Clifford Chapin

Clifford Chapin’s Path From Connecticut to the Epicenter of Anime Dubbing

Growing up in Griswold, Connecticut, Clifford Samuel Chapin IV built his foundation at Hofstra University, earning a Bachelor of Science in film production – a background that would later inform his dual career as both performer and ADR director. His first break into professional dubbing came in 2011 with Gosick, followed by his Funimation debut in 2013 as Keita Tsuwabuki in Good Luck Girl!, a connection made through a recommendation from voice actor Chris Sabat to director Joel McDonald. That same year, Chapin took home the VNs Now Award for Best Male VA for his visual novel work in Yousei, marking his earliest recognized performance before anime audiences even knew his name.

Attack on Titan and the Making of Conny Springer

The English dub of Attack on Titan in 2013 gave Chapin one of his most emotionally demanding long-haul assignments. Conny Springer enters the story as comic relief – restless, impulsive, occasionally oblivious – and exits as a man hollowed out and reshaped by loss. Tracking that arc across multiple seasons required sustained tonal precision, and Chapin’s delivery held the character’s humanity intact through some of the franchise’s most brutal narrative turns. His work on Conny remains a benchmark for how supporting roles in ensemble dubs can carry genuine dramatic weight.

Katsuki Bakugo and the My Hero Academia Era

No role has defined Chapin’s career more thoroughly than Katsuki Bakugo in My Hero Academia, a character whose explosive personality demanded explosive commitment from every recording session. Starting with the English dub’s 2016 premiere, Chapin brought a controlled ferocity to Bakugo through eight seasons – rage that reads as ambition, hostility that masks a competitor’s obsession with surpassing his own limits. The BTVA Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in 2017 recognized the series’ dub cast, and Chapin’s Bakugo stood at its center. His involvement deepened off-mic as well, with directing credits on select My Hero Academia episodes, giving him a unique vantage point on the production from both sides of the studio glass.

Video Games, Directing, and a Career Without a Ceiling

Beyond anime, Chapin has moved steadily into game work – Billy Kid in Zenless Zone Zero (announced July 2024 at Sound Cadence Studios), Ryusui Nanami across multiple Dr. Stone installments, and additional credits in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. His directing portfolio runs parallel, with full-season ADR oversight on series including Garo: Crimson Moon and early directorial work dating back to Divine Gate in 2016. In 2023, he and his wife – fellow voice actress Kristen McGuire – relocated from Texas to Los Angeles, a move that has only expanded his studio access across the West Coast industry.