Tomoko Kawakami

Tomoko Kawakami
was a Japanese voice actress. Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she was a member of Production Baobab.
Career
Kawakami debuted in 1994 as a role of a boy in Metal Fighter Miku. Her first regular performance was in 1995 as Chiriko in Fushigi Yuugi. Two years after, she landed her first starring voice role as Utena Tenjou in Revolutionary Girl Utena. Aside from Chiriko and Utena, her famous roles are in Air (Misuzu Kamio), Bleach (Soifon), Chrono Crusade (Rosette Christopher), Hikaru no Go (Hikaru Shindo), Sgt. Frog (Fuyuki Hinata), Ape Escape (Natsumi),Yukiko Kawasaki (Dear Boys), Sugar (A Little Snow Fairy Sugar) & Aria (Athena Glory).
Kawakami provided voices for young boys, girls and comical characters. The best-known genre of her roles are tomboyish characters (Soifon, Utena Tenjou). With such a powerful voice, she was often affiliated in paranormal and yuri-themed anime. She also made her name voicing the heroine in the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series, based from the Neoromance game with the same title produced by Koei in 2000.
Illness and death
In August 2008, Kawakami had ovarian cancer, which required surgery. During a three-year battle with cancer, most of her ongoing roles were replaced by other voice actresses, although Kawakami managed to do some voice work until her retirement in early 2010s. She died on June 9, 2011. Her death was met with an outpouring of grief. Kumiko Watanabe, a particular voice actress and a close friend of hers prior to her passing whom worked alongside Kawakami for works such as the Klonoa video game series and Sgt. Frog anime, responded on her web diary with condolences just two days after her death.
Filmography
Anime series
Air - Misuzu Kamio
Amaenaideyo!! - Sumi Ikuina
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar - Sugar
Angelic Layer - Madoka Fujisaki
Aria - Athena Glory
Ashita no Nadja - Shudefan
Battle Athletes Victory - Chris Christopher
Best Student Council - Cyndi Manabe
Betterman - Sēme
Bleach - Soifon (Episode 24 - 205)
Cardcaptor Sakura - Rika Sasaki
Chrono Crusade - Rosette Christopher
Clannad - Girl from the Illusionary World
Crush Gear Turbo - Yamano Kimomo
Cyborg 009 - Cynthia
Darker than BLACK - Amber
Dear Boys - Yukiko Kawasaki
Descendants of Darkness - Kazusa Otonashi
Detective School Q - Kazuma Narusawa
Di Gi Charat Nyo! - Chibi Akari, Kareida-san
Doki Doki School Hours - Akane Kobayashi
Elfen Lied - Mariko
Emily of New Moon - Emily Byrd Starr
F-Zero GP Legend - Sasuke Reina
Fullmetal Alchemist - Kyle (in episode 9)
Fushigi Yûgi, Fushigi Yūgi Oni, and Fushigi Yūgi Eikoden - Chiriko
Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime Gyu! - Fine's Mother
Gakuen Heaven - Satoshi Umino
Gaiking - Lulu
Gakko no Kaidan - Satsuki Miyanoshita
Genesis of Aquarion - Futaba
Great Teacher Onizuka - Hoshino (in episode 28)
Godannar - Luna
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Akane Motomiya
Hikaru no Go - Hikaru Shindō
I'm Gonna Be An Angel! - Noelle
Jigoku Shōjo - Yoshimi Kuroda (in episode 1)
Jibaku-kun - Pink
Jinki: Extend - Elnie Tachibana
Kanon - Sayuri Kurata
Kara no Kyōkai - Ryougi Shiki (Drama CD)
Magical Project S - Konoha Haida/Funky Connie
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple - Miu Fūrinji
Martian Successor Nadesico - Eri, Ai
MegaMan NT Warrior - Princess Pride
Mirmo! - Wakaba
Mon Colle Knights - Fearī
NieA 7 - Kāna
Nodame Cantabile - Elise (main story in anime), Puririn (Purigorota)
One Piece - Amanda
Orphen: Revenge - Licorice Nelson
Paranoia Agent - "Otokomichi/A Man's Path" manga heroine (Episode 4)
Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart - Yūki Matsubara
Pocket Monsters - Ayame, Takami, Hikari's Mimirol, Pokédex (Sinnoh region)
Popotan - Mai/Konami
Power Stone - Ayame
Rune Soldier - Merrill
Revolutionary Girl Utena - Utena Tenjō
Saiyuki Reload series - Lirin
Saru Get You -On Air- - Natsumi
Sgt. Frog - Fuyuki Hinata (Episode 1 + 231)
Shaman King - Pirika, Mini Mongomeri
Space Pirate Mito - Mito Mitsukuni
Steel Angel Kurumi - Eiko Kichijōji
Tactics - Yōko
The Law of Ueki - Ai Mori
The Twelve Kingdoms - Rangyoku
The World of Narue - Ran Tendō
Those Who Hunt Elves - Annette, Emily
Those Who Hunt Elves 2 - Annette, Pichi
Tokyo Mew Mew - Ayano Uemura (in episode 34)
Touch: Miss Lonely Yesterday - Kōchi
Trinity Blood - Elise Wasmeyer (in episode 2)
Uta Kata - Satsuki Takigawa
VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fire - Trumpet
Yakitate!! Japan - Princess Anne (episode 31)
Anime films
Air - Misuzu Kamio
Bleach: Memories of Nobody - Soifon
Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion - Soifon
Lupin III: Alcatraz Connection - Monica
Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time - Hari
Keroro Gunso the Super Movie - Fuyuki Hinata
Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 2: The Deep Sea Princess - Fuyuki Hinata
Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 3: Keroro vs. Keroro Great Sky Duel - Fuyuki Hinata
Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena - Utena Tenjō
The Doraemons: The Great Operation of Springing Insects - Momo
Video games
Air - Misuzu Kamio
Ape Escape - Natsumi, Charu
Bleach: Blade Battlers 2 - Soifon
Bleach: Heat The Soul 3 - Soifon
Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 - Soifon
Bleach: Shattered Blade - Soifon
Bomberman Generation - Bomberman
Brave Story: New Traveler - Yuno
Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice - Charlone Claudius
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil - Lolo
Klonoa Beach Volleyball - Lolo
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series - Lolo
Magical Drop F - Judgment
Never 7: The End of Infinity - Yuka Kawashima
Radiant Silvergun - Reana
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - Sasha (Japanese dub)
SD Gundam G Generation - Rachel Ransom
Sengoku Basara - Itsuki
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Itsuka Kakumei Sareru Monogatari - Utena Tenjō
Skies of Arcadia - Aika
Sonic Wings Assault - Mao Mao
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Fushigisou (Ivysaur)
Tales of Destiny 2 - Nanaly Fletch
The King of Fighters 2001 - May Lee
The King of Fighters 2002 - May Lee
The Law of Ueki: Taosu ze Roberuto Juudan! - Ai Mori
The Legend of Dragoon - Meru
Thousand Arms - Sodina Dawnfried
Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side (Konami Palace Selection) - Fujii Natsumi
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love - Fujii Natsumi
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side: 1st Love Plus - Fujii Natsumi
Viper F40 - Raika Grace
Viper CTR - Miki
Dubbing roles
Blue Crush – Anne Marie Chadwick (Kate Bosworth)
Hearts in Atlantis – Carol Gerber (Mika Boorem)
Heat – Lauren Gustafson (Natalie Portman)
Jumanji – Judy Shepherd (Kirsten Dunst)
The Secret World of Alex Mack - Alex Mack (Larisa Oleynik)
Original video animation
Amon: The Apocalypse of Devilman -Yumi
Tokio Private Police -Noriko Ibuki
Successors
Houko Kuwashima - Sgt. Frog as Fuyuki Hinata, Bleach as Soifon
Sayuri Yahagi - Nodame Cantabile as Puririn - Season 2 (Kawakami returned in Season 3)
Kumi Sakuma - Nodame Cantabile as Elise - Season 2 (Kawakami returned in Season 3)
Yuki Kaida - A Foreign Love Affair as Kaoru Omi
Satsuki Yukino - Pokémon Diamond and Pearl as Dawn's Buneary (Hikari's Mimirol), Pokedex, Momoan, additional characters
Shiho Kawaragi - Desperate Housewives as Kayla Huntington - Season 4
Akiko Kimura - Battle Spirits as Mama
Yumi Kakazu - Tales of VS, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 as Nanaly Fletch
Omi Minami - Elemental Gerard as Ashea
Yuki Matsuoka - Heroes Fantasia as Mileru
Saki Fujita - Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card as Rika Sasaki
Rie Kugimiya - Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple as Miu
Miyuki Sawashiro - Sengoku Basara as Itsuki
Ai Nonaka - Anpanman as Candle-Man
Yuka Imai - Demonbane PS2 game, Super Robot Wars UX as Claudius
Aimi Tanaka - The King of Fighters All Star as May Lee Jinju
Rina Hidaka - Shaman King 2021 as Pirika Usui
Rina Sato - Aria the Crepuscolo as Athena Glory
Inuko Inuyama - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as Ivysaur
References
Sources
Nakagami, Yoshikatsu. "The Official Art of AIR" (October 2007), Newtype USA. pgs. 135–41
External links
1970 births
2011 deaths
Deaths from cancer in Japan
Deaths from ovarian cancer
Japanese Roman Catholics
Japanese video game actresses
Japanese voice actresses
Production Baobab voice actors
Toho Gakuen School of Music alumni
Voice actresses from Tokyo
20th-century Japanese actresses
21st-century Japanese actresses