Describe Ayako Kawasumi here, gyabo~!
One of the more prolific female Japanese voice actors, Ayako Kawasumi (born March 30, 1976 in Tokyo, Japan) had a decent start in the 90's but really boomed after 2000. She has a great versatility in her voice, and whereas her early roles are either Genki Girls or everyday-sweet-neighbor friends, her later roles show a wider range. Her role as Saber on Fate/stay night made her one of the most popular voice actresses to this day.
In addition, Ayako Kawasumi is a skilled pianist. Has a big-sisterly friendship with younger but no-less-popular voice actress Mamiko Noto. Has had MANY couple roles with Tomokazu Seki. Chiaki's hatred for Nodame? Requited by Gilgamesh towards Saber. Also has "relationships" with Rie Kugimiya, Rina Sato, Satoshi Hino, and Ryōko Shiraishi.
Notable roles by Ayako Kawasumi:
- Aguri Yukimura in Assassination Classroom and Koro-Sensei Quest!
- Ai Suotome in Crayon Shin-chan
- Akari Kamigishi (and her mother Hikari) note in To Heart
- Alice and the Will of the Abyss in PandoraHearts
- Anego in Magical Witch Punie-chan
- Angie Thompson in Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- Aoi Sakuraba in Ai Yori Aoshi
- Aqua in Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
- Asami Onohara in My Wife is a High School Girl
- Athena and Lecia in Granblue Fantasy
- Athena a.k.a. "A-tan" in Hayate the Combat Butler
- Atoli in .hack
- Aty in Summon Night and Project × Zone 2
- Ayumu "Oosaka" Kasuga in Azumanga Daioh (web short only)
- Azami in Another Eden
- Azmaria Hendric in the Drama CDs of Chrono Crusade
- Beatrice Portinari in the Japanese version of Dante's Inferno
- Bellisarioverse Japanese dubs
- Penelope "Nell" Jones (Renee Felice Smith) in NCIS: Los Angeles
- Behati Prinsloo (As Herself) in Hawaii Five-0
- Bellona and Seaside Bellona in Epic Seven
- Beretta in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Bianca in Punishing: Gray Raven
- Blackberry Cookie in Cookie Run Kingdom
- Blood Leopard in Accel World
- Chikage in Sister Princess
- Chikane Himemiya in Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, and later her Expy Kaon in Shattered Angels
- Chizuru Minamoto in Kanokon
- Cobalt-B in Tower of Fantasy
- Dikke in Reverse: 1999
- Eleonora in Dragalia Lost
- Elie in Groove Adventure Rave
- Elmina in Petite Princess Yucie
- Young Elsa Einstein (Gwendolyn Ellis) in the Japanese dub of Genius
- Erina Pendleton in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Eve in 18if
- Fuu in Samurai Champloo
- Gedomaru in Gintama
- Grune & Schwartz in Tales of Legendia
- Gwendolyn in Odin Sphere
- Harper Rich (Laurie Taylor) in the Japanese dub of Richie Rich TV series.
- Haruka Luciela in Matoi the Sacred Slayer
- Harumi in Ghastly Prince Enma: Burning Up
- Heinrike Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein in Strike Witches (probably Casting Gag since Heinrike looks so similar to Saber)
- Henrietta in The Familiar of Zero
- Hikari in This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
- Hillary West in the Japanese dub of Cold Case
- Hinako Shijou, Aoi Kusanagi and Kaoru Watabe in The King of Fighters
- Hotaru in .hack//Legend of the Twilight
- Ira Blanc Neige Gardenias in Shining Tears X Wind (actually succeeding the role from Megumi Hayashibara)
- Isolde Schelling in Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis
- Ixpellia and the Mariage in StrikerS Sound Stage X
- Izumi Nase in Beyond the Boundary
- Jeanne d'Arc the 30th in Aria the Scarlet Ammo
- Julia in Rune Factory 2
- Jun Shirogane in Princess Connect! Re:Dive
- Kaede Shiranui in Ninja Nonsense
- Kanako Ohno in Genshiken
- Kaori Misaka in Kanon
- Kay in Girls und Panzer
- Kazumi Yoshida in Shakugan no Shana
- King George V in Azur Lane (Also as Renown and Little Renown, partly as The Other Darrin to Ai Kayano* )
- Kluke in Blue Dragon (video game only)
- Koishi Herikawa in Please Teacher! and Please Twins!
- Lafiel in Crest of the Stars and its sequels
- Laura Owen in King of Thorn
- Laura Stuart in A Certain Magical Index
- Leina of Queen's Blade
- Lenna Charlotte Tycoon in Final Fantasy V, specifically in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia
- Leona in League of Legends
- Lion Ushiromiya in Umineko: When They Cry ~ Nocturne of Truth and Illusions
- Lucrezia Borgia in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Machiko in Death Parade
- Mahoro in Mahoromatic
- Manari in Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono (game and OVA) and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium (in Nakoruru's entrance and winpose)
- Marl in Fairy Tail (also reprised Elie in the Fairy Tail X Rave OVA)
- Mast Cell in Cells at Work!
- Matsuri Sakuragi in Strawberry Marshmallow
- Maya/Kaya Sakashiro in Keijo!!!!!!!!
- Mayuko Chigasaki in Niea_7
- Megumi "Nodame" Noda in Nodame Cantabile
- Melfina in Outlaw Star (her Star-Making Role)
- Kurumi Matsumoto in Seraphim Call
- Miharu Sena Kanaka in Girls Bravo
- Mika Iwakura in Serial Experiments Lain
- Mikan Natsu in Potemayo
- Miketsu in Onmyōji (2016)
- Minako Ayuzawa in Maid-Sama!
- Miu Nomura in Piano. She also composed and performed the theme tune for that series.
- Moffle in Amagi Brilliant Park
- Morgan Le Fay in Ah! My Goddess
- Naori in Tales of Arise
- Natsuki Mogi from Initial D
- Ooyodo, Unryuu, Isokaze, Kamikaze, and Midway Princess in KanColle
- Otsū Tsurugaya in Ōkami-san
- Papillion Noir in GaoGaiGar FINAL
- Ruri Hisaishi in E's Otherwise
- Ruriko Ikusawa in Gate Keepers
- Rinon (or Leena if you're watching the English Dub) in Zoids: New Century
- Rita Ainsworth in The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
- Saber a.k.a. Altria/Artoria/Arturia Pendragon in the Fate Series, Nitroplus Blasterz Heroines Infinite Duel and Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Also Saber's various alternate selves: Lancer, Lily, Mysterious Heroine X/X, and all associated Alters with costume variations. This is all played for laughs in the GudaGuda Order Drama CD where she switches between Saber, Saber Alter, Saber Lily and Mysterious Heroine X, all with slightly different voices, on the fly. She's on record of wanting to voice variants in every class so she can fill her own Grand Order team with them.
- Fou (alternate universe Primate Murder), Anne Bonny, and Fate/Prototype's Merlin in Fate/Grand Order
- Saki Tenjouin in To Love Ru
- Sanae Hayami in Counter Side
- Sara Werec in Str.A.In.: Strategic Armored Infantry
- Sayo Yuuki in Castle of Shikigami III (replacing Yui Horie)
- Shenhe in Genshin Impact
- Shinatama in the Japanese dub of Oni
- Shiori Manaka in Asteroid in Love
- Shi Qingxuan (female form) in the Japanese dub of the Animated Adaptation of Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu
- Siege in Arknights
- Silmeria in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
- Sione Aldric in Sdorica
- Sugar in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE
- Susan in High School D×D
- Tamako Kago in Yu-Gi-Oh! GO RUSH!!
- The Taurus Princess in Star★Twinkle Pretty Cure
- Theory in Xenoblade Chronicles 2
- Tomomi Saikyo in Ladies versus Butlers!
- Torahime in Muramasa: The Demon Blade
- Ulrika Mulberry in Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy
- Urara (Ursula) in Pokémon
- Walther P99 in Girls' Frontline
- Wen Qing in the Japanese dubs of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi animated adaptation and the live-action adaptation The Untamed
- Winter Schnee and Amber in the Japanese dub of RWBY
- Wonder Momo and Sabine in Namco × Capcom
- Yukari Miyako in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
- Yulie Ahtreide in Wild ARMs 4
- Yuriko Aoki a.k.a. Kou Aoki in Bakuman。
Tropes pertaining to her successful career
- Girl Next Door: What her typecast was until Chikane broke this trend.
- Master-Apprentice Chain: She is the mentor of Mamiko Noto, who goes on to take Kana Hanazawa as her apprentice, whom in turn mentors Saori Hayami; every lady in this chain are famed for starting as Nice Girl actresses who graduate onto playing cool/sexy/scary roles with deeper voices.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: The role of Chikane in Destiny of the Shrine Maiden allowed her to finally break her (albeit beloved) typecast as "the sweet and nice Girl Next Door with a soft voice" (such as a Aoi of Ai Yori Aoshi and Akari of To Heart) in romantic comedies; from henceforth, she is as a rule cast as the serious, mature badass lady with a deep and sexy voice such as Saber of Fate/stay night. Can go back to her old pigeonhole and go back to the new typecast in the same series as a result. Exemplified in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, with the young Erina Pendleton using her "sweet, nice Girl Next Door voice", but using her deeper voice for Erina as a grandma.
- Woman of a Thousand Voices: Just compare her voice as Elie to her voice as Saber.
- Ayako Kawasumi. I have come forth in accordance with your description.
I ask of you, troper: Are you my editor? (Beat) Huh?? You are...
"Your Editor wasn't Sugiyama, KONO KOYASU DA!!!"
*gasp!!* ... Then DIE, KOYASU!! FOOOUUUU!!!!
