Liyuu, Pile, and many others! List of Bilingual Seiyuu including Chinese, Korean, etc. Localized with acting expressions not possible with AI.
The animation and game industry in Asia continues to grow rapidly, and the demand for Japanese voice actors is also increasing. With this growth, it is predicted that voice actors who can handle multiple languages will become increasingly important. In fact, we are seeing requests for voice actors who can speak Chinese and Korean for promotional purposes.
For these reasons, we would like to introduce you to some of the voice actors who are available in multiple languages, a demand that we believe will continue to increase!
| Table of Contents |
| ・Growth of the Anime and Game Markets in Asia ・ Reasons why Japanese voice actors are used in Asian games ・Interest in Voice Actors by Foreign Audiences ・Future Prospects in Voice Acting Skills and Multilingualization ・List of Bilingual and Multilingual Voice Actors by Language Voice Actors for Chinese Voice Actors for Korean Voice Actors for Other Languages ・Potential for Global Expansion of Japanese Voice Acting Skills ・Importance and future expectations of multilingual voice actors |
Growth of Asian Anime and Game Markets
(Reference) JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) *PDF
Allmanage Inc. Global Anime Market: Size, Trends and Growth Projections
According to the report “Creative Industries in Malaysia” published by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), the projected number of game users in Asia in 2025 is 1.75 billion.
- The total number of game users worldwide is projected to increase from 2.9 billion in 2020 to 3.5 billion in 2025.
- Of this 3.5 billion, the Asian region accounts for 55%, which equates to 1.75 billion.
- The number of game users in Asia is projected to grow by 4.2% year over year.
According to this forecast, Asian game users will contribute significantly to the growth of the global gaming industry.
The animation market is also expanding, with notable growth in emerging markets such as China and India. This growth is also increasing the demand for Japanese animation and game content.
Incidentally, seiyu also speaks Malay!
| Malay language | Mie Nonagase San Ee Shan Adele |
Why Japanese voice actors are used in games in Asian countries?
As Japanese anime and games expand overseas, the international demand for voice actors is also increasing. So why Japanese voice actors rather than voice actors currently in their own language?
Anime from overseas is not necessarily broadcast with Japanese voice actors. It is common for them to be dubbed into the language of each country. Especially in Asian countries such as Korea and China, there is a tendency to use voice actors whose voice quality is close to that of the original language.
It is important to note here that voice actors with voice quality close to that of the original language should be used. If there is a difference between the two, wouldn’t people want to watch the subtitles in the original language?
In fact, the author sometimes feels uncomfortable with Japanese dubbing when watching foreign live-action movies and dramas. In such cases, I watch them with subtitles.
Since games often have language options, many people may enjoy the game with the original voice actors who match the characters better.
Overseas viewers’ interest in voice actors
The data suggests that overseas anime fans have a great interest in voice actors.
According to data from MyAnimeList, in the People ranking selected by overseas anime fans, anime directors such as Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai and manga artists such as Eiichiro Oda and Hirohiko Araki are also on the list, but 16 out of the top 20 are voice actors. Overseas fans’ interest in Japanese anime-related creators is also high, with particular interest in Japanese voice actors.
People Ranking (as of 1/31/2025)
Reference: People – MyAnimeList.net
| Ranking | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kamiya, Hiroshi (神谷 浩史) |
| 2 | Hanazawa, Kana (花澤 香菜) |
| 3 | Miyano, Mamoru (宮野 真守) |
| 4 | Kaji, Yuuki (梶 裕貴) |
| 5 | Miyazaki, Hayao (宮崎 駿) |
| 6 | Hayami, Saori (早見 沙織) |
| 7 | Takahashi, Rie (高橋 李依) |
| 8 | Oda, Eiichiro (尾田 栄一郎) |
| 9 | Tsuda, Kenjirou (津田 健次郎) |
| 10 | Ono, Daisuke (小野 大輔) |
| 11 | Sugita, Tomokazu (杉田 智和) |
| 12 | Okamoto, Nobuhiko (岡本 信彦) |
| 13 | Araki, Hirohiko (荒木 飛呂彦) |
| 14 | Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu (松岡 禎丞) |
| 15 | Sawashiro, Miyuki (沢城 みゆき) |
| 16 | Kugimiya, Rie (釘宮 理恵) |
| 17 | Koyasu, Takehito (子安 武人) |
| 18 | Fukuyama, Jun (福山 潤) |
| 19 | Yuuki, Aoi (悠木 碧) |
| 20 | Shinkai, Makoto (新海 誠) |
Future Prospects for Voice Acting Skills and Multilingualization
- Expanding global market: Demand for localization is increasing, and voice actors who are fluent in multiple languages will have a competitive advantage.
- Coexistence with AI technology: While advances in AI technology have led to the development of voice synthesis and translation technology, the uniquely Japanese voice acting skills that continue to develop, such as the emotional expression and sensitive acting provided by human voice actors, remain valuable.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Casting voice actors with diverse backgrounds is becoming more important. Voice actors who can adapt to diverse cultures and languages will be increasingly in demand.
The growth of the anime and game industry in Asia and the increasing demand for voice actors in Japan are creating new possibilities for the voice actor industry. Voice actors with multilingual and diverse skills are expected to play an important role in this growing market.
Here is a quick look at bilingual and multilingual voice actors by language!
Here is a list of multilingual voice actors who are expected to be in increasing demand! Although the language level of each individual is not specified, we have listed voice actors who have listed “Chinese” or “Korean” in their profiles, etc. We hope you will find this information useful when casting. We hope you will find this information useful when casting.
Chinese
| Voice Actor Name 日本語名 | Language | Name of Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Mie Nonagase 野長瀬美慧 | Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) English (TOEIC score 980) Malay | Across Entertainment |
| Kanae Kuninaka 国仲奏絵 | Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) English Okinawan Dialect | Across Entertainment |
| Maya Enoyoshi 榎吉麻弥 | Chinese English | VIMS |
| Shitan En 閻子丹 | Chinese English Gongfu (Chinese Martial Arts), Chinese Kempo | Kenyu Office |
| Ai Konohana 木花藍 | Chinese (Mandarin/Shanghai) English | Ken Productions |
| Rinna Ai 阿井りんな | Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) English | Haikyo |
| Kairi Satake 佐竹海莉 | Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) English Chinese Kempo (Baji Quan) | Haikyo |
| Setsu Ohashi 大橋世津 | Chinese (Mandarin) Korean High school teaching license | KeKKe Corporation |
| Chika Ueda 上田智華 | Chinese (Mandarin) Chinese Proficiency Test Level 2 | KeKKe Corporation |
| Kayu Shu 朱家勇 | Chinese (Shanghainese) | IM Enterprises |
| Yoshiya Naruke 成家義哉 | Chinese (Shanghainese) Junior high school and high school teacher’s license (Japanese) | IM Enterprises |
| Emiri Iwai 岩井映美里 | Chinese 新漢語水平考試（新HSK）６級 | IM Enterprises |
| Ryuichi Morishita 森下龍一 | Chinese | andpixel |
| Mami Hanaoka 花岡茉美 | Chinese English 二胡 | and Pixel |
| Asuka Nishizono 西園飛鳥 | Chinese English | Holi Pro International |
| Taiki Mishima 実島大喜 | Studying Chinese Watching Chinese TV Reading and Writing Chinese | Holi Pro International |
| Liyuu（黎 獄） | Chinese English | Holi Pro International |
| Yaohuan Li リーヤオホワン | Chinese (Standard, Guilin dialect, Sichuan Cantonese a little) JLPT N1 (top rank) Business Japanese level J1 (top rank) | Just Pro |
| Seira Ryu 劉セイラ | Chinese (Beijing) Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 1 Beijing Foreign Studies University | Aoni Productions |
| Yurie Suzuki 鈴木柚里絵 | Chinese (Mandarin) English French Italian Martial arts, Ninja Chinese Martial Arts | Leopard Steel |
| Ayaka Yamashita 山下亜矢香 | Chinese | Arts Vision |
| Akinari Sato 佐藤聴成 | Chinese English (TOEIC score 990, US university graduate) Thai | Rush Style |
| Aiko Yamada 山田亜以子 | Chinese English | Holy Peak |
| Mizuki Yuno 佑野瑞來 | Chinese | Yurin Pro |
| Meru Yakusa 八音芽桜 | Chinese (from Tianjin) English (from Tianjin) | Bloomz |
