Aya Hirano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aya Hirano
平野 綾
Hirano at FanimeCon 2019
Born	(1987-10-08) October 8, 1987 (age 37) Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1998–present
Notable work	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as Haruhi Suzumiya Death Note as Misa Amane Lucky Star as Konata Izumi Fairy Tail as Lucy Heartfilia
Spouse(s)	Masashi Taniguchi ​ ​ (m. 2024; sep 2024)​
Musical career
Genres	J-pop anime song
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Lantis Universal Music

Aya Hirano (born October 8, 1987) is a Japanese actress and singer. She started in entertainment as a child, appearing in TV commercials. Her first voice acting role was in the anime series Angel Tales in 2001.

In 2006, she became very famous for voicing Haruhi Suzumiya in the Haruhi Suzumiya series. She won several awards for this role, including the Voice Acting Award at the 2007 Tokyo Anime Awards. She also won Best Newcomer in 2007 and Best Lead Actress in 2008 at the Seiyu Awards.

Aya Hirano also voiced other popular characters like Misa Amane in Death Note, Konata Izumi in Lucky Star, and Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail. Around 2010, she began acting in TV shows and stage plays.

She was known as an "idol voice actor" because she was a voice actor who also became popular in mainstream entertainment. Besides voice acting, Aya Hirano also releases music. Her first single, "Breakthrough", came out in 2006. Her first album, Riot Girl, was released in 2008.

Early Life and Beginnings

Aya Hirano was born in Nagoya, Japan, on October 8, 1987. When she was two and three years old, she lived in New York, USA, because of her father's job. She became interested in acting after seeing the Broadway musical Peter Pan in 1990.

In 1998, she joined a children's theater group in Tokyo. She started appearing in TV commercials. At 14, she got her first voice acting job in the 2001 anime series Angel Tales. In 2002, when she was 15, she voiced Lumiere in Kiddy Grade.

Acting Career Highlights

After finishing high school, Aya Hirano focused on her voice acting and singing. Her big break came in 2006 when she voiced Haruhi Suzumiya in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This show was very successful and made her very popular in Japan.

She became one of the first voice actors to become well-known in mainstream media. After this, she voiced Reira Serizawa in Nana and Misa Amane in Death Note. She won "Best Newcomer (female)" at the first Seiyu Awards for her role as Haruhi. She also won a Voice Acting award at the 2007 Tokyo Anime Awards.

Aya Hirano performed at the Animelo Summer Live concerts from 2006 to 2008. She was also a guest at Anime Expo 2007. In 2007, she continued her success by voicing Konata Izumi in Lucky Star. In 2008, she won Best Lead Actress and Best Singing at the second Seiyu Awards for her work on Lucky Star's opening theme, "Motteke! Sailor Fuku".

In 2011, Aya Hirano changed her management agency. She announced that she could take on new voice acting roles again. In 2016, after performing in a musical in Tokyo, she spent four months in New York studying English and voice.

Music Career Highlights

Hirano in 2019

Aya Hirano's music career began with the band SpringS from 2002 to 2003. She released two character songs in 2005. One was for the anime Itsudatte My Santa!, and the other was for her character Mamori Anezaki in Eyeshield 21.

Her first solo single, "Breakthrough", was released in March 2006. Her next single, "Bōken Desho Desho?", was released in April 2006. This song was the opening theme for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The CD sold out quickly in Japan.

She released more singles like "Love Gun" (2007), "Neophilia" (2007), and "MonStAR" (2007). Her first solo album, Riot Girl, came out in July 2008. She also released the song "Namida" in October 2008, which was an ending theme for the anime Hyakko.

In 2009, she released her ninth single, "Super Driver". This song was the opening theme for the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Her second album, Speed Star, was released in November 2009.

In May 2011, she released a collection of her songs called Aya Museum. She later signed with Universal Sigma and released the mini-album Fragments in May 2012. She also released "Zutto Kitto" in August 2012, which was an ending theme for the anime film Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess.

In 2013, she released two more singles, "TOxxxIC" and "Promise". Her fourth album, Vivid, was released in February 2014. In 2018, she performed "Pride" for the mobile game Granblue Fantasy.

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Aya Hirano posted a video of herself dancing to "Hare Hare Yukai". This started a trend where many people, including other voice actors, posted their own dance videos. This helped "Hare Hare Yukai" become popular again on the Billboard Japan Hot Animation chart.

Personal Life and Health

In November 2010, Aya Hirano shared that she has had a health condition since junior high school. This condition can sometimes cause temporary memory loss, vision problems, and speech difficulties. She decided not to have surgery because it would change her voice permanently.

She announced her marriage to actor Masashi Taniguchi in January 2024. Later that year, they announced their separation.

Filmography

Anime Series Voice Roles

Live-action Television Series

Drama CDs Voice Roles

Film Voice Roles

Theatre Performances

Dubbing Roles

Aya Hirano has also lent her voice to Japanese versions of foreign TV shows and movies.

Video Games Voice Roles

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Aya Hirano para niños