Kana Hanazawa

Kana Hanazawa, born on February 25, 1989, is a Japanese voice actress, screen performer, and singer. Since making her performance debut in 2003, she has compiled an extensive list of television and film credits. Over the course of her career, she has attained major industry recognitions, including winning the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as receiving the Newtype Anime Award for Best Voice Actress across three separate years.

Her background in entertainment began in early childhood during kindergarten. As a young performer, she appeared regularly on the live-action television variety program Yappari Sanma Daisensei. During her youth, she frequently sang idol tracks and was a fan of Hello! Project, holding a specific fondness for performer Miki Fujimoto.

Hanazawa entered the voice acting field with her debut as Holly in the animated series Last Exile. She later voiced Ryoko Kaminagi in Zegapain and affiliated with the voice acting agency Office Osawa. Upon entering university in 2007, her voice work expanded significantly through high-profile roles, such as the title character in Kobato., Suou in Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor, Nadeko Sengoku in Bakemonogatari, Angel or Kanade Tachibana in Angel Beats, and Anri Sonohara in Durarara!!. In 2010, listeners of the radio broadcast Nonko and Nobita's Anime Scramble selected her as Best Female Voice Actress. Late that same year, she attended the Anime Festival Asia convention in Singapore, and following her university graduation in 2011, she transitioned into full-time voice acting.

While working on Bakemonogatari, Hanazawa performed "Renai Circulation," an opening theme and character image song for Nadeko Sengoku. The track's reception led to broader opportunities in character music and inspired her pursuit of a solo musical career. In early 2012, she launched her official website and announced during her solo debut presentation event that she would release four singles within twelve months under Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Her initial single, "Hoshizora Destination," debuted on April 25, 2012, followed by "Hatsukoi no Oto," "Happy Endings"—the ending theme for Zetsuen no Tempest—and "Silent Snow" in January 2013.

Hanazawa released her first full-length album, Claire, in February 2013, followed by her second album, 25, in February 2014. After issuing the album Blue Avenue in April 2015, she launched a concert tour that opened at the Nippon Budokan on May 3. The video release of the performance, titled Live Avenue Kana Hanazawa in Budokan, reached sixth place in sales. Her music career experienced further label transitions, moving to Sacra Music under Sony Music Entertainment Japan in April 2017, and subsequently transferring to Pony Canyon on July 1, 2021.

Beyond her voice work, Hanazawa starred in her first live-action feature film, Kimi ga Inakucha Dame Nanda, which achieved a tenth-place ranking on the Oricon Blu-ray Disc Chart. Her achievements were recognized at the 9th Seiyu Awards, where she won Best Supporting Actress, alongside Newtype Anime Awards for Best Voice Actress in 2015, 2017, and 2018. In her personal life, she confirmed during a February 2017 live stream promoting her album Opportunity that she was dating Kensho Ono following reports by Shūkan Bunshun. The pair announced their marriage on July 8, 2020. On September 14, 2025, both individuals announced their divorce on social media, citing differing lifestyles and an inability to spend time together.