Naruto game accused of using AI voice-over is just sloppy editing, admits Bandai
The English dub of a recently released Naruto game, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, sounded so bad that fans theorized that the developers used artificial intelligence to generate some of the voice acting. But on Monday, Bandai Namco clarified in a statement to Polygon that the team didn’t use AI to generate lines. Instead, the publisher emphasized that the voice lines in the game just sounded bad due to “inconsistencies” in the editing and mastering process.
This controversy is representative of a larger trend where fans assume games and other forms of entertainment that are “bad” were created, at least partially, using AI. And it serves as a reminder that products can appear to be of a lower quality even when they were not created by AI, for any number of reasons — especially in an era of game development that emphasizes constant releases and updates.
Bandai Namco released the fighting game Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections earlier this month. In a world where Naruto spinoff games are a dime a dozen, the game failed to make a splash. However, it quickly picked up attention for another reason: The voice-over for the English dub sounded stiff and hard to believe.
In response, several voice actors posted to X (formerly Twitter) about the lines. On Nov. 22, Maile Flanagan, Naruto’s English-language voice actor, said, “I can guarantee I did not say that line that way,” in a now-deleted tweet initially reported by IGN. Michael Schwalbe, who voices Kawaki in the English dub of Boruto: Next Generations, also tweeted that he did not recall saying his lines that way, noting, “ain’t no way id do myself like that.” The next day, he tweeted that he sent the clips to a friend who ran the lines
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