Haruko Kitahama was a veteran Japanese voice actress born on July 1, 1938, in Tokyo. She was affiliated with the talent agency Aoni Production. Kitahama passed away on November 2, 2023, due to a chronic lung disease. Her career was extensive, spanning from the 1960s into the 2000s, and included voice work in anime, video games, and dubbing for Western films.

Kitahama's first notable voice work was providing the Japanese dub voice for Samantha Stephens, the protagonist of the American television series Bewitched. This early role led to a long and prolific career in the voice acting industry. Beyond anime, she also worked as a narrator for television and commercials and as a radio personality.

Kitahama is perhaps best known for her role as the female half of the dual-gendered antagonist Baron Ashura in the classic mecha anime Mazinger Z and its subsequent films and series, including Mazinger Z Vs. Devilman, Mazinger Z Vs. Dr. Hell, and Mazinkaiser. She also voiced the character Rafflesia, the queen of the Mazone and primary antagonist in Space Pirate Captain Harlock, a role she reprised in Captain Harlock: Mystery of the Arcadia. Her filmography is marked by a wide range of other significant roles in influential anime of the 1960s and 1970s. She provided the voices for the twin brothers Ichimatsu and Todomatsu in the 1966 Osomatsu-kun. She was also the voice of Ruka in Umi no Triton, Mama in The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee (Konchu Monogatari Shin Minashigo Hutch), and Setsuko Ōhara in Obake no Q-Taro. In Majokko Tickle, she voiced the character Satome, and she played General Staffy in Magnos The Robot. Kitahama's voice can also be heard in other classics such as Andersen Douwa: Ningyohime (as the Witch), Devilman (as Silene), and Galaxy Express 999. In the 2000s, she had a role in the long-running series Inuyasha.

In addition to her extensive anime work, Kitahama contributed her voice to video games. Notably, she voiced the characters Succubus and Medusa in the Japanese version of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Her other game credits include the grandmother in D2 and Madame Musette in Tales of Legendia.

Throughout her long career, Kitahama collaborated with many notable voice actors, including Yonehiko Kitagawa (八奈見乘儿), Kenichi Ogata (緒方賢一), and Kousei Tomita (富田耕生). Her work is characterized by her ability to voice a wide spectrum of characters, from powerful villains like Baron Ashura and Queen Rafflesia to maternal figures and young boys, demonstrating her versatility and leaving a lasting impact on Japanese animation.