Mana Ashida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mana Ashida
芦田 愛菜
Ashida in 2020
Born	(2004-06-23) 23 June 2004 (age 21) Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan
Other names	Mana-chan
Education	Keio Junior High School Keio Girls Senior High School
Occupation	Actress tarento singer
Years active	2009–present
Employer	Jobbykids
Notable work	TV dramas Mother (2010) Marumo no Okite (2011) Beautiful Rain (2012) Film works Hankyu Densha Usagi Drop Jewelpet the Movie: Sweets Dance Princess Pacific Rim
Awards	Details
Signature

Mana Ashida (芦田 愛菜, Ashida Mana, born 23 June 2004) is a famous Japanese actress and singer. She first appeared in a short TV movie, but became very well-known after starring in the TV show Mother.

Mana made history by becoming the youngest main actress in a Japanese TV drama with Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien. In 2011, she also became the youngest main actress in a TV series, Marumo no Okite. You might also know her from movies like Confessions and Bunny Drop.

Mana and her co-star Fuku Suzuki sang the popular song "Maru Maru Mori Mori" in 2011. It was the theme song for Marumo no Okite.

Mana Ashida's Acting Journey

Starting Her Career

Mana started her acting career in 2009. Her first role was in a short TV movie called ABC Short Movie 2. Bokenmama. In 2010, she acted in her first movie, Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora. That same year, she played Manami Moriguchi in the movie Confessions.

She was also in Ghost: In Your Arms Again, a Japanese version of the movie Ghost. For her acting in Ghost, she won a 'Rookie of the Year' award at the 34th Japan Academy Awards. Besides acting, Mana also did voice-over roles for foreign films. She was the voice of Agnes in the Japanese version of Despicable Me. She also voiced young Fang Deng in the Japanese release of Aftershock.

Becoming Popular

Mana became very popular after appearing in the TV drama Mother. In this show, she played Reina Michiki, a young child who was not treated well by her mother. She won awards like 'Best Supporting Actress' for her role.

In 2011, at just 6 years old, Mana became the youngest main actress in a Japanese TV drama. This was for the special TV movie Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien. Later that spring, she became the youngest actress to star in a TV series, Marumo no Okite. She acted alongside Fuku Suzuki, who was also 6 years old. The show was very successful, with many people watching it.

Music Debut and TV Hosting

Mana made her singing debut with Fuku Suzuki. They sang Marumo no Okite's theme song, "Maru–Maru–Mori-Mori! (マル・マル・モリ・モリ!)". They called their group Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook (薫と友樹、たまにムック). This song was released in May 2011 and quickly became very popular. It reached third place on the Oricon charts. This made them the youngest group ever to have a song in the top 10 on the Oricon charts.

In early 2011, Mana also appeared in several Japanese movies. These included Inu to Anata no Monogatari and Hankyū Densha.

Mana also starred with actor Kenichi Matsuyama in the movie Usagi Drop. She played the main character, Rin, and everyone praised her performance. The director said her laughter made the movie set a happy place. Mana won the 'Best Newcomer' award at the 54th Blue Ribbon Awards. She was the youngest person ever to receive this award.

In October 2011, Mana started co-hosting the TV talk show Meringue no Kimochi. This made her the youngest regular host of a talk show.

Mana also started her solo music career in 2011. Her first solo song was "Sutekina Nichiyōbi: Gyu Gyu Good Day! (ステキな日曜日～Gyu Gyu グッデイ！～)". It was released in October 2011 and reached fourth place on the Oricon charts. This made Mana the youngest solo artist to be in the Oricon weekly TOP10 charts. Her first album, Happy Smile!, came out in November 2011. It also reached the top 10, making her the youngest artist to have an album there.

Mana and Fuku Suzuki were the youngest people to perform at the famous Kōhaku Uta Gassen singing competition.

Recent Work

In 2012, Mana voiced Annie in the Japanese anime movie Magic Tree House. She also sang the theme song for the anime series Jewelpet Kira☆Deco!. The song, "Zutto Zutto Tomodachi", was also used in the 2012 anime movie Jewelpet the Movie: Sweets Dance Princess. Mana also appeared in this movie as Princess Mana.

Mana starred as Miu Kinoshita in the TV drama Beautiful Rain. She played the daughter of a single father who had a type of Alzheimer's disease. She also sang the theme song for the show, "Ame ni Negai o". This was the first time Mana sang a drama theme song by herself.

In December 2012, she held her first solo concert in Tokyo.

Mana made her Hollywood movie debut in the 2013 film Pacific Rim. She played the role of young Mako Mori. She traveled to Toronto to film it and met the director, Guillermo del Toro. She even got to call him "Totoro-san"!

In January 2013, Mana appeared on a special kids' version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. She won the top prize of ¥1,000,000, becoming the youngest person to win the top prize in the show's history.

In 2014, Mana starred in the TV series Ashita, Mama ga Inai. She played Post, a child who was left at a baby hatch. Many viewers really liked her performance in this show. In 2015, she played a 10-year-old company president in the NHK TV drama Rugged!. This was her first main role in an NHK drama.

Mana has continued to act in many films and TV shows. In 2018, she was the narrator for the TV show Manpuku. From 2020 to 2021, she played Akechi Tama in Awaiting Kirin. In 2023, she starred in The Greatest Teacher. She also voiced characters in animated movies like Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018), Children of the Sea (2019), and Poupelle of Chimney Town (2020).

Her recent film roles include BL Metamorphosis (2022) and Lonely Castle in the Mirror (2022), where she voiced Ōkami-sama. In 2024, she appeared in Cells at Work! and has upcoming films like Not Me That Went Viral (2025) and Scarlet (2025).

About Mana's Life

Mana Ashida was born on June 23, 2004, in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She is an only child. People often call her Mana-chan, which is a friendly nickname. Mana has shared that she is a fan of the K-pop group Kara. She enjoys riding unicycles and reads more than 60 books every month!

In April 2017, Mana was accepted into Keio Junior High School. This is one of the best junior high schools in the Greater Tokyo Area. She passed the entrance exam to get in. In March 2023, she graduated from Keio Girls Senior High School. In April 2023, she was accepted into Keio University to study law.

In March 2025, Mana Ashida was chosen to be a goodwill ambassador for climate change at the United Nations Development Programme. This means she helps spread awareness about climate change.

Mana Ashida's Work

Movies

• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (2010) as Mirai Natsume
• Confessions (2010) as Manami Moriguchi
• Ghost: In Your Arms Again (2010) as the child ghost
• Inu to Anata no Monogatari (2011) as Mana
• Hankyū Densha (2011) as Ami Hagiwara
• Bunny Drop (2011) as Rin Kaga
• Magic Tree House (2012) as the voice of Annie
• Liar Game: Saisei (2012) as cool Alice
• Jewelpet the Movie: Sweets Dance Princess (2012) as the voice of Princess Mana
• Nobo no Shiro (2012) as Chidori
• Pacific Rim (2013) as Mako Mori (childhood)
• Kujikenaide (2013) as Toyo Shibata (childhood)
• Entaku (2014) as Kotoko Uzuhara
• Takayuki Yamada 3D The Movie (2017)
• Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018) as the voice of Margo
• Children of the Sea (2019) as the voice of Ruka Azumi
• Under the Stars (2020) as Chihiro
• Poupelle of Chimney Town (2020) as the voice of Lubicchi
• The House of the Lost on the Cape (2021) as the voice of Yui
• BL Metamorphosis (2022) as Urara Sayama
• Lonely Castle in the Mirror (2022) as the voice of Ōkami-sama
• Cells at Work! (2024) as Niko Urushizaki
• Not Me That Went Viral (2025) as Sakura
• Scarlet (2025) as the voice of Scarlet

TV Shows

• ABC Short Movie 2: Daibokenmama (2009, ABC)
• Ketto! Rojinto (2009, Wowow)
• Tokujo Kabachi!! (2010, TBS, episode 3)
• Mother (2010, NTV) – Rena Michiki / Tsugumi Suzuhara
• Toilet no Kamisama (2011, MBS) – Kana Uemura (childhood)
• Gō (2011, NHK) – Chacha (Childhood), Sen (Childhood)
• Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien (2011, NTV) – Kanna Yamazaki
• Marumo no Okite (2011, CX) – Kaoru Sasakura
• Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (2011, CX, episode 1) – Kaoru Sasakura (guest)
• Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni (2011, NTV) – Chizuru Hojo
• Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi (2011 Summer Season Special) (2011, CX)
• Marumo no Okite Special (2011, CX) – Kaoru Sasakura
• Nankyoku Tairiku (2011, TBS) – Haruka Furudate
• Alice in Liar Game (2012, CX, Spinoff of Liar Game: Saisei film) – Alice
• Beautiful Rain (2012, CX) – Miu Kinoshita
• Ashita, Mama ga Inai (2014, NTV) – Post
• Gin Nikan (2014, NHK) – Otetsu Maho (childhood)
• Hana-chan no Miso Soup (2014, NTV) – Hana Yasutake
• Rugged! (2015, NHK) – Noa Fukami
• Our House (2016, CX) - Sakurako Ban
• Manpuku (2018 – 19, NHK) – narrator
• Awaiting Kirin (2020 – 21, NHK) - Akechi Tama
• The Greatest Teacher (2023, NTV) – Kanau Ugumori

Voice Acting for Japanese Dubs

• Despicable Me (2010) as Agnes
• Aftershock (2010) as young Fang Deng
• Despicable Me 2 (2013) as Agnes
• The Peanuts Movie (2015) as Little Red-Haired Girl
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) as Madison Russell
• Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) as Madison Russell

Variety Shows

• Meringue (2011 – 2012, NTV) – co-host
• Music Japan (2011, NHK)
• 62nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen (2011, NHK)

Video Games

• Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joō (2011) as voice of the Mysterious Girl (Kokoru)

Mana Ashida's Music

Singles

Albums

• Happy Smile! (Universal Music, 2011)

Awards and Recognition

2010

• 4th Tokyo Drama Awards: Special Award for Mother
• 65th The Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Newcomer for Mother
• 14th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Supporting Actress for Mother

2011

• 34th Japan Academy Film Prize: Rookie of the Year for Ghost: In Your Arms Again
• 2011 Tokyo Drama Awards: Best Performance by an Actress for Marumo no Okite and Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien
• 53rd Japan Record Award: Special Award for Maru Maru Mori Mori!
• 54th Blue Ribbon Awards: Best Newcomer for Hankyū Densha and Usagi Drop

2023

• 47th Elan d'or Awards: Newcomer of the Year