Detective Pikachu voice actor did a Danny DeVito impression for one of his auditions

Kaiji Tang is the voice of the titular Detective Pikachu. If you've played the game, you know how Tang approached the voice of Detective Pikachu, but those vocal stylings weren't the only direction Tang tried to take things in. In an interview with Miketendo64, we learn that Tang knew of the Detective Pikachu/Danny DeVito meme, and decided to record his best DeVito impression for the audition.

So funny story. Before I got the audition for Detective Pikachu, I was like everyone else, hoping desperately against hope that somehow Nintendo would be able to hire Danny Devito as the titular character. I mean come on, it’s so perfect. So of course when I got the chance to audition, I sent them a “Devito” take along with the rest. Whether or not that was a factor in me getting hired is a mystery, haha. However I spoke to the client while recording and he informed me that even though the Devito meme was hilarious, Nintendo had always wanted that kind of gruff pseudo-New Yorker noir voice for Pikachu. So even if the Devito meme had never happened, Pikachu was always going to end up sounding like he could give you lessons in doing your taxes and alimony payments.

I love how Nintendo wanted a "gruff pseudo-New Yorker voice" for Detective Pikachu, but they didn't want DeVito. I mean, the guy was born in Jersey. A New York accent wouldn't be too much of a stretch! On top of that, the movie adaptation of Detective Pikachu will feature Ryan Reynolds as the detective. How in the world is he going to fit the bill?!