Voice actresses helped shape the entertainment industry to become what it is today.
All animation and live-action works wouldn’t be the same without these actresses’ incredible efforts. Each anime character, from Shinichiro Watanabe’s Faye Valentine to Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum, is given a unique voice to help them stand out.
We’ve heard and compared tons of anime characters from shows and movies to give you our list of the best anime voice actresses. This article will discuss voice actresses from the US & Canada.
As usual, we would love to hear your thoughts about our picks in the comments below.
Luci Christian
Luci Christian is a phenomenal American voice actress. She has many great roles under her belt like Nami from One Piece, Reg from Made In Abyss, and Nagisa Furukawa in Clannad.
Despite wanting to pursue Journalism in college, Luci became a theater major after receiving a scholarship. Her journey with voice acting started with ADV films as they asked her to perform voice roles for several anime projects like Fullmetal Panic and Pretear.
In an American Anime Awards event held in 2007, she was nominated for two awards. These were titled Best Actress and Best Actress in a Comedy for her work in Princess Tutu, Desert Punk, and others. However, she lost the prize to Mary McGlynn and Debi Derryberry. Regardless, Luci Christian is a popular and talented voice actress who should be recognized for her great work.
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is a popular figure in the anime industry. She’s a prolific Californian voice actress who voiced many great roles from Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop to Haruhi Suzumiya in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Wendee was known for her incredible dance and theater talent. She loved doing voices at a young age and would often get into trouble for participating in the act. Many cite Wendee’s excellent flexibility and passion as her strongest traits as a voice actress and it’s hard to disagree given her excellent catalog of roles she’s performed over the years.
While on or off duty, Wendee’s known for being a great person to everyone she works with. With over 20+ years of experience, it doesn’t look like she’ll be quitting her passion anytime soon.
Sandy Fox
Sandy Fox is another great American voice actress with remarkable roles under her belt. She’s voiced characters like Sailor Chibi Moon from Sailor Moon, Kiyoko in Akira, and Lady Aska in Magical Knight Rayearth. In high school, Sandy participated in musicals and would later work for the Walt Disney Company in Florida where she’d perform in live stage shows.
After nailing her spot as Betty Boop, she found herself visiting fabulous television spots like Good Morning America and The Rosie O’Donnell Show. A voice-over workshop hosted by popular actress Sue Blue in 1990 inspired Sandy to pursue voice acting herself. In 2007, Sandy would team up with Lex Lang to host a Voice Actor Boot Camp to help upcoming voice actors get into the business.
With her strong drive and passion for the field, there’s a reason why many fans adore Sandy’s work as a voice actress.
Colleen Clinkenkenbeard
Colleen Clinkenbeard is a great American writer, actress, and line producer. She’s assisted many companies like Adult Swim and Funimation and voiced many prolific characters over the years. From One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy to Fairy Tail’s Erza Scarlet, Colleen has a remarkable voice with a strong range.
Colleen got into voice-acting thanks to a fellow voice actress named Laura Bailey. Laura introduced her to Funimation for an audition and she impressed the folks there with her phenomenal talent. After her first lead role as Eclair in Kiddy Grade went off successfully, director Justin Cook appointed Colleen as an ADR Director for the show’s remaining episodes.
Despite being a phenomenal anime voice actress, Colleen would lend her voice to projects outside the medium. With these incredible life achievements under her belt, Colleen continues giving it her all in the field.
Alexis Tipton
Alexis Tipton is a fairly new American voice actress. Nonetheless, she works for multiple prolific anime companies, voiced many iconic roles, and brings her A-game to every performance she’s a part of. She’s voiced characters like Kid Trunks in Funimation’s Dragon Ball Super English Dub, Kaguya from Kaguya-sama Love is War and Mei Hatsume from My Hero Academia.
Alexis started off as a theater actress and got introduced to anime through a couple of friends she met in Texas. Furthermore, Alexis visited Funimation headquarters and took a chance at an audition. This would kickstart her voice acting journey, leading her to obtain the many roles you know her as today.
With her several achievements, passion for the craft, and great talent, Alexis Tipton is a noteworthy voice actress in the field.
Amber Lee Connors
Amber Lee Connors is a phenomenal American voice actress. She’s voiced many characters from Miki Kawai in A Silent Voice to Esther Rosenthal from A Certain Scientific Railgun. She’s also the founder of a post-production company called Sound Cadence Studios. This company specializes in anime dubs for Crunchyroll and Discotek Media.
Amber started her voice acting career in 2007 and is extremely passionate. Amber’s someone who values hard work, determination, and perseverance. She cites these traits as helping her through the many struggles she’s endured throughout her life. Despite voicing commercials and radio ads, her passion lies with voicing characters for anime and games. When she’s not voice characters, she participates in yoga, hiking, and reading.
Tia Lynn Ballard
Tia Lynn Ballard specializes in voice acting but has an ADR director position with Funimation and Sentai Filmworks. She’s known for voicing notable characters like Mizore Shirayuki from Rosario + Vampire, Happy from Fairy Tale, and Itsuko Nakano in The Quintessential Quintuplets.
Tia gained a passion for voice acting when she visited a local anime convention. She met various voice actors from Funimation and later participated in the Disney College Program. These experiences convinced her to pursue a theatre major in college and she graduated with an associate degree in theatre and art.
Tia was lucky enough to obtain a voice-acting gig with Monica Rial, which helped her gain more notoriety among workers. Besides voice acting, Tia helped co-create a Super Mario Bros-like comic called Koopasta. With such amazing roles, Tia Lynn Ballard is a great voice actress worthy of being called one of the best.
Erika Harlacher
Erika Harlacher is a popular American voice actress who voiced a variety of great characters. These include Kurapika from Hunter X Hunter, Yumeko from Kakegurui — Compulsive Gambler, and Violet from Violet Evergarden. She’s also lent her voice to video games like Persona 5 and Genshin Impact.
Erika started acting at a young age. She was inspired by Christy Romano’s portrayal of Kim Possible and loved performing in school plays. Erika adored anime from the ’90s like Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Fruits Basket. During her college years, she’d visited Anime Expo, meet Tony Oliver, and receive excellent praise from him regarding her vocal talent.
This inspired Erika to switch her major to theatre. Afterward, she’d land successful roles as many popular characters from the gaming and anime industries. She’s a joyful person who gives everything she has in her performances.
Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor is a childhood icon to many people. She’s voiced numerous characters from Pokemon’s Ash Ketchum to Nico Robin in the 4kids dub of One Piece. Besides anime characters, Veronica lent her voice to audiobooks like the fourth entry in the Warriors series. Veronica started her voice-acting journey when she was five years old and has done her best to share her passion with future actors.
She was featured in countless plays from across the globe. Since voice acting, she’s had one daughter and lives happily in Los Angeles, California. Other than voice acting, she’s participated in sports like soccer and is a huge Red Sox fan. Although she hasn’t made major appearances like before, Veronica continues lending her voice to a variety of games, anime, and audiobooks alike.
Cristina Valenzuela
Cristina Valenzuela is a popular American voice actress with a strong passion for voice acting. She’s voiced many characters across the gaming and animation industry. From Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magic to Killua Zoldyck in Hunter X Hunter, she has incredible range and versatility as a voice actress.
When Cristina was young, she wanted to become an animator. However, Sailor Moon inspired her to become a voice actor. She attended Anime Expo multiple times as a fan and participated in various AX Idol voice-over contests to get her name out there. After assisting with some equipment, Wendee Lee noticed Christina’s talent and handed her a card.
Since then, Christina’s made quite a career for herself. From voicing anime characters to appearing on various television shows, she’s gained a large following of dedicated fans.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best female voice actresses from the U.S. & Canada!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!