Danica Davidson
October 8, 2024 
There is sad news as we learn of the passing of voice actor Doc Harris, who was the narrator for Dragon Ball Z’s original English dub, also known as the Ocean dub because it was recorded at Ocean Studios. In other words, he narrated a lot of people’s childhoods. He was 76 years old and passed away at the Vancouver General Hospital on October 5.
A cause of death was not given. He had been in the hospital in September for surgery, but it was described as minor surgery.
Harris’s real name was Gilbert Auchinleck, but he used different names for his professional voice work. While anime fans might know him best for DBZ, he was on the radio in Canada for five decades, so he was also well known for his radio work. You can watch him talk about it in this video.
Besides his work in Dragon Ball Z, he did voice work for the cartoons and video games like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, Monster Rancher, Hulk: The Video Game, and Aegis Defenders.
Kyle Hebert, the narrator for the later Funimation Dragon Ball Z English dub, tweeted about the original English narrator’s legacy.
Doc was the first. He set the tone. Much love and major props to the legacy of the original English DBZ Narrator. ❤️ https://t.co/3Jgljs0THn
— KYᄂΣ ΉΣBΣЯƬ (@kylehebert) October 7, 2024
Harris’ passing also comes just months after the passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama.
VIZ Media publishes the original Dragon Ball Z manga and gave this description for the first volume:
Dragon Ball Z Plot
Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he’s grown up and had a family–he’s married, and he has a child, Son Gohan. But what is the real reason for Goku’s incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news–Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku’s brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth’s last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo…archenemies united to save the world!
Source: ANN, Broadcast Dialogue
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
