The Legend of Vox Machina is an adult animated fantasy television series based on campaign one of the web series Critical Role . The series mainly follows the titular Vox Machina, a party of adventurers known primarily for their exploits across the continent of Tal'Dorei.
The cast reprising their roles from the web series are Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham. Matthew Mercer, the Dungeon Master of the campaign, also stars as Trinket, Lord Sylas Briarwood, Umbrasyl and voices a number of background characters. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is voice director for seasons 1 and 2. [1]
The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 28, 2022; the second season premiered on January 20, 2023. [2]
Character | Portrayed by | Appearances [3] | |
---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | Season 2 | ||
Main characters | |||
Vex'ahlia "Vex" Vessar | Laura Bailey | Main | |
Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III | Taliesin Jaffe | Main | |
Pike Trickfoot | Ashley Johnson | Main | |
Trinket | Matthew Mercer [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] | Main | |
Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar | Liam O'Brien | Main | |
Keyleth of the Air Ashari | Marisha Ray | Main | |
Scanlan Shorthalt | Sam Riegel | Main | |
Grog Strongjaw | Travis Willingham | Main | |
Recurring characters | |||
Lady Kima of Vord | Stephanie Beatriz | Recurring | |
Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei | Khary Payton | Recurring | Guest |
Lady Allura Vysoren | Indira Varma | Recurring | |
Lord Sylas Briarwood | Matthew Mercer | Recurring | |
Lady Delilah Briarwood | Grey Griffin | Recurring | |
Shaun Gilmore | Sunil Malhotra | Recurring | |
Kerrion Stonefell | Darin De Paul | Recurring | |
Head Cleric | Anjali Bhimani | Recurring | |
Professor Anders | Stephen Root | Recurring | |
Archibald Desnay | Dominic Monaghan | Recurring | |
Duke Vedmire | Rory McCann | Recurring | |
Keeper Yennen | Gina Torres | Recurring | |
Lord de Rolo | Taliesin Jaffe | Recurring | |
Cassandra de Rolo | Esmé Creed-Miles | Recurring | |
Dr. Anna Ripley | Kelly Hu | Recurring | |
Thordak | Lance Reddick | Recurring | |
Umbrasyl | Matthew Mercer | Recurring | |
Raishan | Cree Summer | Guest [lower-alpha 3] | Recurring |
Craven Edge | Matthew Mercer | Recurring | |
Kashaw | Will Friedle | Recurring | |
Zahra | Mary Elizabeth McGlynn | Recurring | |
Zanror | Abubakar Salim | Recurring | |
Kevdak | Ralph Ineson | Recurring | |
Kaylie | Aisling Franciosi | Recurring | |
Guest characters | |||
Sir Fince | Tony Hale | Guest | |
Palace Guard | Logic [lower-alpha 4] | Guest | |
Tavern Keeper [lower-alpha 5] | Mason Alexander Park | Guest | |
General Krieg / Brimscythe | David Tennant | Guest | |
Desmond | Max Mittelman | Guest | |
Jarrett Howarth | Eugene Byrd | Guest | |
Lady de Rolo | Grey Griffin | Guest | |
The Everlight | Tracie Thoms | Guest | |
Orthax | Matthew Mercer | Guest | |
Vorugal | Liam O'Brien | Guest | |
Earthbreaker Groon | Ike Amadi | Guest | |
Highbearer Vord | Sumalee Montano | Guest | |
Osysa | Alanna Ubach | Guest | |
Victor | Matthew Mercer | Guest | |
Syldor Vessar | Troy Baker | Guest | |
Vilya | Janet Varney | Guest | |
Korrin | Fred Tatasciore | Guest | |
Cerkonos | Robbie Daymond | Guest | |
Kamaljiori | Tony Plana | Guest | |
Garmelie | Billy Boyd | Guest | |
Wilhand Trickfoot | Henry Winkler | Guest | |
Devana Vessar | Toks Olagundoye | Guest | |
Velora Vessar | Jayla Lavender Nicholas | Guest | |
Saundor | Sendhil Ramamurthy | Guest | |
Artagan | Matthew Mercer | Guest | |
Dr. Dranzel | Matthew Mercer | Guest | |
Matron of Ravens | Courtenay Taylor | Guest | |
The characters have been adapted from campaign one of the web series Critical Role . [6] [7] [8]
Vex'ahlia "Vex" Vessar (voiced by Laura Bailey), is a half-elf ranger and the twin sister of Vax'ildan. [6] [9] She studied dragons in the hope of eventually finding the one that killed her and Vax's mother. Vex feels a pain in her head whenever a dragon is close by. [10] [11] She is accompanied by Trinket (voiced by Matthew Mercer; Cheech Marin in Vex's Fey Realm hallucination), an armored bear companion she found as a cub and raised. Vex was treated poorly by her elven father Syldor due to her mixed heritage; Vax pushes her to run away with him following years of mistreatment by Syldor and the twins grow closer after running away. Upon returning to Syngorn as an adult, Syldor continues to dismiss both the twin's accomplishments and their quest for Fenthras, a Vestige of Divergence; Vex "defers to his anger and even chides Vax when he attempts to rebuke him". [12] In an attempt to stand up for Vex, Percy informs Syldor that she is in fact Lady Vex'ahlia, Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Gray Hunt which Syldor also dismisses. This prompts Vex to stand up for her friends and herself – "when Syldor smugly rebukes her, she continues. 'We won't fail, which is more than I can say about you as a father.'" [12] After recovering and claiming Fenthras, Vex decides she's not ready to face her father again. [12]
Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (voiced by Taliesin Jaffe) is a human gunslinger. [6] [13] Percy's family were once the rulers of Whitestone – a city within Tal'Dorei. He barely escaped alive from a coup d'état led by the Briarwoods during which most of his family were killed—an event he was able to attain vengeance for during Season 1.
Pike Trickfoot (voiced by Ashley Johnson) is a gnome cleric [6] [9] of the goddess Everlight. [14]
Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar (voiced by Liam O'Brien) is a half-elf rogue and the twin brother of Vex'ahlia. [6] [9] His and Vex's mother was killed by a dragon before the events of the series.
Keyleth of the Air Ashari (voiced by Marisha Ray) is a half-elf druid [6] [15] who is currently undergoing her Aramenté – a quest which acts as the Ashari trial of leadership. [16] [17]
Scanlan Shorthalt (voiced by Sam Riegel) is a gnome bard [6] [9] known for his music and innuendo. He is not shy about his promiscuity.
Grog Strongjaw (voiced by Travis Willingham) is a goliath barbarian, [6] [9] who is always ready to fight.
Emon is the capital of the Kingdom of Tal'Dorei and is located on the continent's western shore. [18] The city is attacked by the dragons of the Chroma Conclave at the end of the first season. [19] [2]
Syngorn is a city of elves – it was teleported to the Fey Realm after the Chroma Conclave attacked Emon.
Vasselheim is the capital of the continent of Issylra. It is predominantly a religious city with several districts, each dedicated to a patron deity.
Whitestone is an independent city-state located on the continent's northeastern edge. It was ruled by the de Rolo family until a coup d'état led by the Briarwoods; the first season focuses on Vox Machina's fight with the Briarwoods and their reclamation of the city. [30] [31] [32]
A group of powerful dragons who have come together to conquer Tal'Dorei; this is unusual as dragons don't normally get along.
Madison Durham, for Polygon in 2022, wrote that "the characterization of Keyleth in the animated series is entirely consistent with how Ray played her in the show, refined and honed for this new format" and acts as "redemption" for the character. [15] During the first season, Durham comments that the audience "not only to see Keyleth overcome small moments of uncertainty, but are also treated to the visualization of her power — power she wields first as small blooms of flowers or vines, that blossoms into blazing orbs of pure sunlight and towering walls of ice. Members of her own party are forced to acknowledge her prowess". [15] She also highlighted the changes to Keyleth and Vax's romance and called it a "deft move on the part of the writers and animators". [15] Andrea Towers, for TV Insider in 2023, wrote that "the animated series is doing something remarkable: it's opening up Keyleth to an entirely new segment of fans, both new and old, who are falling in love with her endearing nature and struggles with self-confidence and seeing her in an entirely different way than people did a few years ago. The narrative of the show — especially the second season, which is allowing the character to come into her own and take on more responsibility — is proving that the very things that made the character so contentious in the first place are the things that make her one of, if not the most, valuable and relatable character in the adventuring group". [41]
Brenton Stewart, for CBR in 2022, commented that while many members of Vox Machina fit "classical fantasy tropes," Percy resists "almost any box of a fantasy archetype fans might try to fit him into" which makes him "more unique and interesting each time his backstory unravels". [13] Stewart wrote that "part of The Legend of Vox Machina's fun is that the characters are so diverse, there is something different for everyone and a little something to enjoy in each of them. The show would not be the same if it focused on Percy alone, yet it's hard to make any comparisons where he does not stand out as the most unique character worthy of focus". [13]
Madison Durham, for Polygon during the show's second season, wrote that "Vex'ahlia is not on the surface someone who is in any way fragile. She is bold, and self-confident, and unremorseful about the things she wants. She can also be prickly and stubborn. Beneath her bravado, though, lurks a very big heart. Big enough to rescue an orphaned bear cub, fierce enough to protect her brother and her friends, and kind enough to welcome a half-sister with open arms". [12] Durham highlighted the adaptation of Vex's conflict with her father and her fight with Saundor. She commented that "the animated series has done an amazing job at allowing all the characters in the show to stand on their own feet — in particular, they've been writing the women of the show beautifully". [12]
James Grebey, for Vulture in 2023, commented on the character design of the Chroma Conclave – "the stylistic choice to make the dragons computer generated, rather than the more traditional-looking animation of the human characters and backgrounds, sometimes sticks out, but it only makes [the Chroma Conclave's invasion of Emon] sequence even more effective. The Chroma Conclave is not normal. It is out of Vox Machina's league by an unfathomable degree". [29] Grebey highlighted the abilities of each dragon and on Thordak, he wrote "lest you think a normal fire-breathing dragon seems generic after his fellow dragons' unique, gruesome abilities, the series does something new and awe inspiring when the Thordak's fire turns into a brilliant white beam that instantly levels the city". [29]
Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, Cleo in Glass Fleet, Ginko in Mushishi, Portgas D. Ace in One Piece, Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka in Ouran High School Host Club, Yu Kanda in D. Gray-man, and Cameron Campbell in Camp Camp.
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the Dungeons & Dragons actual play series Critical Role, playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym. He has been involved in many video games, cartoons, and English-language adaptations of Japanese anime. His major anime roles include Gaara in Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto, Vincent Law in Ergo Proxy, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, Lloyd in Code Geass, Kenzo Tenma in Monster, Akihiko Sanada in Persona 3, and Nephrite in the Viz Media dub of Sailor Moon.
Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel, sometimes credited as Jack Lingo, is an American voice actor, director, and writer. He is a regular cast member of the web series Critical Role, in which he and other fellow voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons. He is best known for voice roles as Donatello in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Phoenix Wright in the Ace Attorney games. For Nickelodeon, he was the voice director for Fresh Beat Band of Spies and Sanjay and Craig, as well as the voice of Riven in the revival of Winx Club.
Taliesin Jaffe is an American voice actor, voice director and screenwriter. He has worked on English-dubbing roles for anime and video games. He is a cast member on Critical Role, a web series in which he plays Dungeons & Dragons with other voice actors. Jaffe has also frequently voiced the Flash in various video games.
Matthew Christopher Miller, better known professionally as Matthew Mercer, is an American voice actor and game designer who has provided voice work for cartoons, animations, video games, and English localizations of Japanese anime.
Marieke Nijkamp is a Dutch New York Times bestselling author of novels for young adults.
Critical Role is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors plays Dungeons & Dragons. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 after 115 episodes, and campaign two started in January 2018 and ended in June 2021 after 141 episodes. A number of one-shots were aired in the hiatus between the two campaigns. After campaign two was completed, the spin-off limited series Exandria Unlimited aired from June 2021 to August 2021. The third campaign premiered on October 21, 2021.
Marisha Ray Huber is an American voice actress, host, producer, and creative director. She is best known for her roles as herself and her characters Keyleth, Beauregard, and Laudna on the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role. In video games, she most notably voiced Margaret in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona Q, Laura S. Arseid in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series, and Miranda in Metal Gear: Survive.
Darin De Paul is an American voice actor known for his video game performances as Dr. Samuel Hayden / Seraphim in Doom and Doom Eternal, Reinhardt in Overwatch, Ardyn Izunia in Final Fantasy XV, Revenant in Apex Legends, Emperor Valkorion in Star Wars: The Old Republic and J. Jonah Jameson in the Marvel’s Spider-Man series.
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins is a comic series, published by Dark Horse Comics, based on the American Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role. The comics act as a prequel story and covers how the characters became the adventuring party known as Vox Machina before the events of the web series. Matthew Colville was the writer on the first volume with Jody Houser becoming the writer on the subsequent three volumes. Olivia Samson was the artist on the first three volumes with Noah Hayes becoming the artist on the fourth volume.
The first campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role premiered on March 12, 2015; it consisted of 115 episodes and concluded on October 12, 2017. It followed Vox Machina, a party of seven to eight adventurers, in their travels across the continent of Tal'Dorei. Campaign one broadcast live each Thursday at 19:00 PT on Geek & Sundry's Twitch channel, with the video on demand (VOD) being available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the broadcast. On the Monday following the live stream, the VODs were made available for the public on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel.
The Legend of Vox Machina is an American adult animated fantasy action television series produced by Metapigeon, Titmouse, Inc., and Amazon Studios, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 28, 2022. The series is based on the first campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role. It stars Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham, reprising their roles from the campaign.
Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting is a sourcebook that details the continent of Tal'Dorei from the Critical Role campaign setting for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published by Green Ronin Publishing and released on August 17, 2017; however, it is not considered "official" Dungeons & Dragons material. A revised edition, titled Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, was published by Darrington Press and released on January 18, 2022.
Critical Role, an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons, has spawned many related products, including books, comics and an animated series, which are produced by Critical Role Productions. Various third-party, licensed works have also been released since Critical Role began in 2015.
The third campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role premiered on October 21, 2021; it is set after the conclusion of the second campaign and Exandria Unlimited. The series stars Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Sam Riegel as the players with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master. Campaign three airs each Thursday at 7 p.m. PT on Critical Role Productions' Twitch and YouTube channels except for the last Thursday of each month.
Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith & Kin is a 2021 fantasy novel by Marieke Nijkamp. It is the first prequel novel based on the web series Critical Role; it focuses on the twins Vex'ahlia "Vex" and Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar, from campaign one, three years before they joined the adventuring party Vox Machina.
Exandria Unlimited (ExU) is an American actual play anthology web series where the cast plays Dungeons & Dragons using the fifth edition ruleset. It is set in the Exandria campaign setting and is a spin-off of the web series Critical Role.
Dragon Age: Absolution is an adult animated fantasy television series created by Mairghread Scott for Netflix. Produced by Red Dog Culture House under the supervision of BioWare, the series was released on December 9, 2022. Set in BioWare's Dragon Age fictional universe, it focuses on the fallout from a heist gone wrong in the Tevinter Imperium.
Sarenrae is a prime deity in many Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, so to avoid any copyright issues, she has always been referred to as the Everlight in Critical Role.