Monica Rial

Monica Rial was born Monica Jean Rial in Houston, Texas. She graduated from the University of Houston, where she pursued acting after studying ballet, tap, and jazz. Rial began her voice-over career in 1999 with minor roles, including walla for “Martian Successor Nadesico.” She quickly moved on to more prominent characters such as Miharu in “Gasaraki,” Natsume in “Generator Gawl,” and Hello Kitty in “Hello Kitty’s Animation Theater,” the latter becoming one of ADV’s top-selling DVDs. Her vocal range and ability to portray various emotions led to her voicing Hyatt in “Excel Saga” in 2002 and the complex character of Kirika Yumura in “Noir” in 2003, a role she found challenging due to Kirika’s minimal dialogue but deep emotional progression. That same year, she also voiced Kyoko Tokiwa in “Full Metal Panic!” and Lila in “Najica Blitz Tactics,” where she participated in DVD commentaries, a feature that resonated with fans at conventions.

In 2004, Rial began working with Funimation, expanding her career to include roles like Amy in “Case Closed” and Lyra/Dante in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” both of which aired on Cartoon Network. She took on the co-lead role of Lumiere in “Kiddy Grade” and assumed previous roles for characters such as Momiji in “Blue Seed” and Maya in “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” demonstrating her versatility. By 2005, she was the voice of the serious mercenary Jo in the cyberpunk series “Burst Angel.” Her career continued to flourish with lead roles, including the title character in “Nanaka 6/17” in 2006, Kagura Tennōzu in “Speed Grapher,” and Misa Hayase in the ADV Films remake of “Macross.” A significant milestone occurred in 2009 when she took over the iconic role of Bulma Briefs in the “Dragon Ball” franchise, starting with “Dragon Ball Z Kai,” a role she has continued.

Throughout the 2010s, Rial maintained a prolific career, voicing Shiro in “Deadman Wonderland” and Stocking in “Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt” in 2012. She lent her voice to Haruko Amaya in “Maken-ki!” and Iori Nagase in “Kokoro Connect” in 2013. Her performance as Michiko Malandro in “Michiko & Hatchin” was particularly notable, as it allowed her to portray a Hispanic character without relying on stereotypes. In addition to her extensive voice acting, Rial has been involved in ADR script writing for numerous projects, including “D.N. Angel,” “Madlax,” and “Gatchaman,” where she adapted direct translations to match English lip synchronization. While she took a break from script adaptation in 2018, her work as a voice actress, encompassing hundreds of characters across various anime series, films, and video games, continues to be a central aspect of her professional life.