Imari Williams

Imari Williams’s Path from LA Arts School to the Booth

A Los Angeles native, Williams graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 1996 with a focus on visual arts, then moved into acting training for film and theater. His entry into voice work came almost by accident, stepping in as an understudy on a commercial his company was editing. That opportunity led to his first paid voiceover job in 2007, a Sony Cybershot spot, followed by a run of national campaigns for brands including Acura, GE, Burger King, and AT&T. His animation career began in 2011 with a role that would define his early years in the industry.

Transformers: Rescue Bots and the Voice of Boulder

Cast as Boulder, the soft-spoken and gentle member of the rescue team, Williams spent five seasons on Transformers: Rescue Bots between 2011 and 2016. The role introduced him to a generation of young viewers and established the warmth that would carry into much of his later character work. He built a parallel career in anime dubbing alongside it.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Demon Slayer, and the Dubbing Circuit

Williams became a fixture at Bang Zoom! Entertainment, taking on Hol Horse in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and Shinjuro Rengoku in the Demon Slayer film franchise, including Mugen Train and the 2025 Infinity Castle release. His other anime credits include Bercouli Synthesis One in Sword Art Online: Alicization, Ricardo Welkin across multiple seasons of Re:Zero, Erhard in The Rising of the Shield Hero, and Zodd in Berserk, alongside recurring work on Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Mission: Yozakura Family.

Devil May Cry, Sakamoto Days, and Recent Video Game Roles

In 2025, Williams joined Netflix’s Devil May Cry as General and the Fake Demon Hunter, and voiced Hyo in the Sakamoto Days adaptation. His video game resume spans Augus in Asura’s Wrath, additional voices in Horizon Forbidden West and Call of Duty: Vanguard, and roles in Octopath Traveler 0, The Outer Worlds 2, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. On screen, he has appeared in ADR and crew capacities for Borderlands and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and played a supporting role in Critical Role’s Candela Obscura.