Amin Abbas

DUBAI: Chisa Yokoyama is a talented Japanese voice actress who has worked in many Japanese animated anime series and video games for the last 25 years. She played multiple characters, such as Chun-Li in ‘Street Fighter II V,’ Biscuit Krueger in ‘Hunter x Hunter,’ and Sakura Shinguji in ‘Sakura Wars’. 

The voice actress’ first role was in ‘Black Magic M-66’ as Ferris. “I was very pleased to take on the role of one of the main characters of the project at that time,” she told Arab News Japan. 

Her breakout role was in the 1995 anime ‘Street Fighter II V’, based on the video game, as she played Chun-Li. “I was spending a lot of time at gaming centers playing three games and one of them was ‘Street Fighter II’. A few years later, I was in an audition for the anime. I was very happy about it, as my time with the game paid off,” the actress said.

“I felt it was kind of fate for me to play Chun-Li in the anime series, as I was playing the character a lot during my time at gaming centers and I’m very happy about it,” she added.

She also took part in the renowned 2011 anime ‘Hunter x Hunter’ as Biscuit Krueger. “When the series was announced, I was selected directly to play Biscuit Krueger and I had not finished reading the manga part where the character was introduced for the first time,” she reflected.

“I didn’t know much about her. I had to do research and practice for the character in a short time. It was a wonderful experience for me,” she added.

Furthermore, the actress is known for voicing Sakura Shinguji in the ‘Sakura Wars’ series, including in video games and anime projects. She told Arab News Japan that the creator had a unique idea for the series’ cast.

“Oji Hiroi, the creator of the series, had a vision of gathering voice actors not only based on their skills, in voice acting but also other assists and art skills like Mayumi Tanaka, who voiced Kanna Kirishima in the series,” said Yokoyama. 

“Everybody has their own skills and experiences, which enabled him to materialize the vision of the series creator, where he brought all these skills set and made everyone not only voicing the characters but also wearing costumes of the characters and doing stage performances as well as other activities and that’s what made the series so special for everyone, including the fans,” she added. 

She shared that she is extremely proud to be part of the series. “This project is known in Japan as ‘media mix’ where a title evolves from game to TV series, stage performance, music concert, and more. I’ve been involved in the series since the first title and I’m very happy about it and looking forward to seeing the future of it.”

Yokoyama visited the UAE for the first time to participate in the anime convention ‘PopCon Middle East’ in February. She was very pleased to meet the fans of the Middle East region at the event.

“This was my visit to the UAE, especially Dubai, as I heard so much about the city in Japan, I was very excited to see the smiles and big passion of the fans who came to see me at the event and it really warmed my heart,” she told Arab News Japan.

The actress shared that entering the voice acting industry may be difficult for most people but it is rewarding. “To be a voice actress is one of the most inspiring things in Japan these days and the chance to be one is very slim.”

“However, it’s a great profession that you live with it daily and it’s always amazing to portrait someone that you put yourself completely into, and that’s what makes this profession very special. Also, I want to say to never give up and keep smiling with a high spirit to achieve your dreams,” she shared.