Ai Orikasa

Ai Orikasa (折笠 愛, Orikasa Ai, born December 12, 1963 in Tokyo) is a Japanese voice actor and singer. A former member of Production Baobab, she left the agency on September 2011 and is currently affiliated with Axlone. As a vocalist, she performs under the record label EMI.

Born Kikue Orikasa (折笠 きく江, Orikasa Kikue), she calls herself Ai as a nod to her earnest desire to be loved by everyone; the staff members who worked alongside Orikasa had apparently came up with that name during their bathroom break. She is sometimes referred to as Orion by devoted fans.

After graduating from Nihon Kogakuin College's drama department, Orikasa began her career as a stage actor, performing alongside the theater companies Bungeiza and Sōhen. She later moved on to dubbing in 1988 by winning the role of Cedie in Little Lord Fauntleroy. Orikasa was specifically chosen over the other finalists due to her natural innocence and would later take on more roles in many World Masterpiece Theater titles.

Orikasa's vocal pitch makes her suitable for boyish or sultry roles, though she has been known to voice more demure women from time to time. Despite being made famous for performing young male leads, she was initially hesitant in doing so until years of experience gave her enough confidence to portray them more naturally. A few of her well-known roles include Ayame Fujieda in Sakura Wars, Genis Sage in Tales of Symphonia, and Lady Grey in Granblue Fantasy.

Works

 * Tifone - Starflight Bohemian drama CD
 * Sara - Angelique Special
 * Salome - Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome
 * Freya Crescent - Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia
 * Kozuki Momonosuke - One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4