There’s nothing like a good old war between anime sub or dubs. Who is the better successor? Anime fans have battled through this discussion, quite too many times. Both have its advantages, but can one actually be better than the other?

Let’s look at the benefits of subtitles:

You don’t lose context. Other than dubbed, you can easily match the original voice actor with the character’s performance. Mostly accurate translations, and accessible for those with impaired hearing. Beneficial for bilingual viewers, and you can watch the anime in its original airing-time schedule.

If the cultural aspect of anime intrigues you, subtitles may help with learning the Japanese language and cultural phrases. A helpful tip is you can pause and take notes. At last, you can impress your Senpai.

Reddit user that goes by AxtheCool says, “I know that Japanese voices show much more emotion than their English counterparts. But I just prefer it better. I find it hard to convey emotions if I don’t understand what they are saying. Like I can hear him yelling, but by reading the subtitles I don’t feel the same emotions.”

Heartfelt and emotion-driven anime such as My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and Your Lie in April, are all not the same in English and might not give us the heart clenching reaction we experience in Japanese. This comes down to the art in Japanese animation and understanding why the director chose certain actors for these characters.

Not everyone will dissect a piece of work to that extent.

You may just be in it for the action and incredible Shonen fight scenes, and watching in sub won’t be necessary if that’s the case.  

Notably, dub fans have to wait weeks, months, or until the show is over to watch it in a dubbed version. There’s the choice of watching with subtitles or patiently wait for it to air on Funimation or Toonami, two known sources for dubbed anime.  

Reddit user, Calitroit, states, “I prefer dub. The reason why is because when I try to multitask, I would miss something watching subs, plus some subs move too fast.” The Reddit participant does make a valid point that can be relatable to someone with a busy schedule, such as a student.

Although most viewers prefer Dub, because it’s easier to process, it can be a hit or miss.

Voice actors can make or break the show depending if the voice suits the character.

In the end, you have the best of both worlds. Both versions can be appreciated and if you don’t like the way Goku screams in Japanese, switch over to subtitles. Instead, embrace the sound of Sean Schemmel’s (English voice actor for Goku) excessive screams.

The print version of this article appeared Tuesday, Oct. 23.