[[quoteright:167:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/megumi.jpg [[caption-width:145:Megumi Hayashibara]] Possibly the hardest-working woman in {{anime}} (TakeThat, RumikoTakahashi!)]]
Although a [[JapanesePopMusic pop/rock performer]] of substantial fame and talent with an international following, she is probably best known in the United States for the hundred or more roles she's played in various anime and video games; reading her resume is like reading a history of the best in Japanese animation.

MegumiHayashibara was notably part of the wave of seiyuu, along with Hekiru Shiina and Mariko Kōda, that became popular in the 90s due to the large amounts of money provided by recording companies and the more multi-media approach to stardom developed at that time. Her debut was playing several bit roles in the anime ''MaisonIkkoku'' which probably led to her role as girl type [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma]].

Just to name a few of the characters she's voiced, she has been:

* Girl-type Ranma in ''[=~Ranma ½~=]''
* Pai in ''[[ThreeByThreeEyes 3x3 Eyes]]''
* Minky Momo in ''MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo''
* Nuku-Nuku in ''AllPurposeCulturalCatGirlNukuNuku''
* Ai in ''VideoGirlAi''
* Momiji Fujimiya in ''BlueSeed''
* Lina Inverse in ''TheSlayers''
* Rei Ayanami, Yui Ikari ''and'' Pen-Pen in ''NeonGenesisEvangelion''
* Achika in ''[[TenchiMuyo Tenchi Muyo in Love]]''
* Musashi(Jessie) and Fushigidane(Bulbasaur) in ''{{Pokemon}}''
* Lime in ''SaberMarionetteJ'' and its sequels
* Tira Misu in ''BakuretsuHunters''
* Canal in ''LostUniverse''
* Faye Valentine in ''CowboyBebop''
* Haruka Urashima in ''LoveHina''
* [[TheDanza Megumi]] Amatsuka in ''TenshiNaKonamaiki''
* Paprika, a/k/a Dr. Atsuko Chiba, in ''{{Paprika}}''
* Ai Haibara from ''DetectiveConan''
* Christina [=MacKenzie=] in ''{{Gundam 0080}}''
* Elle Ragu in ''ShadowSkill''
* Aki Kisaragi in ''TekkamanBlade''
* Blanc Neige in ''[[ShiningForce Shining Tears]]'' (Though replaced by Ayako Kawasumi in ''Shining Tears X Wind'')
* Patricia Hackman in ''SuperRobotWars F/Final''
* Shantotto in ''[[{{ptitlefjcz80qe}} Dissidia: Final Fantasy]]''
* Anna Kyouyama in ''ShamanKing''
* Young Genkai in ''YuYuHakusho''
* Arioch in ''{{Drakengard}}''

Any ''one'' of these roles would be a career-making milestone for a voice actress, but as a [[ManOfAThousandVoices Woman Of A Thousand Voices]], Hayashibara has had the talent and skill to win that kind of part again and again. She is such a major figure in anime that the character of Megumi Reinard in ''MartianSuccessorNadesico'' was actually based on her, partly as parody and partly as tribute. She is arguably one of the few seiyuu who isn't [[PigeonholedVoiceActor set in a role]].

When she has a part in an anime, she frequently performs its [[AnimeThemeSong theme song]]; she is also in demand to record themes for other animes as well, such as "Treat or Goblins" from ''AbenobashiMahouShoutengai'' and the Achika version of "Alchemy of Love", the theme song for the ''Tenchi Universe'' film, ''Tenchi Muyo! in Love''.

As the seiyuu for girl-type Ranma in ''[=~Ranma ½~=]'', she has been a part of the singing group [=DoCo=], and has participated in other anime-related "supergroups" as well.

She's even done Japanese dubbing for American animation, most notably as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Diddy Kong in the ''DonkeyKongCountry'' TV series, Crysta in ''{{Ferngully}}'' and Little Sneezer from ''TinyToonAdventures''.

She also authored (but didn't draw) the manga about her life biography, titled [[http://nnanime.com/megumi-toon/ Megumi-Toon]].

A reasonably complete listing of her credits can be found on her page in the Internet Movie Database, [[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0370677/ here]].

Her American equivalent is WendeeLee.
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