Rika Hayashi is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with the agency Arts Vision. She was born on June 1 in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. She was inspired to pursue voice acting after being hospitalized as a child, during which she watched anime daily and found strength in the characters' lives, leading her to believe that her voice could one day support someone in a similar way. To pursue her career, she was educated at the Japan Narration Acting Institute.

Hayashi made her voice acting debut during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, and she has noted that the initial years of her career coincided with the global health crisis. Her early roles included minor parts in several productions. In 2024, she had small roles in the anime series Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Magilumiere Co. Ltd., and Terminator Zero.

Her breakthrough came in 2024 when she was cast in her first leading role as the title character Tonbo Ōi in the golf-themed anime series Tonbo!. This role was particularly significant as it was the first work she passed through an audition for. In preparation for the part, Hayashi, who had little prior experience with golf, began going to a driving range to practice hitting balls, and she would bring a golf club to the recording studio at the beginning of production to better connect with her character. Beyond voice acting, she also contributed to the anime’s music, performing the ending theme song Let's Swing alongside the group Tokyo Groove Jyoshi.

For her performance as Tonbo Ōi, Rika Hayashi received the award for Best Rookie Actor at the 19th Seiyu Awards in 2025, marking a notable achievement early in her career.