Akemi Kanda is a Japanese voice actress born on November 10, 1978, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She is a graduate of the Aoni Juku training school, Tokyo branch's 19th class. Her career began in the year 2000, with one of her first credited roles being a minor part in the long-running anime series One Piece.

For a significant portion of her career, Kanda was affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production from her debut until March 2017, after which she worked as a freelancer. In 2023, she joined the agency Animoproduce, and then in June 2025, she became part of a newly founded agency named galm alongside other creative peers.

Kanda is well-known for her voice work across a wide variety of anime television series and video games. She has been the voice of Asuna Kagurazaka across multiple adaptations of the Mahō Sensei Negima! franchise, including the television series, various original video animations (OVAs), and the 2011 film Anime Final. In the CLANNAD franchise, she voices the character Ryou Fujibayashi, a role she has reprised in the television series CLANNAD and CLANNAD After Story, as well as in the crossover series Kaginado. Other significant anime roles include Miharu Amakase in the D.C. ~Da Capo~ series, Kazuki Arisaka in Tona-Gura!, Fūko Tadano in Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzū, Tokino Akiyama in Kujibiki Unbalance, and Saiga in Upotte!!.

Beyond animation, Kanda is highly regarded for her performances in video games. She is the definitive voice of Estelle Bright, the protagonist of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky series and its related sequels and spin-offs, a role she has played for many years. She is also known for voicing Nanako Dojima in the critically acclaimed Persona 4 and its various anime and game adaptations. Her gameography further includes roles such as Mio Amakura in the Fatal Frame series (Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly and its sequels), Lianshi in the Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series, and Melody in Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon.

In addition to her solo work, Kanda has been an active participant in voice actor musical units. She was a member of both DROPS and Aice5, groups that released character songs and compilation albums related to the anime they were involved in. Throughout her career, she has formed close working relationships with fellow voice actors, notably including Yui Horie, with whom she co-founded Aice5, as well as Aice5 and DROPS colleagues like Nana Mizuki and Rie Tanaka.

In her personal life, Kanda announced her marriage to a general office worker in July 2012. She continues to be active in the voice acting industry.