Yumi Tōma is a highly accomplished Japanese voice actress, narrator, and singer born on December 20, 1966, in Chiba Prefecture. Her birth name is Yumi Nakagawa. She began her path to becoming a voice actor by enrolling in the Aoni Production training school during her second year of high school, becoming a sixth-generation graduate. She made her professional debut in 1986 with a minor role in the anime series Dragon Ball. For many years, she was affiliated with Aoni Production before founding her own agency, ALLURE&Y, in 2004 to have a platform for her creative projects beyond voice acting.

Tōma is recognized as one of the most prolific female voice actors in the Japanese entertainment industry, having been credited with over 179 roles as of 2006. Her career is marked by tremendous versatility, spanning anime, original video animations (OVAs), video games, and foreign language dubbing. Early in her career, she frequently voiced young boy characters, a common practice for female voice actors in Japan. A significant turning point was her role as the elf Deedlit in the landmark fantasy OVA Record of Lodoss War in 1990, which led to her being cast more often in female roles. Her mature voice has made her a frequent choice for strong, beautiful, and sometimes otherworldly women. She also has a particular fondness for voicing non-human characters, such as animals and monsters.

Her extensive filmography includes many iconic and long-running series. She is well known for her portrayal of the goddess Urd in the Ah! My Goddess franchise, a role she has played across multiple TV series, OVAs, and films. In Fushigi Yūgi, she voiced the character Yui Hongo. She also played a variety of roles in the Gundam franchise, including Sally Poe in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Cecily Fairchild in the film Mobile Suit Gundam F91. Her other notable anime roles include Emma in Emma: A Victorian Romance, Ann in Sailor Moon R, Sylphiel in Slayers, and Spinel Sun in Cardcaptor Sakura. She has also continued to work in recent years, with roles in series such as Altair: A Record of Battles and 7th Time Loop.

Beyond television, Tōma has had a substantial presence in OVAs and films, which were a major part of the anime industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the roles listed by the user originate from this format, such as Irene Lew in Ninja Ryūkenden, Luna Kozuki in Robot Hunter Casshern, and Jun Kazama in Tekken: The Motion Picture.

Her voice is also extremely familiar to video game players around the world. She has portrayed numerous characters in major franchises, including Ivy Valentine in the Soulcalibur series, Leifang in the Dead or Alive series, Nina Williams and Ling Xiaoyu in the Tekken series, Lenneth in Valkyrie Profile, and Elhaym van Houten in Xenogears. In the.hack multimedia franchise, she voiced the character Helba. She has also had recurring collaborations with the game company Koei, providing voices for characters like the fortune teller Mel in the Angelique series and Joan of Arc in various titles.

In addition to her work in animation and games, Tōma is an active narrator for television programs, commercials, and educational videos. She is also a prolific voice actor for foreign film and drama dubbing, providing the Japanese voice for actresses such as Kate Winslet and Kim Ha-neul. Her fluency in conversational English, gained from a childhood spent partly in the United States, aids her in this work.

Tōma has also extended her talents to music and writing. She was a member of the singing group Goddess Family Club and has released solo singles and albums. She has also authored original novels, including one based on the Ah! My Goddess series.