Devil May Cry anime has the real voice of late Batman actor Kevin Conroy, not AI, producer confirms
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Forestalling any rumors that Netflix’s Devil May Cry might have used generative AI to recreate the voice of the late Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham games), series creator Adi Shankar (Castlevania, Captain Laserhawk) confirmed on X that Conroy recorded his lines before his untimely passing.
Shankar may have been prompted to clarify Conroy’s involvement after Netflix’s release of a new trailer for the upcoming series — animated by Studio Mir — on Wednesday. The trailer, which can be seen above, features Conroy’s voice in voiceover in its opening shots.
“Was recorded before he passed. No AI used,” Shankar wrote, adding “It was both a pleasure and an honor to work with him.”
Was recorded before he passed. No AI used.
Mr. Conroy gave it amazingly nuanced performance.
It was both a pleasure and an honor to work with him.
— Adi Shankar (@adishankarbrand) March 13, 2025
Actor Johnny Yong Bosch, who has taken over the lead role of Dante for the new series, also wrote on X “It was an honor to work alongside Kevin Conroy for the upcoming DMC series […] For those wondering, our recording sessions took place a few years ago—animation takes quite some time to complete.”
Conroy passed away of intestinal cancer at the age of 66 in late 2022, leaving a decades-spanning legacy in voice acting across television and video games, though he was inarguably most famous for the stamp he put on the character of Batman, through his roles as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Animated Series and spinoffs, other DC animated projects, and Rocksteady’s Arkham series of games. He played Batman in a live-action production just one time, in the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in the Arrowverse television shows.
Devil May Cry is not Conroy’s only posthumous role: The animated film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three and video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, both featuring his voice, were released in 2024.
