series is the seventh series in the Pokémon franchise and follows Ash Ketchum alongside his new friend Goh who is voiced by Zeno Robinson. With both of their partner Pokémon Pikachu and Cinderace, the two trainers travel across the regions from Kanto to Galar. Ash is still working to become a Pokémon Master, and Goh is on a journey to find and capture the legendary Pokémon Mew, as well as all other known Pokémon.

4 Cannon Busters Has A Diverse Group Of Characters With An Equally Diverse Cast

Cannon Busters - Kelby and S.A.M

Cannon Busters is a Netflix Original Animated Series based on the graphic novel of the same name by LeSean Thomas. Unlike most anime, this series boasts diverse characters and an equally diverse voice cast including Kamali Minter as S.A.M., Kenn Michael as Phill the Kid, Stephanie Sheh as Casey Turnbuckle, and Zeno Robinson as Prince Kelby. LeSean Thomas has also worked on several other notable shows with diverse casts including Black Dynamite, The Legend of Korra, and The Boondocks.

3 Robinson Works Hard To Make All Characters Of Color Seem Authentic

One Punch Man Characters

One Punch Man is a satirical anime that revolves around the superhero, Saitama, who can defeat any enemy with a single punch. Superalloy Blackluster is an S-Class professional hero ranked 11th. As his name suggests, his body is at peak human condition with his muscles acting as an alloy-based armor in addition to his mastery in hand-to-hand combat. While black characters in anime have come a long way from the days of Mr. Popo in Dragon Ball Z, Superalloy Blackluster depicts many of the stereotypical features that were attributed to black characters in animation, like having big lips.

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When talking about playing Superalloy Blackluster with Newsweek Robinson said, “He was one of my first few anime roles so I definitely took it, but his character design definitely sucks. I have to make it a point to not give him a "mammy" voice or a caricature voice. I want to make it a point with Season 2, moving forward, I'm going to make this guy sound as proper as possible and make him sound as less of a caricature as I can—to outbalance this character design he has. Or I'm going to make him as Black as I can. [Laughs.] I just think people need to see all of that. People need to see [both sides].”

2 Being A Part Of The Biggest New Anime Series Is Worth It, Even If You’re Only In Two Episodes

Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba - Genya

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has made waves as one of the most popular new anime. The movie Demon Slayer-Kimetsu no Yaiba-The Movie: Mugen Train had its Japan release in October 2020 and became the highest-grossing film of 2020 and the highest-grossing anime film ever, beating out Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away.

Zeno Robinson voices Genya who becomes a Demon Slayer alongside Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. His role in the first season is small, only appearing in two episodes, but fans are hoping to see the foul-mouthed and ill-tempered Demon Slayer get more screen time in Season 2 which is set to premiere in Fall 2021.

1 Pyuma Was The First African Cyborg, Debuting In Cyborg 009 In 1964

Cyborg 009 Call of Justice Netflix

Cyborg 009 is one of the oldest manga/anime franchises, debuting in 1964. Since then the franchise has consisted of a 10-volume manga run, 3 anime series, and 6 movies, with the most recent being a trilogy called Cyborg 009: Call of Justice. The trilogy premiered on Netflix as a 12-episode series in 2016. The franchise follows 9 people from around the world who were kidnapped and turned into cyborgs (hence the name) and use their powers to save the world.

The franchise is surprisingly diverse, especially for one from the 1960s with characters that come from a variety of countries such as Japan, China, Germany, the U.S., and the U.K. Additionally the 9 cyborgs include Geronimo Jr. (Native American), a French woman named Françoise Arnoul, and Pyunma, a black cyborg from Kenya. Robinson voices Pyunma a.k.a. 008 in the English Dub of Cyborg 009: Call of Justice on Netflix.

When asked about Black representation in anime Robinson said, “Do I think it's better? Yes. Is it as good as it should get? Maybe not. But I do think that it's better. If you look at a project like Cyborg 009 and [the character of] Pyuma. He's the first African cyborg and his first depiction is with the big lips, and then you see him change over the course of years, adaptations. It's possible. There's always more they can do, but I do think it's getting better.”

NEXT: Katara & 9 Other Characters Voiced By Mae Whitman