Masako Sugaya was a Japanese voice actress born on August 22, 1937, in Tokyo. She passed away on February 25, 2021, at the age of 83. Her real name was Masako Takemura. Sugaya began her career in theater from a young age, joining a剧团 in elementary school, before transitioning to voice acting in the 1960s. She was affiliated with several theater companies and talent agencies throughout her career, ultimately being represented by Arts Vision at the time of her death.

Sugaya was known for her versatility, particularly her skill in portraying well-mannered young boys, a talent that brought her widespread recognition. She had a notable and recurring collaboration with director Osamu Dezaki, featuring prominently in many of his works.

Her career spanned several decades, during which she accumulated a vast number of credits in classic anime. One of her most celebrated roles was the title character in the 1977 series Nobody's Boy Remi. She was also well-known for her long-running role as Kenichi Mitsuba in Ninja Hattori-kun. In the classic sports anime Aim For The Best! (Ace o Nerae!), she voiced Maki Aikawa, the best friend of the protagonist, a role she reprised in subsequent OVAs. Her other significant anime roles included Ganko in the 1967 version of Perman, Mary Ingalls in Laura, a Little Girl on the Prairie, Uran in the 1980 Astro Boy series, Tick Duck in Chikkun Takkun, and various roles in Urusei Yatsura, such as Kitsune. She also voiced Chappy in Space Boy Soran, Cray in Bannertail: The Story of Gray Squirrel, Trio in Bremen 4: Angels in Hell, and Sebu in Ultraman Kids no Kotowaza Monogatari, among many others. Her film work included a small role in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

In addition to her anime work, Sugaya was active in dubbing foreign films and television series into Japanese. Notable credits included providing the Japanese voice for Richard "Data" Wang in The Goonies and Tommy in the television series Miami Vice.