History Main / VocalDissonance

* Wrestling/TerryFunk is one of the toughest [=SOBs=] in the wrestling industry (having wrestled for 50 years and counting) and he certainly looks the part. However, Funk happens to have a rather soft and kindly voice, which can be quite jarring to hear coming out of a man who has fought in more hardcore matches than you can shake a stick at.

* [[Wrestling/{{BeckyLynch}} Becky Lynch]] has a very athletic yet feminine figure, and her voice is deeper than a good portion of the ''male'''s WWE roster.

* The muscular Apollo Crews sounds nothing like the deep-voiced [[Characters/{{Rocky}} Apollo Creed]] and Terry Crews.
* Wrestling/{{Sting}} zig-zags this. Steve Borden, the man behind the paint, sounds the way you'd expect him too, as does the early blond Surfer-dude Sting. However, once he started dressing up in his trademark black and white ''[[Film/TheCrow Crow]]''-inspired look, his medium-pitched voice and California accent clashed with his ghostly appearance (he actually [[TheVoiceless stopped talking for a while]] perhaps due to this).

** Stanger-Come-Knocking is a towering giant of a barbarian warlord who speaks in a surprisingly soft voice.

** Despite being a savage and ruthless cannibal barbarian armored in human bones, Stand-i'-in-Barrows sounds completely mundane when he speaks.

CuteButCacophonic is a subtrope of this, specifically referring to when "an extremely cute and/or tiny animal turns out to have a surprisingly loud cry." InstantSoprano, another subtrope, occurs when this trope arises in response to a GroinAttack. This trope also could be the result of an InopportuneVoiceCracking. Often overlaps with MostWritersAreAdults, when young children in animation are depicted with somewhat deep, adult-like voices, ProfessionalVoiceDissonance, where the voice a person uses for their job sounds very different to how they talk normally, and SingingVoiceDissonance, where a person's singing voice is noticeably different than their speaking voice. Not to be confused with LarynxDissonance, which involves an actor attempting to impersonate their opposite gender, or LyricalDissonance, which involves song lyrics. If a character who didn't initially have this suddenly does, it can lead to VoiceChangeSurprise.

* ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony'' has a lot of this. CrossDressingVoices abound, because one guy does all the voices for the show, while the cast is primarily female. The most pronounced examples are Rarity (an elegant fashionista with a nasally voice and an Australian accent) and Sweetie Belle (an adorable youngster with [[GutturalGrowler the voice of a death metal singer]]).

* Rourkie in ''VisualNovel/ThePiratesFate'' is a tiny anthropomorphic rabbit in oversized clothing who happens to have a booming GutturalGrowler voice. The dissonance is entirely intentional; his internal vision of himself is out of whack, and is reflected in outward things.

* Nunzio, from the ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series is known to have this issue, often including it in his initial descriptions when he makes his first appearance in a book.

* In the first scene of ''A Mighty Fortress'', the fourth book of the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' series, male [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Merlin]] speaks to Sharleyan using the voice of [[GenderBender Nimue Alban.]]

** In the sixth book, Harry is surprised to hear Goyle's low voice and Crabb's soft one.

* In ''Literature/ThePaleKing'', Nugent's little sister can imitate [[Film/TheExorcist Regan MacNeil's]] voice perfectly, much to the delight of Nugent's bored coworkers.

* During the [[spoiler:final confrontation with [[BigBad Victoria]]]] in ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilight: Eclipse]]'', Bella is shocked to see that the [[SuperPersistentPredator obsessed vampire's]] voice is less of a menacing growl and more of a high and childish squeal.
* Near the beginning of "Literature/TheBrainStealersOfMars", Rod Blake meets [[{{Shapeshifting}} something]] on the surface of Mars that looks like his partner Ted Penton--but it's new to imitating humans, and when it first speaks, it speaks in Rod Blake's voice.
* Owen Meany from John Irving's ''Literature/APrayerForOwenMeany''. A dwarf, he's by far the smallest kid in his class...and he has NoIndoorVoice.
* Shadowslinger, an elderly, morbidly-obese sorceress from the ''Literature/GarrettPI'' novels, has a voice that sounds like she's eight years old. As this conflicts with her self-promoted image as a terrifying wielder of dark magic, she usually has her son Barate Algarda speak for her.
* Applies to several characters in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series. The titular character is a 6'5" HeavyWorlder LadyOfWar, who has a soprano voice. Thandi Palane is a genetically modified AmazonianBeauty who can literally punch a guy's face in, and a mezzo-soprano (one step down from soprano). The MemeticBadass (both in-verse and out) Victor Catchat is a tenor (highest male voice within the modal register).
* [[BigBad Link]] in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'' has this. It is an AI from millions of years in the future that uses specific women as host bodies, transferring to the next body whenever one dies. As a result, the age of its host bodies over the story ranges from seventy to eight, and while it ''can'' use its host's normal voice, it usually uses a vaguely described but utterly inhuman and emotionless voice that most people find highly unsettling.
* In ''Literature/TheAndromedaStrain'', the secret research installation plays pre-recorded messages spoken by a female voice described as "luscious". Dr. Hall is bemused to learn that this voice belongs to a 60-year-old woman.
* ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' series:
** Bremer dan Gorst is a bull of a man and a LightningBruiser to boot, but he's got the piping voice of a child, to his eternal shame.
** Stanger-Come-Knocking is a towering giant of a barbarian warlord who speaks in a surprisingly soft voice.
** Despite being a savage and ruthless cannibal barbarian armored in human bones, Stand-i'-in-Barrows sounds completely mundane when he speaks.
* Played with in ''Literature/TheBuilders'' by Daniel Polansky. [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Captain]] is a grizzled, stoic military commander who has a [[FacialHorror unnervingly scarred]] face and a deserved terrible reputation. However, he has a squeaky voice described as a falsetto. On the other hand, every character in the work is an IntellectualAnimal and the Captain is a mouse -- and so his voice is actually quite fitting for his species (he sounds like Micky Mouse in the audiobook); it's just that it is greatly at odds with his personality.
* In ''Literature/EvaLuna'', Eva's CoolBigSis Mimi is a beautiful woman with a very deep voice. [[spoiler:She is [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} the re-invented and finally able to transition Melecio]]; she manages to find a medium of sorts, voice-wise, and "reserves" her deepest pitch [[BewareTheNiceOnes for when she needs to make a point]].]]
* ''Literature/DrGretaHelsing'': {{Mumm|y}}ies tend to pick up the regional accent from wherever they were awoken from slumber, leaving Greta a bit nonplussed to hear ancient Egyptian undead speaking with British- or German-accented voices.
* Dire wolves in ''Literature/WolvesOfTheBeyond'' have whispering voices despite their huge sizes.
* ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'': Andrea Abati, also known as ''[[NomDeGuerre Il Prosperino]]'', is a former Papal singer, and is famous for being an [[TheDandy extravagant dresser]], [[TheCasanova intrepid womanizer]], skilled duelist, AttentionWhore and all-round scandal-magnet. Abati is also a ''castrato'' [[note]] Exactly what it sounds like; in the 17th century boys with particularly beautiful singing voices were commonly castrated to prevent their voices from breaking[[/note]] and his voice is described as a "soprano with a hauntingly beautiful timbre". To give you some idea of his vocal quality, when Franz Sylvester composes his {{Opera}} ''Myth/KingArthur'', he writes the part of [[TheVamp Nimue]] specifically for Abati. Even people who know about his condition are usually shocked by the contrast between his appearance and his voice.

* ''Literature/TheLandMine'': Derek felt this way about the headmaster of the school in Stow-In-The-Wold, where his mother was spending her time after the roof of their house is blown off. The headmaster had a very short, egg-shaped body, from which Derek expected a rather high-pitched voice to come. The headmaster speaks in a very deep voice.

* This is downplayed with Sam Winchester in ''Fanfic/CrossCases'' - when Harry first hears him speak, he notes that Sam's voice is surprisingly light for such a big guy.

* During the [[spoiler: final confrontation with [[BigBad Victoria]]]] in ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilight: Eclipse]]'', Bella is shocked to see that the [[SuperPersistentPredator obsessed vampire's]] voice is less of a menacing growl and more of a high and childish squeal.

* Played with in ''Literature/TheBuilders'' by Daniel Polansky. [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Captain]] is a grizzled, stoic military commander who has a [[FacialHorror unnervingly scarred]] face and a deserved terrible reputation. However, he has a squeaky voice described as a falsetto. On the other hand, every character in the work is an IntellectualAnimal and the Captain is a mouse- and so his voice is actually quite fitting for his species (he sounds like Micky Mouse in the audiobook); it's just that it is greatly at odds with his personality.
* In ''Literature/EvaLuna'', Eva's CoolBigSis Mimi is a beautiful woman with a very deep voice. [[spoiler: She is [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} the re-invented and finally able to transition Melecio]]; she manages to find a medium of sorts, voice-wise, and "reserves" her deepest pitch [[BewareTheNiceOnes for when she needs to make a point]].]]

* In the UpdatedReRelease of ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'', this is PlayedForDrama. [[spoiler: In the game, Creator/ChiakiTakahashi voices [[HugeSchoolgirl Nanami]] with a rather deep voice, but when she and her boyfriend Kyouchi have sex she uses a far girlier tone as a part of [[CasualKink their foreplay]]. This is revealed ''to the whole school'' after Nanami and Kyouichi are [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown videotaped having sex]] during the SchoolFestival and the tape is shown in public. Naturally, [[HeroicBSOD poor Nanami breaks down in tears]].]]

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' used this trope during the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "radio". Strong Bad demonstrated that radio personalities usually look nothing like how they sound by making his mopey, soft-spoken younger brother Strong Sad talk like [[DumbassDJ an obnoxious]] [[LargeHamRadio disc jockey]].
-->'''Strong Sad:''' Hey hey hey, it's the Deathly Pallor, coming at you on numbitty 902, [=WA3D=] FM, "The Sturge." Coming up next, we got some hot new tracks from double-O ballyhoo!

* This is a common occurrence for actors doing [[AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho]]. As Big Finish had gone the extra mile and has contracted nearly every living ''Series/DoctorWho'' actor to reprise their roles from the classic series, naturally there is going to be aging issues with actors who played their roles forty, fifty, and now even ''sixty'' years ago. Chief among these is Creator/PeterDavison, who while trying to sound a bit more youthful still has a gruffness to his voice as the Fifth Doctor that wasn't present in his thirty-year-old self in 1982, and Creator/ColinBaker, who likewise has started unavoidably showing his age in his voice in recent dramas. At the same time, they are still recognizably those characters and perform admirably. This even informed a brief story arc for the Fifth Doctor's team, starting in "Cobwebs", where Nyssa had returned from her LongBusTrip after the TV episode "Terminus", rejoining Five, Tegan and Turlough after fifty years from her perspective (only a week or so from theirs). Since Trakenites age slower than humans, it allowed Nyssa to be at the same biological age that Creator/SarahSutton currently was (somewhere in her late 40s-early 50s) so that Sutton could use her natural speaking voice and give the pitching up to sound like her 20-something self a hiatus.

* Anyone who's seen the gung-ho [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} Col. Trautman]] would definitely be forgiven for reacting incredulously to the idea that the [[Creator/RichardCrenna same actor]] played the nerdy Walter Denton on radio's ''Radio/OurMissBrooks''.

* CPO Pertwee (Jon) on ''NavyLark'' doesn't sound anything like he does in real life.

* Wrestling/BrockLesnar has an famously large and imposing figure, but his voice is infamously a bit higher than what one would expect. When he gets angry, his furious "screams" have a tendency to come off less like badass roars and more high-pitched screeches. It's probably a good reason why he gets Wrestling/PaulHeyman to do the talking for him in promos.

* In ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' series, Bremer dan Gorst is a bull of a man and a LightningBruiser to boot, but he's got the piping voice of a child, to his eternal shame.

* Creator/{{ProZD}} has a round, almost childlike face that's contrasted by his rather deep voice. He himself has made several jokes about this fact, such as in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORGVZ1_VSA Your voice doesn't match your face]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbzfVOJLHwM audition sides i get sent for my voice vs my face]]".

CuteButCacophonic is a subtrope of this, specifically referring to when "an extremely cute and/or tiny animal turns out to have a surprisingly loud cry." InstantSoprano, another subtrope, occurs when this trope arises in response to a GroinAttack. This trope also could be the result of an InopportuneVoiceCracking. Often overlaps with MostWritersAreAdults, when young children in animation are depicted with somewhat deep, adult-like voices, and SingingVoiceDissonance, where a person's singing voice is noticeably different than their speaking voice. Not to be confused with LarynxDissonance, which involves an actor attempting to impersonate their opposite gender, or LyricalDissonance, which involves song lyrics. If a character who didn't initially have this suddenly does, it can lead to VoiceChangeSurprise.

* Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart has a very deep voice for a female of fairly average height. Although considering she's part of the Hart family and how Badass she is [[ContraltoofDanger it might actually work.]]

* Atsuover, the creator of ''VideoGame/VsAnnie'' looks somewhat skinny when se does show her face, which you don't really expect when you hear her often deep speaking voice.

* Korean-American comic Henry Cho was born and raised in Tennessee and it shows when he speaks. The last thing you expect to hear out of someone who looks like him is a southern drawl. Lampshaded in [[http://youtu.be/WH8E_nkDNDo one of his routines]] when he mentions traveling in Korea, and being asked for directions by an American in a patronizing, faux-Asian pidgin "EXCUSE ME, IS THIS THE BUS-Y GOES-Y DOWN-Y TOWN-Y?". He replied with an exaggeratedly twangy "...I reckon so."

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': Ryoma Hoshi is pretty much the polar opposite of ''Anime/Danganronpa3'''s Daisaku Bandai. His goofy {{Gonk}} appearance combined with his dwarfism makes him look like a little kid in elementary school, but he speaks in a BadassBaritone and has a serious, brooding personality to match.
* ''VisualNovel/DramaticalMurder'' has Ren, [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter a very cute dog]] [[ArtificialIntelligence All-mate]] with a BadassBaritone, which contrasts greatly with his cuddly appearance. [[spoiler:It matches his humanoid form perfectly.]]

While it may be wrong to judge a book by its cover, [[TruthInTelevision it's something that happens]]. You see a person, you expect certain things. This extends even to that person’s voice. If you see a muscular man, you expect a [[BadassBaritone deep macho voice]]. TheVamp will have a sexy, sultry voice. A child's voice is high-pitched. And so on.

* One ''Creator/{{Gotlib}}'' strip that deconstructs the Western genre shows who provides the translated voices of the rugged cowboy, demure schoolteacher, and stoic Indian: a weedy accountant-looking guy, a heavyset older woman towering above the other voice actors, and a Chinese midget with huge glasses and teeth respectively.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170677 The Zero Context Series]]'', this is the case with Acutus. She is described as a well-muscled dragon-girl who is almost eight feet tall and has a voice like a squeaky can opener.

* ''WebVideo/TheBuggerAnthology'': The Dalek mutants in "Not My Daleks", which look like very gross octopi, are revealed to speak with a jovial [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Manchester accent]] when out of their casings.