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 Nagaru Tanigawa’s Haruhi Suzumiya to Yoshihiro Togashi’s Killua Zoldyck, 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 Japan.
As usual, we would love to hear your thoughts about our picks in the comments below.
Aya Hirano
Aya Hirano is a great Japanese voice actress and singer. Her biggest roles in the anime industry were Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Konata Izumi from Lucky Star, and Misa Amane from Death Note.
She’s won multiple awards for her roles too. In 2007, she won the Voice Acting Award at the Tokyo Anime Awards and Best Lead Actress Award at the 2nd Seiyu Awards in 2008. She’d later transition her acting career to television and stage plays in 2010. Many idolized Hirano for her excellent way of crossing over to mainstream entertainment.
Due to several issues in her past, Hirano’s career hasn’t been as prolific as it used to be. However, some fans always look forward to seeing her star in new roles occasionally. Despite some’s opinions of her character, many consider has as one of Japan’s best voice actresses to date.
Ai Kayano
Ai Kayano is another great Japanese voice actress. Kayano has worked for many talent agencies and performed in many noteworthy roles from Menma in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day to Darkness from KonoSuba. Kayano’s also a prolific singer who performed anime opening and ending theme songs for these shows.
Before she entered the industry, Kayano always wanted to work in a business that could heal people. She worked in beauty parlors and got into voice acting after watching the 2013 anime, Aria. Her role as Menma earned her the Best Newcomer Award at the 6th Seiyu Awards in 2012. She gives her best in her roles and loves chatting with her co-workers during projects.
Rie Takahashi
Rie Takahashi has become a well-known celebrity in the anime industry. She’s known for being a prolific singer and voice actress with many notable roles around her waist. She’s known for playing Megumin in KonoSuba, Emilia in Re: Zero, and Anzu in Romantic Killer.
Takahashi was inspired by works like Higurashi When They Cry and Soul Eater. She was amazed to learn that many characters were voiced by female voice actors. This intel fueled her passion for voice acting as she went on to join her school’s broadcasting club and strike gold in an audition sponsored by the voice acting agency, 81 Produce.
Takahashi has performed opening themes for several anime and won many awards for herself. With a sparking voice acting and music career and several other achievements, Takahashi is a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Inori Minase
Inori Minase is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer. She’s known for voicing many roles in the past like Rem from Re: Zero to Yuki Takeya from School-Live! The latter earned Minase the Best Lead Actress Award during the 10th Seiyu Awards.
Minase loved watching anime as a child. She got introduced to voice acting after witnessing a stage play adaptation of an anime. Minase joined many clubs from tennis to theater but had become developed stage fright. Her parents were very helpful in her voice acting career too.
Minase also sang for several anime studios. Like Rie Takashi, Minase contributed her voice to School-Live’s opening theme song. With an incredible acting and music career, she’s a wonderful person who deserves your attention.
Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer. She’s known for her soft voice that’ll put anyone’s mind at ease. She’s voiced many famed characters from Mayuri Shiina from Steins; Gate to Akane Tsunemori from Psycho-Pass.
Like most females on this list, Hanazawa started acting in her childhood years. She made regular appearances on variety shows and won many notable awards for her talent. Hanazawa won the Best Female Voice Actress award during a radio program to the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 9th Seiyu Awards.
Hanazawa’s happily married and enjoys lending her voice to new anime projects. With strong compassion, effort, and grace, Hanazawa’s an incredible actress worth highlighting.
Ayane Sakura
Ayane Sakura is a prolific Japanese voice actress. Affiliated with Aoni Production, Sakura has voiced numerous characters like Ochaco Uraraka from My Hero Academia to Gabi Braun from Attack On Titan: The Final Season. That’s not all she’s done. She’s also performed various theme and character songs for many series she’s voiced for like the ones mentioned.
At a young age, Sakura loved acting and would perform in various theatrics from plays to dancing. While performing on stage one day, she ultimately decide voice acting was the route to take with her life. Since that decision, she’s scored numerous gigs for popular series and has earned a strong following for herself. At the 12th Seiyu Awards, Sakura won the Best Supporting Actress award.
Sora Amamiya
Sora Amamiya is a great Japanese singer and voice actress. She’s affiliated with the Music Ray’n talent agency and made her voice acting debut in 2012. Her first major role was in One Week Friends as Kaori Fujimiya. She also voiced Aqua from KonoSuba and Nazuna Nankusa in Call of the Night. Outside of voice acting, she lent her voice to many anime theme songs.
Amamiya pursued voice acting after listening to a video collection made by Miyuki Sawashiro. This inspired her and two other aspiring voice actresses to audition for Music Ray’n in 2011. They all gave a stellar performances, leading to them obtaining great roles in the anime industry. In 2015, 9th Seiyu Awards, Amamiya won the Best Rookie Award for her role as Akame in Akame Ga Kill.
So far, she’s lived a great life as a singer and voice actress. It doesn’t look like things will be going downhill for her anytime soon.
Mariya Ise
Mariya Ise is a popular Japanese voice actress and narrator. She’s voiced numerous popular characters from Hunter X Hunter’s Killua Zoldyck to Made In Abyss’s Reg. She became interested in voice acting after watching Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke in third grade. She initially wanted to become a director but changed her mind later in life.
Ise’s known for being highly versatile and passionate. She wanted to use her talent to impress people, which led to her voicing in numerous popular projects. Despite having some issues with her former spouse, Ise maintains a healthy relationship with her child. She’s earned her spot among some of the best in the industry.
Yoshino Aoyama
Yoshino Aoyama is a Japanese voice actress and singer with some noteworthy performances. She’s voiced Hitori Gotou from Bocchi The Rock and Yoshino Nanase in Wake Up, Girls! She’s known for being a versatile and skilled actress despite starting her career in 2014. During Bocchi The Rock’s production, she singlehandedly performed Bocchi’s shrieks without needing technical support.
This was revealed in a live stream she had with the show’s other voice actresses. As a child, Aoyama adored manga and joined many clubs. She’s endured some failures in her career as a voice actress. However, she managed to nail a perfect performance at an open audition for Yoshino in Wake Up, Girls.
She’d later obtain a special award at the 9th Seiyu Awards in 2015. Along with a nice solo singing career, Aoyama is a significant voice actress to pay attention to in the coming years.
Aoi Yuki
Aoi Yuki is a professional voice actress, actress, and singer in Japan. She’s represented by Aoni Production, a Japanese talent agency, and has voiced numerous characters in anime and video games. Some include Madoka Kaname in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Lumine in Genshin Impact, and Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Ao Yuki joined the entertainment industry at a young age. She performed in numerous films and dramas. Yuki made guest appearances on many variety shows that aired on Fuji TV too. In high school, she voiced characters like Iris from Pokemon: Best Wishes and Victorique de Blois from Gosick.
Her role as Madoka Kaname netted her the best voice actor award at the Newtype x Machi Asobi Anime Awards in 2011. Beyond that, Yuki dabbles in graphic art and illustrations. She even made a unique character project in 2019, hoping that it will get picked up by an anime production company. With all these skills, it’s no wonder people view her highly.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best female voice actresses from Japan!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
For me the GOAT is Miyuki Sawashiro