Popular anime featuring Mayumi Tanaka

Key takeaways

• Mayumi Tanaka, known for voicing Luffy, has also played iconic characters in Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Yu Yu Hakusho.
• Tanaka's versatile voice shines in roles such as Laputa to Pazu: Castle in the Sky and DanDaDan's Turbo Granny.
• From her early performances in Urusei Yatsura to recent roles such as Phyllis in Ancient Magus' Bride, Tanaka's career has spanned a diverse range of roles.

hero of a piece, Monkey D. LuffyUndoubtedly one of the most recognized anime characters in the whole world. This can be done for several different reasons, one of them being his unique voice in the Japanese version, in which he is portrayed by the legend. Mayumi Tanaka.

She is a talented and experienced voice actress who has not only voiced Luffy for over 27 years, but has also voiced countless other characters before. a piece started broadcasting. This is often possible a piece Fans have heard Mayumi Tanaka's voice in other shows, and the following performances are some of the most notable examples.

1 Dragon Ball

As Krillin and Yajirobe

As extensive as her role as Luffy is, it's not even what put Mayumi Tanaka on the map. Dragon Ball Fans probably remember her voice from two of her most important and iconic roles: Krillin and Yajirobe. These are different but equally fun performances, and the voice he later uses for Luffy can be heard slightly in both.

Needless to say, that has been extremely important to Tanaka Dragon Ball franchise, as she has been voicing these two characters for over 38 years, even longer than her tenure as Luffy (although she has not returned to voice Mini Krillin. Dragon Ball DAIMA).

2 Sailor Moon

As Robert

Sailor Moon is another widely popular and influential anime series animated by Toei Animation. But even though Mayumi Tanaka usually portrays the main or secondary characters, this time it was brought to her voice. RobertA boy who only appears in episode 143 of the show.

Despite his brief appearance, Tanaka still gave it his all. Robert is very different from his usual masculine roles, as he is not funny and simple minded like Luffy or Krillin. At the end of the day, this means that he managed to make an appearance at Toei's three biggest shows: Dragon Ball, Sailor Moonand a piece.

3 Urusei Yatsura

As Ryūnosuke Fujinami

Most anime fans are familiar with the most recent animated adaptation Urusei Yatsura It aired back in June 2022. However, considering that the original manga came out in 1980, it should come as no surprise that it had already been adapted in 1981, voiced by Mayumi Tanaka. Ryunosuke FujinamiOne of the main characters of the series.

Her performance as Fujinami is particularly charming because it is completely different from the two types of characters she usually portrays: young boys and old women. Instead, Ryūnosuke Fujinami is a young woman, and she sounds like one, which means that Tanaka probably used her regular voice for her many times. After all, she was 26 at the time.

4 Yu Yu Hakusho

As Koenma

Dragon Ball and a piece Not the only classic action shonen anime in which Mayumi Tanaka gets to showcase her talents. In 1992, he debuted as a character Koenma In Studio Pierrot's animated adaptation Yu Yu HakushoAnother classic performance that cemented him as an icon among fans of the genre.

Koenma has two different forms: a child form (which resembles Luffy's Chibi Gear 3 form) and a teenage form (which resembles a calmer version of Luffy). It's a fun character quirk that allows Tanaka to show off her wide and impressive range. And since Koenma was the ruler of the spirit world, he was able to voice him for a very long time.

5 Laputa: Castle in the Sky

As Pazu

Of course, Mayumi Tanaka has excelled at voicing many iconic characters in many TV shows, but she's also worked on her fair share of feature films (and not just movie adaptations of major series. Dragon Ball and a piece). He had the most important role the legOne of the main characters of Hayao Miyazaki's second film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

As always, Tanaka did an incredible job as Pazu, a young and energetic boy with a heart of gold. Considering that he started voicing Krillin at the same time, it seems that both roles inadvertently defined Tanaka's career, and it can be said that he would never have voiced Luffy if it weren't for these two amazing performances.

6 no kitaro

As a godfather

Most of Mayumi Tanaka's non-Luffy roles were earlier a piece The broadcast began, as this long and popular anime often kept him extremely busy, especially considering the supplementary content (such as movies, video games, commercials, etc.). However, she still manages to occasionally pop up in other shows, one of the most prominent of which is the 2018 edition. no kitarowhich has his voice Father-in-law.

As she is now in her 60s, Tanaka takes advantage of her age and experience to voice older women. As a result, his performance as Sunkake-Daba is both charming and funny. She poses as a yokai who is also Kitaro's mentor and the manager of the yokai apartment. The animators even included the familiar straw hat next to him in one scene, a fun little nod to what is probably Tanaka's most iconic role.

7 The Bride of the Ancient Magus

As Phyllis

• Release Date: October 7, 2017
• Genre(s): Dark fantasy, mystery, supernatural
• studio: Wit Studio, Studio Kafka
• Creator: Kore Yamazaki

These days, Mayumi Tanaka may specialize in voicing older women in anime, but that doesn't mean they always have to be comedic or lighthearted characters. At the same time in 2018, she popped up in another popular modern show, The Bride of the Ancient MagusWhere she gave voice Phyllis.

Phyllis is a faceless witch who is also the leader of the entire coven, meaning she's never put in over-the-top, comedic situations like Tanaka's other characters. With this stunning performance, Tanaka proved that she can seamlessly switch to darker and more serious roles when needed.

8 DanDaDan

Turbo as Grandma

DanDaDanwho Turbo Grandma The voice feels like the epitome of Mayumi Tanaka's entire career as an actress, as she simultaneously represents the two types of characters she's always excelled at. Turbo Granny is first introduced as a powerful vengeful spirit who manages to come off as quite terrifying despite her foul mouth.

But later in the show, Seiko Ayase locks her inside a stuffed cat doll, where the character's more comedic side comes out. This new version of Turbo Granny looks a lot like Monkey D. Luffy, but Tanaka still managed to give it his own identity. Overall, Turbo Granny is definitely one of her best performances and showcases her incredible vocal range. In episode 1, she shares the screen with the Serpo aliens, voiced by Kazuya Nakai, a colleague of Mayumi Tanaka and the voice actor of Roronoa Zoro.