This past weekend at Anime Expo 2025, fans of “Witch Watch” were treated to a special Director & Voice Cast panel, offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the anime’s production. The panel featured director Hiroshi Ikehata, alongside the English voice cast, including Lilypichu, who voices Nico; Stephen Fu, the voice of Morihito; and Caleb Yen, who portrays Kanshi. Attendees enjoyed insights into the making of the romantic comedy series, which follows the adventures of Nico, a witch-in-training, and her childhood friend and familiar, Morihito, as he endeavors to protect her.

Maddie Morrow from Temple of Geek recently sat down with the English voice cast of “Witch Watch” at Anime Expo to discuss their experiences bringing the manga to life.

Meet the Characters

Caleb Yen introduces his character, Kanshi, as a “cool and helpful bro” with blonde hair that he suspects might be dyed. Stephen Fu describes Morihito as the “papa of the group,” a very responsible and kindhearted individual. Lilypichu voices Nico, a “super pure-hearted, cute, bubbly” witch in training who is “in love with Moi.”

Q: Can you guys introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the character you voice?

Caleb Yen: I’m Caleb Yen, and I voice Kanshi. He is cool. He has blonde hair that I think he probably dyes, [but] he hasn’t told me that for sure. It’s not natural. And he is really cool and helpful and a bro.

Stephen Fu: I’m Steven Fu. I voice Morihito. He’s kind of like the papa of the group, of the household. He’s very responsible and also very kindhearted.

Lilypichu: I’m Lilypichu. I voice Nico. She is a witch in training, super pure-hearted, cute, bubbly, and in love with Moi.

Diving into Witch Watch

Interestingly, none of the cast members were familiar with the “Witch Watch” manga before their auditions. Lilypichu quickly caught up on the manga after being cast. Caleb Yen recalled a friend mentioning the manga to him previously, only to realize he was now a part of it.

Q: Were any of you familiar with the “Witch Watch“ manga before you were cast or auditioned?

Lilypichu: Me, no. But as soon as I was, I caught up with the manga.

Stephen Fu: No, and I haven’t read the manga.

Caleb Yen: My friend was… They told me once, and I didn’t know what that was about. And then I was in it, and they were like, “This is the thing I told you about!” And I was like, “Whoa!”

The Art of Comedy Dubbing

The actors discussed how preparing for a comedy differs from more dramatic roles. Caleb Yen explained that comedy offers more freedom, both in the script and for potential improvisation, compared to the more fixed nature of drama. Stephen Fu agreed, stating that comedy provides more fun and freedom, allowing for more playful reactions and even adding sounds not explicitly in the script. He contrasted this with dramatic roles, which require a more serious mindset and grounded delivery. Nico is Lilypichu’s first lead role, and she learned that actors can try improvising during shows like this.

Q: Since none of you were familiar, what were your reactions being cast as these characters?

Lilypichu: Did they get the right person? I thought it was just okay, and then I was excited. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, she has pink hair!” I love pink hair because I have pink hair. And when I came into record, they thought, “Oh, did you dye for Nico?” I had to tell them, “No, I promise you I didn’t. It was just a coincidence.”

Stephen Fu: Yeah, I also felt the same way when I was cast. I was like, “Are you sure you got the right guy for this?” But after getting to see his character and stuff like that, I was like, “Wow, I really like this guy a lot. I really relate to him.”

Caleb Yen: He’s loud, I’m loud. We’re very similar. He messes up a lot. I mess up a lot. It was a good time.

Q: How does preparing to record a comedy differ from other work you’ve done?

Caleb Yen: It’s a great question! It’s not so much a difference in preparation, I guess. It’s just that when you’re doing a drama or whatever, it’s like, “I’m sad today and my friend’s dead,” and that has to be sad. But when it’s comedy, you have more freedom. Usually, the script is a little bit freer, so it can be more… because it’s comedic, right? So there’s jokes and stuff in there. And then sometimes there’s more room for you to do a little bit of improv or something if you come up with something. You’re like, “Will this work?” And they can be like, “Yeah, that’ll work,” or “absolutely not.”

Stephen Fu: When you go into, like Caleb said, when you go into a drama or something more serious, it is just a mindset shift. It’s like, “Okay, I got to take this more seriously.” The reads are far more grounded, so to speak. And with a comedy, you get to have fun with it. It’s kind of more fun. With comedy, there’s some more freedom to it, for sure. Like in the most recent release of the English dub, where they meet the student council, there were a few times, there were some reactions where we kind of had our own fun with it.

Pop Culture Nods

The interview touched on the various references to other anime and pop culture within “Witch Watch.”

Q: There are so many references to different places throughout the show. Which ones have been your favorite?

Caleb Yen: “Demon Slayer,” because I get to reference myself. He’s all talking about like, Han Tengu and stuff, and I play one of the clones in that show. So I’m just being like, talking about my grandpa.

Stephen Fu: Well, he already said “Demon Slayer.” I was going to say “Demon Slayer.” But I also like the “JoJo” reference they make in the student council with a hat that blends into the hair, because it’s true. It’s like, why is it like that?

Lilypichu: I like… it’s not really a reference, I mean, it’s I guess it’s a reference, like the trope thing with all the student council. It’s funny, because right before I watched that episode, I’m on “Jujutsu Kaisen” right now, and there’s a robot person.

Desired Powers

When asked which magical powers they would choose from the “Witch Watch” universe, Caleb Yen quickly chose witch powers. Stephen Fu, however, opted for ogre powers, appreciating the “sturdy” and “Superman-like” physical strength. Lilypichu expressed reservations about witch powers due to Nico’s spells often coming with “caveats.” Caleb jokes that Stephen “Shrek’d” them with his choice.

Q: If you were given magical powers, like the ones in “Witch Watch,” would you rather have the powers of a witch, an ogre, a tengu, or something else entirely?

Caleb Yen: Witch.

Stephen Fu: Dang, I was going to say ogre. As cool as magic is, I want to be really… I like how sturdy [they are].

Lily Pichu: I feel like the ogre powers, it’s like you’re just physically… you’re like Superman, right? Nico’s power, I don’t know if it’s because she’s not the greatest, but all her spells come with a caveat. I don’t like those caveats.

Stream “Witch Watch” on Crunchyroll and Netflix!

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