Chieko Higuchi is a Japanese actress and voice actress born on January 30, 1981, in Mitaka, Tokyo. She began her career in 1996 while still in high school, making her debut as Takako Takahata in the television anime series Mizuiro Jidai. She is affiliated with the talent agency Combination. In 1998, she voiced Princess Mimori in the fantasy series Kero Kero Chime. The following year, she took on two significant roles: the tomboyish Shiho Nagaoka in the romantic drama To Heart and her first lead role in a film as the titular character in Marco: 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, also known as Marco - Carry a Dream. Around this time, she also formed the musical duo "Whoops!!" with fellow voice actress Maaya Sakamoto. She voiced Artemis in the series Beast Wars II Chō Seimeitai Transformers and later provided the voices for both Ai-chan and Junko in Transformers: Robots in Disguise. Her role as Shiho Nagaoka continued in the 2004 sequel series To Heart: Remember my memories. One of her most iconic and energetic roles came in 2002 when she voiced the hyperactive Tomo Takino in the acclaimed comedy series Azumanga Daioh, a role she had originated in the 2001 short film, Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie. She later released a character CD for Tomo in 2004, which ranked on the Oricon singles charts. In 2005, Higuchi voiced another tomboyish character, Yuko Atoda, in the comedy series Ah My Buddha, a role she reprised in the 2006 sequel Amaenaideyo!! Katsu!!. That same year, she also voiced Hibiki Watanuki in the parody series Pani Poni Dash! and Yurika Kenjō in Sugar Sugar Rune. Her other credits from this period include roles in Whistle! as Tsubasa Shiina, Eyeshield 21 as Juri Sawai, and Nagisa Ito in the 2001 soccer-themed series Offside. Beyond anime, Higuchi has an extensive career in video games. Notable roles include Flare in Tail Concerto, Fei Yen the Knight in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, and Trucy Wright (Minuki Naruhodou) in the Ace Attorney series, including Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice. In addition to her acting, she has also released solo albums and singles, such as her 1997 debut album Believe and the 2004 album Favorite Shoes.