Hikaru Utada is a Japanese and American singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, widely regarded as one of Japan's most influential pop artists. While their primary career is in music, they have a singular, notable credit in anime voice acting. Utada provided the voice for the heroine Pinoko in the 2001-2002 Black Jack net anime series. This role is a recognized part of their broader contributions to anime and geek culture, which are otherwise dominated by their musical performances.

Born in New York City in 1983 to a family of musicians, Utada was raised between the United States and Japan. They began writing songs at a young age and, at sixteen, released their Japanese-language debut album, First Love, in 1999. The album became the highest-selling album in Japanese history, a record it still holds, and launched them to superstardom. Their musical style blends R&B, pop, and dance-rock, and they are known for writing and producing their own music.

Utada's connection to anime and video game franchises is extensive and has been a significant part of their international recognition. They are perhaps best known for performing the theme songs for the popular Kingdom Hearts video game series, including "Simple and Clean," "Sanctuary," "Don't Think Twice," and "Face My Fears". They have also had a long-running collaboration with the Evangelion franchise, contributing multiple songs for the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, such as "Beautiful World" and "One Last Kiss". Their music has also been featured in projects like the Freedom anime project and the live-action film Casshern. In 2025, they returned to provide the ending theme song "Jane Doe" for the film Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.

In 2021, Utada publicly came out as non-binary during a livestream, using they/them and she/her pronouns. Their work has earned them numerous accolades, including being named Japan's most influential artist of the 2000s by The Japan Times. While their voice acting role is limited to the character of Pinoko in Black Jack, it stands as a unique facet of a multifaceted career defined by monumental success in music and deep, lasting ties to some of the most beloved franchises in anime and gaming.