Chika Sakamoto
Chika Sakamoto | |
|---|---|
坂本 千夏 | |
| Born | August 17, 1959 Tokyo, Japan |
| Other name | Chikabō (チカ坊)[3] |
| Occupation | Voice actress |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Agent | Arts Vision |
Chika Sakamoto (坂本 千夏, Sakamoto Chika; born August 17, 1959[2]) is a Japanese voice actress who is affiliated with Arts Vision.[4] She grew up in Kawasaki City and Totsuka Ward in Yokohama.[2]
Biography
Early life
Sakamoto was born on August 17, 1959 in Tokyo, Japan. She was a bright child who by the age of two could read and memorize her grandmother's phone number.[3] In kindergarten, she moved to Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture and moved to Totsuka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture in middle school.[2]
In fourth grade, she performed Kiyoko Suizenji's "Ippon Dokko no Uta" at a relative's wedding held in Ibaraki Prefecture.[3] She was given Japanese yen as a thank you for the performance, which made her realize, "Oh, you can get paid just for singing? That's nice" and she has been hooked on singing ever since.[3]
She was a self-described television addict growing up, and during her high school years she often stayed up watching live programming late into the night. This made her a habitual latecomer, and she was famously rarely on time for school. Ironically, her morning routine also included watching the preschool anime series Play with Mom! Pin Pon Pan, a show aimed at a much younger audience.[5]
The highlight of her time at school was chapel time, as she would use it to practice her singing, focusing on the melody for the first verse of a hymn and on the harmony for the second.[5]
She was a graduate of Soshin Jogakko Junior and Senior High School.[2][3][5] Ever since she attended school as a student, she was interested in voice acting and singing,[6] even taking vocal lessons at Yamaha's Vocal Mates during high school. Besides that, she joined the Yokohama Folk Village and would practice with her band.[2]
As a high school student, she entered the Yamaha Popular Song Contest with a band she had founded with a group of friends and won the Outstanding Song Award.[7]
During her high school years, everyone would tell her "you have a weird voice".[2] To make the most of her "weird voice", she thought "maybe you should study acting", and started taking up acting.[2] She loved anime and thought, "I'd love to try doing a voice like that."[2] Since she had been taking lessons in singing, she thought it would be "the ultimate dream" if she could do voice acting and also perform the theme song.[2]
Once Sakamoto graduated from high school, she wanted to start working as a voice actress, so contacted a friend who was a fan of voice actors to receive advice.[2] She was asked "isn't there anything else you'd like to do?", to which she replied, "I think I might want to become a kindergarten teacher", and was then told, "well then, become a kindergarten teacher."[2] Figuring she had to study, she thought "Since you end up joining a theater company anyway even if you join a university drama club, wouldn't it be better to go straight to a training school?",[2] so planned on going to Waseda University through a recommendation and "study theater" there, but her homeroom teacher shot the idea down, telling her, "with as many times as you've been late, there's no way."[5]
Career
After graduating from high school, she aspired to become an actress[7] and joined the Theater Echo training institute after being inspired watching a performance of theirs.[6][8] She chose Theater Echo because voice actors such as Kazuo Kumakura, Yasuo Yamada, and Ryūji Saikachi were a part of it at the time.[2] After spending two years at the training institute, she planned on becoming a research student, but quit by force due to not finding acting very interesting and issues with market demand.[6][8] Her first play was an absurdist work where she wound up putting no emotions into her lines.[8] Some of her classmates at the training institute were Masako Katsuki and Kiyomi Hanasaki,[3][8] with Mayumi Tanaka and Mari Yokoo being one year ahead of her.[8]
She graduated from the training school and transferred to the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society because of her strong desire to pursue a voice acting career.[2] She then ended up joining Arts Vision at the time it founded.[9] Sakamoto had also been formerly affiliated with Shinkikaku.[6]
In 1981, she made her debut as a voice actress, with her first voice acting role performing the line "ah, it's Tetsujin!" in The New Adventures of Gigantor.[10] Later, in 1982, she passed the audition for the title character of Fuku-chan in the anime Fuku-chan, landing her first lead role.[2]
From October 1983 to March 1985, she served as the third main personality for the Animetopia radio program alongside Miki Takahashi.[11] In 1983, she formed a group called "Kiran Gekijo" with friends and held performances twice a year[7] and in 1984, formed a group known as "Potato Power" with Kiyomi Hanasaki and Akari Hibino, with the three of them holding concerts.[12][13][14]
In 1989, Sakamoto was part of the GALLOP group with Kazue Ikura and Chie Kōjiro.[15][16]
Current activity
In 2011, after a 20 year hiatus, GALLOP held a comeback concert, with Sakamoto, Ikura, and Kōjiro reuniting. Since then, the group has been active once every two years.[17]
In October 2024, she, Kōichi Yamadera, Yuki Kaji, Ryūsei Nakao, Mika Kanai, and other prominent voice actors formed the "No More Unauthorized Generative AI" group to oppose AI-generated voices and videos created without consent.[18] A series of videos featuring voice actors speaking their thoughts out on the usage of generative AI were released on October 21 as part of the campaign.[19]
Filmography
Television animation
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The New Adventures of Gigantor | Additional voice | Eps 22, 28, 36; Debut voice acting role | [10] |
| 1982 | Ninjaman Ippei | Negoro | Main role | [20] |
| 1982 | Fuku-chan | Fuku-chan | Lead role | [21] |
| 1983 | Cat's Eye | Ai Kisugi | Main role | [22] |
| 1983 | Itadakiman | Ryuko | ||
| 1983 | Nine | Yukimi Yasuda | ||
| 1983 | Super Dimension Century Orguss | Lieea | ||
| 1983 | Captain Tsubasa | Sanae Nakazawa | ||
| 1984 | Urusei Yatsura | Ginger | ||
| 1985 | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam | Shinta | ||
| 1985 | Princess Sara | Peter | ||
| 1986 | Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin | Daisuke | ||
| 1986 | High School! Kimengumi | Hisako Otonari | ||
| 1986 | Maison Ikkoku | Kentarō Ichinose | ||
| 1986 | Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ | Shinta | ||
| 1986 | Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol | Kenta Misawa | ||
| 1987 | City Hunter | Horikoshi | Eps 16, 39 | |
| 1987 | Norakuro-kun | Norakuro | Lead role | |
| 1987 | Kimagure Orange Road | Kazuya Kasuga | ||
| 1988 | Let's Go! Anpanman | Tendonman, Chibizou-kun | ||
| 1989 | Jungle Emperor | Meyer | ||
| 1989 | Miracle Giants Dome-kun | Dome Shinjo | ||
| 1990 | Tensai Bakabon | Hajime | ||
| 1990 | Moomin | Teety-Woo | ||
| 1991 | Anime Himitsu no Hanazono | Martha Phoebe Sowerby | ||
| 1992 | Flower Witch Mary Bell | Tambourine | Main role | [23] |
| 1993 | Muka Muka Paradise | Muka Muka | ||
| 1993 | Calimero | Furufuru | ||
| 1994 | Heisei Inu Monogatari Bau | Chicken | Ep. 21 | |
| 1995 | Fushigi Yûgi | Nuriko, Houki | ||
| 1995 | Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger | Bakumaru | ||
| 1996 | Baby and Me | Minoru Enoki | ||
| 1996 | Hell Teacher Nūbē | Yukibe | ||
| 1996 | Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailor Stars | Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer | ||
| 1997 | Chūka Ichiban! | Shirō | ||
| 1997 | Pokémon | Obaba, Michael | ||
| 1998 | Coro Coro Kuririn | Kuririn | Lead role | |
| 1999 | Cyborg Kuro-chan | Kuro, Prince Malo | Lead role; Malo in Ep. 59 | [24] |
| 1999 | Digimon Adventure | Agumon, Natsuko Takaishi | ||
| 2000 | Digimon Adventure 02 | Agumon, Natsuko Takaishi | ||
| 2001 | Crush Gear Turbo | Jin Kyōsuke | ||
| 2001 | Fighting Foodons | Zen Makunouchi | ||
| 2001 | Pecola | Tsunekichi | ||
| 2001 | Shaman King | Allen | ||
| 2002 | Pecola | Tsunekichi | ||
| 2003 | Origami Warriors | Arata Okimura | ||
| 2003 | Ashita no Nadja | Jean | ||
| 2003 | Machine Robo Rescue | Ricky | ||
| 2003 | Mirmo! | Chikku | ||
| 2004 | Pretty Cure | Koguma | Ep. 6 | |
| 2005 | Digital Monster X-Evolution | WarGreymon X | ||
| 2006 | Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z | Piyo | Ep. 21 | |
| 2006 | Saru Get You -On Air- | Specter, Kūta, Reporter | ||
| 2007 | Great Detective Conan | Takumi Hashiratani | Ep. 462 | |
| 2007 | Darker than Black | Misuzu Ōyama | ||
| 2008 | Porphy no Nagai Tabi | Irma | ||
| 2009 | Let's Go! Anpanman: Do Your Best Creampanda! The Christmas Adventure | Chibizou-kun | Television special | |
| 2010 | Digimon Xros Wars | Shoutmon, Agumon | ||
| 2010 | HeartCatch PreCure! | Kaoruko Hanasaki/Cure Flower | ||
| 2011 | One Piece | Young Jimbei, Young Stelly, S-Shark | ||
| 2011 | Doraemon | Wani, Ichiro Abaraya | ||
| 2012 | Humanity Has Declined | Fairy | ||
| 2013 | Danchi Tomoo | Tetsuko Kinoshita | Main role | [25] |
| 2013 | Toriko | Chiyo | ||
| 2015 | Mysterious Joker | Hachi's mother | Ep. 23 | [26] |
| 2016 | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable | Ken Oyanagi | [27] | |
| 2017 | Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters | Agumon | ||
| 2017 | Sazae-san | Additional voice | ||
| 2018 | Late Night! Genius Bakabon | Yoshida-kun | ||
| 2019 | Puzzle & Dragons X | Devi | Ep. 5 | |
| 2020 | Digimon Adventure | Agumon | ||
| 2021 | Blue Period | Ryuji's Grandmother | Eps 5, 9 | |
| 2021 | Fushigi Dagashiya Zenitendō | Koban, Shintaro, Abandoned Toy, Senmaru | ||
| 2021 | Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier than Real Life! | Maria | Ep. 9 | |
| 2026 | Even a Replica Can Fall in Love | Taeko Mori | Eps 11-13 |
Theatrical animation
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Boy | ||
| 1985 | Night on the Galactic Railroad | Campanella | ||
| 1988 | My Neighbor Totoro | Mei Kusakabe | ||
| 1995 | Sailor Moon Supers: The Movie | Peruru | ||
| 1996 | Pipi Tobenai Hotaru | Aari | ||
| Let's Go! Anpanman: The Flying Picture Book and the Glass Shoes | Tendonman | [28] | ||
| 2001 | Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon | Agumon | ||
| Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers | Omegamon | |||
| Let's Go! Anpanman: Gomira's Star | Tendonman, Chibizou-kun | [29] | ||
| 2002 | Ecchan no Sensō | Tatsuo Miyamoto | [30] | |
| 2002 | Crush Gear Turbo the Movie: Kaiservern's Ultimate Challenge | Kyousuke Jin | Short film | |
| 2002 | Ape Escape The Movie: Battle for the Golden Pipo Helmet | Specter | Short film | |
| 2010 | HeartCatch PreCure The Movie: Fashion Show in the Flower Capital... Really?! | Kaoruko Hanasaki | ||
| 2013 | Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage 2: Friends of the Heart | Kage | ||
| 2014 | Doraemon: New Nobita's Great Demon—Peko and the Exploration Party of Five | Chippo | ||
| 2015 | Digimon Adventure tri. | Agumon | ||
| 2016 | One Piece Film: Gold | Rikka | [31] | |
| 2019 | City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes | Ai Kisugi | ||
| Tama & Friends: Tama and the Mysterious Stone Statue | Tora | [32] | ||
| Let's Go! Anpanman: Sparkle! Princess Vanilla of the Land of Ice Cream | Chibizou-kun | |||
| 2020 | Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna | Agumon | [33] | |
| 2021 | Let's Go! Anpanman: Fluffy Fuwari and the Cloud Country | Chibizou-kun | ||
| 2022 | Let's Go! Anpanman: Dororin and the Transformation Carnival | Chibizou-kun | ||
| 2023 | City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust | Ai Kisugi | [34][35] | |
| 2025 | Let's Go! Anpanman: Chapon's Hero! | Chibizou-kun | ||
| 2025 | Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers | Ratel | [36] |
Original video animation (OVA)
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko | Yoni | ||
| 1991 | Here is Greenwood | Shun Kisaragi | ||
| 1991 | Slow Step | Chika Tanaka | ||
| 1994 | Iria: Zeiram the Animation | Komimasa | ||
| 1996 | Fushigi Yûgi OVA 1 | Nuriko | ||
| 1997 | Fushigi Yûgi OVA 2 | Nuriko, Houki | ||
| 2001–02 | Fushigi Yûgi Eikoden | Nuriko, Houki | ||
| 2004 | Hydrangea Song | Chestnut Helper | ||
| 2008 | Urusei Yatsura: The Obstacle Course Swim Meet | Ginger |
Original net animation (ONA)
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat's Eye | Ai Kisugi | [37] | |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arc the Lad | Poco | |
| 1996 | Rockman 8 | Clownman, Aquaman | |
| 1997 | Grandia | Milda | |
| 1999 | Ape Escape | Specter | |
| 1999 | Shenmue | Keika | |
| 2002 | Kaettekita Cyborg Kuro-chan | Kuro | |
| 2010 | Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep | Huey, Dewey, and Louie | |
| 2013 | Digimon | Agumon, Greymon, MetalGreymon, WarGreymon | |
| 2022 | Digimon Survive | Agumon | [38] |
- Super Robot Wars series (????–????) (Kappei Jin, Lieea)
Tokusatsu
- Morimori Bokkun (1986) (Bokkun)
- Chikyu Sentai Fiveman (1990) (Sairagin (ep. 7, 19))
- Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger Dino Video (1993) (Dino-kun)
- Ultraman Zearth (1996) (Digital Kanegon)
- Engine Sentai Go-Onger (2008) (Wameikle (Chibi) (ep. 41))
Dubbing
Live-action
- Bad Santa – Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly)[39]
- Baggage Claim – Gail Best (Jill Scott)[40]
- The Crow – Sarah (Rochelle Davis)[41]
- Fuller House – D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure)[42]
- The Goonies (1988 TBS edition) – Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen (Jeff Cohen)[43]
- The Man Who Knew Too Little – Lori (Joanne Whalley)[44]
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Ada Harris (Lesley Manville)[45]
- Near Dark (1990 TV Tokyo edition) – Homer (Joshua John Miller)[46]
Animation
- Happy Feet Two – Atticus[47]
- ¡Mucha Lucha! – The Flea[48]
References
- ↑ 『声優事典』(in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. 1994. page 227.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 「声優インタビュー 坂本千夏さんの巻」in『月刊OUT』(in Japanese). July 1984 issue. Minori Shobo. July 1, 1984. pages 101–106.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 「PEOPLE」in Animage (in Japanese). July 1984 issue. Tokuma Shoten. pages 148–149.
- ↑ "Sakamoto Chika". Hitoshi Doi. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 「青春スクロール 母校群像記【捜真女学校】（3）歌手と声優 原点は賛美歌に」in The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). June 24, 2023. Kanagawa. page 30.
- 1 2 3 4 「第13回 坂本千夏」in『山寺宏一のだから声優やめられない! 声優・山寺宏一と30人の声の役者たち』(in Japanese). Shufu no Tomo Sha. December 1, 2000. pages 134–143. ISBN 4-07-229270-2.
- 1 2 3 週刊TVガイド (in Japanese). January 28, 1983. page 100.「出番です」column.
- 1 2 3 4 5 「アニメ・スクランブル」in『マイアニメ』(in Japanese). May 1984 issue. Akita Shoten. April 1984. pages 88–89.
- ↑ 「アーツビジョン設立へ」in『声優白書』(in Japanese). Okura Publishing. March 1, 2000. page 31. ISBN 4-87278-564-9.
- 1 2 「声優100人に聞きました'95」in『ザ・声優1995』(in Japanese). Mediax. December 10, 1994. page 88.
- ↑ 『こだわり声優事典'97』(in Japanese). Bii Ogawa. Tokuma Shoten. 1997. page 58.
- ↑ Animedia (in Japanese). October 1984 issue. page 114.
- ↑ 『月刊OUT』(in Japanese). November 1984 issue. page 155.
- ↑ 『アニメディア』(in Japanese). November 1984 issue. page 113.
- ↑ 「PEOPLE 私たちをよろしく! ギャロップ」in『アニメージュ』(in Japanese). May 1989 issue. page 97.
- ↑ Animedia (in Japanese). May 1990 issue. page 124.
- ↑ "We are GALLOP With ヒトヨシ ノビタバンド 20年ぶりの復活LIVE"女のためいきまつり"4月24日(日)開催" (in Japanese). Excite Anime News. April 11, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Japanese Voice Actors Form Group Against Unauthorized Use of Generative AI". Anime News Network. October 16, 2024.
- ↑ "Koichi Yamadera, Toshihiko Seki, Ryūsei Nakao, Other Voice Actors Discuss 'No More Unauthorized Generative AI' Effort". Anime News Network. October 22, 2024.
- ↑ "忍者マン一平". TMS Entertainment (in Japanese).
- ↑ "フクちゃん". Media Arts Database (in Japanese).
- ↑ "キャッツ・アイ". TMS Entertainment (in Japanese).
- ↑ "花の魔法使いマリーベル". KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "サイボーグクロちゃん". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 17, 2018.
- ↑ "「団地ともお」の声優発表、小田扉の故郷を歩く特別番組も". Natalie (in Japanese). March 4, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "キャラクター No.034 ハチの母". Tokyo MX Online Mysterious Joker (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "CHARACTER -TVアニメ『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない』公式サイト". jojo-animation.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ↑ "それいけ! アンパンマン 第8弾 空とぶ絵本とガラスの靴". TMS Entertainment (in Japanese).
- ↑ "それいけ! アンパンマン 第13弾 ゴミラの星". TMS Entertainment (in Japanese).
- ↑ "えっちゃんのせんそう". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 3, 2018.
- ↑ "おそ松、高木刑事、『トトロ』メイ、「幽☆遊☆白書」飛影…豪華声優陣が『ONE PIECE』に集結!". Cinematoday.jp (in Japanese). May 31, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "猫だらけのオムニバス映画 ダヤンとタマと飛び猫と～3つの猫の物語～公開決定!". Tama & Friends Blog (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution". Anime News Network. July 28, 2019. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ↑ "New City Hunter Anime Film's Trailer Unveils More Cast, Theme Songs, September 8 Debut". Anime News Network. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ↑ "CAST/STAFF". City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
- ↑ "映画クレヨンしんちゃん 超華麗! 灼熱のカスカベダンサーズ". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ↑ "アニメ『ルパン三世VSキャッツ・アイ』公式サイト". lupin-vs-catseye.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ↑ Lada, Jenni (March 16, 2022). "New Digimon Survive Trailer Focuses on Characters". Siliconera. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ↑ "バッドサンタ". The Cinema. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ↑ "３０日の婚活トラベル". Star Channel. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ↑ "クロウ／飛翔伝説＜4Kリマスター・スペシャル・エディション＞". Zeque Productions. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ↑ "堀内賢雄さん、山寺宏一さん、大谷育江さんら吹替声優が出演する『フルハウス』の続編がフィナーレへ！ 『フラーハウス』新エピソードの日本語版配信に向けたコメントが到着". animate Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ↑ "グーニーズ". Fukikaeru. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ↑ "The Unknown Man (Blu-ray)". Amazon. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ↑ "ミセス・ハリス、パリへ行く［吹］". Star Channel. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ↑ "ニア・ダーク／真夜中の出来事＜HDニューマスター版＞". Zeque Productions. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ↑ "ハッピーフィート２ 踊るペンギンレスキュー隊". Fukikaeru. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ↑ "ムーチャ・ルーチャ！". Cartoon Network. Archived from the original on April 19, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
External links
- Official agency profile (in Japanese)
- Chika Sakamoto at Anime News Network's encyclopedia