Harumi Ichiryūsai
Description
Harumi Ichiryūsai is a Japanese voice actress and kōdanshi, a traditional storyteller. Born on July 10, 1952, in Otaru, Hokkaidō, she began her voice acting career in the early 1970s under the name Yōko Asagami. In addition to her voice work, she trained in the art of kōdan starting in 1992. By 2004, she had advanced to the level of a star performer and adopted the stage name Harumi Ichiryūsai, under which she now also performs all of her voice acting work. She is married and her legal name is Yōko Ōkubo. She is represented by the talent agency Aksent.
Ichiryūsai is best known for two iconic roles that span decades. She voiced Yuki Mori in the seminal 1974 series Space Battleship Yamato and its subsequent films, a role that established her as a major talent in the industry. She is equally recognized for her long-running portrayal of Saeko Nogami in the City Hunter franchise, beginning with the original 1987 television series. She has continued to voice the character in numerous films, including the more recent releases City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes in 2019 and City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust in 2023.
Her filmography also includes a wide range of other notable roles. She voiced Mineko Seki, the grandmother of the main character, in both the 2018 anime film Okko's Inn and its accompanying 2018 television series, Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!. Other roles include Claire in Galaxy Express 999, Harulu Ajiba in Space Runaway Ideon, and Lian Xing in the Japanese dub of the video game Syphon Filter. She also provided the voice for a grandmother character in the 2021 Pokémon anime episode The Slugma-Powered Home. Her voice acting work extends to dubbing foreign films and dramas, where she has provided the Japanese voice for actresses such as Sally Field and Maggie Cheung.
Throughout her career, Ichiryūsai has been part of several recurring creative collaborations. Most prominently, she has consistently returned to the roles of Yuki Mori in the Yamato franchise and Saeko Nogami in the City Hunter franchise for over forty years.
In recognition of her lasting contributions to the anime and voice acting industry, Harumi Ichiryūsai was honored with the Merit Award at the 16th Seiyu Awards in 2022.
Ichiryūsai is best known for two iconic roles that span decades. She voiced Yuki Mori in the seminal 1974 series Space Battleship Yamato and its subsequent films, a role that established her as a major talent in the industry. She is equally recognized for her long-running portrayal of Saeko Nogami in the City Hunter franchise, beginning with the original 1987 television series. She has continued to voice the character in numerous films, including the more recent releases City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes in 2019 and City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust in 2023.
Her filmography also includes a wide range of other notable roles. She voiced Mineko Seki, the grandmother of the main character, in both the 2018 anime film Okko's Inn and its accompanying 2018 television series, Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!. Other roles include Claire in Galaxy Express 999, Harulu Ajiba in Space Runaway Ideon, and Lian Xing in the Japanese dub of the video game Syphon Filter. She also provided the voice for a grandmother character in the 2021 Pokémon anime episode The Slugma-Powered Home. Her voice acting work extends to dubbing foreign films and dramas, where she has provided the Japanese voice for actresses such as Sally Field and Maggie Cheung.
Throughout her career, Ichiryūsai has been part of several recurring creative collaborations. Most prominently, she has consistently returned to the roles of Yuki Mori in the Yamato franchise and Saeko Nogami in the City Hunter franchise for over forty years.
In recognition of her lasting contributions to the anime and voice acting industry, Harumi Ichiryūsai was honored with the Merit Award at the 16th Seiyu Awards in 2022.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes
- JapaneseAnime overview: Okko's Inn
- JapaneseAnime overview: Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!
- JapaneseAnime overview: City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Slugma-Powered Home
- JapaneseAnime overview: Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon