When Beelzebub first hit the airwaves in 2011, it arrived as a chaotic breath of fresh air. The manga, written and illustrated by Ryūhei Tamura, had already cultivated a cult following thanks to its absurd premise: the strongest delinquent in junior high history is forced to become a surrogate father to the infant son of the Devil. When the anime adaptation was announced, fans were cautiously optimistic. But for English-speaking audiences, the real test came later: the Beelzebub English dub.
The first episode of the anime, titled (or simply " I Picked Up a Child beelzebub anime dub episode 1
Oga sighs, picking at his ear.
He found his best friend, Furuichi, cowering near the water fountain. Furuichi was the straight man to Oga’s chaotic force, a guy who just wanted to graduate without dying. When Beelzebub first hit the airwaves in 2011,
Conversely, Monica Rial as Baby Beel is a clever subversion. Rial gives the infant a high-pitched, cooing voice that is objectively adorable, but punctuates it with demonic gurgles and possessive growls. The humor comes from the contrast: a cherubic sound issuing from a child who just headbutted a gang leader. Meanwhile, Jad Saxton as Hilda avoids the pitfall of a stereotypical “anime maid” voice. Instead, she delivers Hilda’s exposition with a dry, aristocratic deadpan that borders on sarcastic, making her threats of world-ending doom feel wry rather than overly dramatic. The chemistry among the three leads feels immediate and lived-in. But for English-speaking audiences, the real test came
, the demon maid, also makes a striking debut. Her cold, aristocratic tone provides a great foil to Oga’s rough-around-the-edges personality, making their "forced parenting" dynamic immediately engaging. Why It Works
