Kal Penn has established a presence in voice acting for animation and anime, bringing his recognizable vocal style to a range of characters. Born Kalpen Suresh Modi on April 23, 1977, he is widely known for his on-screen roles in the Harold and Kumar film series and the television program House. His voice work includes roles in English dubs of Japanese anime productions as well as original Western animated series.

In the realm of anime, one of Penn's most notable roles is Zinzan in the English dub of the Studio Ponoc animated film The Imaginary, which was released on Netflix in July 2024. Studio Ponoc was founded by former Studio Ghibli producers, and the film is a hand-drawn fantasy adventure based on the novel by A.F. Harrold. In The Imaginary, Penn voices Zinzan, a cat who is an imaginary friend residing in the Town of Imaginaries. Another anime-related voice credit is his role as the Contract Lawyer in the English dub of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a 2023 anime adaptation produced by Science SARU.

Beyond Japanese anime, Penn has contributed his voice to several Western animated projects. From 2020 to 2022, he voiced Mikku, one of the two mongoose friends and sidekicks to the title character, in the Disney Junior series Mira, Royal Detective, appearing in 54 episodes. He has described the character as an adorable mongoose who is inquisitive and loves to eat, a role he found appealing because it allowed him to work on a childrens program with a predominantly South Asian cast. Penn has also performed voice roles for series including American Dad! and the animated film Superman: Red Son. In video games, he voiced the character Carl in Marvels Deadpool VR, released in 2025.