When initially announced that J Balvin would be doing the voice of Tusk in the English version of Solo Leveling, fans were worried. The globally renowned reggaeton artist had never done voice acting for anime previously, so his casting was unexpected. While the promotional push behind his involvement suggested it was going to be a major selling point, the reality of his performance told a different story.
Some of the fans struggled even to understand the lines of Tusk in the dub, leading to widespread complaints. Even some of the experienced dub watchers had to put on closed captions. Rather than raising the dub, J Balvin’s performance turned out to be one of its greatest flaws, leading to discussions about how Solo Leveling‘s English version could recover from the damage.
Aleks Le: Can he save Solo Leveling‘s dub reputation?
Now with all the backlash over the Tusk’s dubbing, all the eyes are now on Aleks Le. He has quickly become one of the most respected names in the industry with his latest array of amazing performances. With almost a decade of experience under his belt, Le has established himself as a go-to talent for consistently delivering strong performances in a variety of roles.
His ability to bring emotional depth, intensity, and versatility to his characters has made him one of the most sought-after talents in the dubbing scene. Among Le’s strongest attributes is his versatility, which helped him play an array of character types, especially the protagonists with complex personalities.
His characters in Demon Slayer as Zenitsu, Tokyo Revengers as Mikey, Vinland Saga as Thorfinn, and The Misfit of Demon King Academy as Anos Voldigoad demonstrate how easily he can transition between comedy, drama, and action-packed performances.
He is also impressive in video games, with his roles as Luke in Street Fighter 6 and Makoto Yuki in Persona 3 Reload similarly emphasizing his ability to breathe life into characters with accuracy. Le’s attention to detail in doing voice work hasn’t only received praise from fans but improved the overall standards of the dubs he joins.
This is exactly the kind of expertise needed to restore faith in Solo Leveling‘s English dub after the backlash over Tusk’s portrayal. Even with his extensive list of credits, Le’s role as Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling is by far his most high-profile role to date.
As the lead of one of the biggest anime adaptations of the past couple of years, the success of the dub now largely rests on Le’s shoulders. Luckily for everyone involved, he has far exceeded expectations, bringing both the subtle intensity and hyper-violent power that define Jinwoo’s character development to life.
The future of Solo Leveling‘s English dub
Although Aleks Le’s performance in the role of Jinwoo has received widespread praise, the Tusk controversy surrounding J Balvin has tainted the dub as a whole. Bringing a celebrity who is not used to voice acting to play an important role was already a risk, but the mishandling only added to criticism.
For many fans, Tusk’s voice was so unintelligible that it took them out of the experience entirely, forcing them to either rely on subtitles or switch back to the sub altogether. However, there is still hope for redemption.
I might have just heard the worst English Dub of all time and it’s from Solo Leveling of all shows
— Chibi Reviews (@ChibiReviews) February 27, 2025
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Aleks Le has made a career out of continually improving and refining the quality of anime dubs, and his Jinwoo performance could be enough to save Solo Leveling‘s English dub. Even hardcore sub viewers have recognized the quality of Le’s performance, further solidifying his status as one of the greatest English voice actors of his generation.
If the production company listens to criticism from fans and makes efforts to ensure future casting choices prioritizing seasoned voice actors over celebrity names, the dub could still redeem itself.
Solo Leveling is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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