Sayaka Ōhara

Sayaka Ōhara (大原 さやか, Oohara Sayaka, born December 6, 1975 in Kanagawa) is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality affiliated with Haikyo. A graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University's Department of Literature, she made her official debut in 1998. Her nicknames are Saaya, Sayasaya, and Saya-ane. She got married to an actor on her 34th birthday and has a younger brother who shares her occupation.

A passionate fan of the theater since her youth, Ōhara was actively involved in the drama club and even spent her free time going to musicals like Les Misérables. She later became aware of the prestige in voice acting thanks to her brother listening to drama CDs. While taking voice over lessons at Haikyo's training school, she started a small theater group with friends to further hone her acting skills.

Ōhara went through a number of part-time jobs to support herself during college, some of which include playing bit roles on TV dramas, doing back modeling, and working at an Italian restaurant. The last job was particularly traumatic for her as she had constantly been driven to tears by the store manager's harsh treatment.

During the early part of Ōhara's career in the voice over business, she mainly did narration work and minor parts before steadily gaining roles in the 2000s. She also worked as a DJ and radio personality on the side. In March 1, 2013, she received the award for best supporting actress at the 7th Seiyu Awards.

When she was in college, Ōhara used to play the cello. She sometimes performs with various orchestra on her spare time and even some of her characters are depicted playing the instrument in certain media. She has a strong interest in Kyoto, having passed its tourism culture test with flying colors. Her other interests include traveling, hot springs, kimonos, and perfumes. She is also an avid reader, can speak fluent English, and happens to be a Catholic. Shizuka Itō and Megumi Toyoguchi are among her closest friends, with the latter sharing similar interests as her.

Ōhara's mezzo-soprano tone has her be casted in older female roles, though she can play different types of parts just as well. Fans have likened her to Kikuko Inoue due to the amount of motherly roles associated to them. She has been known as the voice of Beatrice in Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Uchika Hanesaki in Hanebado!, and Chizuru Kagura in The King of Fighters series.

Works

 * Mari Tsuzuki - Kiniro no Corda 2 encore
 * Ryoko Mikage - Kiniro no Corda 3
 * Cartia Goldschmidt - Rio - Rainbow Gate!
 * Cecile Neues - The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero
 * Erza Scarlet - Fairy Tail; reprise of her role in the anime
 * Rei Kousaka - Kiniro no Corda Starlight Orchestra
 * Miscellaneous characters - Rick ☆ G's