The Cast Of DOTA: Dragon's Blood Is Gorgeous In Real Life
"Dota: Dragon's Blood" has one of the odder origin stories for an anime show. It is based on "DOTA 2," a multiplayer online battle arena game by Valve, the studio behind "Portal" and "Half-Life" (via Deadline). "DOTA 2" was a sequel for the fan mod of "Warcraft III" called "Defense of the Ancients." So, to recap, "Dota: Dragon's Blood" is a cartoon of the sequel to a mod of a "World of Warcraft" sequel.
Released in March, the Netflix show follows Davion (Yuri Lowenthal), a knight who slays dragons until he gets possessed by the spirit of an elder dragon. Following this event, he must side with dragons against the demon Terrorblade. Meanwhile, elves are waging a sectarian religious war. The acolytes of Selemene, the goddess of the Moon, wish to destroy any elves that refuse to worship the Dark Moon.
The show features a cast of total smokeshows from the worlds of television, film, and video games. From a "Candyman" alum to everyone's favorite apocalypse daddy Joel in "The Last of Us," the cast of "Dota: Dragon's Blood" is gorgeous in real life.
Yuri Lowenthal - Davion
On "Dota: Dragon's Blood," Yuri Lowenthal stars as the cursed Dragon Knight Davion. As seen on his IMDb profile, Lowenthal has an extensive voiceover career, ranging from "Naruto" to Insomniac's "Spider-Man" games. He is also the American voice of Sasuke Uchiha on "Naruto," Suzaku Kururugi in "Code Geass," and Alucard in the "Castlevania" video game franchise.
Lowenthal has the perfect background for dubbing anime, as he majored in East Asian studies and participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program after college. In the JET Alumni newsletter from 2014, the actor shared, "A significant percentage of the video games I work on, as well, are produced by Japanese companies, so my experience working within a Japanese organization has given me an added level of communication and trust with the people I work with. I have talked to fans of shows I have worked on who have told me that the shows they watch not only teach them about Japanese culture and language but sometimes console them during very dark times in their lives."
Tony Todd - Slyrak the Ember Eldwyrm
Tony Todd plays the dragon Slyrak, a wily and old Eldwyrm set on defeating the demon Terrorblade, on "Dota: Dragon's Blood." In an ironic twist, Slyrak winds up needing to possess the body of a Dragon Knight, whose raison d'etre was to find and kill dragons. Even in a fantasy epic, life is full of surprises.
Todd is most recognizable as an MVP of the horror genre. Audiences know him best for playing the titular Candyman in the 1992 film of the same name, appearing as the vengeful ghost of a man brutally murdered for his relationship with a white woman opposite a pre-"Sideways" Virginia Madsen. Todd played Candyman in two sequels, 1995's "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" and 1999's "Candyman: Day of the Dead" (via IMDb). He also played Ben in the 1990 remake of "Night of the Living Dead," which was directed by special effects impresario Tom Savini. Horror fans from the '90s and '00s will also recognize him as William Bludworth in the "Final Destination" film franchise.
Besides his work in horror, Todd has made contributions to television fantasy and sci-fi. He played Worf's brother on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." He also had a one-episode role on "Xena: Warrior Princess."
Lara Pulver - Princess Mirana
Lara Pulver plays the exiled Princess Mirana on "Dota: Dragon's Blood." Mirana goes on a quest with her mute bodyguard, Marci, to find and return lotuses stolen from the Nightsilver Woods. Unlike most of the "Dragon's Blood" cast, Pulver is better known for her live-action performances than those delivered in the voiceover booth.
Pulver is an English actress known for her performance as Erin Watts in the tenth and final season of BBC's "Spooks" (known as "MI-5" in the U.S.). She joined Geoffrey Streatfeild, Alice Krige, and Jonathan Hyde as the newcomers to the British intelligence organization. Pulver reprised her role in the 2015 "Spooks" movie starring Kit Harington (via IMDb).
Pulver also played Irene Adler in the Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss production "Sherlock." Irene Adler is an iconic character in the Sherlock Holmes universe. In addition to Pulver, Irene has been portrayed by Rachel McAdams, Natalie Dormer, and Morgan Fairchild at various points in history. Pulver's version of Irene Adler was a charming criminal with an attraction to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock. Often, she was rescued by Holmes rather than outsmarting him.
Troy Baker - Invoker
Troy Baker plays Invoker, an Elven Sage who has major beef with the Dark Moon goddess Selemene on "Dota: Dragon's Blood." Invoker blames Selemene for the death of his daughter, which makes the character a perfect fit for Baker since playing brooding daddies is his kind of thing. In recent years, Baker played two of the most iconic video game dads of the PS3 era: Joel in "The Last of Us" and Booker DeWitt in "Bioshock: Infinite." Joel is arguably a better father than Booker, but they are both beloved characters nonetheless.
The voiceover actor has also played the Joker in various pieces of media. Per his IMDb page, he took over the role of Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime from Mark Hamill, starting with "Batman: Arkham Origins." Additionally, Baker has played Batman, the Joker, and Robin, making him one of the most recognizable voices in the world of DC games. He's Batman in the Telltale Batman games, the Joker in "Arkham Origins," and Robin in "Batman: Arkham City." Also, the voice of Baker's Joker is heard on the multiple Justice League rides at Six Flags across the world, per "Podcast: the Ride."
Kari Wahlgren - Luna
Kari Wahlgren plays Luna, the Scourge of the Plains, on "Dota: Dragon's Blood." Luna is a zealous devotee of Selemene, a goddess who brings terror to those who reject the Dark Moon. Wahlgren got her start in voiceover work as Haruko Haruhara "FLCL" before voicing Willow Rosenberg in a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" video game and starring in "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!" (via IMDb).
Wahlgren's IMDb, which is currently bursting at the seams with more than 500 acting credits to date, reveals this actor's voice has appeared on tons of popular animated shows and video games we know and love. Additional projects where you may have previously heard Wahlgren's voice include "Star Trek: The Lower Decks," "Rick and Morty," "The Loud House," "Solar Opposites," and as both voice Mileena and Kitana in the 2019 video game "Mortal Kombat 11." Per IMDb, Wahlgren will soon appear, in voiceover, on Season 2 of the Disney Channel animated show "The Ghost and Molly McGee" and "Halo Infinite."