Crunchyroll Original The God of High School is the anime adaptation of the WEBTOONS comic by Yonje Park of the same name. Now six episodes in, the series has been a hit with fans and critics alike. While studio MAPPA’s animation has received high praise, so have the characters and the voice actors who bring them to life. The series follows a group of friends, Jin Mori, Yoo Mira, and Han Daewi as they compete in the titular tournament: “The God of High School.” What do the winners get? Well, exactly whatever they want.
With humor and strength, Jin Mori has become a fan favorite for his charisma and unrelenting spirit in a fight. The joyful core of our main trio, Mori is the breakout leading role for Tatsumaru Tachibana who was primarily active in the theatre and stage industry before taking on the role. His other credits include playing Toratarou Kobayashi in Case File nº221: Kabukicho and Kudanstein in Alchemist Code (stage play).
Before the start of the season, we got the chance to work with Crunchyroll and send Tachibana a few questions. You can find our quick interview with Jin Mori himself below.
BUT WHY THO: Were you familiar with God of High School before auditioning?
TATSUMARU TACHIBANA: The webcomic was included in the audition brief, and that’s when I first read it.
BWT: What attracted you to the role of Jin?
TACHIBANA: I love the strength of his heart and the way he lives his life, which is straightforward without two faces.
BWT: Outside of Jin, do you have any other favorite characters so far?
TACHIBANA: Mira is strong and cute, so I liked her more when she became an anime character. I’m not strong enough so Mira wouldn’t even care for me. (laugh)
BWT: Aside from his fighting abilities, what are some qualities you like about Jin?
TACHIBANA: I liked his positive thinking and his goofiness, which I found endearing.
BWT: What was your favorite part about providing a voice for Jin? a favorite scene maybe?
TACHIBANA: He was a very fun character who brightened my feelings. I was excited to feel the beginning of the story when he rode his bike through the guardrail and shouted “Okay! Here we go!” in episode 1.
BWT: What are some differences between providing voice acting for dialogue scenes versus providing the voice acting for action sequences? What does that process look like?
TACHIBANA: I have a very loud voice, so I moved away from the microphone a little bit during the fight scenes and moved closer to it depending on the scene.
BWT: How do you think God of High School fits into shonen/fighting anime? How do you think it stands out from the genre?
TACHIBANA: You can’t take your eyes off of [this anime] for even a second with its best and the strongest heated fights.
Tachibana’s excitement for voicing Jin Mori is felt through each episode. Mori is a bright light with a strong moral code that pushes makes him fit the shonen hero mold, and his love of his friends balances out his raw strength in the arena. As the series gets ready to move to the next arc, we’ll get to see how Mori fights in tandem with his friends. And we’ll get more chances to see Tachibana’s range as the character.
New episodes of The God of High School air every Monday, exclusively on Crunchyroll.