Arryn Zech is a Spanish-born American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Blake Belladonna in the original

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

-style CG-animated

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

, ''

RWBY ''RWBY'' (pronounced "Ruby") is an American Anime-influenced animation, anime-influenced Computer animation, computer-animated web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It is set in the fictional world of Remnant, where young people tr ...

'' and Dr. Emily Grey in ''

Red vs. Blue ''Red vs. Blue'', often abbreviated as ''RvB'', is an American web series created by Burnie Burns with his production company Rooster Teeth. The show is based on the setting of the military science fiction first-person shooter series and media fr ...

'', an American

also created by

Rooster Teeth Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...

Early life

Zech was born in

Rota, Spain The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...

. She began acting in a

New Braunfels New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the county seat, seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a popula ...

theater in ''

A Bugs Life ''A Bug's Life'' is a 1998 American Computer animation, computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-dire ...

'' production and working in local theater. She attended North East School of Arts in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, a musical theater school. She revealed, in a 2023 interview, that she considered going to

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

, but decided to become an actress instead. She later graduated with a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Journalism from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, concentrating in copy editing and design. While there she worked at the student-run television station, TSTV, as a writer, host, and actress.

Career

''RWBY''

In 2013, she began voicing Blake Belladonna in ''

''. In August 2014, in an interview with

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...

, she talked about fan response to character, what people could expect in season 2, and voiced her support for the

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

of Blake and

Yang Xiao Long This is a list of characters who appear in ''RWBY'', an original anime-style Computer graphics, CG-animated web series created by Rooster Teeth Productions. According to series creator Monty Oum, every character's name is tied to a specific col ...

, known as "Bumbleby". The ship would become canon in the show's ninth season, when both characters kissed on screen. Zech voiced Blake in various video games such as ''

Smite ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna. ''

Paladins The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's royal court, court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of F ...

'' in 2016, '' BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle'' in 2018, ''Smite: Battleground of the Gods'' in 2019, and '' RWBY: Arrowfell'' in 2022. She would also reprise the voice in ''

RWBY Chibi ''RWBY Chibi'' is an American animated comedy web series produced by Rooster Teeth Animation for Rooster Teeth. It is a spin-off of ''RWBY'', where each episode consists of several scenes where aspects of RWBY's characters are usually exaggerate ...

''. The series returned as part of the "Neon Konbini" block in 2021. In October 2018, in an interview with

Supanova Expo Supanova Comic Con & Gaming (also known simply as Supanova) is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, M ...

, Zech stated that she was proud of the show's cast and character development. She also described how

Monty Oum Monyreak Oum ( ; June 22, 1981 – February 1, 2015) was an American web-based animator and writer. Oum attracted attention within the gaming community after releasing an animated video in 2007, titled ''Haloid'', where characters from the ''Halo ...

chose her for the role and noted that each of the four main actresses, including her, chose hairstyles, clothing, and design, which were used in the final character designs of the four protagonists. In March 2022, Zech expressed discomfort with being involved in '' RWBY: Ice Queendom'' upon being made aware of the 2015 domestic abuse allegations concerning series writer

Tow Ubukata is the pen name of a Japanese novelist and anime screenwriter. His major works include '' Mardock Scramble'', '' Le Chevalier D'Eon'' and '' Heroic Age''. He also did series composition for the '' Fafner in the Azure'' series, '' Ghost in the Sh ...

, which prompted Ubukata to tweet in response to Zech. Zech later tweeted to confirm that she would be reprising her voice role of Blake Belladonna in the English dub of ''Ice Queendom'', stating that she had internal discussions with the staff and that she would be donating her payment for her work to an undisclosed

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. Her voice role in the English dubbed version of the series was confirmed by later press releases, and articles, which described the project as an anime based on the original ''RWBY'' series. In October 2022, Zech stated that

threatened her with recasting Blake if she didn't accept the wage offered to her. In 2023, she voiced Blake Belladonna in the '' Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part One''

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

film. The film premiered at

WonderCon WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and WonderCon Los Angel ...

2023 on March 25.

Other work

Zech voice acts as Dr. Emily Grey in ''

'' in 2013. In 2016, she said that when she voices Dr. Grey, she has "bubbly hands, almost Disney Princess hands". Zech voiced a character in an episode of the ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...

'' TV series in 2017. She voiced characters in English dubs of various anime in the 2020s. This included "The Ripper" in the '' Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina'' episode "The Ripper",

Ayana Taketatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi"Taketatsu Ayana" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Biography She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyujo, a voice actor training school before becoming affili ...

in ''

The Detective Is Already Dead is a Japanese light novel series written by Nigojū and illustrated by Umibōzu. Media Factory have published the series since November 2019 under their MF Bunko J imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Mugiko has been serialized in Medi ...

'', and Gentiane in the anime ''

Girls' Frontline ''Girls Frontline'' () is a mobile strategy role-playing game for Android and iOS developed by China-based studio MICA Team, where players control echelons of android characters, known in-universe as T-Dolls, each carrying a distinctive ...

''. In February 2023, she noted that she had begun writing her first EP, and described it as "incredibly fun". It was also stated that in fall 2023, she would be attending the

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

to further her study of music. In a March 2023, she stated that she was getting a songwriter certification with online classes and was "pretty excited" about her EP.

Convention appearances

In June 2022, Zech told LGBT magazine ''

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...

'' that ''RWBY'' had "changed her life" and said that going to its conventions have allowed her to "come out of her shell" and be honest about her experiences with abusive relationships, mental health, and eating disorders. In 2016, she appeared at

Montreal Comiccon The Montreal Comiccon (French: ''Le Comiccon de Montréal''), under its current form, was launched in 2006 as "Montreal Comic-Con". The event features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and collectibles. It ...

and

MCM London Comic Con The MCM London Comic Con (formerly known as the London Movies, Comics, and Media Expo and London MCM Expo) is a speculative fiction fan convention held in the London Borough of Newham twice yearly since 2002, usually on the last weekend in May ...

. In 2017, she made appearances at

Fan Expo Canada Fan Expo Canada is an annual speculative fiction fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995Fan Expo Boston Fan Expo Boston, formerly Boston Comic Con, is a multigenre convention held annually in Boston, MA. Primarily focused on comic books, the convention later featured media guests from film and television, cosplayers, an art auction, a tabletop/CCG/R ...

, and

Ottawa Comiccon The Ottawa Comiccon is a fan convention with a focus on comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and games. It is a spin-off of the Montreal Comiccon. It was launched in 2012. The event features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non- ...

. The next year, she appeared at

Armageddon Expo Armageddon Expo is a New Zealand owned and operated pop culture convention that holds multiple events around New Zealand in cities including Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga and Christchurch. The event, run by Beyond Reality Media Premier Event M ...

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. In 2019, she appeared at

, and

Phoenix Fan Fusion Phoenix Fan Fusion (formerly Phoenix Comicon and Phoenix Comic Fest) is a speculative fiction entertainment and comic book convention held annually in Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded as the Phoenix Cactus Comicon in June 2002, ...

In May 2018, she and Lindsay Jones cancelled their appearances at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention after criticism of the convention for its "insensitive response" to accusations of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

. In May 2020, Zech appeared at the

Anime Frontier Anime Frontier is an annual three-day anime convention held during December at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Programming The convention typically offers an art show, concert, and cosplay competition. History Anime Fro ...

convention, which was sponsored by

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

, at the

Fort Worth Convention Center The Fort Worth Convention Center (formerly known as the Tarrant County Convention Center) is a convention center and indoor arena located in Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas. The complex opened on September 30, 1968, and was expanded in 1983 ...

. She also appeared at the conference in later years. Zech previously appeared at Wizard World Virtual Experience with ''RWBY'' cast members in April 2020, and in the same convention in 2018. Zech also made appearances at

Comic Con Scotland Comic Con Scotland is a fan convention held annually in Edinburgh, Scotland that celebrates films, cult television, video gaming, anime, cosplay and comic books which is organised by UK Events company Monopoly Events. History and organisation ...

and

Anime North Anime North (AN) is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Etobicoke, a Amalgamation of Toronto, district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade ball, Masquerade, a D ...

in 2022.

Personal life

Zech is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. In a February 2023 interview with Naluda Magazine, Zech said that she loves playing video games, gardening, and supporting

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

issues, and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. She also described leaving

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

as a "game changer" for her mental health. In another interview, in March 2023, by her friend

Barbara Dunkelman Barbara Julie Dunkelman (born July 2, 1989) is a Canadian actress and internet personality. She is known for her work with the production company Rooster Teeth, where she serves as a Creative Director and was formerly the Director of Social and ...

on the "Always Open"

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

series, Zech said that physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation would be important in any romantic relationship. In the same interview, she also said she would "never go back" to Twitter because it is harder for people to "access her" in a "negative way", and told Dunkleman that issues with dating as a bisexual woman is a "universal bisexual problem".

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

Arryn Zech's official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zech, Arryn Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Spanish LGBT actors American bisexual actors Spanish emigrants to the United States American feminists American video game actresses American voice actresses Spanish voice actresses American web series actresses University of Texas at Austin alumni Rooster Teeth people 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Spanish actresses OnlyFans creators