Arryn Zech | |
|---|---|
 Zech in 2023 | |
| Born | October 4 [1] Rota, Spain |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | Voice actress |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Television |
|
Arryn Zech is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Blake Belladonna in the original anime-style CG-animated web series, RWBY [2] [3] and Dr. Emily Grey in Red vs. Blue , [4] an American web series also created by Rooster Teeth.
Zech was born in Rota, Spain. [5] [4] She began acting in a New Braunfels theater in A Bug's Life production and working in local theater. She attended North East School of Arts in San Antonio, Texas, a musical theater school. [6] [7] She revealed, in a 2023 interview, that she considered going to law school, but decided to become an actress instead. [6]
She later graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, concentrating in copy editing and design. While there she worked at the student-run television station, TSTV, as a writer, host, and actress. [5] [8]
In 2013, she began voicing Blake Belladonna in RWBY . [9] [10] [11] In the 2019 companion book to the series, Zech said that she was still in college when she learn of Monty Oum's pitch to voice Blake Belladonna, saying that Oum gave her the role, although "he hadn't fully fleshed out what he wanted from Blake" and told her, "you and Blake will have to figure each other out." [12]
In August 2014, in an interview with Collider, she talked about fan response to the character, what people could expect in season 2, and voiced her support for the ship of Blake and Yang Xiao Long, known as "Bumbleby". [9] She would later, in a companion book to the series, describe Blake as "very secretive and introverted" at first and Blake's "erstwhile suitors," including ex-boyfriend Adam Taurus, Sun Wukong, and Ilia Amitola, add, "personally, I'm hoping for Yang in the future". She would also describe Ilia's love for Blake as "something a lot of gay kids go through, pining after their straight friend" and describe Sun and Blake as "adorable together, with cute chemistry." [13] The ship with Yang would become canon in the show's ninth season, when both characters kissed on screen. [14]
Zech voiced Blake in various video games such as Smite in 2014, [6] Paladins in 2016, [6] BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle in 2018, [15] [16] Smite: Battleground of the Gods in 2019, [17] and RWBY: Arrowfell in 2022. [18] She would also reprise the voice in RWBY Chibi . [19] The series returned as part of the "Neon Konbini" block in 2021. [20]
In October 2018, in an interview with Supanova Expo, Zech stated that she was proud of the show's cast and character development. She also described how Monty Oum chose her for the role and noted that each of the four main actresses, including her, chose hairstyles, clothing, and design, which were used in the final character designs of the four protagonists. [21]
In March 2022, Zech expressed discomfort with being involved in RWBY: Ice Queendom upon being made aware of the 2015 domestic abuse allegations concerning series writer Tow Ubukata, which prompted Ubukata to tweet in response to Zech. [22] Zech later tweeted to confirm that she would be reprising her voice role of Blake Belladonna in the English dub of Ice Queendom, stating that she had internal discussions with the staff and that she would be donating her payment for her work to an undisclosed charity. [23] Her voice role in the English dubbed version of the series was confirmed by later press releases, and articles, which described the project as an anime based on the original RWBY series. [24] [25] [26]
In October 2022, Zech stated that Rooster Teeth threatened her with recasting Blake if she didn't accept the wage offered to her. [27]
In 2023, she voiced Blake Belladonna in the Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part One crossover film. [28] [29] The film premiered at WonderCon 2023 on March 25. [30]
Zech voice acts as Dr. Emily Grey in Red vs. Blue in 2013. [6] [31] In 2016, she said that when she voices Dr. Grey, she has "bubbly hands, almost Disney Princess hands". [32]
Zech portrayed a character in an episode of the Lethal Weapon TV series in 2017. [6]
She voiced characters in English dubs of various anime in the 2020s. This included "The Ripper" in the Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina episode "The Ripper", [33] Ayana Taketatsu in The Detective Is Already Dead , [34] [33] [35] and Gentiane in the anime Girls' Frontline . [36] [37]
In February 2023, she noted that she had begun writing her first EP, and described it as "incredibly fun". [6] In a March 2023, she stated that she was getting a songwriter certification with online classes and was "pretty excited" about her EP. [14] [lower-alpha 1] Her official website also stated that in fall 2023, she would be attending the Berklee School of Music to further her study of music [38] and assist with producing her EP "in the near future." [39]
In 2024, GameSpot noted that she was the English dubbed voice of Black Swan in the video game Honkai: Star Rail . [40]
In June 2022, Zech told LGBT magazine Diva that RWBY had "changed her life" and said that going to its conventions have allowed her to "come out of her shell" and be honest about her experiences with abusive relationships, mental health, and eating disorders. [7]
In 2016, she appeared at Montreal Comiccon [41] and MCM London Comic Con. [42] In 2017, she made appearances at Fan Expo Canada, [43] Fan Expo Boston, [44] and Ottawa Comiccon. [45] The next year, she appeared at Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand. [46] In 2019, she appeared at MCM London Comic Con, [47] and Phoenix Fan Fusion [48] [49]
In May 2018, she and Lindsay Jones cancelled their appearances at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention after criticism of the convention for its "insensitive response" to accusations of sexual harassment. [50]
In May 2020, Zech appeared at the Anime Frontier convention, which was sponsored by Crunchyroll, at the Fort Worth Convention Center. [51] [52] She also appeared at the conference in later years. [5] Zech previously appeared at Wizard World Virtual Experience with RWBY cast members in April 2020, [53] and in the same convention in 2018. [54]
Zech also made appearances at Comic Con Scotland and Anime North in 2022. [55] [56]
Zech is bisexual. [14] [lower-alpha 2] In a February 2023 interview with Naluda Magazine, Zech said that she loves playing video games, gardening, and supporting civil rights and animal rights, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ issues, and women's rights. She also described leaving Twitter as a "game changer" for her mental health. [6] In another interview, in March 2023, by her friend Barbara Dunkelman on the "Always Open" YouTube series, Zech said that physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation would be important in any romantic relationship. [14] [lower-alpha 3] In the same interview, she also said she would "never go back" to Twitter because it is harder for people to "access her" in a "negative way", and told Dunkleman that issues with dating as a bisexual woman is a "universal bisexual problem". [lower-alpha 4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–present | RWBY | Blake Belladonna | Voice, motion capture | [22] |
| 2013-2019 | Red vs. Blue | Dr. Emily Grey | Voice only | [5] [32] |
| 2014 | Smite | Blake Belladonna | Voice only | [6] |
| 2015 | Lazer Team | Herself | Cameo | [ citation needed ] |
| 2016 | RWBY: Grimm Eclipse | Blake Belladonna | Voice only | [57] |
| 2017 | Lethal Weapon | Waitress | Co-star [lower-alpha 5] | [6] |
| 2016-2018 | RWBY Chibi | Blake Belladonna | Voice only | [19] |
| 2021 | ||||
| 2018 | BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle | [15] | ||
| 2018 | Paladins | [6] | ||
| 2020 | Kaguya-sama: Love Is War | Guest Voice | English dub [lower-alpha 6] | [ citation needed ] |
| 2020 | Vote for Love | Zoey | [lower-alpha 7] | [58] |
| 2020 | Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina | The Ripper | English dub [lower-alpha 8] | [33] |
| 2021 | The Detective Is Already Dead | Nagisa Natsunagi | English dub; Voice only | [34] [33] |
| 2021 | Death Battle | Blake Belladonna | Voice only [lower-alpha 9] | [59] |
| 2022 | Girls' Frontline | Gentiane | English dub; Voice only | [36] [37] |
| 2022 | RWBY: Arrowfell | Blake Belladonna | Voice only | [18] |
| 2022 | RWBY: Ice Queendom | English dub; Voice only | [60] [61] | |
| 2023 | Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen | Voice only | [62] [63] | |
| 2024 | Honkai: Star Rail | Black Swan | Voice only, English dub | [40] |
| 2024 | Red vs. Blue Restoration | Dr. Emily Grey | Voice only | [64] |
Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC was an American internet media and production company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth was a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Victor Joseph Mignogna is an American voice actor and musician known for his work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist series, which earned him the American Anime Award for Best Actor in 2007. Other animation roles include Broly from the Dragon Ball films, Tamaki Suoh in Ouran High School Host Club, Fai D. Flowright in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Dark in D.N.Angel, Kurz Weber in the Full Metal Panic! series, Zero and Ichiru Kiryu in the Vampire Knight series, Christopher Aonuma in Digimon Fusion, Nagato and Obito Uchiha in Naruto Shippuden, Kougaiji in Saiyuki, Ikkaku Madarame in Bleach, Rohan Kishibe in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Hideki Kurohagi in Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Qrow Branwen in RWBY, and Matt Ishida in Digimon Adventure tri. In video games, he has voiced E-123 Omega in the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Junpei Iori from Persona 3. In live-action work, he has participated in several Star Trek fan productions, including Star Trek Continues, as Captain James T. Kirk.
Monyreak "Monty" Oum was an American web-based animator and writer.
Jessica Nigri is an American cosplayer, promotional and glamour model, YouTuber, voice actress, and fan convention interview correspondent. She has been cosplaying since 2009 and modeling since 2012, having served as an official spokesmodel for several video games and comic book series, including Lollipop Chainsaw and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. She is also notable for her voice work as Cinder Fall in RWBY.
Megan LeeAnn Turney is an American Twitch streamer, internet personality, cosplayer, glamour model, Onlyfans model and vlogger. She became an internet personality through her hosting work, formerly with SourceFed and Rooster Teeth's The Know. She also maintains a personal YouTube channel where she posts vlogs and Let's Play videos and live streams. In addition to her work with online media, Turney also cosplays at various conventions, such as Comic-Con.
RWBY is an American anime-influenced 3D computer-animated web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It is set in the fictional world of Remnant, where young people train to become warriors to protect their world from monsters called Grimm. The name RWBY is derived from the four main protagonists' forenames: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, and their respective thematic colors.
Barbara Julie Dunkelman (born July 2, 1989) is a Canadian actress and internet personality. She was known for her work with the production company Rooster Teeth, where she served as a Creative Director and was formerly the Director of Social and Community Marketing and a Program Director for RTX. She also provides the voice of Yang Xiao Long in the web series RWBY and Nerris in Camp Camp, and is a partial owner of the FCF Wild Aces Indoor Football Team.
RWBY Chibi is an American animated comedy web series produced by Rooster Teeth Animation for Rooster Teeth. It is a spin-off of RWBY, where each episode consists of several scenes where aspects of RWBY's characters are usually exaggerated for comic effect. The series was first announced as part of Rooster Teeth's 13th Anniversary celebration on April 1, 2016 and premiered May 7. In January 2017, Rooster Teeth confirmed that the second season's premiere would be later in that year on May 13 on Rooster Teeth and May 20 on YouTube. A third season premiered on January 27, 2018, on Rooster Teeth and February 3, 2018 on YouTube. Following the conclusion of the third season, the series would go on an indefinite hiatus.
Lindsay Elise Jones is an American actor, director, gamer and host. They were known for their work with Rooster Teeth, and have provided the voices of Ruby Rose in RWBY and Kimball in Red vs. Blue since 2013.
Gray G. Haddock is an American actor and film producer. He is the former head of animation at Rooster Teeth, a production studio in Austin, Texas, where he created the 2019 mecha web series Gen:Lock. He is known for voice roles such as Locus and Roman Torchwick in the Rooster Teeth productions Red vs. Blue and RWBY, respectively, as well as Sanosuke Sagara in the English dub of Rurouni Kenshin, Oreldo in Pumpkin Scissors, and Yousuke Fuuma from Wedding Peach.
Rooster Teeth Games was an American video game developer, publisher and distributor based in Austin, Texas, serving as Rooster Teeth's video game division. It was focused on "bridging the gap between independent game developers and the worldwide community of gamers."
Gen:Lock is an American animated science fiction television series created by Gray Haddock and produced by Rooster Teeth. It is set in a dystopian future Earth where an international coalition known as The Polity fights a hostile, autocratic invading force known as The Union. The show follows the gen:LOCK program and its members, who participate in the development and testing of an experimental technology which allows for individuals with unique mental make ups to have their minds uploaded to giant suits of mecha armor called "Holons".
RWBY: Ice Queendom is a Japanese anime television series produced by Shaft, based on the American web series RWBY created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. The series aired from July to September 2022. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kumiko Suekane began serialization in ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in June 2022.
Justice League × RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen is a 2023 two-part American direct-to-video anime-inspired animated superhero crossover fantasy film loosely based on the limited crossover comic book series RWBY × Justice League and DC/RWBY written by Marguerite Bennett. A co-production of Rooster Teeth Productions, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Animation, the film centers on several members of the Justice League mysteriously turned into teenagers and teleported to Remnant while teaming up with Team RWBY to defeat a superpowered Grimm and a group of supervillains, including an old enemy of RWBY.
@OfficialRWBY: Happy birthday @ArrynZech! May it bee your best year yet! 🐝
Arryn Zech, a barista at Cappy's Cafe, which is located on the first floor of the Belo center
Since Monday's dust-up, two celebrities booked for FanX — Lindsay Jones and Arryn Zech, voice actors on the popular anime-style web series "RWBY" — have canceled their appearances.
