Sayaka Kanda facts for kids

Sayaka Kanda (Japanese: 神田 沙也加, Hepburn: Kanda Sayaka, October 1, 1986 – December 18, 2021) was a talented Japanese actress and singer. She was the only child of famous actor Masaki Kanda and popular pop singer Seiko Matsuda. Sayaka was known for her many roles in movies, TV shows, and especially on stage. She also became very famous for her voice acting, particularly as Anna in the Japanese version of Disney's Frozen.

Early Life and Family

Sayaka Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Her parents were both well-known in the entertainment world. Her father, Masaki Kanda, was an actor, and her mother, Seiko Matsuda, was a very popular singer. Sayaka's grandmother, Teruko Asahi, was also an actress.

Career Highlights

Sayaka Kanda started her career in entertainment at a young age. She was very active as an actress and singer throughout her life.

Early Acting and Voice Work

In 1999, while she was still a student, Sayaka appeared in a short film called Bean Cake. This film later won an award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. She also wrote some song lyrics for her mother, Seiko Matsuda.

In 2011, Sayaka made her first appearance on Kōhaku Uta Gassen. This is a very famous Japanese music show. She sang "Ue o Muite Arukō" alongside her mother.

A big moment in her career came in July 2012. Sayaka debuted as a voice actress in the TV animation Good Luck Girl!. This led to her most famous voice role: Anna in the Japanese version of Disney's animated movie Frozen. She won an award for this role, the Best Lead Actress award at the 9th Seiyu Awards. She voiced Anna again in 2019 for the video game Kingdom Hearts III.

Music Journey

In April 2014, Sayaka formed a music duo called Trustrick with guitarist Billy. They released their first album, Eternity, in June of that year. The duo continued to make music until they decided to disband in December 2016.

Sayaka also performed as a special guest at a concert in 2014. She sang a song called "Letter in the Wind" with the Tibetan Chinese singer Alan Dawa Dolma. She also shared covers of Vocaloid songs on her YouTube channel.

Personal Life

In May 2017, Sayaka Kanda married actor Mitsu Murata. However, they later divorced in December 2019. Before she passed away, Sayaka was in a relationship with actor Takahisa Maeyama. They had worked together on a stage play in 2021 and had plans to get married.

Passing Away

Sayaka Kanda passed away on December 18, 2021, in Sapporo, Japan. Her family held a private cremation service.

Her Works

Sayaka Kanda had a wide range of works as a singer, actress, and voice actress.

Music Albums and Singles

• "Ever Since" (2002)
• "Garden" (2003)
• "Mizu Iro" (2004)
• "Jōgen no Tsuki" (2005)
• Doll (2005) - Album
• Liberty (2011) - Album

with TRUSTRICK

• "World's End Curtain Call -theme of DANGANRONPA THE STAGE-" (2014)
• "FLYING FAFNIR" (2015)
• "innocent promise" (2015)
• "Recall THE END" (2016)
• "DEAD OR LIE" (2016) duo with Maon Kurosaki
• "Rainbow Summer" (2019)
• Eternity (2014) - Album
• TRUST (2015) - Album
• TRICK (2016) - Album
• 未来系Answer E.P. (2015) - Mini-Album
• beloved E.P. (2016) - Mini-Album

Digital Singles

• "LUVORATORRRRRY!" (2018)
• "Good Morning, Polar Night" (2019)
• "Roki" (2019)

as Yuna from "Sword Art Online"

• "Ubiquitous dB" (2017)
• "delete" (2017)
• "Break Beat Bark!" (2017)
• "longing" (2017)
• "smile for you" (2017)

Cover Albums

• MUSICALOID #38 (2018)
• MUSICALOID #38 Act.2 (2019)
• MUSICALOID #38 Act.3 (2021)

Movies and TV Shows

• Bean Cake (1999)
• Dragon Head (2003)
• School Wars: Hero (2004)
• Farewell, Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown (2008)
• Amazing Grace (2011)
• Real Girl (2018) – Ezomichi (voice)
• Yankee Bokō ni Kaeru (TBS, 2003) – Nanae Koga (TV drama)
• Mito Kōmon (TBS, 2004, 2007) – Kozue, Osaki (TV drama)
• Omotesando Koukou Gasshoubu! (TBS, 2015) – Emiri Seyama (TV drama)

Stage Performances

• Into the Woods (2004) – Little Red Ridinghood
• Murasaki Shikibu Story (2006, 2008) – Empress Shōshi
• The Woman in White (2007) – Laura Fairlie
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (2007-2009) – Peaseblossom
• Grease (2008) – Sandy
• Les Miserables (2009–2011) – Cosette
• Peter Pan (2009–2011, 2017) – Wendy Darling
• Anne of Green Gables (2012) – Anne Shirley
• Dance of the Vampires (2015–2020) – Sarah
• Legally Blonde (2017–2019) – Elle Woods
• My Fair Lady (2018-2021) – Eliza Doolittle
• Crest of the Royal Family (2021) – Carol Reed

Voice Acting Roles

• Frozen (2013) – Anna (Japanese dub)
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) – Anna (Japanese dub)
• Frozen II (2019) – Anna (Japanese dub)
• GAMBA (2015) – Shioji (Theatrical animation)
• Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017) – Yuna (Theatrical animation)
• Good Luck Girl! (2012) – Nadeshiko Adenokouji (Television animation)
• Unlimited Fafnir (2015) – Miyako Shinomiya (Television animation)
• Real Girl (2018) – Ezomichi (Television animation)
• Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld (2020) – Yuna (Television animation)
• Idoly Pride (2021) – Mana Nagase (Television animation)

Video Game Roles

• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017) – Kaede Akamatsu
• Let It Die (2017) – Kiwako Seto
• Kingdom Hearts III (2019) – Anna
• Accel World vs. Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight (2017) - Yuna
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (2018) - Yuna

See also

In Spanish: Sayaka Kanda para niños