Saori Hayami shares why she voiced Rachel in Tower of God despite warning

It's not every day someone takes pride in being called 'horrific' — but when voicing a ruthless character like Rachel from the Tower of God anime franchise, you learn to expect and even appreciate these harsh blows.

Seiyuu (voice actor in Japanese) Saori Hayami shared what it's like to give voice to Rachel, a character who evokes many mixed feelings in the Tower of God (ToG) fandom in a recent interview with AsiaOne at Anime Festival Asia on Nov 30 at the Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Hayami is famed for roles such as Yor Forger in Spy x Family, Shinoa Hiragi in Seraph of the End and Kamisato Ayaka in Genshin Impact, and also has about 17 years of experience as a voice actress.

ToG revolves around a mysterious tower that promises to grant the deepest desires of those who reach the top — where everything in the world can be yours and where one can become a god.

With such a grand prize dangling over her head, Rachel - whose motivation for climbing the tower is still discussed today - is portrayed as incredibly manipulative and self-serving, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals; going so far as to betray and use others to serve her own needs.

There are so many mixed feelings to the point where even sound director Takayuki Yamaguchi warned: "Rachel does many shocking things, so get ready to accept negative feedback."

However, Hayami, 33, said she has braced herself for the criticism as she'd read the manhwa prior to recording her voice lines and was aware of her character's controversial deeds.

Empathising with fellow fans, Hayami shared with AsiaOne that her approach to voicing a complex character like Rachel is to keep things clear-headed and simple.

Upon finishing her lines, Hayami's directors said they were quick to praise her chilling performance.

"When directors tell me I'm so scary or fierce, horrific even — it's good! It means I've acted well, right? So I accept their feedback positively."

Hayami also said that Rachel has qualities distinct from other antagonistic characters she has voiced over the years.

"Rachel's like a typical bad guy," she said. "But with other bad guys, you understand their intentions and feel sympathy.

"With Rachel, however, it's like she does things without clear reason and I just wonder, 'Why does she do all that?'

"So it's understandable why people think she's so cruel. It's a very new experience for me."

But when asked how she resonates with her character, Hayami said that she empathises with Rachel's drive for being authentic and her determination — that's why she wants to "rise up to the challenge of portraying her".

Beyond Rachel, Hayami also connects with ToG's story in how characters have diverse motivations for climbing the Tower, utilising different means to achieve their goals.

No matter the outcome, Hayami feels that "at the end of the day, they're together and there's something beautiful in that unity that I yearn for".

A gear change

Alongside Rachel is Baam, ToG's protagonist who is voiced by seiyuu Taichi Ichikawa.

With years of voice acting experience beginning in 2017, Ichikawa said he is well-versed in voicing characters with more dramatic personalities. However, the character of Baam marks a significant shift from his previous work.

"I'm new to voicing someone who has to actively conceal their feelings. Baam does possess emotions but he can't express them outwardly, so for me, that's one of the trickier parts of voicing him," the 31-year-old shared.

Ichikawa also revealed in the Day Stage panel discussions that his voice had grown deeper during the hiatus between the first and second season of ToG.

Thankfully, this "mature" and "sophisticated" vocal change was welcome as it suited Jyu Viole Grace, the persona Baam had taken up when he reappeared in season two.

He was even told by his director that his voice was now "too cool for Baam", Ichikawa recalled.

When we asked Ichikawa what his main takeaway from the ToG series was, he shared his philosophy about wanting to stay on the good side of life.

The seiyuu said: "There's so much human drama [in ToG] ... showing humans' good and bad sides in how we either protect the people we love, or betray them to keep to our motives or egos going... This is what real life is about, and I realise it's really important to believe in who you want to keep in your life — the good people."

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kristy.chua@asiaone.com