How This Voice Actor Got Went From Disney and Smosh To Voicing Anime Characters

Summary

• Damien Haas transitioned from Disney Channel to Smosh and then to voicing popular anime protagonists.
• His anime roles include Kiyoka Kudou in My Happy Marriage and Laios Touden in Delicious in Dungeon.
• Haas maintains major voice acting roles in video games like Fire Emblem and anime like Ranma 1/2.

Voice acting for anime characters is a talent few have and utilize well. Most of the time, this skill is taught through vocal lessons and acting classes, and requires you to blend techniques from both to pull off the characters with the authenticity the director is looking for in any given piece. While most voice actors get started in voice acting through voice acting alone, a fascinating case has risen in former Disney Channel actor and current Smosh star Damien Haas, who has found himself in the world of voicing popular anime protagonists.

He’s voiced the knowledgeable and reserved Laios Touden in Delicious in Dungeon and Kiyoka Kudou, the regal main male love interest in My Happy Marriage anime, among many other main and side character roles throughout both anime and video games. This article is going to cover his career, to show how he transitioned from a canceled Disney Channel show in 2011, to becoming a main cast member in Smosh, to eventually voicing the anime and video game protagonists he’s known for today.

His Early Career on Disney and YouTube’s Smosh

The Sketch Comedy That Showed Off His Range Early On

Damien Haas garnered his first acting role in the Disney Channel show, So Random, in 2011. Similarly to SNL, the show had a recurring set of actors that would act out various comedy and musical sketches. The show was based on the sketch showing the main characters of Sonny With A Chance, starring Demi Lovato as the titular character; notably, Demi Lovato was absent as she was secretly in rehab due to substance abuse. The lack of the main character played by Lovato, and disinterest in sketch comedy with Disney Channel’s audience at the time, led to its cancelation after one season.

“I don’t think going back to Sonny would be healthy for my recovery. Being in front of a camera would make me nervous.”

Despite this apparent bad end, Haas found himself on the gaming channel Smosh Games, a secondary channel run by the staple in YouTube culture, Smosh. Over time, he was introduced to the other channels and showed off his quick improvisation skills, unique style of comedy, and many talents on a global scale to 26 million subscribers to date. He still appears on the various Smosh channels semi-regularly, both in sketches and unscripted content.

The Transition to Voice Acting

From Fire Emblem to Delicious in Dungeon, And Everything In-Between

While his first credited voice acting role was a few minor characters in the Cartoon Network show Clarence, he began breaking into voice acting for a few video games. his first major role was as the Fire Emblem character Shez, in both Fire Emblem Heroes and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. To commemorate this, he dyed his hair to match the character’s hair color, which is a habit he’s maintained for his major voice-acting roles since. He’s also voiced four different characters in Fortnite, and a character in the 2022 game Triangle Strategy.

His anime voice acting career started with a minor role in Ooku: The Inner Chambers in 2023. He quickly found himself voicing his very first anime protagonist, the main male love interest in My Happy Marriage, Kiyoka Kudou. The anime follows Miyo Saimori, a young woman betrothed to someone she doesn’t know, and Kiyoka, who is a feared commander who hides a soft and loving personality underneath the rumors of his cold-hearted nature. The anime has gone on to be nominated for 11 awards and won 3 others across various anime award shows and programs. The anime has also been confirmed to be getting a second season, with Damien Haas set to reprise his role as Kiyoka Kudou.

Over the next year, he picked up a few more voice acting roles, but his biggest commercial success as an anime voice actor at the publishing of this article is his role as the main character Laios Touden in the anime Delicious in Dungeon. In this anime, a group of adventurers can’t afford the rations they need to survive, so they turn to cooking the monsters they kill on their way to save the protagonist’s siblings. This anime has also been nominated and won multiple awards over its first season, as well as a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a second season on the way as well.

What Is He Doing Now?

Ranma 1/2, More Smosh, And Other Projects

The most recently released anime he’s acted in at the publishing of this article is the reboot of Ranma 1/2, in which he plays Ryoga, who is Ranma’s own rival. Damien Haas has also voiced characters in a few more anime-style games, including the protagonist role of Van Arkride in The Legends of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, its sequel that is coming out next year, and a few characters from Unicorn Overlord. He also still appears in variety and comedy content on Smosh videos across the channels, with his latest appearances around as recently as December.