September 25 is Inoue Kikuko-san’s birthday.

She debuted in the late 1980s. She won Best Actresses in Supporting Roles in the 4th Seiyu Awards, and Kazue Takahashi Memorial Award, which is given to women who introduced voice acting as an occupation, in the 10 th.
She has been playing a role of various characters from a broad-minded and gentle characters to cruel villains. In 2021, she is appearing in “So I’m a Spider, So What?” and “Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu”.

To celebrate her birthday, we conducted an annual readers’ survey, “Who is your favorite character played by Inoue Kikuko-san?”. There were 387 votes during the survey period from September 6 to 13.
For the gender ratio, the males were the majority with about 70% while the females were about 30%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from relatively old age groups compared to other surveys: about 25% were in their 30s, and about 30% were in their 40s.

■The ranking has drastically changed from last year!

1st Place
1st place went to Belldandy from “Oh My Goddess!”. The support rating was about 28%.

Belldandy, a goddess who came to the protagonist Morisato Keiichi, gained popularity for her gentle but strong personality. The received comments include, “As both Belldandy’s warm personality and Inoue Kikuko-san’s character were combined, she became the best character ever”, “The character’s voice is so divine that I think a real goddess’s voice would be like this”, and “The character’s voice is very gentle as if it protects everyone without any discrimination, but she fights against what might harm her people. Inoue-san pulled off such a role”.

Some readers looked back on the old episodes, saying “I first watched the anime when it was broadcast in ‘BS Anime Tokusen’ on NHKBS2 in the summer of 1994. This series introduced me to a genre of love-comedy, and it still makes me want to live close to the characters whenever watch it” and “The first OVA I bought was this title, so I have an emotional attachment.”

2nd Place

2nd place went to Tendo Kasumi from “Ranma 1/2”. The support rating was about 10%
Tendo Kasumi is a sister of the protagonist Akane, and she got high reputation from the readers of the same gender. The received comments include, “Kikuko-san’s voice is perfect for the gentle and goofy sister, who supports the Tendo family”, “Inoue-san’s calm vibe is perfect for the character”, “When I first watched ‘Ranma’, I was enchanted by Kasumi-chan’s voice. She is so neat and cute that I thought I wanted to be a woman like her”.

3rd Place

3rd place went to Kazami Mizuho from “Please Teacher!”. The support rating was about 9%,
Kazami Mizuho is an alien that came to earth to monitor the planet, and she usually lives as a high school teacher. The received comments include, “I was watching the series when I was in an elementary school, and I was excited to see Mizuho-sensei’s mysterious and bewitching charms”, “‘This is a priority one!’ is a memorable line”, and “‘Please Teacher!’ is in the middle of my youth! I have become an adult listening to the radio ‘Mizuho-sensei’s Hachimitsu Jugyo'”. Some readers seem to have enjoyed the character songs and drama CDs.

■Let’s introduce other comments!!

Macrophage “Cells at Work!”
“When you think twice, you will realize that Macrophage, who is smiling cheerfully while swing around a huge hatchet, is scary and creepy, but Inoue Kikuko-san’s calming voice never made me feel scary but fully enjoy the episodes.”

Furukawa Sanae “CLANNAD”
“Inoue Kikuko-san’s gentle voice is perfect and natural for Sanae-san, who is a mother that has a somewhat childish side.”

Lobelia Carlini “Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?”
“She apparently looks brisk, but I can feel her kindness from her voice. She has been the best heroine of the Fleur Division of the Paris Combat Revue since I completed the mission for the first time!”

The Boss “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater”
“Her beautiful and tough way of life is super cool!”
“Kikuko-san was playing the characters in different age and gender before and after The Boss, which proves how skillful Kikuko-san is.”

The characters from games have also been ranked in.

In the survey 2021, a lot of readers in their 30s voted, which is one of the reasons why the ranking has drastically changed from last year. It is also notable that a wide range of characters from the titles released between the 1980s and 2020s have been ranked in.

■Ranking Top 20

－Who is your favorite character played by Inoue Kikuko-san? 2021 Edition－
1. Belldandy “Oh My Goddess!”
2. Tendo Kasumi “Ranma 1/2”
3. Kazami Mizuho “Please Teacher!”
4. The Boss “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater”
5. Macrophage “Cells at Work!”
6. Electra “Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water”
7. Lobelia Carlini “Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?”
8. Aina Sahalin “Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team”
8. Furukawa Sanae “CLANNAD”
10. I-No “GUILTY GEAR”
11. Chianti “Detective Conan”
12. Grace O’Connor “Macross Frontier”
12. Nishikino Maki’s Mother “Love Live!”
14. Amatsu Kanata “Girl Friend Beta”
14. Philia Felice “Tales of Destiny”
14. Minerva Orland “FAIRY TAIL”
14. Yoshii Akira “Baka and Test”
18. Amahane Asuka “Aikatsu!”
18. Lady Dimitrescu “Resident Evil Village”
18. Carta Issue “Mobile Suit Gundam”
18. Sato’s Aunt “Happy Sugar Life”
18. Palm Siberia “Hunter × Hunter” (Season 2)
18. Miria “CLAYMORE”
18. Lust “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”

(Survey Period: September 11 – 18, 2021)

*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in anime and characters.