Ryoko Sakurai was a Japanese voice actress known professionally as Ryoko Kinomiya. She was born in Tokyo on July 10, 1931, and began her career in the early 1950s, working as an actress and narrator before becoming a prolific voice in anime. She was a founding member of the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, an agency also known as Haikyo, where she was affiliated for the rest of her life. Sakurai worked across many mediums, including radio dramas, television narration, and dubbing for foreign films. Her deep, distinctive voice made her a sought-after narrator for numerous television programs.

One of her earliest and most notable anime roles came in 1965 when she voiced the character of Mother in the Osamu Tezuka series Wonder Three. Her career included major voice roles in several classic anime titles. She performed as La Andromeda Promethium in the Galaxy Express 999 films and as Madame Dubarry in The Rose of Versailles. She was also the voice of Aya Mifune's mother in the original Speed Racer series, known in Japan as Mach Go Go Go. Later notable roles included Suzie Q Joestar in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OVA series and the Grand Master in Tweeny Witches. Beyond character work, her narration was a familiar presence in series such as Gintama, Hell Teacher Nube, and Saint Young Men.

Over her long career, Sakurai received multiple honors. She won the ACC award for narration in 1967 and again in 1979. In 2008, she was given the Achievement Award at the 2nd Seiyu Awards. She passed away on November 25, 2013, at the age of 82. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was posthumously awarded the Special Achievement Award at the 8th Seiyu Awards in 2014.