Minori Matsushima was a Japanese actress and voice actress born on December 1, 1940, in Chiba Prefecture. She passed away on April 8, 2022, at the age of 81. Throughout her extensive career, she was affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.

Matsushima's career in entertainment began in the 1950s when she worked as a child actress. Her path to voice acting started after high school when she enrolled in an acting institute and later trained at the NHK Acting Institute. She made her formal debut in anime in 1963 with a small role in the landmark series Astro Boy.

She became known for her heartwarming and energetic vocal quality, which made her a natural fit for playing young boys, spirited girls, and lively sidekick characters. Her career spanned from the 1960s through to 2020, establishing her as a prominent figure in the industry for decades.

Matsushima's filmography is extensive and includes many iconic roles. She was widely recognized for her performance as the title character Candice White in the globally popular series Candy Candy. In the realm of superhero anime, she voiced Sayaka Yumi in the classic mecha series Mazinger Z. She was also the voice of the loyal mascot character Meat Alexandria, affectionately known as Meat-kun, in the long-running franchise Kinnikuman.

Her versatility allowed her to take on a wide range of other notable parts. She played the title role in the adventure series Honey Honey no Suteki na Bōken, voiced Gyopi in Goldfish Warning!, and was Little Lulu in the anime adaptation of the classic comic strip. She portrayed the boy Adonis in The Adventures of the Little Prince and took on the role of Dororo in the 1969 version of Dororo. Other significant roles included Lucy in Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow, Bunbun in Hoero! Bun Bun, Hiroshi in Kaibutsu-kun, and Sachiko in Dokaben.

Beyond television series, Matsushima contributed her voice to numerous animated films. Among these are her roles as Chirin in Ringing Bell, Jim in Animal Treasure Island, and Chiko in a Unico short story. She also voiced the character of Mama in a 21 Emon film and the character Tsuru in the popular One Piece film One Piece Film: Z. Her work in the late 1990s and 2000s included roles in major franchises such as Crayon Shin-chan and continued with the character Tsuru in the ongoing One Piece television series.

Her contributions to the industry were not limited to animation. She also performed narration work and appeared in tokusatsu productions, such as the role of Empress Hysteria in Choriki Sentai Ohranger. Her voice was also featured in various video games, including multiple installments of the Super Robot Wars series, where she reprised her role as Sayaka Yumi.