Takako Honda is a Japanese voice actress and narrator born on August 14, 1972, in Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with the talent management firm Office Osawa. A graduate of the 10th class of the Katsuta Voice Acting Academy, Honda began her career in 1998 and has since become a prominent figure in the anime industry, also renowned for her extensive work dubbing foreign films and television series.

Honda's motivation to pursue a career in voice acting stemmed from a childhood revelation while watching the Japanese dub of the film Dirty Harry. Her father pointed out that the voice of the main character was the same as that of the famous anime character Lupin III, which sparked her fascination with the craft.

In anime, Honda is frequently cast in roles that demand strength, maturity, or a certain mystique, often portraying powerful women or young boys. Her voice is described as deep, versatile, and elegant. She has brought to life a wide array of characters across numerous popular series. Among her most notable and enduring roles are Anko Mitarashi in the Naruto franchise, the skeletal Hone-Onna in the Hell Girl series, and Jinta Hanakari in Bleach. She has also taken on significant characters in recent years, such as the powerful Irene Belserion in Fairy Tail, the enigmatic Shiina in Ranking of Kings, the villainous Chitose Kizuki / Curious in My Hero Academia, and the narrator for the Gunma-chan series.

Her filmography demonstrates remarkable range across different genres and formats. She voiced the boisterous Pandy in the cult classic animated film Dead Leaves and Gimmy Adai in the Gurren Lagann movies. In the fantasy series Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, she played the goddess Ishtar, and she portrayed the complex Frederica Hanashiro in the Psycho-Pass franchise. Her talent extends to original net animations, where she voiced Kiwi in the acclaimed Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Alani Davis in Blade Runner: Black Lotus. She has also taken on roles in dramas like Sing "Yesterday" for Me as Yoko Kawashima, Those Snow White Notes as Umeko Sawamura, and the mystical Tōko Aosaki in both The Garden of Sinners films and Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files. Other diverse credits include Satsuki Matsumae in Hanasaku Iroha, Yuki in Wandering Son, and Farrah Brown in Great Pretender.

Beyond her anime roles, a major pillar of Takako Honda's career is her work in Japanese dubbing, known as fukikae. She is the regular Japanese voice for several major Hollywood actresses, including Milla Jovovich, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, and Charlize Theron. Her dubbing of Milla Jovovich is particularly well-known; the actress has personally praised Honda's work, acknowledging her as her Japanese voice. She also took over the role of dubbing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise starting in 2006. In a notable continuation of this legacy, Honda succeeded the late Atsuko Tanaka as the voice of Mary Sera in the long-running anime Case Closed (Detective Conan) in 2024.

Throughout her career, which spans over two decades, Takako Honda has established herself as a highly respected and consistently working talent. Her ability to seamlessly transition between animated characters and live-action dubbing, combined with a commanding yet nuanced vocal presence, marks her as a significant and enduring figure in the Japanese voice acting industry.