Ayaka Fukuhara is a Japanese voice actress born on December 31, 1989, in Kagoshima Prefecture. She is currently affiliated with the agency Across Entertainment. Her journey to becoming a voice actor began in her sixth-grade year after listening to a radio drama adaptation of the manga Hunter x Hunter, which first made her aware of the profession and inspired her to pursue this career path.

Before fully committing to voice acting, Fukuhara took a pragmatic approach to her education. At the urging of her parents, she attended a university where she earned a degree in nutrition and obtained the national qualification of a licensed nutritionist. Simultaneously, she honed her craft at the Japan Narration Acting Institute. She balanced her academic studies with her voice acting training, and during her time at the training school, she was scouted by the agency VIMS, marking her official entry into the industry.

Fukuhara made her professional debut in 2011 with a role that would define much of her career: Rin Shibuya in the social video game The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. This role was the first voice acting audition she ever passed and was the inaugural casting for the entire Cinderella Girls project. She would go on to reprise this role in numerous related productions, including the 2015 anime television series The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls and its subsequent sequels and spin-offs like The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Theater. Her early years in the industry also saw her take on a variety of supporting roles in anime series such as Arata: The Legend, Love Lab, and WataMote.

Throughout her career, Fukuhara has built a reputation for a versatile vocal range, often characterized by a distinctive lower register that lends itself well to calm, composed, or mature characters, though she is also capable of playing younger, more energetic roles. A significant portion of her work is in video games, where she has voiced a wide array of iconic characters. Beyond her debut role, her notable game credits include Grea in Granblue Fantasy and the Rage of Bahamut anime series, Chika in Princess Connect! Re:Dive, the personified warship Bismarck in Azur Lane, the title character Mega Man in Mega Man 11, RO635 and G11 in Girls' Frontline, Najd in The King of Fighters XIV, Ashley in the WarioWare series, Dehya in Genshin Impact, and Manon in Street Fighter 6.

In anime television, her major roles have been equally varied. She voiced Myōkō in the Arpeggio of Blue Steel film and anime series, Hotaru Rindō in Qualidea Code, and Sayaka Igarashi in the popular series Kakegurui. She took on the role of Tarō Misaki in the 2018 reboot of Captain Tsubasa and voiced Veronica Thorn in Fairy Gone. In 2020, she was cast as Anastasia Palma in Sakura Wars the Animation and Kaoru Kizaki in Smile Down the Runway. More recently, she has continued to expand her filmography with roles such as Aliciana Ogata in Irodorimidori, Kamiya in Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie, Yukino Tachibana in Extreme Hearts, and Lugh in the Trinity Seven franchise.

Beyond acting, Fukuhara is also a capable singer, having performed as part of the singing unit for her character Rin Shibuya. She has participated in numerous live concert events for The Idolmaster franchise, where her performances have been noted for their energy and connection to the character. Fukuhara is also known for her quick wit and entertaining presence on radio programs and live events, often showcasing her ability to perform comedic skits and impersonations.

On October 25, 2020, she announced her marriage to fellow voice actor Reo Nakanishi. After a decade with VIMS, Fukuhara left the agency at the end of November 2021 and transferred to her current agency, Across Entertainment, in January 2022.