Matthew David Rudd has packed a Panda-sized punch and given us all the insights into his voice acting journey before he lands at Perthnova to see all his Supa-Fans!
WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS JUJUTSU KAISEN APART FROM OTHER SHOWS?
For me, it’s always been the visual storytelling of Jujutsu Kaisen that sets it apart. The show oozes style. From the gorgeous art, to the flawlessly animated fight scenes, to the absolute bops on the soundtrack. Style galore.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN VOICING A CHARACTER SUCH AS PANDA?
The challenge of any character that I’m known for tends to be in the vocal stress of performing such gruff and gritty voices. Panda ranges from low and gruff to silly and slapstick – then, of course, powerful and angry in Gorilla Mode. It’s a fun character to live in. And let’s not forget Mahoraga. Providing the growls and efforts of Mahoraga really allows me to explore the monster and creature vocals that I love.
WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT SHISHIDO IN MY HERO ACADEMIA?
Haha. Similarly, to my last answer, Shishido was a true test of my ability to sustain a higher range creature voice for an extended period of time. He’s never not yelling. My favourite thing about Shishido is that he’s actually a legacy character created by Kohei Horikoshi. He was originally convicted as a feral lion boy in his earlier work called Crazy Zoo. I love that he has that history to him.
FAVOURITE CHARACTER TO VOICE AND WHY?
One comes to mind. But honestly, I could probably list 10 characters that mean the world to me. Rak Wraithraiser, from Tower of God, is one for sure. He represents my favourite archetype of character. The stoic, powerful, sometimes ridiculous protector. The father. The heart. The character who will give his life for the ones he loves. He’s also a freaking badass alligator warrior!! And for me, personally, he represents my first “main” character that I booked as a voice actor. Working in the main trio with Chris Hackney and Johnny Yong Bosch on Tower of God for the past 5 years is still hard for me to comprehend.
WHAT’S THE ROLE YOU’RE MOST PROUD OF AND WHY?
Proud… Hmmm. I’m very proud of the work that I do. I didn’t start acting until I was 30 and it’s pretty crazy for me to look back on everything that I’ve done over the past 10 years. I love acting. There’s no one role that I’m most proud of. But I definitely feel pride when I think about the legacy of shows like JJK, Solo Leveling, One Piece, My Hero, and Dragon Ball. Shows that I’ve been so lucky to be cast in. I feel proud when I watch a show that I absolutely adore like Made in Abyss and the journey that my character goes through brings me to literal tears. I feel a ton of pride when kids run up to me at conventions and tell me that Panda is there favourite character in JJK. Or when my son tells me that Rak Wraithraiser is his favourite character that I play. Yeah. I’m extremely proud of all of it.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT ATTENDING CONVENTIONS LIKE SUPANOVA?
Oh, good gravy!! I love conventions. I love people. I love nerding out with fans over the shows and games that we all love. I still cannot believe that I get to come to Australia and hang out in Perth at Supanova. I freaking love Australia. I grew up on a steady dose of Steve Irwin and Mad Max!! Now that I think about it… Matt Rudd (me) is basically a Frankenstein’s Monster cobbling of Steve Irwin and Mad Max. So this is pretty much like a prophecy unfolding before our very eyes!!
Matthew David Rudd will appear at Supanova in Perth (28-29 June 2025).
