Rikako Aikawa is a Japanese actress and voice actress born on October 7, 1967, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She began her entertainment career as a child actor in 1974, working in stage productions, dramas, and films before transitioning to voice acting. Her voice acting debut came in 1990 with the role of Saburo in the television animation Sanchome no Yuhi. She is affiliated with the talent management firm Atomic Monkey.

Aikawa is widely recognized for her extensive and varied work in anime, particularly in children's and family-oriented programming. She has built a substantial career voicing a broad spectrum of characters, ranging from young boys and girls to middle-aged and elderly women. A defining aspect of her career is her long-standing association with the Pokémon franchise. Since 1997, she has provided the voices for numerous Pokémon characters, including iconic roles such as Ash's Squirtle, Misty's Psyduck, Ash's Caterpie, and Ash's Lapras. Her work in the franchise has continued for decades, with more recent roles including Lana's Popplio in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon and characters in web animations like Pokémon: Hisuian Snow and Pokémon: Paldean Winds.

Beyond Pokémon, Aikawa has voiced several other prominent and recurring characters. She is known for the role of Hale in the Haré+Guu series, Ishishi in the various Kaiketsu Zorori anime, and Koushi-kun in the Tottoko Hamutarō franchise. Other significant roles include Kurumi Saiki in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., the Water Island太太 in Atashin'chi, and Tomato Man in Salad Juu Yusai Tomato Man. Her filmography also includes roles in major films such as Paprika and Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street.

Aikawa is also noted for her exceptional skill in delivering rapid speech and tongue-twisters, a talent that earned her the nickname "master of fast speech". This ability was prominently featured in a Toyota television commercial where she spoke an average of 13 characters per second, and it led to her performing the Pokémon theme song "Pokémon Hira Hira Relay".

In her personal life, Aikawa was married to fellow voice actor Mitsuo Iwata from 1992 until their divorce in 2025. The couple had one son. They occasionally collaborated professionally, such as voicing the parents of the main character in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.. She is also known for her close friendships with fellow voice actresses Etsuko Kozakura and Miyako Endo, with whom she formed the band "Sabo Band" in the 1990s.