Bondrewd, the infamous White Whistle known as the “Sovereign of Dawn” in Made in Abyss, is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa in the original Japanese version and David Wald in the English dub. Both actors received widespread praise for portraying Bondrewd’s unsettling calmness, intellectual charisma, and horrifying emotional complexity throughout Dawn of the Deep Soul and later appearances in the series. (behindthevoiceactors.com)
Toshiyuki Morikawa – Japanese Voice of Bondrewd
Date of Birth
January 26, 1967
About Toshiyuki
Toshiyuki Morikawa is one of Japan’s most respected veteran voice actors, known for his smooth, authoritative vocal delivery and his ability to portray charismatic heroes and terrifying villains alike. His performance as Bondrewd in Made in Abyss became especially acclaimed for the disturbing contrast between Bondrewd’s gentle demeanor and his monstrous actions.
Morikawa plays Bondrewd with remarkable restraint, rarely raising his voice even during the character’s most horrifying scenes. This calm, almost affectionate delivery makes Bondrewd significantly more unsettling and memorable, helping establish him as one of the most iconic antagonists in modern anime.
Outside of Made in Abyss, Morikawa has had a massive career spanning anime, games, dubbing, and narration work for decades.
Hometown
Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Career Highlights
Some of Toshiyuki Morikawa’s best-known anime roles include:
- Bondrewd — Made in Abyss
- Griffith — Berserk
- Minato Namikaze — Naruto
- Sephiroth — Final Fantasy VII franchise
- Dante — Devil May Cry
- Kira Yoshikage — JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
- Naraku — Inuyasha
- Kagaya Ubuyashiki — Demon Slayer
- Isshin Kurosaki — Bleach
- Enel — One Piece
He is also famous in Japanese dubbing for serving as the recurring Japanese voice of actors such as Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves.
Full Current Filmography
The following list reflects documented anime and game credits from publicly available sources and may not be exhaustive.
Television Anime
- Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun — Bondrewd
- Naruto — Minato Namikaze
- Bleach — Isshin Kurosaki
- Inuyasha — Naraku
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable — Kira Yoshikage
- Demon Slayer — Kagaya Ubuyashiki
- One Piece — Enel
- Berserk — Griffith
- Yu Yu Hakusho — Mitsunari Yanagisawa
- Kingdom — Riboku
- Black Clover — Julius Novachrono
- Pokémon — various roles
Anime Films
- Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul — Bondrewd
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children — Sephiroth
- Naruto Shippuden films — Minato Namikaze
- Bleach film series — Isshin Kurosaki
Video Games
- Final Fantasy VII Remake — Sephiroth
- Devil May Cry series — Dante
- Kingdom Hearts series — Sephiroth
- Street Fighter titles — additional voices
- Granblue Fantasy — recurring roles
Critical Reception
Toshiyuki Morikawa’s portrayal of Bondrewd is widely considered one of the standout villain performances in modern anime. Critics and fans frequently praise how he maintains a warm and almost paternal tone even while Bondrewd commits horrifying acts, making the character deeply unnerving rather than conventionally evil.
Many viewers cite his performance in Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul as a major reason Bondrewd became one of anime’s most memorable antagonists.
Our Sources
Behind The Voice Actors – Bondrewd (Made in Abyss)
(https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Made-in-Abyss/Bondrewd/)
Toshiyuki Morikawa – Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiyuki_Morikawa)
IMDb – Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul Cast
(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10297968/fullcredits/)
Anime News Network Encyclopedia – Toshiyuki Morikawa
(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=665)
Social Media
Official Agency Website: https://www.axl-one.com/talent/morikawa.html
X (Twitter): https://x.com/moriax291
David Wald – English Voice of Bondrewd
Date of Birth
David Wald’s exact birth date is not widely publicly documented.
About David
David Wald is an American voice actor, ADR director, scriptwriter, and producer known for distinctive villain performances and emotionally layered character work in anime dubbing. His portrayal of Bondrewd in the English dub of Made in Abyss earned major praise for capturing the character’s unsettling politeness, calm intelligence, and terrifying emotional detachment.
Rather than portraying Bondrewd as openly monstrous, Wald gives the character a warm and composed delivery that makes his actions even more disturbing. His soft-spoken performance emphasizes Bondrewd’s warped sense of affection and scientific curiosity, helping preserve the psychological horror that made the character so memorable in the original Japanese version.
Wald is also widely respected behind the scenes for ADR direction and adaptation work across numerous anime releases.
Hometown
The United States (specific hometown is not widely publicly documented)
Career Highlights
Some of David Wald’s most recognizable anime roles include:
- Bondrewd — Made in Abyss
- Gajeel Redfox — Fairy Tail
- Hannes — Attack on Titan
- Askeladd — Vinland Saga
- Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu — My Hero Academia
- Vetto — Black Clover
- Tooru Oikawa — Haikyuu!! (additional dub work)
- Bulat — Akame ga Kill!
- Bertholdt Hoover — Attack on Titan (earlier dub contributions/support work)
He has also worked extensively as an ADR director and scriptwriter for Sentai Filmworks and Crunchyroll productions.
Full Current Filmography
The following list reflects documented credits from publicly available sources and may not be exhaustive.
Television Anime
- Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun — Bondrewd
- Fairy Tail — Gajeel Redfox
- Attack on Titan — Hannes
- Vinland Saga — Askeladd
- My Hero Academia — Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
- Black Clover — Vetto
- Akame ga Kill! — Bulat
- Haikyuu!! — additional dub roles
- One Piece — supporting roles
- Tokyo Ghoul — supporting roles
- Assassination Classroom — supporting roles
- Food Wars! — supporting roles
Anime Films
- Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul — Bondrewd
- Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry — Gajeel Redfox
- My Hero Academia films — Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
- Attack on Titan compilation films — Hannes
Video Games
- Smite — additional voices
- Paladins — additional voices
- Borderlands series — supporting voices
- Dragon Ball games — additional dub voices
Critical Reception
David Wald’s performance as Bondrewd is frequently praised by English dub viewers for maintaining the character’s terrifying calmness without sacrificing emotional subtlety. Fans often point to the contrast between Bondrewd’s gentle tone and horrific actions as one of the dub’s greatest strengths.
His performance during Dawn of the Deep Soul in particular is commonly regarded as one of the standout villain performances in the English adaptation of Made in Abyss.
Our Sources
Behind The Voice Actors – Bondrewd (Made in Abyss)
(https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Made-in-Abyss/Bondrewd/)
IMDb – David Wald
(https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1479917/)
Anime News Network Encyclopedia – David Wald
(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=33881)
Sentai Filmworks Dub Credits
(https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/)
Social Media
X (Twitter): https://x.com/DavidWald_VA
Official Website: https://www.davidwaldvoiceactor.com/
