Yumiko
Description
Yumiko Kobayashi is a professional Japanese voice actress known for her energetic performances, particularly in the roles of young male characters. She was born on June 18, 1979, in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Kobayashi began her voice acting career in 1998 while still a college student, making her debut as the character Mita in the drama CD Kirara. Her first lead role in an anime television series came in 2001 when she voiced Kento Yuki in Dennō Bōkenki Webdiver.
Throughout her career, Kobayashi has portrayed a wide range of characters across many popular series. Her extensive filmography includes the role of Sarah McDougal in Love Hina, Mamoru in Sister Princess, Black Star in Soul Eater, Kazuma Azuma in Yakitate!! Japan, and Gavroche in Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette. In the series Gatchaman, she performed the role of Mei. She is also credited as the voice of Kiyoka Yamashita in Luv Wave.
A significant milestone in Kobayashi's career came in July 2018, when she succeeded Akiko Yajima as the voice of Shinnosuke Nohara, the titular character in the long-running anime Crayon Shin-chan. This role is widely considered one of her most iconic performances. Her other notable voice roles include Shobu Kirifuda in Duel Masters, young Koshiro Izumi in Digimon Adventure (2020), and the Supreme Kai (Mini) in Dragon Ball Daima.
Kobayashi was formerly affiliated with the talent agency Arts Vision until August 2007, after which she transitioned to working as a freelance voice actress. Outside of her anime work, she has also contributed to video game voice acting and dubbing for foreign films and animation, including providing the Japanese voice for Darwin Watterson in The Amazing World of Gumball. She is known for her close friendship with fellow voice actresses Nana Mizuki, Natsuko Kuwatani, and Hisayo Mochizuki, with whom she was a member of the voice acting unit Prits, formed from their shared work on Sister Princess. In recognition of her impact and popularity, particularly after taking on the role of Shinnosuke Nohara, Kobayashi won the Voice Actor Category award at the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards in 2018.
Throughout her career, Kobayashi has portrayed a wide range of characters across many popular series. Her extensive filmography includes the role of Sarah McDougal in Love Hina, Mamoru in Sister Princess, Black Star in Soul Eater, Kazuma Azuma in Yakitate!! Japan, and Gavroche in Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette. In the series Gatchaman, she performed the role of Mei. She is also credited as the voice of Kiyoka Yamashita in Luv Wave.
A significant milestone in Kobayashi's career came in July 2018, when she succeeded Akiko Yajima as the voice of Shinnosuke Nohara, the titular character in the long-running anime Crayon Shin-chan. This role is widely considered one of her most iconic performances. Her other notable voice roles include Shobu Kirifuda in Duel Masters, young Koshiro Izumi in Digimon Adventure (2020), and the Supreme Kai (Mini) in Dragon Ball Daima.
Kobayashi was formerly affiliated with the talent agency Arts Vision until August 2007, after which she transitioned to working as a freelance voice actress. Outside of her anime work, she has also contributed to video game voice acting and dubbing for foreign films and animation, including providing the Japanese voice for Darwin Watterson in The Amazing World of Gumball. She is known for her close friendship with fellow voice actresses Nana Mizuki, Natsuko Kuwatani, and Hisayo Mochizuki, with whom she was a member of the voice acting unit Prits, formed from their shared work on Sister Princess. In recognition of her impact and popularity, particularly after taking on the role of Shinnosuke Nohara, Kobayashi won the Voice Actor Category award at the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards in 2018.
All Characters
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Luv Wave