Ayana Taketatsu

Ayana Taketatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer known for prominent anime, game, and music work. Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1989, she trained at Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyujo and entered the voice-acting industry in the late 2000s. She became widely associated with youthful, sharp-edged, and emotionally expressive characters, including many roles in school comedies, fantasy series, romance anime, and games. Her nickname “Ayachi” is commonly used by fans.

Taketatsu's major early breakthrough came as Azusa Nakano in K-On!, the Kyoto Animation series about a high-school light music club. Azusa became one of the show's central younger members, and the role connected Taketatsu to a large international anime audience. She followed with leading and recurring parts such as Kirino Kosaka in Oreimo, Ako Suminoe in Kissxsis, Suguha Kirigaya/Leafa in Sword Art Online, Kotori Itsuka in Date A Live, Koneko Tojo in High School DxD, Hotaru Shidare in Dagashi Kashi, Yuzu Aihara in Citrus, Nino Nakano in The Quintessential Quintuplets, and Bambietta Basterbine in Bleach.

Her work extends beyond television anime into games and multimedia franchises. She voices Chiori in Genshin Impact and has credits connected to Arknights, The World God Only Knows, Dog Days, Tamayura, Psycho-Pass, and many other projects. Taketatsu's casting often uses her ability to move between sweetness, impatience, comic pride, and vulnerability, which has made her particularly visible in romantic comedy and fantasy ensemble casts.