Langdon seems to be out of acting in general partially because now he’s behind the camera
Out of all the Japanese game developers, Capcom has been pretty consistently stellar in terms of English voice acting talent and casting if we ignore the original Resident Evil days.
One of the most recognizable voice actors, who played prominent roles in Street Fighter and Devil May Cry, may be done spending time in the recording booth, however.
With the release of the most recent Devil May Cry anime trailer, it was finally revealed that Johnny Yong Bosch would be taking over the role for Reuben Langdon.
I’m beyond grateful to announce the upcoming DMC animated series by Adi Shankar,” wrote Bosch on Instagram. “This isn’t just about expanding the franchise—it’s about honoring everything that makes DMC special to you, the fans, who have kept this world alive through the games, anime, and manga.
“Our goal is to reignite that passion and share it with both longtime fans and new ones alike. I want to sincerely thank our visionary architect Adi Shankar, Capcom, Netflix, StudioMir, Reuben Langdon, and, most of all, the incredible DMC community. None of this would be possible without your dedication and support. I truly owe it all to you—thank you!”
Langdon had moved from the role of stunt coordinator to Dante’s bombastic voice actor starting with Devil May Cry 3, bringing a different portrayal of the demon hunter to life that would stick moving forward.
On top of that, he also became the English actor for Ken Masters in Street Fighter 4 shortly after with a similarly cocky attitude though still certainly unique enough to set him apart from Dante.
Langdon would continue to reprise those roles for well over a decade including in Marvel vs. Capcom, but he’s been noticeably absent these past few years, which may make this report not all that surprising.
Bosch would respond to multiple fan replies on his post including those asking about what happened to Reuben.
“It’s nothing bad,” wrote Bosch. “Even I was unaware he quit acting. He’s more focused on producing his documentaries which I’m sure we’ll see more of soon. But that’s not necessarily why I’m playing Dante. I’m playing Dante because the series creator, Adi Shankar, wrote the part with me in mind to play him.”
In 2022, it was revealed for Street Fighter 6 that Langdon was one of several English cast members who wouldn’t be returning for the current entry along with those for Chun-Li, Guile, Dhalsim, Blanka and E. Honda.
There was never a specified reason given as to Ken’s recasting, but many fans presumed it may have involved Langdon’s online posts about conspiracy theories and other topics when he included the lines:
“I am sad to no longer be the voice of Ken because he is a character dear to my heart. There are many lessons here in this situation. I tried my best to be epithetic to people on all sides but I must be myself no matter what and continue on my own journey.”
He doesn’t appear to have a credited acting role since 2020, so he may have been technically done for quite some time now.
Considering the DMC anime Producer Adi Shankar paid respect to Langdon as “the king” after the reveal and how Bosch is talking, it doesn’t sound like he has been forcefully cut out of the family.
This is a Reuben Langdon appreciation post.
RT to salute the king . #DevilTrigger
— Adi Shankar (@adishankarbrand) September 23, 2024
Bosch is of course one of the most prolific voice actors in the West and already appeared in Devil May Cry as the younger, hot-headed Nero, which did leave fans a bit split on him taking over for Dante now.
But it sounds as though Langdon himself gave Johnny his blessing to succeed him for now.
There may still be a way to get Reuben to act again, however, if Devil May Cry 6 were to ever happen.
“If we get DMC6, he’d definitely be Dante,” responded Bosch to another fan. “I’d find him myself and drag his butt back.”
Despite Devil May Cry 5’s record-setting sales for the franchise, those chances are seemingly up in the air at the moment for a new game to happen.
Longtime DMC Director Hideaki Itsuno recently left Capcom after 30 years, so the status of the series under his wing remains unknown with Bosch also in the dark for what Capcom could do next.
Itsuno also directed and worked on a multitude of fighting games in the ’90s from Rival Schools to Capcom vs. SNK, and you could feel that influence in his later projects too.
If Langdon is indeed done with acting, that would leave Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as his final portrayal of Ken while DMC5 and Shin Megami 3: Nocturne HD Remaster would mark his end as Dante.
The Devil May Cry animated series is scheduled to release on Netflix in 2025.