Kaori Kusakabe is a Japanese former voice actor and singer. Born on February 28, 1976, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, her career in the entertainment industry began in the mid-1990s and continued until 2012, when she stepped away from professional activities due to health reasons. Over the course of her career, she performed under several stage names, including the early alias Kawana Midori, later as KAORI, and finally as Suzuki Kaori for her voice acting work.

Kusakabe's initial foray into the entertainment industry was as a singer, making her debut in 1994 with an image song for a drama CD based on the game The Legend of Heroes III: The White Witch. Her transition to voice acting occurred shortly thereafter, with her debut role as Lime in the drama CD Popful Mail Paradise 5 in 1995.

Her early voice acting credits from this period include the role of Keiko in the original video animation Shin Cream Lemon from 1987 to 1988. She is also known for her work within the Ronin Warriors franchise, also known as Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. She voiced the character Nasuti Yagyū in multiple entries of the series, including the original video animations Ronin Warriors: Gaiden and Ronin Warriors: Message.

Kusakabe's career progressed to prominent roles in television anime. She gained significant recognition for her first leading role in a television series as Asaki Marin in Brigadoon: Marin & Melan in 2000. This was followed by her most widely known role, Haruka, the female lead in the long-running series Pokémon Advanced Generation, which she voiced from 2002 to 2006. Her other notable anime roles include Nana Komatsu in NANA in 2006.

In addition to her anime work, Kusakabe was also active as a singer, performing numerous theme songs for anime and video games under the name KAORI. These included opening themes for series such as Aria the Natural, Myself; Yourself, and Ayakashi. She was also the vocalist for the rock band Spunky Strider.

In 2008, she renamed her voice acting persona Suzuki Kaori. Kusakabe's career was interrupted in 2012 when she was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia and cervical dystonia, conditions that affect the muscles used for speaking and singing, leading her to suspend her professional activities.