Mami Koyama

Mami Koyama, born January 17th, 1955, out in Aichi, Japan, is honestly one of those voices you’ve probably heard even if you didn’t realize it. This woman’s got range—like, wild range. She’s made her mark as both actress and writer, showing up in all sorts of legendary anime and games. Seriously, her credits are kind of wild. She’s part of the cast in Sennen Joyû (Millennium Actress) from 2001, which is basically a love letter to Japanese cinema, and if you haven’t seen Akira (1988), well, have you even watched anime? Her voice work in that one is iconic, straight up. Back in the early ’90s, she also worked on Snatcher CD-ROMantic (1992), which is this cult classic game that kinda refuses to be forgotten. People still talk about it, no joke. Mami’s voice has this way of sticking in your brain, lending all her characters this real depth—whether it’s a tragic heroine or a straight-up villain, she nails it every time. Not just that, but she’s got history with the industry itself. She was married to Tôru Furuya for a time, and if you know your voice actors, you know that guy’s a legend too. The two of them together? That’s powerhouse stuff. These days, Koyama’s legacy is still going strong—she keeps popping up in new projects, reminding everyone why she’s basically anime royalty. There’s just something about her delivery that makes every role memorable.