Ayaka Wada was a Japanese voice actor and singer, primarily known for her work as an idol within the Hello! Project collective. Born on August 1, 1994, in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, her entertainment career began in 2004 when she successfully passed the Hello! Pro Egg auditions, becoming a trainee under Hello! Project. This early start involved training in dance and vocals, as well as appearing as a backing dancer in various concerts.

Wada's path to voice acting was closely tied to her music career. In 2008, she was selected as a member of Shugo Chara Egg!, a unit formed to perform theme songs for the anime series Shugo Chara!. This experience bridged her idol activities with the anime industry. The following year, she became a founding member and the leader of the idol group S/mileage (later known as ANGERME), which marked her major debut in the music world.

Her most significant and well-documented voice acting role came in 2010 when she was cast as Ringo Yukimori, one of the three lead characters in the anime series Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri. In a unique crossover of her skills, she and her S/mileage bandmates who also starred in the show formed the unit Lilpri to perform the anime's theme songs, voicing their respective characters while also providing the group's music. This role stands as her primary credit in anime voice acting.

Throughout her career, Wada was part of several recurring collaborations, a natural result of her long-standing affiliation with Hello! Project. She frequently worked alongside fellow Hello! Pro Egg members and future S/mileage co-founders Yuuka Maeda and Kanon Fukuda. This partnership began in Shugo Chara Egg! and continued in S/mileage and the Lilpri anime project. In 2012, she also formed a short-lived unit called Peaberry with Riho Sayashi.

Beyond voice acting and music, Wada's notable achievements include her leadership roles. She served as the leader of S/mileage (ANGERME) from its formation in 2009 until her graduation from the group in 2019. From 2017 to 2019, she also held the position of overall leader of Hello! Project. In addition to her performance career, she was recognized for her expertise in art history, authoring several books on art appreciation and contributing columns on the subject to various publications. She graduated from Hello! Project in June 2019 but announced the resumption of her entertainment activities later that same year.