Rie Kugimiya

Rie Kugimiya is a Japanese voice actress and vocalist who is affiliated with the talent agency I'm Enterprise. She is widely recognized for her voice acting performances across anime series and video games. Among fans, she earned the moniker "Queen of Tsundere" due to her portrayal of specific character types in various animated works.

Kugimiya's career path began in 1997 when she received recognition through an award sponsored by the Japan Narration Institute during its first summer school program. Following this achievement, she joined the talent agency I'm Enterprise. She made her official voice acting debut in 1998, voicing the character Tadami Saeki in the video game etude prologue -Shaking heart-.

Early in her voice acting career, Kugimiya primarily utilized her vocal range to play young female characters. Over time, her repertoire expanded to encompass juvenile male roles, such as Taiki in The Twelve Kingdoms and Alphonse Elric in the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise. Throughout her career, she has lent her voice to a wide variety of roles across different media formats.

Her prominent anime television and film credits include Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Kagura in Gintama, and Happy in both Fairy Tail and Edens Zero. She is also known for portraying tsundere heroines such as Shana in Shakugan no Shana, Louise in The Familiar of Zero, Nagi Sanzenin in Hayate the Combat Butler, Taiga Aisaka in Toradora!, Aguri Madoka or Cure Ace in DokiDoki! PreCure, and Aria Holmes Kanzaki in Aria the Scarlet Ammo. Additionally, she voices Mametchi within the Tamagotchi anime and films.

In video games, Kugimiya has provided the voices for Haruka Sawamura in the Yakuza franchise, Kiana Kaslana in Honkai Impact 3rd, and Rise Kujikawa in Persona 4. Beyond traditional acting roles, her voice has been featured in consumer merchandise, including the Mugen Puchipuchi Moe virtual keychain toy. She also maintains an active presence in live theater, taking part in stage productions and dramatic readings.

Kugimiya's performances have earned her multiple industry honors at the Seiyu Awards. At the inaugural ceremony, she received nominations for both Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. At the 2nd Seiyu Awards in 2008, she won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role alongside Mitsuki Saiga. She subsequently received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards for her work as Taiga Aisaka in Toradora! and her role in Nabari no Ou.