Maddie Blausteinwas one of the most influential and productive transgender voice-actors of the 90s and 2000s before her tragic passing in 2008. Before transitioning to voice acting, she worked in the comic industry as an editor and writer for several companies, including Marvel, DC, and Milestone Comics. Among her creations during this time wasDeathwish,which featured a transgender main character.
The majority of Blaustein’s work came from dubbing anime with 4Kids Entertainment, a company known forquestionable censorship and localization practices. Thanks to her impressive range, she could play any character sent her way, though she was especially good at playing comedic ones.
‘Cubix: Robots for Everyone’ (2001-2004)
Originally an employee at RobixCorp, Dr. K was contacted by a mysterious alien (Eric Stuart) after its ship crashed on Earth. The alien informed Dr. K about a powerful energy source called Solex, which he could use to create the ultimate robot. With an alliance struck between them, Dr. K quits his job and creates a team of robots to track down sources of Solex across Bubble Town.
Cubixis one of the more obscure shows that 4Kids dubbed, but Blaustine gives a solid performance as the primary villain. She leaned into his basic motivation and added that to the performance, giving him words a pathetically comical tone, like he’s trying hard to compensate for something. This highlights Blaustein’s ability to take even the simplest of character archetypes and make them memorable and silly.
9E123-Omega
‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ (2006)
The final robot in Dr. Eggman’s (Mike Pollock) E-series, Omega was placed into storage after the rest of the E-series failed to kill Sonic (Jason Griffith). He was re-activated by accident by Rouge the Bat (Kathleen Delaney), and teamed up with her and Shadow the Hedgehog (Jason Griffith) to seek answers from Eggman. The three formed a close friendship during this time, though Omega wishes for revenge on Eggman for abandoning him.
Blaustein’s take on Omega is less modulated than the one used in previousSonicgames, which definitely gives it a unique identity. It’s easier to understand what Omega is saying, which allows a bit more emotion to bleed through. This performance stands out as one of the stronger ones in what is widely consideredSonic’s worst game.
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8Lt. Surge
‘Pokémon’ (1997-2023)
In order for Ash Ketchum (Veronica TaylorandSarah Natochenny) to become a Pokémon Master, he must collect eight gym badges to qualify for the Indigo League. The third gym that he challenges is run by Lt. Surge, who is known for favoring electric-type Pokémon. Unlike Ash, Surge is all about evolving his Pokémon as quickly as possible to make them as strong as possible, which makes this gym battle a challenging one for the young trainer.
Although Lt. Surge is a small character in the long-runningPokémonanime, he’s well remembered for his role in the story and Blaustein’s performance. His battle was the first time Ash won a gym badge without outside interference, and the strength of his Raichu caused Ash to contemplate evolvinghis beloved Pikachu. Blaustein’s voice work goes the route of a dumb muscle head, which fits with Lt. Surge’s condescending attitude towards Ash and Pikachu.
Ash Ketchum, his yellow pet Pikachu, and his human friends explore a world of powerful creatures.
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7Sartorius
‘Yu-Gi-Oh! GX’ (2004-2008)
As a child, Sartorius and his sister were shunned by others due to their ability to see into the future. He was eventually possessed by a mysterious cosmic entity called the Light of Destruction, who used Sartorius to build a cult called the Society of Light to purge the world of darkness. This goal leads him to Duelist Academy to seek out Jayden Yuki (Matthew Labyorteaux), who Sartorius believes is someone who can defy destiny.
Blaustein gave Sartorious a very soft voice, whispering every line with a hint of elegance and mystery. This helps to distinguish Sartorius from other villains inYu-Gi-Oh! GXand hints at the larger-scale villain controlling him. It also serves to make him a more serious antagonist for the more laid-back Jayden, and shows how the second season differs from the first.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX follows Jaden Yuki and his friends at Duel Academy, an elite school dedicated to teaching Duel Monsters strategy. As they compete in high-stakes card battles, they uncover deeper conspiracies and face supernatural challenges that test their skills and friendships.
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6Ash’s Torkoal
‘Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Saphire’ (2004-2006)
While traveling through the Valley of Steel in the Hoenn region, Ash and his friends meet a Torkoal being attacked by steel-type Pokémon. Ash helps the Torkoal defeat a Steelix who was leading the other steel-types, then catches Torkoal as his fourth Hoenn Pokémon. His thick shell and powerful fire-breath are invaluable for Ash’s team, though his habit of crying and releasing smoke when excited sometimes causes problems.
Since Pokémon communicate in the anime by repeating their names, the voice actors have to put in a lot of work to capture their emotional state. Fortunately, Blaustein does a great job as Torkoal, making him sound like a happy old man, especially when he’s crying tears of joy. It helps to make Torkoal one of Ash’s most memorable Pokémon from the final seasons dubbed by 4Kids, before The Pokémon Company International took over in 2006 andchanged the voice actors.
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‘Fighting Foodons’ (2001-2002)
Once known as the King of Food, Oslo was defeated in battle by his student, Chef George (J. David Brimmer), who used magic to transform him into a tiny old man and usurp the crown. Oslo is eventually able to escape imprisonment with the help of siblings Chase (Tara Sands) and Kayla (Amy Palant), the children of his second student, Chef Jack (Ted Lewis). Oslo becomes Chase’s teacher to make him a chef strong enough to overthrow George’s Glutton empire.
Fighting Foodonsis one of the best 4Kids dubs due to them embracing the show’s off-the-walls silliness, and Blaustein’s performance as Oslo is a good reflection of this. He speaks of cooking much like how a Jedi Master would describe the Force inStar Wars,and Blaustein makes sure to make each line sound mystical and wise, unless the writers want to play up Oslo’s old-man problems. The result is one of the most memorable characters in this hilarious show.
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‘Dinosaur King’ (2007-2008)
While the villainous Alpha Gang travels the world looking for dinosaur cards, so their boss, Dr. Z (Eric Stuart) can createa dinosaur army, their maid, Helga, takes care of their household. Though she usually spends her time ensuring Dr. Z’s grandchildren, Rod (Zoe Martin) and Laura (Rachael Lillis), get a proper education, she won’t hesitate to discipline the rest of the team if they act out of line. She’s able to back up these threats with superhuman levels of strength and endurance.
Helga was one of the last characters voiced by Blaustein, and easily one of her funniest. She uses a sharp German accent for the character, which accentuates her strict, no-nonsense personality, which adds to the comedy of her scenes when she disciplines Dr. Z and his underlings. Though Mike Pollock did an admirable job inDinosaur King’ssecond season, Blaustein’s performance remains the definitive version of the character.
3Chef Kawasaki
‘Kirby: Right Back At Ya!’ (2001-2003)
Despite studying under the famous Chef Shiitake (Mike Pollock), Chef Kawasaki’s food always has a less-than-desirable taste. Fortunately, he is the only chef in Cappy Town, so residents are forced to go to him if they want to eat out. While his cooking might not be the best, Kawasaki is well-liked by the residents for his friendly and helpful attitude.
Kirby: Right Back at Ya!expanded Kawasaki’s role from a mini-boss in theKirbyfranchise to a silly and lovable chef. He’s always there to help his friends against King Dee Dee Dee’s (Ted Lewis) newest monster, even if it’s only to toss a frying pan for Kirby (Amy Birnbaum) to absorb to become Chef Kirby. Blaustein put on her bestEd Wynnimpression, which only made him more memorable.
2Solomon Muto
‘Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters’ (2000-2004)
In his youth, Solomon Muto was an explorer who found an artifact called the Millennium Puzzle in Egypt, which he later gifted to his grandson, Yugi (Dan Green). In his later years, Solomon opened a game shop called Kame Games, but occasionally still went on expeditions with his friend, Arthur Hawkins (Mike Pollock). He taught Yugi everything he knows aboutthe game Duel Monsters, which helps him and his friends survive the return of the dark Shadow Games it’s based on.
Solomon is definitely Blaustein’s best take on the old mentor character. Though he can be silly at times, in no small part due to 4Kids' writing style, his gaming advice is well respected by Yugi and Joey (Wayne Grayson), and he still gets the odd moment to show that he can hold his own in the modern gaming scene. Blaustein’s performance balances the silly and the serious well: it’s deeper than what she used for Oslo, which allows for a hint of authority and power to Solomon’s words.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Upon being rejected by a female Meowth named Meowzie, who said she preferred humans, a stray Meowth decided to make himself more human-like to impress her. This involved training himself to walk upright and speak the human language, at the cost of never being able to learn new attacks. This timehe was rejectedfor being too different from a regular Meowth, which lead to him joining the criminal organization, Team Rocket.
Blaustein was the second English voice of Meowth, replacingNathan Priceafter thirty episodes, but is the most fondly remembered among longtime fans of the anime. Along with her iconic mannerism that gave Meowth a street-savvy edge to his voice, Blaustein was able to nail the emotional moments that helped humanize Meowth beyond just a recurring bad guy. This went a long way to ensuring the lasting popularity of the Team Rocket Trio.
