Rie Tanaka is a prominent Japanese voice actress and singer born on January 3, 1979, in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Her path to voice acting was inspired by a drama CD featuring illustrations by artist Mutsumi Inomata, leading her to pursue the profession. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the voice actor course at Yoyogi Animation Academy. While still a student, she won a singing competition, resulting in her debut as a singer before her voice acting career officially began. Her first major anime role came in 1999 as Mitsuki Sanada in the series Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure.

Tanaka is widely recognized for her extensive range and ability to portray diverse character types. She has brought to life mysterious and ethereal characters, such as the android Chi in Chobits, Lacus Clyne in the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise, and Hikari Kujou / Shiny Luminous in Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart. She is equally adept at playing cold and complex antagonists like Suigintou in Rozen Maiden, young motherly figures like Maria in Hayate the Combat Butler, and modern, grounded characters like Koyomi Mizuhara (Yomi) in Azumanga Daioh. Her filmography includes the roles of Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke in the Strike Witches series, Neptune / Purple Heart in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, Mitsuru Kirijo in the Persona 3 adaptations, and Elinalise Dragonroad in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. She also voiced Mars in Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles, Treyni in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Bianchi in Reborn!, and Chizuru Aizawa in Squid Girl.

Beyond anime, Tanaka has an extensive body of work in video games. She is the voice of the title character Neptune in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, a role she has played across multiple adaptations. Other notable game roles include Lisa in Genshin Impact, Himeko in Honkai Impact 3rd and Honkai: Star Rail, Sesshoin Kiara in Fate/Grand Order, and Morrigan Aensland in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. She has also been a member of the singing trio Steel Angels, formed with the lead voice actresses from Steel Angel Kurumi, and has released several solo albums and singles, including theme songs for series like Chobits.

In her personal life, Tanaka was married to fellow voice actor Koichi Yamadera from 2012 until their divorce in 2018. In 2019, she moved her agency affiliation to Office Anemone and launched her own YouTube channel, "Rie Tanaka TV," where she engages with fans through activities like streaming games and cosplaying characters she has voiced.