Hail To The King
The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, Uncharted 4, Shadow of Mordor, Telltales’ Batman, the list of epic performances just keeps on going. We are of course talking about the vocal feats of one Troy Baker; an actor whose work in video games, anime and cartoons has cemented his place as one of the industry’s best.
He’s brought us to tears as Joel, portrayed the best Joker since Mark Hamill, essentially voiced everyone in the Bat Family and lest we forget was a part of the awesomeness that was Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
Honestly, we could go on for days about his most iconic roles, but for now we’re going to be looking at the performances that we feel deserve a lot more attention. Regardless of whether you enjoy these games and shows, you can’t deny Troy stole every scene he was in.
Fair warning, there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
#3: Arkham Knight/Jason Todd
“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)
Nobody was fond of the Batmobile sections and anyone who knew anything about Batman had Jason pinned from the start, but that’s not to say Troy didn’t do a great job. As the Knight, he was a soldier who was constantly fighting back an overwhelming amount of rage and sorrow, forever on the precipice of losing control. As Jason, he loses all of that control. The reveal, while not unexpected, was still very well handled. You can feel every ounce of anguish that pours out of him as he is confronted with his past, battling against a misplaced lust for revenge as well as his own damaged psyche. It’s actually quite harrowing.
#2: Pain
“Naruto” series (2002-17)
Troy’s anime roles tend to be overlooked when compared to his numerous accomplishments in video games, with the exception of Fullmetal Alchemist’s Greed. However, his time as the leader of the Akatsuki was actually rather compelling. Every word spoken is layered with menace and authority, helping to sell the fact that Pain truly believes he is a god among men. Its this performance that makes the battle against Jiraya one of the greatest examples of anime dubbing in existence, with Troy’s villainous delivery choking you by the throat all throughout.
#1: Pagan Min
“Far Cry 4” (2014)
You haven’t seen charisma until you have met the King of Kyrat. Despite the fact he stabbed his own soldier to death with a pen only seconds after we had met him, Pagan proceeded to effortlessly charm us. It’s honestly quite amazing that for all the oppressive actions he commits, we cannot bring ourselves to outright hate him. This is partly due to the dubious morality of every other character in this game, and the other is of course Troy’s magnetic performance. Flamboyant, witty and surprisingly earnest, this antagonist somehow managed to make us wish that we had the option to take his side and rule Kyrat together. How’s that for messed up?
Be sure to check out the video below to see where Troy managed to rank in our picks for the Top 10 Video Game Voice Actor Performances!Â
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