Atsuko Tanaka, born Atsuko Satō on November 14, 1962, is a Japanese voice actress which gained very substantial fame due to her role as Major Motoko Kusanagi (leading to many fans calling Tanaka herself "Major"), as well as her impersonation of video game icon Lara Croft. Tanaka is well known for her cool, deep, sometimes very alluring voice, which usually lands her roles of strong, professional women. However, this can be twisted, and she does evil villainesses just as well. She's still active to this day.
She is married with a son and has a sister. Her best friend is fellow voice actress Kikuko Inoue. She frequently works with Rikiya Koyama, using nicknames for each other. She also attended kindergarten with Tōru Furusawa.
Not related to Minami Tanaka, Rie Tanaka, Hideyuki Tanaka, Mayumi Tanaka, Yoshiki Tanaka and Kazunari Tanaka.
Notable roles by Atsuko Tanaka:
- Adelina Esperanza in Granado Espada
- Akiko Nanbara in A.I.C.O. Incarnation
- Akira in Garo: The Fleeting Cherry Blossom
- Almeidrea Kaineris in Tales of Arise
- Astrid in Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland and Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
- Amazon in Dragon's Crown
- Amida Arca in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
- Atelia in Tweeny Witches
- Azami (Lucy) and Aloe (Lenora) in Pokémon: The Series
- Dorothy Fisher in Detective Pikachu
- Bayonetta in Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, Bayonetta 1, 2, and 3, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. She also voices Bayonetta's mother, Rosa.
- Botanica in the Japanese dub of Beast Machines
- Caster (Medea) in Fate/stay night
- Additionally, in Fate/Grand Order she voices Jing Ke and Carmilla.
- Chun Li and Poison in Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Namco × Capcom. She also did Regina of Dino Crisis' fame in the latter.
- Reprises Poison in Street Fighter X Tekken, Ultra Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V.
- Claudette in Queen's Blade
- Lady Dahlia Reinhold in Professor Layton and the Curious Village
- Eleanor Varrot in Valkyria Chronicles
- Esmeralda in Reign of the Seven Spellblades
- Faora in the Japanese dub of Man of Steel
- Flamme in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Flavia in Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Fujina in Legend of Himiko
- Fumiko Odette Van Stein in Castle of Shikigami III (replacing Asako Dodo)
- Galena in Jump Force
- Hades Wise Goddess Gorgon in Mahou Sentai Magiranger
- Haku Kaen aka Soi from Fushigi Yuugi
- Hanami in Jujutsu Kaisen
- Helena Leonis in War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
- Hibana in Nightshade (2003) and Project × Zone 2
- HMS Hood and KMS Tirpitz in Azur Lane
- Hisoka Kurosawa in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
- Inanna and Mathias from Tales of Innocence
- Jagara in Wolf's Rain
- Jaina Proudmoore in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Official dub voice for Jennifer Lopez:
- Jean Gilkyson in An Unfinished Life
- Nilda Georgina "Puchi" Román in El Cantante
- Ricki in Gigli
- Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) in the Japanese dub of Elementary
- Kainé in NieR Replicant
- Karulau in Utawarerumono and Aqua Pazza
- Professor Kiyama Harumi of A Certain Scientific Railgun
- Kayo Tohyama in Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Konan in Naruto
- Kyoko Saionji in Psycho-Pass
- Kyrie Ushiromiya in Umineko: When They Cry
- Along with her sister Kasumi Sumadera in the anime (but not in the PlayStation 3 remake, where she is voiced by Sumi Shimamoto)
- Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2-6. The first was done by Megumi Ogata and 7 was done by Takako Honda.)
- Layla Hassan in Assassin's Creed
- Lisa in the Japanese dub of Night Trap
- Lisa Lisa in the 2012 adaptation of Jojos Bizarre Adventure
- Love Heart in Sky Love (darrin'd by Toa Yukinari in The King of Fighters XIV)
- Lucrezia Zora in Campione!
- Maika Kazetsubaki in Maburaho
- Mary Sera in Case Closed
- Michelle Peng in Juken Sentai Gekiranger
- Mika Ayanokouji in Shattered Angels
- Mila Pfefferberg (Adi Nitzan) in the Japanese dub of Schindler's List
- Miranda Jahana in Variable Geo
- Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell (all incarnations except for Arise)
- Monkey in the Japanese dub of Kubo and the Two Strings
- Nina Williams in Tekken: Blood Vengeance
- Nyamses in Nyan Koi!
- Opera Vectra in Star Ocean: Second Evolution (succeeding Yuko Nagashima)
- Poison Ivy in Batman Ninja
- Python in Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?
- Japanese dub characters voice played by Rachel Weisz
- Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy (1999)
- Melina Vostokoff in Black Widow (2021)
- Reika Nagase in Kokoro Connect
- Reiko Amagai in Chouja Reideen
- Reiko Tamura in Parasyte
- Reina in Yakuza (Kiwami)
- Lady Rhaenys Targaryen-Velaryon (Eve Best) in the Japanese dub of House of the Dragon
- Rhinedottir in Genshin Impact
- Rose in The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic
- Rue in Guardian Tales
- Samari Ittan in Knights of Sidonia
- Serene Haze/Kasumi Sumika in Armored Core: For Answer
- Silene in DEVILMAN crybaby and the Playstation 1 adaptation of Devilman.
- Sister Jill in Cutey Honey Universe
- Slan in Berserk (1997) and Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō
- Slipstream (the female Starscream clone) in the Japanese dub of Transformers: Animated
- Tahamine in The Heroic Legend of Arslan
- Tess in the Japanese dub of The Last of Us
- Tie Shan Gongzhu in Dragalia Lost
- Trish in Devil May Cry: The Animated Series, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Devil May Cry 5.
- Tsubaki Amamiya in God Eater
- Ultimecia in Dissidia Final Fantasy
- Arecia Al-Rashia in Final Fantasy Type-0
- Viletta Vadim in Super Robot Wars Alpha and Super Robot Wars: Original Generation series
- Violet North in Magical Warfare
- Violetta Noire in #COMPASS
- Wilmit Zenam in Gundam: Reconguista in G
- Yuri Nikaido in The World God Only Knows
- Yu Ziyuan in the Japanese audio drama adaptation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi
