Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion voice actor says Square Enix repeatedly told him to stop being too sexy: "We need you to tone it down"

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The voice actor for Genesis was told he sounded too seductive

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion voice actor Shaun Conde, who played Genesis Rhapsodos in the English dub, was seemingly too sexy for Square Enix and repeatedly told stop sounding so seductive. 

In a recent interview accompanying gameplay from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion focusing on Genesis (timestamped here), Conde said: "A fun note, little bonus, is with both characters I did with [voice director Kirk Thornton]," referring to his portrayal of Shiba in NEO: The World Ends With You, "I got the note several times, 'it's sounding too sexual. It sounds like you're seducing. We need you to tone it down a bit.'"

"'People of Shibuya, I've got some red hot news," Conde says in a quite sexy voice indeed. "But especially [Genesis] because it's playful and he is a little flirty. Just a little flirty."

What I'm hearing here is that, along with Neil Newbon - who similarly was told to tone down his horniness when voicing Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 - the duo could collectively break the internet in a single scene together. I don't know who needs to make this happen –Square Enix, Larian, or some VA studio – but it needs to happen regardless.

Despite fan wishes and plenty of speculation in the lead-up to release, Genesis doesn't actually appear in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which puts a bigger focus on Crisis Core Reunion star Zack Fair than the 2020 Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

While we're on the topic, why not check out our picks of the best JRPGs you can play right now?

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.