He is the worst. Honestly, if you’ve spent any time in the Made in Abyss fandom, you know exactly who I’m talking about. Bondrewd, the Novel Lord, the Sovereign of Dawn. He isn't your typical Saturday morning cartoon villain who wants to take over the world or find some lost treasure. No, Bondrewd is something far more unsettling. He’s a man who has completely discarded his humanity—literally and metaphorically—in the pursuit of "scientific triumph." While most antagonists have a breaking point or a hidden soft spot, Bondrewd’s "love" is his most dangerous weapon.
The Abyss is a vertical hellscape. It’s a hole in the earth that eats children and spits out monsters. But the real monster isn't the Orbestread or the Crimson Splitjaw. It’s the guy in the sleek black suit and the glowing purple slit for a face.
What Makes Bondrewd Different?
Most villains hate. They seek revenge. They feel slighted by society. Bondrewd? He loves you. He truly, deeply loves the children he experiments on. That is the core of this Made in Abyss character that makes people’s skin crawl. Akihito Tsukushi, the series creator, crafted a masterpiece of cognitive dissonance here. When Bondrewd calls a child by their name as he’s preparing to turn them into a "Cartridge," he isn't being sarcastic. He remembers every single one of them. He cherishes their sacrifice.
It's nauseating.
Usually, we expect villains to be cold. We expect them to be distant. But Bondrewd is polite. He’s a gentleman. He says "please" and "thank you" while committing atrocities that would make a seasoned horror protagonist vomit. This politeness isn't a mask; it’s just who he is. He has moved so far beyond the concepts of "good" and "evil" that he’s essentially operating on a different plane of existence.
The Cartridge System Explained (Unfortunately)
To understand Bondrewd, you have to understand the Curse of the Abyss. If you go down, you’re fine. If you try to come back up from the sixth layer, you lose your humanity or you die. It’s called the "Loss of Humanity." Bondrewd wanted the "Blessing" instead—the power without the mutation.
His solution? The Cartridges.
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He realized that the Curse targets the soul, specifically the "human" part of the person ascending. By stripping a child down to their vital organs and brain, keeping them alive in a portable box, and connecting them to his own body, he can offload the Curse onto them. They take the hit; he gets the power. It works because of the "love" mentioned earlier. The bond between the victim and the user is what triggers the Blessing. He literally uses the emotional connection he builds with these kids as a physical shield against a supernatural curse.
It’s efficient. It’s logical. It’s absolutely demonic.
The White Whistle Mystery
White Whistles are the elite. They are the Delvers who have reached the point of no return. But how do you get a White Whistle? You need a "Life Reverberating Stone." This stone is made from a human being who has a deep, soul-level devotion to the person who will use the whistle.
Bondrewd took this a step further. He used himself.
Most people don't realize that the Bondrewd we see in the Ido Front isn't a single person. He used the Zoaholic—an Artifact that allows for soul distribution—to spread his consciousness across a group of subordinates known as the "Praying Hands." The original Bondrewd body? Long gone. He turned his own original body into his White Whistle. Think about that for a second. To become a Sovereign, he sacrificed his own physical existence to become a tool for his future selves.
He is a hive mind. A collective. A virus wearing a fancy cape.
Why We Can't Stop Watching Him
There is a weird magnetism to this Made in Abyss character. In the Dawn of the Deep Soul movie, the fight between Reg and Bondrewd is visually stunning, but the psychological warfare is what sticks. He doesn't fight because he hates the protagonists. He fights because he wants to see what happens next. He views Riko’s journey as a beautiful experiment.
He's a dark mirror of Riko.
Riko is also obsessed with the Abyss. She’s also willing to risk everything, including her friends, to see what’s at the bottom. The difference is the line they won't cross. Or, perhaps, Bondrewd is just what happens when you keep walking and never stop to see if you’re still human. He represents the ultimate end-point of curiosity without empathy.
He isn't just a hurdle for the heroes to jump over. He’s a warning.
The Nanachi Factor
You can't talk about Bondrewd without talking about Nanachi. Their relationship is the emotional anchor of the entire fourth and fifth layers. Nanachi is the "successful" experiment. Bondrewd truly believes he gave Nanachi a gift. In his twisted mind, the trauma, the loss of Mitty, and the physical transformation were all just "growth."
He genuinely seems proud of Nanachi.
This is why fans find him so polarizing. Some villains you just want to see die. With Bondrewd, you want him to understand why he’s wrong, but he never will. He can't. He lacks the hardware for remorse. He’s replaced his conscience with a laboratory.
The Scientific Method as a Horror Trope
We usually think of scientists as the good guys, or at least neutral. But Bondrewd takes the "scientific method" to its most horrific logical extreme.
- Observation.
- Hypothesis.
- Torture—I mean, experimentation.
- Results.
If a hundred children have to die so that humanity can understand the "Golden City" or the "Narehate," Bondrewd considers that a bargain. He’s a utilitarian nightmare. He’s doing it for "the dawn"—for the future of the human race. He sees himself as a martyr, even though everyone else sees him as a butcher.
It's actually quite rare to find a villain who is so consistently written. He never has a "What have I done?" moment. Even when he’s defeated, he’s basically like, "Good job, you guys have grown so much, keep going." It’s infuriatingly calm.
Why the Design Works
Let’s talk about the mask. The vertical slit.
Character design 101 says the eyes are the windows to the soul. By giving Bondrewd a mask with a single, glowing line, Tsukushi denies us that connection. We can't see where he’s looking. We can't see his expression. We only hear that modulated, calm voice. It forces the audience to focus on his actions and his words, which are always at odds.
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He looks like a futuristic knight, but he acts like a cosmic horror entity.
The Legacy of the Novel Lord
Bondrewd changed the tone of Made in Abyss. Before him, the Abyss was a dangerous place with scary monsters. After him, the Abyss became a place where the human spirit can be twisted into something unrecognizable. He raised the stakes. He showed us that the Curse isn't just physical. It’s moral.
If you’re looking to understand the depth of this Made in Abyss character, look at how he treats his "daughters." Prushka loved him. She died for him. And he used her. He used her soul to power his whistle and her body to shield him from the Curse. Yet, he still speaks of her with affection.
It’s the ultimate gaslighting.
What This Means for Your Next Rewatch
When you go back and watch or read the Ido Front arc, pay attention to the background characters—the Praying Hands. They aren't just guards. They are him. Every time one dies, Bondrewd just hops into another body. It makes the "fight" feel hopeless because you aren't fighting a man; you’re fighting an infestation.
Also, watch his hands. He’s always gesturing, always "teaching." He views the world as his classroom, and unfortunately for Riko and the gang, they are the newest students.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Writers
If you’re a writer or a creator looking at Bondrewd as an example of a great villain, here’s the takeaway:
- Don't make your villain "evil" just for the sake of it. Give them a philosophy that they genuinely believe is helpful.
- Politeness is scarier than screaming. A villain who remains calm while doing the unthinkable is much more memorable than one who has a temper tantrum.
- Use the protagonist's strengths against them. Bondrewd uses Riko’s curiosity and love as a justification for his own actions.
- Visual ambiguity matters. The mask hides his humanity, making his polite words feel even more hollow and creepy.
Bondrewd remains one of the most complex and genuinely disturbing characters in modern anime. He isn't someone you love to hate; he’s someone you hate because you can almost understand his logic, and that’s the scariest part of all. He is the embodiment of the Abyss: beautiful, mysterious, and completely devoid of mercy.
To truly grasp the impact of the Novel Lord, you need to look at the survivors he left behind. Nanachi's entire existence is a reaction to Bondrewd. Every choice Riko makes from the fifth layer onward is shaded by the lessons she learned at Ido Front. He didn't just block their path; he changed their souls.
If you want to dive deeper into the lore, focus on the "Zoaholic" and its origins. It’s the key to understanding how a single man managed to colonize the most dangerous part of the world. Just don't look too closely at the boxes. You won't like what's inside.
The real takeaway from Bondrewd isn't that he's a monster. It's that he's a man who decided that being a monster was the only way to find the truth. In the world of Made in Abyss, the truth often costs more than anyone should be willing to pay.
Next time you see that purple glow, remember: he’s not mad at you. He’s not even disappointed. He’s just waiting to see how you’ll contribute to the "Dawn." And in the Abyss, "contribution" usually means you aren't coming back in one piece.
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Stay curious, but maybe not that curious.
Next Steps for Deep Lore Enthusiasts:
- Analyze the White Whistle designs: Each whistle is shaped like the person who was sacrificed. Bondrewd’s whistle is shaped like two hands clasped in prayer, reflecting his "Praying Hands" collective.
- Compare the "Blessing" vs. the "Curse": Look at the visual differences between Nanachi and the other Narehate. Bondrewd is the only one who figured out how to direct the flow of the Abyss’s energy using emotional bonds.
- Research the Zoaholic: The manga provides more hints about how this Artifact was discovered and the toll it took on Bondrewd’s original sanity. It's implied that he wasn't always this detached.