Additional information has come to light regarding the case of anime voice actor Vic Mignogna, who has been on the receiving end of various allegations of misconduct and abuse. Now, the allegations don’t have much weight or proof behind them, but they have circulated throughout various media outlets, which initially led to Funimation making a snap decision to fire Mignogna from Morose Mononokean‘s second season. Well, following up on that decision, the company publicly announced that they would not be “engaging” with Mignogna for any future productions, which means that Dragon Ball Super: Broly will be Mignogna’s last performance as the character Broly.
In a series of tweets posted on February 11th, 2019, the company stated the following…
Part of our core mission is to celebrate the diversity of the anime community and to share our love for this genre and its positive impact on all. We do not any kind of harassment or threatening behavior being directed at anyone.
— Funimation (@FUNimation) February 11, 2019
Edit: We do not condone any kind of harassment or threatening behavior being directed at anyone.
— Funimation (@FUNimation) February 11, 2019
Many people responded questioning what the actual evidence was leading to the firing; others posted up other tweets from fellow voice actors who were calling for Mignogna to be fired, seemingly out of spite, such as Jamie Marchi.
— Shu Ouma (@_ShuOuma_) February 11, 2019
Obviously, this means that any future movie or show featuring Broly will not feature Vic Mignogna in the role, despite him playing the character since the early 1990s, and contributing to the voice of the character for the most recent theatrical run of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which earned more than $100 million at the box office.
Funimation already announced the recasting for Mignogna’s role in Morose Mononokean, but they have yet to say who will replace Mignogna for other projects, such as the English dubbing for the Dragon Ball films.
Many fans expressed disappointment in the Twitter thread since so far actual evidence – other than personal assertions – has not surfaced against Mignogna, and no formal charges have been pressed against him. For those asking for evidence that led Funimation to their decision, various people who are vehemently against Mignogna popped into the thread to claim that fans of the voice actor weren’t entitled to evidence.
To those still asking for evidence.
This is and always has been a private matter between them and him. You are not entitled to ANYTHING. Just because you met him for a few minutes at a con doesn’t mean the whole investigation is open to you. Leave it alone! Your done.
— Benjamin Oscar (@BenjaminOscar77) February 11, 2019
Some fans, however, believe that the firing is unjust and has been spurred on by inflammatory reports by outlets like Anime News Network, which has been outwardly calling people who question the veracity of their claims “Nazis” and “fascists”.
So far, those in the middle contain to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism, but those on the far Left continue to declare that any claims made against Mignogna must be true because they always believe the victim. However, when similar allegations were made against voice actor Neil Kaplan, who openly stated his disdain for Mignogna, he retorted that he did not knowingly engage in any kind of misconduct.
Kaplan also later clarified that he did not want to see Mignogna get fired from work or for people to harm him, saying…
“[…] What would I like to see with regards to Vic? I’d like to see him step away for a little while and get some help. Then, I’d like to see him comeback, treat colleagues and fellow con guests and staff with kindness and understanding. I don’t want him to die. I don’t even want him unemployed. I just want him in the “penalty box” until he learns how to treat people that are not fans of his.”
Right now it appears as if Mignogna is definitely coming under fire for what many fans believe are exaggerated and bloated allegations. Nevertheless, the impact of these allegations are being rendered tangible in the form of Mignogna losing work because of them, whether or not they contain any truth at all.
(Thanks for the news tip Nemesis)
