Minako Kotobuki is a Japanese actress, voice actor, and singer born on September 17, 1991, in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She is affiliated with the talent agency Music Ray'n and is also a member of the voice actor unit and musical group Sphere. Kotobuki began her career in 2005 with appearances in films and commercials in the Kansai region before transitioning to voice acting after passing the Music Ray'n Super Voice Actor Audition. Her early life was marked by the Great Hanshin earthquake, an experience that, along with watching a film about the disaster, inspired her to pursue a career where she could bring happiness to others.

Kotobuki's career is distinguished by a wide array of major voice roles across anime, film, and video games. She is widely recognized for her portrayal of Tsumugi Kotobuki in the immensely popular series K-ON!. Another significant role is Karina Lyle, also known as Blue Rose, in Tiger & Bunny and its sequel Tiger & Bunny 2. In the long-running Precure franchise, she voiced Rikka Hishikawa, the character Cure Diamond, in DokiDoki! PreCure and several subsequent Precure all-stars films. She also played the intelligent and composed upperclassman Asuka Tanaka in the Hibike! Euphonium series and its films. Her filmography includes a wide range of other characters, such as the competitive Mizuki Kanzaki in Aikatsu!, the aristocratic Mitsuko Kongō in the A Certain Scientific Railgun and A Certain Magical Index series, Rickert in the Berserk: The Golden Age Arc films and memorial edition, and Yoriko Fukase in the film A Whisker Away. More recent roles include Rika Mizushima in Love All Play, Miku Kashino in Fanfare of Adolescence, Sandra in Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal, and Khun Ran in Tower of God: Workshop Battle. She has also lent her voice to video game characters like Serah Farron in the Final Fantasy XIII series and Lana and Cia in Hyrule Warriors.

Beyond her voice acting, Kotobuki has a significant career in music. The role in K-ON!, an anime centered on a high school band, directly launched her music career, as she performed the series' theme songs and played keyboard, mirroring her character. In 2009, she formed the musical group Sphere with fellow voice actors and Music Ray'n artists Aki Toyosaki, Haruka Tomatsu, and Ayahi Takagaki. As a member of Sphere, she has released numerous singles and albums and performed in live concerts, where she is noted for her quick learning of choreography. Kotobuki has also released solo albums, including My Stride, and has toured in Japan.

Kotobuki's talent has been recognized with a Seiyu Award for Best Singing in 2010, which she received alongside her K-ON! co-stars as part of the group Ho-kago Tea Time. Known for her versatility, she often plays refined or formal characters, though her real-life personality includes a love for her hometown baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers, and a fluency in the Kansai dialect. She is also a trained pianist, an ability she shares with her famous character Tsumugi Kotobuki. In 2020, she took a year to study abroad in London. Kotobuki announced her marriage to a man outside the entertainment industry in July 2023.