For decades, the Gundam meta-series carried the weight of expectation. It was the "War and Peace" of mecha anime: a grim, sprawling epic about the horrors of conflict, the grey morality of politics, and teenagers forced into cockpits. Enter Gundam Build Fighters (2013). A show where the worst consequence of losing a battle is having to buy a new model kit. On paper, it was sacrilege. In practice, it was a love letter to the franchise.
But for English-speaking fans, there was a catch. The English dub—produced by NYAV Post and released by Sunrise/Right Stuf—didn't just translate the script. It rebuilt it. And in doing so, it turned what could have been a niche nostalgia trip into one of the most joyously unhinged, self-aware, and technically brilliant dubs of the 2010s. To understand the dub’s magic, you have to look at the director: Michael Sinterniklaas. A veteran known for his work on The Boy and the Beast and Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple , Sinterniklaas understands that a dub doesn't have to be a literal translation; it has to be a spiritual one. Build Fighters is a show about customization. So, he customized the script. Gundam Build Fighters -Dub-
The original Japanese version of Build Fighters is charming but earnest. It treats the children’s plastic robot battles with the same life-or-death intensity as Mobile Suit Gundam . The English dub, however, leans into the absurdity. It adds pop-culture references, deadpan snark, and wrestling-style bravado that feels less like a Saturday morning cartoon and more like an Adult Swim parody that accidentally became the real thing. NYAV Post is famous for its tight-knit pool of New York-based talent, and Build Fighters is a reunion tour. The lead, Sei Iori, is voiced by Sarah Anne Williams (Lisbeth in Sword Art Online ), who plays the shy builder with a nervous energy that perfectly contrasts his partner. Reiji, the alien (yes, alien) fighter, is voiced by Griffin Burns (Cyril in Pokémon Journeys ). Burns gives Reiji a wild, throaty, knucklehead persona—equal parts Goku and Johnny Bravo. For decades, the Gundam meta-series carried the weight
Gundam Build Fighters (English Dub) is available on Crunchyroll and the official GundamInfo YouTube channel. A show where the worst consequence of losing
Stream it. Watch it with friends who "don't like mecha." By the time Reiji shouts "This Gunpla hasn't even begun to peak!"—a clear Sunny reference—you’ll be hooked.