One thing that makes Tokyo Revengers great is the cast of characters, especially the Tokyo Manji Gang members. Toman is first introduced as a crime syndicate capable of doing every heinous crime possible, but through his time leaps, protagonist Takemichi later realizes that this isn't the case at all. In particular, Toman's leader, Mikey, couldn't be any more different from what Takemichi expected from the leader of a notorious gang: he's not a bad guy.
CBR spoke to Aleks Le, the English dub voice actor for Mikey, on what makes Mikey unique and what he might tell the character as Mikey walks on a dark path in the future -- and most importantly, if given the choice, what he might choose between Mikey's kick or Takemichi's ability to time travel.
CBR: What makes Mikey different from other characters you’ve voiced?
Aleks Le: Mikey is unique to me because he has such a fun-loving personality! I've voiced a lot of carefree characters, but his childlike nature and his protective older brother attitude is super unique.
CBR: Mikey has two personas: one is the Invincible Mikey that the rest of the Tokyo Manji Gang is used to seeing and then there’s one where he’s much more childlike and human. How did you manage to achieve that? Did you find yourself relating to him?
Aleks Le: I definitely found a lot of myself in this character (with the exception of the badass kicking skills, of course), so it was pretty easy for me to tap into his mindset. I feel like we have a lot in common, at least in the way we coast through our own life while holding more compassion for our companions.
CBR: There’s a dark road that lies ahead for Mikey, and we see him struggling through those dark impulses as the series goes on. What advice would you give him?
Aleks Le: Honestly, I doubt any advice from me would be better than whatever he could come up with himself. I'd pat him on the back and say, "You got this, big man. :)"
CBR: What has been your favorite scene to voice so far?
Aleks Le: Definitely the very first meeting with Takemichi! I think that scene conveyed Mikey's personality perfectly. The scene where he's pouting at the restaurant about his kid's meal is also another personal favorite!
CBR: If you had to choose between Mikey’s powerful kick or Takemichi’s ability to time travel, which would you pick and why?
Aleks Le: Time travel so I wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of using my own deadly kicks.
CBR: Tokyo Revengers isn’t your typical delinquent anime. What’s one thing that you hope people will get out of watching it?
Aleks Le: We have a ton of amazing characters with so much chemistry and unique stories. I hope viewers can find parts of themselves in this anime, and be able to relate to the struggles, heartbreaks and triumphs of youth!
Tokyo Revengers streams every Saturday at 12 PM PT on Crunchyroll.