Mirai Shida is a Japanese actress who was born on May 10, 1993, in Kanagawa Prefecture. She began her career in entertainment at a young age, joining a children's theater group in 1999. While she is widely recognized for her extensive work in live-action television dramas and films, for which she has received critical acclaim and awards, she has also built a notable career as a voice actor in animated features.

Her debut as a voice actor came in 2010 with the lead role in the renowned Studio Ghibli film The Secret World of Arrietty. She provided the Japanese voice for the title character, Arrietty, a tiny Borrower who lives secretly beneath a human home. This role marked a significant milestone, being her first voice acting performance and introducing her talent to an international audience.

Shida continued to take on voice roles in subsequent years. In 2018, she was cast as Melissa Shield in the anime film My Hero Academia: Two Heroes. Melissa is an original character created for the film, a quirkless girl living on I Island who aspires to be a hero support item scientist like her father. Her performance added depth to this character connected to the wider My Hero Academia universe.

Another prominent voice role followed in the 2020 animated film A Whisker Away, produced by Studio Colorido. Shida voiced the protagonist, Miyo Sasaki, a young girl who uses a magical mask to transform into a cat named Tarō to get closer to her crush. The film was released internationally on Netflix, further expanding her reach as a voice actor.

While she has lent her voice to other projects, such as the Japanese dub of the live-action film Tomorrowland and a small role in The Wind Rises, these three roles—Arrietty, Melissa Shield, and Miyo Sasaki—stand as the most prominent examples of her work in animation. Throughout her voice acting career, she has collaborated with major studios like Studio Ghibli, BONES, and Studio Colorido.

Notable achievements in her broader acting career, which provide context for her standing as a performer, include winning the Newcomer of the Year award at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize for her role in the 2009 film Nobody to Watch Over Me.