Tomo Sakurai

Template:Nihongo, known professionally as Template:Nihongo, was a Japanese actress and singer. Originally part of the idol trio Template:Ill, she started her voice acting career in the 1990s, starring as Mylene Flare Jenius in Macross 7, Meimi Haneoka in Saint Tail, Makimachi Misao in Rurouni Kenshin, the titular character of Super Doll Licca-chan, and Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (2007) and Cynthia in all Pokémon animated entries since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. She briefly came out of retirement during the last few years of her life, voicing Kaede in the 2024 anime Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again.

Biography

Early life and career

Tomoe Hatta,<ref name="TVtalent-3">Template:Cite book</ref> a native of Chiba Prefecture, was born on September 10, 1971, the youngest of four children.<ref name="sankei">Template:Cite web</ref> She graduated from Template:Ill.Template:R

She became interested in "standing on stage" after seeing a musical Shonentai was performing in while in junior high school, and she applied for three auditions she saw in advertisements on Template:Ill.Template:R Having seen that her three older sisters begged their parents to let them fulfill their entertainment industry ambitions but were opposed, she auditioned without telling her parents.Template:R She passed all three auditions she applied to and joined L Staff Promotion, the first to contact her.<ref name="SAY YOU HISTORY">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After working as a mascot girl for Template:Ill's KISS Racing Team,<ref>朝倉薫演劇団クリスマスファンタジーライブ95パンフレット プロフィールおよび朝倉薫の紹介コメント,1995年12月12日,P2-3</ref> Sakurai debuted in 1987 as a member of the idol group Template:Ill with Template:Ill and Template:Ill.<ref name="TVtalent-3"/> The group disbanded in 1990.<ref name="Komatsu 2025">Template:Cite news</ref>

Voice acting career

In 1993, Sakurai made her official voice acting debut in the anime Template:Ill.Template:R In 1994, she started voicing Mylene Flare Jenius in Macross 7, reprising the role in other anime projects and associated musical works.<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/><ref name="Komatsu 2025"/> In 1995, she starred as Meimi Haneoka, the titular protagonist of Saint Tail.<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/> She also starred as Sulia Gaudeamus in Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (1994), Makimachi Misao in Rurouni Kenshin (1996), and the titular character of Super Doll Licca-chan (1998), and she voiced Marin in Akazukin Chacha (1994) and Shayla Shayla in El-Hazard (1995).<ref name="Komatsu 2025"/><ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/> She was known for being a pioneer of the multimedia "idol voice actor" around that decade, with Mikikazu Komatsu of Crunchyroll News citing her as a "successful [example] of a transition from idol to voice actor".<ref name="Komatsu 2025"/>

In the 2000s and 2010s, Sakurai voiced Chigusa Sakai in Shakugan no Shana (2005–2011), Azusa Miura in Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (2007), Cynthia in Pokémon (2007–2022), and Hinowa in Gintama (2009–2015).<ref name="Komatsu 2025"/>

Non-voice acting career

Sakurai's 1995 Macross 7 album Milene Jenius Sings Lynn Minmay charted at #9 at the Oricon Albums Chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She released two albums with Victor Entertainment: T-mode (1995; #39) and Cherry (1996; #26).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She released another album with Pony Canyon, L.A.Early (1996; #44),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as two best-of albums with Pioneer LDC: Actress (1996; #33) and Actress II (1997; #42).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sakurai made her stage debut as Judy in a 1991 performance in Daddy Long Legs and played Beth in a 1992 production of Little Women, performing at 39 locations across Japan.<ref>朝倉薫演劇団クリスマスファンタジーライブ95パンフレット プロフィール,1995年12月12日</ref> She was part of the Template:Ill Theater Company.<ref name="nihonbungeisha20000111">Template:Cite web</ref> She also starred in a musical adaptation of Saint Tail.<ref>桜井智「ミュージカル 怪盗セイント・テール」,撮影 萩庭桂太、取材・文 上崎よーいち、角川書店月刊コンプティーク,1996年5月号</ref>

in June 1999, Sakurai married an office worker who was in her junior high school dating group; they had lost contact after she went to a different high school but reunited while visiting a summer festival at their native Ichikawa.Template:R Their daughter was born in July 2000.Template:R The existence of the marriage and child were not disclosed until 2001 for privacy.Template:R

Sakurai released a semi-nude photo book titled Ripple in April 2000.<ref name="nikkan">Template:Cite news</ref> She was five months pregnant at the time of the photoshoot, with her pregnant belly concealed in the photobook.Template:R The photo book's nature as "a memento of her pregnancy" was not disclosed at the time, and fans were repeatedly complaining about its semi-nude nature.<ref name="ZAKZAK">Template:Cite news</ref>

Later life and death

On September 1, 2016, Sakurai announced her retirement from professional voice acting, citing growing difficulties with the job due to aging.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, she announced her return to the entertainment industry in May 2019, appearing in Fafner in the Azure: The Beyond and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato that same month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Originally part of I'm Enterprise from 2009 to 2014,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> she joined the agency Template:Ill in June 2022.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> She reprised her role as Cynthia in Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (2020–2021),<ref name="ANN 20211002"/> and she starred as Kaede in the 2024 anime Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again.<ref name="ANN 20240301"/> In May 2024, she held an autographing session at Quincy Country Club in Quincy, Illinois.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2023, Sakurai was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and informed she had a year to live, subsequently undergoing treatment for her illness.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On August 10, 2025, she announced that she had been hospitalized a week prior and that her planned August 17 concert at Shibuya, Tokyo would be cancelled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While at the hospital, her condition worsened and three days later on August 13, she died at the age of 53, due to complications from multiple organ cancer. Her death was announced by her agency two days later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hodgkins 2025">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A funeral with only close relatives has been planned, as well as a public farewell event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Television animation

• Cream Lemon: Lemon Angel (1987), Tomo<ref name="gph" />
• Akazukin Chacha (1994), Marin<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>
• Macross 7 (1994), Mylene Jenius<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>
• El-Hazard (1995), Shayla Shayla<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Saint Tail (1995), Meimi Haneoka/Saint Tail<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>
• Rurouni Kenshin (1996), Makimachi Misao<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>
• Super Doll Licca-chan (1998), Doll Licca<ref name="Komatsu 2025"/>
• Shakugan no Shana (2005), Chigusa Sakai<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• My-Otome (2005), Lena Sayers<ref name="gph" />
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX (2006), Mizuchi Saio
• Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (2007), Azusa Miura<ref name="Komatsu 2025"/>
• Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl (2007), Cynthia/Shirona<ref name="gph" />
• Gintama (2009), Hinowa<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>
• The World God Only Knows (2010), Asuka Sora<ref name="gph" />
• Kuromajo-san ga Toru!! (2012), Choco's Mother<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pocket Monsters (2021), Yoshino,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cynthia/Shirona<ref name="ANN 20211002">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again (2024), Kaede<ref name="ANN 20240301">Template:Cite web</ref>

Theatrical animation

• Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (1994), Sulia Gaudeamus<ref name="Hodgkins 2025"/>

Original video animation

• Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc (2011), Makimachi Misao<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Video games

• Samurai Shodown III (1995), Rimururu<ref name="gph" />
• The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (2003), Emma Granger<ref name="gph" />
• Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (2025), Mayfair<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Audio drama

• Rurouni Kenshin (1994), Kamiya Kaoru<ref name="gph">Template:Cite web</ref>

Dubbing

Live-action

• Admission, Portia Nathan (Tina Fey)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The City of Your Final Destination, Arden Langdon (Charlotte Gainsbourg)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dragon Blade, Parthian Queen (Lorie Pester)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Monkey King, Chang'e (Gigi Leung)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Taking of Tiger Mountain, Ma Qinglian (Yu Nan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Third Person, Julia Weiss (Mila Kunis)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Vivarium, Gemma (Imogen Poots)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, Yin Ruiji (Angelababy)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Animation

• Robinson Crusoe, Kiki<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Tomo Sakurai at GamePlaza-Haruka Voice Acting Database Template:In lang
• Tomo Sakurai at Hitoshi Doi's Seiyuu Database
• Template:Anime News Network
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0757328

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