Mana as a child.
Mana Ashida (born June 23, 2004, in Nishinomiya, Japan) is a Japanese child actress. She is well-known for playing the young version of Mako Mori in Pacific Rim, as well as for her hit song "Maru Maru Mori Mori!", which she performed with fellow child actor Fuku Suzuki for the TV drama Marumo no Okite. After the song became a hit, she started a solo idol career and was cast in several films and even some anime. She was also the last person to win the top prize in the Japanese version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Notable roles:
- Agnes in Despicable Me (Japanese dub)
- Annie in the anime adaptation of Magic Tree House
- Madison Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Japanese dub)
- Mako Mori (child) in Pacific Rim
- Princess Mana in Jewelpet: Sweets Dance Princess
- Margo in Pokémon: The Power of Us
- The Little Red-Haired Girl in The Peanuts Movie (Japanese dub)
- Rin Kaga in the live-action adaptation of Bunny Drop
- Ruka Azumi in Children of the Sea
Mana Ashida provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: When filming Pacific Rim, Mana had trouble pronouncing Guillermo del Toro's name, so she called him Totoro-san rather than Toro-san.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Although it was first used as the ending theme of Jewel Pet Kira Deco, her song "Zutto Zutto Tomodachi" became this when it was used as the theme song of Jewelpet: Sweets Dance Princess, which she starred in.
- Idol Singer: After the success of "Maru Maru Mori Mori!", she became a stand-alone child idol.
