Bleach is among the most popular shounen anime and manga of all time, so fans were chomping at the bit when the adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc was finally announced. That hype hit a bit of a snag, though, as a controversial recasting, and its consequences, rocked the fandom.
Anairis Quiñones had been slated to voice Yoruichi Shihouin in the new arc, and was chosen over the character’s previous voice actress, Wendee Lee. After episodes were already released with this new take on the character, it was suddenly announced that Lee would be taking back the role, and that the dialogue Quiñones had previously recorded would be redone and edited into already-released episodes.
The aftermath of the decision — as well as Lee’s behavior surrounding the situation — has left plenty of anime fans scratching their heads. It’s time to make a complicated situation much easier to understand, so everyone can follow what’s going on.
What did Anairis Quiñones say about being replaced?
There has been plenty of speculation as to why Quiñones would no longer be voicing Yoruichi, as Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War as Season 2 loomed around the corner. With no official statement from Studio Pierrot, who created the show, nor Viz Media, the only real information available came from a post made by Quiñones herself.
“The studio & client decided to go in a different direction, so I am no longer voicing Yoruichi in Bleach TYBW and my recordings will be replaced. It meant a lot to take on such an iconic WOC. I appreciate all the love! I’ll still be voicing Hiyori.”
That is, until Wendee Lee entered the fray. Lee originally voiced Yoruichi in Bleach. Traditionally, voice actors in cartoons are rarely replaced unless necessary, which is why many voice actors have played the same characters for years. This isn’t always as commonplace in anime, with multiple dubs existing and different entities having distribution rights at different times, so things shuffle around. So this casting change wasn’t something unheard of, just surprising. It was how Lee acted after the announcement of her return that made things dicey.
What did Wendee Lee say about why Anairis Quiñones was replaced?
Many other voice actors reached out to offer condolences to Quiñones for having been replaced in the role, to which Lee responded with the grace of a stampeding elephant, leaving small clues as to what may have happened with the recasting. Under one such message she posted, “Just following what Viz requested.” On another she responded, “‘Wrong’ for Viz to maintain the OG cast?”
Later on, she would repeatedly suggest it was simply a scheduling error that had her not playing the role of Yoruichi. “This is The Biz. We all get recast at some point.,” she posted. “In this case It was mistakenly done by the person [responsible for] scheduling.”
The Morton Salt Girl would have been jealous over just how salty Lee got about the entire situation. It seemed that any time anyone posted to support Quiñones, Lee needed to defend herself, even if she had never been mentioned. While many posts made on X (formerly known as Twitter) have since been deleted, screenshots live forever, and plenty of people collected her reactions to the situation for posterity.
How did other voice actors respond to Anairis Quiñones being replaced?
Several other prolific voice actors called out Lee’s behavior on social media as well, including Allegra Park, known for her work on projects like Jujutsu Kaisen and Genshin Impact. “I work with so many wonderful people, but I wonder when the people with sh***y, unprofessional behavior will be exposed, because I would love for clients to stop having to be nice to ***holes,” she said in a post, seemingly referencing Lee.
Chris Tergliafera, known for his voice work in iconic anime like Hunter x Hunter, One Punch Man, and more, also posted a tongue-in-cheek response to Lee’s antics.
Did Wendee Lee ever apologize for her behavior?
After several days of being reprimanded by the internet at large and by her colleagues, Lee eventually apologized by replying to the announcement post made by Quiñones. “Wishing Anairis the very best. I reached out & apologized,” she posted. “Mistakenly assumed my colleagues knew I originated the role and felt unsupported by the disappointment expressed in their comments re the cast change. Apologies, and heartfelt well wishes to Anairis. Welcome to the cast.”
While it is wonderful that Quiñones still has a part among the amazing voice talent behind Bleach, it’s impossible to think this entire situation didn’t sour her experience with the production in some way. It’s also hard to not think Lee’s reaction might potentially torpedo her future voice acting opportunities, as studios want to stay away from any other potential drama or unprofessional reactions on social media. The entire situation was incredibly messy, and we doubt Viz Media — or anyone else — wants anything to make it harder to enjoy their favorite anime.