Aya Hirano

Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer known for her voice work in anime, musical theatre, and television. Born in Nagoya on October 8, 1987, she achieved widespread fame as the voice of the titular character in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. Her prominent anime roles also include Misa Amane in Death Note, Konata Izumi in Lucky Star, and Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail. Recognized as an idol voice actor, she successfully crossed over into mainstream Japanese entertainment.

During early childhood, Hirano lived in New York City from the ages of two to three due to her father's job, where watching a Broadway production of Peter Pan inspired her interest in performing. She began her career in 1998 by joining the Tokyo Child Theatrical Group division of Space Craft Group, acting in television commercials. She secured her first voice acting role at age 14 in the 2001 anime series Angel Tales, followed by a co-leading role as Lumiere in Kiddy Grade in 2002.

After completing high school, Hirano pursued voice acting and solo music full-time. Her breakout role arrived in 2006 when she was cast as the lead heroine in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a project that brought her significant public recognition. She subsequently voiced characters in Nana, Death Note, and Lucky Star. Hirano expanded into mainstream media and theatrical productions, starring in live-action series such as Muse no Kagami and Konna no Idol Janain!?. In August 2011, she left Space Craft Entertainment and signed with the Grick agency, enabling her to resume taking on new voice acting roles.

Hirano's music career began with the group SpringS before she launched her solo career under the Lantis label with her 2006 debut single "Breakthrough". She released her first full-length album, Riot Girl, in 2008, followed by Speed Star in 2009. After ending her musical activities with Lantis in 2011, she signed with Universal Sigma in 2012, releasing the mini-album Fragments and her fourth album Vivid in 2014. She later released the single "Evolutions" under Lantis in May 2025. In April 2020, her video demonstrating the dance choreography for "Hare Hare Yukai" initiated a viral social media trend.

Throughout her career, Hirano has received several major performance honours. She won the Voice Acting Award at the 2007 Tokyo Anime Awards, along with the Best Newcomer Award at the 1st Seiyu Awards in 2007. At the 2nd Seiyu Awards in 2008, she was awarded Best Lead Actress and Best Singing. By the late 2000s and early 2010s, she was recognized among the top-selling voice actresses in Japan.

In 2010, Hirano revealed that she had lived with a non-malignant pituitary gland tumor since junior high school, opting against surgery to preserve her voice. In 2016, she spent four months in New York studying English and voice. Hirano married actor Masashi Taniguchi in January 2024; after separating later that year, the couple officially divorced in August 2025.