Askeladd, the cunning Viking mercenary leader in Vinland Saga, is voiced by Naoya Uchida in the original Japanese version. In the English adaptations, he is voiced by Kirk Thornton in the Sentai Filmworks dub and David Wald in the Netflix dub. All three actors received major praise for portraying Askeladd’s intelligence, charisma, brutality, and emotional complexity.
Japanese Voice Actor: Naoya Uchida
Date of Birth
May 1, 1953
About Naoya
Naoya Uchida is a veteran Japanese actor and voice actor known for portraying authoritative, intelligent, and morally complex characters across anime, film dubbing, and games. His performance as Askeladd is widely regarded as one of the strongest aspects of Vinland Saga’s anime adaptation.
Askeladd is a character who constantly shifts between mentor, manipulator, strategist, and killer, and Uchida’s performance captures every layer of that complexity. His calm delivery and commanding presence helped make Askeladd one of the most memorable seinen anime characters of recent years.
Beyond anime, Uchida is also highly respected for Japanese dubbing work in major Hollywood productions.
Hometown
Tokyo, Japan
Career Highlights
Naoya Uchida has maintained a long-running career across anime, games, film dubbing, and narration.
Some of his best-known performances include:
- Askeladd — Vinland Saga
- Madara Uchiha — Naruto Shippuden
- Nobunobu Hitotsubashi — Gintama
- Soichiro Yagami — Death Note
- Solid Snake / Naked Snake — Metal Gear Solid series (Japanese voice)
- Senator Armstrong — Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Japanese voice)
- Geralt of Rivia — The Witcher Japanese dub
His role as Askeladd became especially acclaimed because of the character’s philosophical dialogue and emotional unpredictability.
Full Current Filmography
The following list reflects documented credits from publicly available sources and may not be exhaustive.
Anime Television
- Vinland Saga — Askeladd (2019–2023)
- Naruto Shippuden — Madara Uchiha
- Death Note — Soichiro Yagami
- Gintama — Nobunobu Hitotsubashi
- Monster — Supporting roles
- Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 — Standard
- Bleach — Supporting Voices
- One Piece — Various characters
Anime Films
- Death Note related animated projects — Soichiro Yagami
- Naruto film appearances — Madara Uchiha
- Vinland Saga promotional media — Askeladd
Video Games
- Metal Gear Solid series — Solid Snake / Big Boss (Japanese voice)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance — Senator Armstrong
- The Witcher 3 Japanese dub — Geralt of Rivia
- Granblue Fantasy — Voice roles
Critical Reception
Naoya Uchida’s portrayal of Askeladd received widespread acclaim from critics and anime fans alike. Reviewers frequently praised his commanding vocal presence and ability to balance charisma with underlying menace.
Many viewers considered his performance essential to Askeladd’s popularity, especially during the character’s philosophical conversations, manipulative schemes, and emotionally charged final arc moments.
His portrayal helped establish Askeladd as one of the most celebrated anime antagonists and antiheroes of the 2010s.
Our Sources
Behind The Voice Actors – Askeladd cast listing (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Vinland-Saga/Askeladd/)
Wikipedia – Naoya Uchida biography and filmography (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoya_Uchida)
Vinland Saga official anime website (https://vinlandsaga.jp/)
Anime News Network encyclopedia entry for Vinland Saga (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=21248)
Social Media
Official Agency Profile: https://www.office-osawa.com/talent/uchida-naoya/
English Voice Actor: Kirk Thornton / David Wald
Date of Birth
Kirk Thornton — May 13, 1956
David Wald — Not publicly documented.
About Kirk
Kirk Thornton voiced Askeladd in the Sentai Filmworks English dub of Vinland Saga. Known for his deep, commanding voice and extensive anime career, Thornton brought a mature and intimidating presence to the role.
His portrayal emphasized Askeladd’s authority, tactical intelligence, and emotional unpredictability. Thornton’s calm delivery during philosophical and manipulative scenes helped establish Askeladd as one of the most compelling characters in the dub adaptation.
Thornton is also widely known for major villain and mentor roles across anime, games, and animation.
About David
David Wald voices Askeladd in the Netflix English dub of Vinland Saga. His performance received strong praise for balancing Askeladd’s charisma, cruelty, humor, and emotional complexity throughout the series.
Wald’s portrayal leans heavily into the character’s theatrical intelligence and layered personality, especially during emotionally charged scenes involving Thorfinn, Canute, and the Danish court. Fans frequently praised how naturally he shifted between warmth, manipulation, and menace.
In addition to voice acting, Wald is also known for ADR directing and script adaptation work in anime localization.
Hometown
Kirk Thornton — Portland, Oregon, United States
David Wald — Texas, United States
Career Highlights
Kirk Thornton
Kirk Thornton has built one of the longest-running careers in English anime dubbing.
Some of his best-known performances include:
- Askeladd — Vinland Saga (Sentai dub)
- Kisame Hoshigaki — Naruto
- Jin — Samurai Champloo
- Shadow the Hedgehog — Sonic the Hedgehog franchise
- Saix — Kingdom Hearts
- Don Krieg — One Piece
- Helmeppo — One Piece
His portrayal of Askeladd became notable for its calm authority and veteran gravitas.
David Wald
David Wald is known for both acting and directing within the anime industry.
Some of his most recognized performances include:
- Askeladd — Vinland Saga (Netflix dub)
- Gajeel Redfox — Fairy Tail
- Hannes — Attack on Titan
- Vetto — Black Clover
- Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu — My Hero Academia
- Bulat — Akame ga Kill!
Wald’s performance as Askeladd is frequently praised for capturing the character’s intelligence and emotional contradictions.
Full Current Filmography
The following lists reflect publicly documented credits and may not be exhaustive.
Kirk Thornton Filmography
Anime Television
- Vinland Saga — Askeladd (Sentai Filmworks dub)
- Naruto — Kisame Hoshigaki
- Samurai Champloo — Jin
- One Piece — Don Krieg / Helmeppo
- Bleach — Additional Voices
- Demon Slayer — Supporting Voices
Video Games
- Sonic the Hedgehog franchise — Shadow the Hedgehog
- Kingdom Hearts series — Saix
- Final Fantasy projects — Additional Voices
- Fire Emblem Heroes — Voice roles
David Wald Filmography
Anime Television
- Vinland Saga — Askeladd (Netflix dub)
- Fairy Tail — Gajeel Redfox
- Attack on Titan — Hannes
- Black Clover — Vetto
- My Hero Academia — Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
- Akame ga Kill! — Bulat
Anime Films
- Fairy Tail film appearances — Gajeel Redfox
- Attack on Titan related media — Hannes
- Vinland Saga promotional media — Askeladd
Video Games
- SMITE — Voice roles
- Dragon Ball related games — Additional Voices
- Anime game localization projects — Various roles
Critical Reception
Both English portrayals of Askeladd received strong praise from fans, though each performance approached the character differently.
Kirk Thornton’s version was often praised for its calm authority and imposing veteran presence, which emphasized Askeladd’s role as a dangerous strategist and battle-hardened leader.
David Wald’s portrayal became especially acclaimed for its emotional nuance and theatrical charisma. Fans frequently highlighted his ability to balance humor, manipulation, intelligence, and genuine emotional vulnerability throughout Askeladd’s storyline.
Both performances helped solidify Askeladd as one of the most respected and memorable seinen anime characters in English-language adaptations.
Our Sources
Behind The Voice Actors – Askeladd cast listing (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Vinland-Saga/Askeladd/)
Wikipedia – Kirk Thornton biography and credits (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Thornton)
Wikipedia – David Wald biography and credits (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wald)
Vinland Saga official anime website (https://vinlandsaga.jp/)
Anime News Network encyclopedia entry for Vinland Saga (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=21248)
Social Media
Kirk Thornton
X / Twitter: https://x.com/kirkthorton
David Wald
X / Twitter: https://x.com/DavidWald_VA
Official Website: https://www.davidwaldvoiceactor.com/
