Tuturu! Today is the 32nd birthday of beloved voice actress Kana Hanazawa, pretty much the top star in the seiyu world today. As fans wish her a happy birthday, let’s take a look at the amazing career (so far) of one of the most popular seiyu in the history of anime.
Kana Hanazawa was born on February 25, 1989, in Tokyo. A child actor who’d appeared in dramas as on “variety” programs from an early age, she was already familiar with the glittery world of television. One day her mother showed her a flyer for voice actress auditions, asking, “Do you want to try this?” “I do!” the then-14-year-old Kana immediately replied. And the rest is history.
After debuting in 2003’s LAST EXILE as the role of Holly, she continued her voice acting roles, getting 3-4 roles each year. She began to break in popularity as the voice of Zange-chan in 2008’s popular Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens, and Mikan from To Love-Ru Darkness and Kuroneko from Oreimo. A huge turning point for the actress was the role of Mayuri from the Steins;Gate visual novel (published by JAST USA!) and later the anime series. These days you can’t get through an anime season without encountering several roles by her.
In 2020 rumors that she was dating voice actor Kensho Ono began swirling. At a press conference, Kana announced that they were in fact married. Ono has had many roles, but one of his most famous is Giorno Giovanna from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. And now I’ll bet you can’t get the image of Giorno having sex with your favorite 2D waifu. Sorry!
Who Are the Top Kana Hanazawa Characters?
Naturally, we all have different opinions, but here are my favorite 11 characters voiced by Kana-chan, with short YouTube clips so you can enjoy the many voices this incredible seiyu is capable of creating.
Ruri Gokoh from Oreimo
Where would we all be without the best chunibyo character in anime, Kuroneko?
Kanade from Angel Beats
The masterpiece by Jun Maeda left a lot of fans crying.
Akane from Psycho-Pass
Another great Kana Hanazawa role was this series created by Urobuchi Gen, creator of Madoka Magica and the legendary Saya no Uta visual novel.
Shirase from A Place Farther Than the Universe
We loved Kana in this show about cute girls doing cute things…and traveling to Antarctica, literally a place that’s farther from Japan than outer space is. Spoiler warning on the above scene if you’ve not watched the show.
Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos
When you need to turn your brain off and enjoy some fun sexy fanservice and great 2D waifus, Infinite Stratos will never let you down.
Hana from Prison School
If you want to think about Kana Hanazawa peeing, then the Prison School show is for you. Just sayin’.
Raphael from Gabriel Dropout!
Kana Hanazawa plays the mischievous angel from one of our favorite anime comedy shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnB9W27H5A
Nadeko from the Monogatari Series
Another legendary role that stole fans’ collective hearts was Nadeko Senkoku from the Monogatari series. The combination of Kana’s sweet voice and Nadeko’s sensual playfulness was unforgettable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXmc9O0Ipc
Ichika from Quintessential Quintuplets
Which quintuplet are you rooting for? I hope Ichika wins out in the end!
Mayuri Shiina from Steins;Gate
The adorable childhood friend and “hostage” of Rintaro Okabe. It’s a good thing nothing bad happens to her in the anime!
Yukari-sensei from A Garden of Words
Finally, another great breakout role for the voice actress is Yukari-sensei from A Garden of Words, my favorite film by Makoto Shinkai. She’s a perfect character, loving cutting work and reading literature while drinking beer and eating chocolate in the rain. In case you didn’t know, Yukari-sensei is the teacher in Your Name.
https://twitter.com/JListPeter/status/1232961018319560706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Thanks for reading this tribute to our favorite voice actress Kana Hanazawa, and celebrating some of her best roles. Did I miss your favorite character by her? Tell us below, or on Twitter!
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