杉田智和
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer who was contracted to Production Baobab and is now signed to Axlone. In direct contrast to her cute-and-vulnerable moé typecasting, Yūko in real life is a devotee of biker culture who dresses and acts as such when not working, right down to her motorcycle. This is parodied in the 23rd episode of Lucky Star, in which she appears as a masculine Bōsōzoku-styled character of herself called Gotouza, a nickname given to her by fellow voice actor Tomokazu Sugita. She is also a fluent English speaker.