Saori Sugimoto was a Japanese voice actress born on November 17, 1964, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. She was affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production for a significant portion of her career. Sugimoto was a graduate of Aonijuku, the training school affiliated with Aoni Production, where she was part of the sixth graduating class from its Tokyo campus. She began her career in the late 1980s, initially working under the stage name Saori Suzuki before changing it to Saori Sugimoto on January 1, 2003. Her debut role was Asuka in the anime Fist of the North Star 2.

Sugimoto became a nationally recognized voice actress, best known for her extensive work in children's programming, particularly the long-running Shimajirō franchise. She voiced the character Ramurin Makiba in the series Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō starting in 1993, a role she would play for many years. Following Ramurin's departure from the series, she took on the voice of a new character, Nyakkii Momoyama, in later installments such as Shimajirō no Wow!. Her association with the series spanned nearly three decades and included numerous films. This body of work, as outlined in the query, encompasses roles in productions such as Shimajirō to Ōkinaki, Shimajirō to Kujira no Uta, Shimajirō to Sora Tobu Fune, Shimajirō to Ururu no Hero Land, Eiga Shimajirō Mahō no Shima no Daibōken, Shimajirō to Niji no Oasis, and Shimajirō to Ehon no Kuni, where she voiced Ramurin Makiba. Her final role in the franchise, voicing Nyakkii, was in the film Shimajirō to Kirakira Ōkoku no Ōji-sama, which was released posthumously in 2022.

Beyond the Shimajirō series, Sugimoto held several other significant and recurring voice roles. She took over the role of Kisanta Yamamura in the long-running anime Nintama Rantarō starting from its 12th season, succeeding the previous voice actor, Tomiko Suzuki. This was a role she continued to play for many years, also appearing in the 2011 film Gekijō-ban Anime Nintama Rantaro Ninjutsu Gakuen Zenin Shutsudō! no Dan. In 2001, she voiced Purin in the Hello Kitty's Animation Theater series. Her other notable anime roles include Martina von Trapp in Trapp Family Story, Catherine Bloom in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and Sanae Minami in Green Green. Her career also included extensive work in video games, with roles such as Yurika Tani in the Sotsugyō series and Marina in the Galaxy Fraulein Yuna series.

Sugimoto took a hiatus from her career between May 2017 and April 2018 due to health issues. She passed away on October 21, 2021, at the age of 56 due to congestive heart failure associated with anorexia. Her family held a private funeral. A memorial tribute was added to the end of a broadcast of Shimajirō no Wow! shortly after her passing. She was a licensed chef and nutritionist, and her personal interests included collecting spoons and flower therapy.