Maaya Sakamoto

Maaya Sakamoto is a multitalented Japanese voice actress and singer who first made her mark in the entertainment industry back in 1992. She began her career as a voice actress, lending her talents to the character of Chifuru in Little Twins. However, it was her role as Hitomi Kanzaki in the beloved anime series The Vision of Escaflowne that truly catapulted her into stardom.

Since then, Maaya has continued to impress audiences with her versatile acting skills and distinctive voice. She has brought a diverse array of characters to life, including Riho Yamazaki in Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective, Moe Katsuragi in Risky Safety, Princess Tomoyo in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Haruhi Fujioka in Ouran High School Host Club, Sayaka Nakasugi in Birdy the Mighty, Ciel Phantomhive in Black Butler, Shinobu Oshino in Monogatari, Shiki Ryougi in the Kara no Kyoukai film series, and Motoko Kusanagi in the newer Ghost in the Shell films and series.

In addition to her work in anime, Maaya has lent her voice talents to numerous video game characters as well. Some of these roles include Aura and Natsume in .hack, Lisa Hamilton / La Mariposa in Dead or Alive, Aeris in Kingdom Hearts, Aigis in Persona 3, Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII games, Ling Xiaoyu in the Tekken series, and Alisa Illinichina Amiella in God Eater.

Maaya's talent doesn't stop at voice acting; she is also a gifted singer who has released songs in both English and Japanese. Her debut single "Yakusoku wa Iranai," released on April 24, 1996, was a collaboration with renowned composer Yoko Kanno under Victor Entertainment. Since then, Maaya's singles "Tune the Rainbow," "Loop," "Ame ga Furu," and "Triangler" have all reached the top 10 on the Oricon singles chart. Her albums Shōnen Alice and Yūnagi Loop both made it to the top 10 on the Oricon albums chart as well. Her album You Can't Catch Me, released in January 2011, achieved the remarkable feat of reaching number 1 on the charts, marking the first time one of her releases had done so. To celebrate her thirtieth birthday, Maaya even held a concert at the prestigious Nippon Budokan venue.

Maaya's exceptional talent has also extended to the world of dubbing, where she has provided the Japanese voices for notable characters in foreign films and series. Most notably, she voiced Padme Amidala in the Star Wars films and cartoons and served as the dub voice for Natalie Portman in numerous movies.