One Piece: Popular Anime You’ve Heard Caesar Clown’s Voice In

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Caesar Clown is easily one of the strangest and most frightening characters in all of One Piece – and that’s saying something, given how many oddballs populate this series. He’s a deranged scientist who goes by a clown persona, wields incredibly dangerous poison gas, and routinely abuses children. He’s a truly evil and awful villain, brought to life perfectly by the amazing voice of Ryusei Nakao.

You might not recognize the name, but you’ve almost certainly heard his voice – particularly if you’re a longtime anime fan. Nakao has been a part of the industry for over sixty years, making him a truly legendary and cherished Japanese performer. His amazing skill and distinctive, high-pitched voice have brought countless characters to life, but we’ll focus on eight of the most notable and compelling roles from his impressive career.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi In Bleach

He Basically Voiced Caesar Clown Twice (Or Thrice?)

Before landing the role of Caesar Clown in One Piece, Ryusei Nakao previously voiced another eccentric and ruthless scientist who wielded poison and sported dramatic makeup: Bleach‘s Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The main difference between these two remarkably alike characters is that the captain of the 12th Division is currently fighting on the side of the heroes.

Nakao’s portrayal of Kurotsuchi is exactly what you’d anticipate from such a skilled voice actor. He perfectly captures the character’s disturbing, untrustworthy, and cruel nature, while also managing to inject a bit of humor. He delivered a fantastic performance in the original Bleach series, and he returned for the recent Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation sounding remarkably consistent, even after many years. Interestingly, Nakao also voiced another anime character with a similar personality – he played Doctor Indigo in One Piece Film: Strong World.

Frieza In Dragon Ball

The Single Most Iconic Villain In Shōnen Anime

That’s correct-Ryusei Nakao has been the voice of Frieza since 1990. It’s a role so famous, significant, and impactful that it fundamentally changed the Japanese voice acting world. Interestingly, this isn’t his first part in the Dragon Ball series (he also voiced Tambourine in the original show), but it’s the one that made him a star.

Frieza is well-known for being completely unrepentant; he’s characterized by his cruelty, slyness, arrogance, thirst for power, and prejudice. The distinctive, high-pitched voice and over-the-top mannerisms that Ryūsei Nakao uses when voicing him are a perfect match for the character, making him easier to despise, and simultaneously solidifying his status as a legendary anime villain. Crucially, through this role, Nakao proved that villains in action anime don’t need to have rough or booming voices to be truly frightening.

Vaccine Man In One Punch Man

A Clever Parody Of His Previous Works

One Punch Man playfully mocks both American superhero comics and classic Japanese action stories. Therefore, it’s fitting that the story begins with a character clearly inspired by Dragon Ball. Although Vaccine Man resembles Piccolo, his personality and voice are much more like Frieza – that’s why the actor who voiced Frieza, Nakao, was specifically chosen to play him.

Interestingly, Vaccine Man is actually a double reference, also poking fun at Soreike! Anpanman’s main villain, Baikinman – a character Nakao has voiced for over three decades. Although his appearance as Vaccine Man was short-lived (he lost to Saitama in just seconds), Nakao still delivered a surprisingly powerful and threatening performance. Luckily, he’s been able to revisit the role in several One Punch Man video games.

Tanji Washijo In Haikyu!!

One Of The Best Antagonists In The Sports Genre

Characters like Frieza and Caesar Clown are known for being exaggerated and living in fantastical settings, but when Ryusei Nakao voiced Tanji Washijo in Haikyu!!, he demonstrated his ability to portray more grounded and understated characters. As the coach of Shiratorizawa Academy’s volleyball team, Washijo is a uniquely compelling antagonist, especially considering the generally realistic nature of the sports genre.

Although he’s a demanding coach, he genuinely loves volleyball and values dedication. In this instance, Nakao used his famous high-pitched voice to portray Washijo, but he deliberately kept the volume low to create a cold and intimidating presence. He only raised his voice during crucial plays in the volleyball matches to emphasize important moments.

Hashibami In Demon Slayer

This Voice Acting Legend Is Not Too Big For Smaller, Comedic Roles

Ryusei Nakao is a veteran voice actor known for his work on iconic shōnen anime such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Bleach. He’s also voiced characters in more recent series, with Demon Slayer standing out as a notable example. While his part in Ufotable’s excellent adaptation of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga is brief, it’s also quite humorous.

Nakao provides the voice for Genya Shinazugawa’s crow, Hashibami, who is known for being dismissive – constantly saying “Whatever!” – and not getting along with other crows, such as Tanjiro Kamado’s Matsuemon. The fact that Nakao took on this role and still delivered a hilariously quirky performance shows he doesn’t take himself too seriously and is happy to voice smaller, comedic characters.

Him In Powerpuff Girls Z

He Has The Perfect Voice For This Reinterpretation Of A Classic Animated Villain

Nakao demonstrated his talent for voicing flamboyant, unsettling, and distinctly feminine villains through roles like Frieza and Caesar Clown. This expertise led him to voice the villainous Him in Powerpuff Girls Z. The original version of this character is famous for being one of the most frightening villains in Western animated shows, so it was a logical choice for Toei Animation to select a renowned voice actor like Nakao to bring the character to life in the anime version.

If you grew up watching the original Powerpuff Girls, you probably won’t be shocked to hear that the anime version of Him reminds me a lot of Frieza. Both villains have this knack for appearing funny or even harmless initially, but they can change in an instant, dropping that facade to show who they really are: cruel, self-centered, controlling, and incredibly strong. It goes without saying that Nakao’s portrayal of Him was fantastic; I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Alice Stilza In Gachiakuta

A Very Small (But Very Memorable) Recent Role

It’s easy to overlook Ryusei Nakao’s talent for bringing gender-nonconforming characters to life in anime. Recently, this accomplished voice actor appeared in episode 3 of Studio Bones’ adaptation of Gachiakuta, where he gave voice to the well-known Ground doctor, Alice Stilza. In the episode, Alice scolds Ludo for assuming she was a man.

Similar to the rest of her family, Alice is known for being very boisterous and quick to anger, but she’s still happy to provide care to patients who can afford her services. Hearing Nakao’s familiar voice during her first appearance made the scene particularly amusing and unforgettable, and thankfully, this won’t be the only impact Alice (and therefore Nakao) has on the show’s storyline.

Roco Bonnaro In Cowboy Bebop

The Most Distinct Role In His Entire Career

It might be clear already, but Ryusei Nakao is famous for playing strange and exaggerated characters, often with very high-pitched voices, and this talent has kept him working for many years. But in Cowboy Bebop (widely considered one of the best anime series ever created), he played Roco Bonnaro, a character who’s very different from anything else he’s done.

Roco is a genuinely good-hearted young man who stole a rare plant from a criminal group hoping to heal his sister’s blindness. He also admires Spike and wants to learn from him, creating a surprisingly sweet and charming relationship between the two, which was made even better by the fantastic work of the voice actors. It’s strange hearing Nakao’s familiar voice coming from Roco at first, but it quickly becomes clear he embraced the role and portrayed Roco as a truly sympathetic and heartbreaking character. Despite appearing in only one episode, Roco Bonnaro is still considered one of the best characters in Cowboy Bebop, largely due to Nakao’s powerful and emotional performance.

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2025-09-30 18:36