Answer: They are all anime and game characters voiced by Sakamoto Maaya.
Who is Sakamoto Maaya?
Date of Birth: 31 March 1980
Place of Birth: Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
Blood Type: A
Sakamoto Maaya is probably one of the most well known seiyuu in Japan. She has done voice work for more anime, games and movies than I can ever count. She's been working in the entertainment industry ever since she was 8 years old and there's not even a sign of her slowing down now, 23 years later. The people who didn't get to know Maaya from anime and movies, knew her through her songs. For the past 15 years, Maaya has released 18 singles, 7 albums and 3 compilation albums. Her seventh album "You Can't Catch Me", which came out in January this year, was the second album released by a seiyuu to rank number one on the Oricon charts, after Mizuki Nana's Ultimate Diamond.
Maaya's career as a seiyuu started in 1992, when she lent her voice to a character called Chifuru in an animated OVA called Little Twins. But it wasn't until four years later that people started to notice her. In 1996, she voiced Kanzaki Hitomi, the main female character of the shoujo/mecha anime Tenkuu no Escaflowne. She also sang the opening theme song "Yakusoku wa Iranai" for the anime. She reprised the role for the movie version of Escaflowne in 2000 and sang its ending theme "Yubiwa".
Place of Birth: Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
Blood Type: A
Sakamoto Maaya is probably one of the most well known seiyuu in Japan. She has done voice work for more anime, games and movies than I can ever count. She's been working in the entertainment industry ever since she was 8 years old and there's not even a sign of her slowing down now, 23 years later. The people who didn't get to know Maaya from anime and movies, knew her through her songs. For the past 15 years, Maaya has released 18 singles, 7 albums and 3 compilation albums. Her seventh album "You Can't Catch Me", which came out in January this year, was the second album released by a seiyuu to rank number one on the Oricon charts, after Mizuki Nana's Ultimate Diamond.
Maaya's career as a seiyuu started in 1992, when she lent her voice to a character called Chifuru in an animated OVA called Little Twins. But it wasn't until four years later that people started to notice her. In 1996, she voiced Kanzaki Hitomi, the main female character of the shoujo/mecha anime Tenkuu no Escaflowne. She also sang the opening theme song "Yakusoku wa Iranai" for the anime. She reprised the role for the movie version of Escaflowne in 2000 and sang its ending theme "Yubiwa".
Tenkuu no Escaflowne's opening theme.
"Yakusoku wa Iranai" was Maaya's first single. It came out in April 1996, the same month the Escaflowne TV series went on air in Japan. The single also marked the first time Maaya worked with legendary anime composer Kanno Yoko. And their collaboration didn't end there. They went on to release many more memorable anime songs together after that, which includes Wolf's Rain's "Gravity", RahXephon's "Hemisphere", Record of Lodoss War's "Kiseki no Umi", and Macross Frontier's "Triangler". Kanno Yoko also composed all the songs in Maaya's first four albums.
Macross Frontier's first opening theme.
Sakamoto Maaya sang songs for a few anime that were adapted from CLAMP manga too. "Platinum" from Cardcaptor Sakura and "Loop" from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE are two of them. It's also worth mentioning that Maaya did the voice of Princess Tomoyo in Tsubasa. When Maaya held her 15th anniversary concert at Nippon Budokan on her 30th birthday last year, CLAMP didn't only attend the concert, they also drew an illustration of Maaya for a special pamphlet sold at the venue.
Sakamoto Maaya, by CLAMP.
Unlike most seiyuu, Maaya also does tons of dubbing work for american movies and TV series. In fact, she's been dubbing voices for real people years before her first anime character. One of the most popular characters she's dubbed for is Padmé Amidala. So if you happen to go to Japan and watch the Japanese version of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, don't be surprised to find Padmé sounding a little like Nino-san from Arakawa Under the Bridge.
If you play RPG games then you'd probably recognise some of the characters in the image at the top of this post. Especially the girl dressed in pink. That's right, I'm talking about Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII. Sure, Aerith was not voiced in the original game but Maaya have brought life to the character with her voice in many other games that has Aerith in them, like Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (the Japanese versions, of course). But everyone, including the people outside of Japan, first heard Maaya's Aerith in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the epic 2005 CG movie by Square-Enix. And it's no secret that Square-Enix loves Maaya. After Aerith, she was asked to voice another prominent character in the Final Fantasy universe - Lightning, for Final Fantasy XIII. What's more, she is also voicing The 3rd Birthday's Aya Brea, another one of Square-Enix iconic characters from the Parasite Eve game series.
Fan-made FFVII game music video centering on Cloud and Aerith.
The song used is Maaya's "Yubiwa".
The song used is Maaya's "Yubiwa".
Sakamoto Maaya's Characters
Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts I and II (PSP/PS2 games)
Fujioka Haruhi in Ouran Koukou Host Club
Mari Illustrious Makinami in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Alphard Alshaya in CANAAN
Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 game)
Ciel Phantomhive in Kuroshitsuji, Kuroshitsuji II
Kanzaki Hitomi in Tenkuu no Escaflowne (TV series and movie)
Aura in .hack series (anime and games)
Princess Tomoyo in Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Lunamaria Hawke in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mishima Reika in RahXephon
Nino-san in Arakawa Under the Bridge, Arakawa Under the Bridge*2
Nino-san in Arakawa Under the Bridge, Arakawa Under the Bridge*2
Endou Sarina in Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
Lal'C Melk Mark in Top wo Nerae! 2
Lal'C Melk Mark in Top wo Nerae! 2
Crona in Soul Eater
Amano Mishio in Kanon (2002/2006)
Ryougi Shiki in Kara no Kyoukai
Amano Mishio in Kanon (2002/2006)
Ryougi Shiki in Kara no Kyoukai
Aigis in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (PS2 game)
Amelia in Trigun: Badlands Rumble
Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday (PSP game)
You can find a much longer list of Sakamoto Maaya's works plus her discography on her Wiki page.
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