Christopher Sabat’s voice has been heard on some of anime’s most popular shows such as Dragon Ball, One Piece and Lupin the Third.
But when he was a child growing up in a town just south of Houston, Texas in the 1980s, he didn’t even realise that voice acting was an actual job.
“We didn't have the internet to tell us what things were possible. So I never even knew that voice acting was something you could go into,” he tells The National during an appearance at Middle East Film and Comic Con earlier this month. “In fact, I was kind of dumb, I always just assumed that voices came on the show and never even thought about the fact that actors were doing it.”
It wasn’t until after Sabat’s voice changed and became deeper when he was 11 or 12 that he realised voice acting was something he could do if he wanted to.
“l always had a super deep voice and people kept telling me to get into something. Luckily ever since I was young, I really liked sounds,” he says. “I liked synthesisers and keyboards and microphones, so it sort of fit with what I enjoyed doing anyway. So becoming a voice actor was something I kind of fell into.”
Unlike many others, Sabat considers himself very lucky because his first voice acting gig was one that changed his life. In 1998, he was offered a part to work on an imported Japanese show called Dragon Ball Z providing the English dubbing for the character Yamcha, before also taking on the voice roles of other characters such as the anti-heroes, Piccolo and Vegeta.
Together, the characters form part of a team known as the Z Fighters, who defend the universe from powerful enemies — and, at times, themselves. Yamcha, Piccolo and Vegeta all begin as antagonists, who make their ways over to the good side — with character arcs masterfully navigated by Sabat's gruff intonation. Marked by lengthy and dramatic battles, Dragon Ball Z would go on to become one of the most internationally recognised animes of its time.
That's one thing I learned about Dragon Ball over the years is that no matter where the show went, regardless of what dub it had, it did really well everywhere. There was some magic attached to it
Christopher Sabat,
American voice actor
“It is really strange to get the best role as your first role. And it was very, very strange. What's funny is that I really wasn't that great at it when we started. I really wasn't. It's just been working at it for 20-plus years, that really helped me a lot,” he says.
But back then, he didn’t realise how popular the anime would go on to become, or the impact it would have on pop culture, with so many people becoming fans of the franchise. Although, it was also a role that almost did not happen.
In 1995, a group called Funimation (now known as Crunchyroll), which specialises in dubbing and distributing East Asian content, had acquired the license for distributing Dragon Ball to the US market. However, due to low ratings, it was quickly cancelled.
The next year, it picked up the show’s sequel series Dragon Ball Z, which told a different story than Dragon Ball for US syndication, and found much more success. Funimation later decided to bring back Dragon Ball, but with new dubbing that also included Sabat’s voice.
"I really just didn't know what significance it had in America, because at the time, it really didn't. At the time, Dragon Ball had been playing but only the first couple of seasons. It just kept looping and looping and looping and looping," he says.
“People really weren't even watching it that much. And then suddenly, we were cast on our ability to read and to basically mimic those voices as best we could. I didn't really understand the importance of what we were doing for a very long time.”
He describes how it wasn’t until anime conventions and events such as San Diego Comic Con that he began to understand the magnitude of the Dragon Ball franchise, which has been watched in more than 80 countries and spanned several spin-off shows, films and video games.
“It's fascinating to me that so many people all over the world watch it. And that's one thing I learned about Dragon Ball over the years is that no matter where the show went, regardless of what dub it had, it did really well everywhere. There was some magic attached to it,” he says.
He also says how impressed he is with the Middle East region's dedication to the show, because he didn’t realise that there was such a strong fanbase — expressing particular surprise that they grew up listening to his voices.
“It’s very interesting to be here in the Middle East because I never expected that they were even watching the American version here, which is kind of cool,” he says. “We also go to the UK and Australia, but we don't get to go to France or anything like that, because they have their own French dub.”
Although he may be most known for his voice work on the Dragon Ball franchise, Sabat has also found success as voice characters with other hit anime characters such as All Might in My Hero Academia, Roronoa Zoro in One Piece and Daisuke Jigen in Lupin the Third. On IMDb, he is credited with having more than 450 voice acting roles.
Sabat is also the the owner and founder of OkraTron 5000, an audio production facility in Texas that offers services such as voice acting workshops and dubbing. While it is an industry he is grateful for, he admits there have been many changes since he first got involved.
"When I first started, people didn't record themselves at home. There was some technology there but not really you had to really know how to record yourself. You had to go to buy special equipment and it was very expensive, but now you can buy better quality microphones than we recorded a Dragon Ball Z on in the beginning," he says.
However, he is proud that voice acting has evolved into something that has been taken much more seriously in the past few decades with more people interested in the field.
"It certainly changed a lot since I first started. Back when I was first getting into it, I guess there were a lot more kind of chance moments. There were a lot more like 'hey, you got a good voice, you got Moxie kid. You should get into voice acting' but these days, it's definitely changed because so many people are interested in it. It's become a notable profession."
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
The%20specs
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About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
