Leading the charge as Genshin Impact‘s Albedo, CookieRun: Kingdom‘s Herb Cookie, and Demon Slayer‘s unstoppable Murata and Muscular Mice, Professional Voice Actor Khoi Dao can be heard in today’s biggest games and anime.
We recently chatted with Khoi Dao at FanimeCon 2026 about his rich line of work (and cats!) – learn more with our interview…
Khoi Dao FanimeCon 2026 Interview: Pro VA Talks Demon Slayer, Genshin Impact & Cats
Gamers Heroes
Thank you for the time – it’s a huge honor! Your work needs no introduction.
I was just talking with Zach Aguilar [Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro Kamado].
With you as Demon Slayer’s Murata and Muscular Mice, you’ve got that fandom alongside that power scaling that comes with Galaxy Breathing!
He’s not in the room, so I’ll say you’re the most powerful Demon Slayer character! [laughs]
Khoi Dao
I agree!
Gamers Heroes
So on that note, you’ve got these great, great characters in Demon Slayer’s Entertainment District Arc and beyond.
What are some of your favorite moments when it comes to the fandom?
There are so, so many people dressed up as its different characters, along with so much artwork – you’ve got your fans too!
Khoi Dao
Honestly, one of my favorite things about bearing witness to the Demon Slayer fandom manifesting in front of me is seeing how creative people get with their Musclular Mice cosplays – because that’s a tough one!
There are people who just have that build, you know?
Gamers Heroes
Respect to the craft – I definitely appreciate that!
What are some of the stories you’ve gotten? Have you gotten any fan art, or any stories about how you’ve inspired people to work out?
Khoi Dao
I think – especially with my main character Murata – he’s endeared himself to the fandom to a certain degree.
It’s always the underdogs, the really sweet, well-meaning characters who kind of win you over!
I’ve gotten a lot of drawings of him, surprisingly, and they’re all very well-made! Very sweet and very well-intentioned.
I love this joke that we’re all in on, that he is in fact the most powerful Demon Slayer – of the sheer virtue of the fact that he lives to the end.
Gamers Heroes
That’s right – that’s no small feat!
On TikTok and other platforms, we’re talking 3.6 million views and counting. They’re there for you!
So, on that note, I do have to talk Genshin Impact.
I just saw a Tweet from you yesterday – I made sure to give it a like!
You said Albedo has grown from being dubious about human connection, to accepting his humanity, then embracing it and relaxing into it.
You’ve helped to evolve the character, and you were there every step of the way.
There’s that joy of caring in for others and finding yourself – I definitely respect that. That’s growth!
How have you been able to do that over time? Finding that heart, that genuine nature?
Khoi Dao
You know, the short answer is completely by accident! It’s very interesting…
In my very early sessions with Albedo, the biggest challenge was figuring out how much humanity to subtract from the reads, which is very difficult as a human being.
I would offer up an A and a B of a first take and a second take, and often the redirect would be alright.
It was just a little too alive for who he is right now, and that’s a very difficult direction to take action upon. There are very few frames of reference in real life for what that actually is, and so I had to exercise my imagination with that.
I don’t know if you can hear it, but if you go back and hear that higher pitch he lives in…
Part of that is my own anxiety about my ability to portray this character appropriately.
But you know, with each update and time has gone on, the character learns to accept his humanity and be a little more human…
“I grow.”
And I, myself – as the actor – grow more comfortable and more knowledgeable on how to portray his homuncular idiosyncrasies.
I feel like Albedo and I eventually met in the middle; we got better at interacting with each other in a metaphysical sort.
So what that is, is an allying of an undercurrent of anxiety that we have about each other.
When you relax, that’s when your instruments become a little looser, your vibrations are at a lower frequency – and that affects your sound.
I think that’s where we just kind of floated together as actor and character – which is a really romantic thing! – and something that a feeling a lot of catharses.
I feel very blessed in that way to have to be able to have this relationship with a character that I’ve been playing for half a decade.
Gamers Heroes
There’s lots of growth!
You’re staying true to yourself – it’s a journey. I definitely appreciate the heart that goes into it as well.
On that same note – talking Zach again – I did see your Genshin hide-and-seek video.
That was so good!
So the day before our interview, he did a session for Super Battle Golf. It was crazy, just absolute madness!
I asked this same question to him:
What have been some of your favorite experiences with your co-stars?
What are some of your favorite stories – whether it be hide-and-seek, fan events, or anything else – where you’re just building each other up and “going even further beyond,” Dragon Ball Z-style?
Khoi Dao
So colleague to colleague interaction while we’re recording is rare for voiceover, because we tend to go in one by one – it’s just easier for scheduling.
Gamers Heroes
Makes sense!
Khoi Dao
I have to say I really, really have so much fondness for when he and I had time to stream together and play together.
Genshin hit the scene around lockdown as we were coming out of it, so suppose the silver lining pandemic is we were able to find community online very, very easily.
It was a technically simpler time, and just being able to let loose, have fun, and enjoy each other’s company!
Gamers Heroes
That’s valid!
Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun though.
Khoi Dao
That was a very nice, warm time in my life that I think back to very, very fondly.
It’s those moments that I think give rise to the best kind of emergence, you know – giving yourself permission to be silly!
Gamers Heroes
Yeah!
I say this a lot, but there’s strength in community. We’re all in this together, and we’re all fans too!
That actually leads to my next point, because for the last two months, it’s been all CookieRun all the time for me.
Devsisters knows exactly who I am, and I am truly blessed to have so, so much swag from them!
They have treated me right, and I know you’re part of CookieRun as Herb Cookie!
They had the New York pop-up, the K-pop Demon Hunters collaboration, and I’ve met a number of the other cookies – shoutout to Mr. Burning Spike Cookie Erik Braa!
There’s so much heart there. It’s silly, sure – but it’s just so incredible.
I’d love to talk about your favorite experiences as a cookie – a silly Herb Cookie!
Khoi Dao
It is such a pleasure going in for that project!
Whenever I do get to go in, Herb Cookie is a delight. I think of him as the Barbara in CookieRun: Kingdom.
Yes, he’s the healer with the cute little catchphrase – and I especially appreciated the creative freedom that they afforded the English dubbing team.
In the beginning, there’s a phrase that he’s known for we preserved in English.
We made an addition to his “hoo-hooness,” when he fails at a certain challenge or gets hit a little too hard.
We pitched in the moments when we were recording, and it was well received by the development team that was present.
Everybody on that project is really, really sweet from top to bottom.
It’s like getting to have a little piece of candy whenever I see it in my schedule!
Gamers Heroes
Simply sweet! So to speak…
Have you gotten any swag from Devsisters? Because I’ve been blessed with plushies, cards – the whole nine yards.
There’s just so much great stuff!
Is there a piece of swag from Devsisters you may have gotten you’re especially proud of?
Khoi Dao
I don’t know about swag, but I do get fans gifting me official cards from the game!
Devsisters was kind enough to provide a high resolution image of Herb Cookie to have at my autograph table!
Not a lot of people do that – that was really, really sweet of them.
Gamers Heroes
Absolutely! I could definitely co-sign that, because it’s been great working with them too.
I did get a chance to check out your 2024 interview with Anime Corner, where you talked about Kuroko’s Basketball.
I need to check it out – my backlog growteth!
You sold me on it in the interview – and I always love building up others.
You mentioned you did the dub and wrote most of the dub scripts for it – that power of friendship and teamwork you talked about.
While that was two-ish years ago, is there a project that you’ve always wanted to take on beyond that taps into the same values?
I know there are NDAs – I’m under a few myself! – but is there anything else you’ve always wanted to pursue when it comes to the dubbing world?
Khoi Dao
It depends on the role!
Honestly, as a writer – by which I mean an English adapter – that’s the closest I’ll ever get to be as a Director.
That’s fun too! You get to exercise your creativity, but also it involves a lot of talking to other people – which is exhausting.
This current conversation notwithstanding!
Gamers Heroes
Of course!
I’m an introvert-extrovert myself – I hear you loud and clear.
Khoi Dao
As an actor, that’s when you’ll get the most “yes”es out of me!
I really love high fantasy as a genre.
I don’t know if you saw Delicious in Dungeon season one..
Gamers Heroes
Oh yes!
Khoi Dao
I got to play a part in it for about 20 seconds, and all of his good stuff is in season two – which they announced two years ago!
I made a vow at the beginning of this month…
If we don’t hear more news about Delicious in Dungeon season two, I will break every single window in my house.
We’re two-thirds of the way through May…and the windows in my house are sweating!
Gamers Heroes
We will see!
You’ve got a little rage room set up for yourself! [laughs]
Khoi Dao
In terms of what I’m currently looking forward to the most, it’s season two of Delicious in Dungeon.
I’ve read the manga – I’m so familiar and in love with this material.
If by chance I get the opportunity to be on the production side of things as well, I think that’s the one show to which I would say yes!
I know that the director for season one – Lucien Dodge – has done some immaculate work on it!
He gets first dibs.
Gamers Heroes
Of course, of course!
We will see – I will closely keep an eye on things.
Maybe the windows will live to die another day…
So I’ve asked this question to a number of voice actors…
I’m owning myself here as an elder millennial, and I literally just got out of a Vintage Anime panel!
There are a lot of younger people – Gen Z and the like – that really want to get into the Voice Acting space.
Some people say you should go to iwanttobeavoiceactor.com, while others say you should do stage plays.
Some people even say you should just watch a lot of anime!
Every voice actor has a different answer.
There are multiple paths, but what would you personally suggest to those looking to enter the voice acting space themselves?
Khoi Dao
That’s a very, very good question!
Especially for younger folks, I know that one of the main draws of becoming a voice actor is the perceived notoriety that comes with it.
I’ve answered this question a few times in person to a lot of kids. They are growing a little more comfortable letting me know that that’s the main reason why they want to get into the industry.
That’s completely fine! A lot of us are drawn to the patina, the sheen of the industry – at least, to start.
My hope is that eventually, at some point, you’ll fall in love with the craft as well.
Because, bless you – there are a lot of people who pull up to LA with dreams of being a celebrity and a star.
What usually ends up happening is they’re very good at learning what an emotion sounds like, but they haven’t done the work to actually learn the small sensory details of emotion.
What that leads to is some very, very uninteresting performances.
Not to say that they don’t make it. A lot of them have made it very, very far by sheer force of their narcissism and sociopathy.
But my advice to kids who want to become voice actors is to take every single opportunity that’s offered to you for care.
Pretend for practice, play D&D with your friends, go do some community theater, read…
Please, please read!
You’re learning how to be a better human – or learning how to better be human. You’re learning how to express yourself!
The most valuable contribution you can make to acting – to art – is letting people see who you are.
Be one more very interesting thread in that big tapestry of humanity that we’re all composing together!
I know it sounds a little corny, but it is so important that you find yourself! Find your voice, learn how to express it – and express it in an interesting way!
Try to cultivate an interesting life, give yourself the opportunity to fall in love, to get mad, to feel joy, to feel deep, profound sorrow!
And then go book all the roles and be a star!
Gamers Heroes
Yeah – I like that a lot!
I know there are other groups like Critical Role that did something similar – that’s fantastic advice.
So ending on a light note, I’ve got to talk cats! I’m saving the best for last here.
Here’s a light softball question, whatever comes to mind…
What’s your favorite cat fact? I take them all with open arms!
Khoi Dao
This one’s a little morbid…
I don’t know if it’s a bacteria or a virus, but it’s indigenous to kittie biology.
But when it infects a person, it causes that person to go nuts over cats, so their urine starts to smell fragrant!
It’s literally a biological tool cats use to make themselves beloved to the human species.
A less morbid fun fact – the reason why I prefer the company of a cat to the company of a person – is that cats have tails I can use to discern how they feel about me.
Whereas no such analog exists for a human!
Gamers Heroes
That’s right! When their tail is pointing forward, you know you’ve got them!
You’ve got to watch out for the tummy trap though!
Khoi Dao
It’s so funny!
I have three cats, and the little black one actually loves belly rubs – he will demand it!
Gamers Heroes
They really trust you when they do that!
Khoi Dao
Yeah!
The orange one is in the middle – he will present his tummy, and I’ll reach for it. He’ll be confused at first, but then he’ll relax into it.
And then my little calico – she’s a stone-cold being!
She will invite pets and look all cute. Then, I’ll just conceive the thought, and she’ll zap me right back with her claws.
Like:
“Alright, well, sure – whatever.”
Gamers Heroes
I love it! They sound like they’re very well-loved.
And from the expert, I couldn’t have asked for a better closer. This is excellent.
Thank you so much!
For those feeling social, be sure to follow Khoi Dao on Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube!
Thank you to FanimeCon PR for arranging this interview, and Khoi Dao for his time!
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