Maria Naganawa (長縄 まりあ, Naganawa Maria; born August 5, 1995) is a Japanese voice actress from Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, affiliated with the talent agency I'm Enterprise.[1][2] She debuted in the industry in 2014 after training at the Japan Narration Acting Research Institute and has since become known for her versatile performances in anime, video games, and related media, often voicing young or energetic female characters.[3][1]Naganawa gained widespread recognition for her role as Kanna Kamui, the dragon girl in the anime series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (2017) and its sequels, which marked a significant breakthrough in her career.[3][4] Other prominent anime roles include Komugi Inukai / Cure Wonderful in Wonderful Precure! (2024), Shizuka Yoshimoto in The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You! (2023), Platelet in Cells at Work! (2018), and Nazuna Hiwatashi in BNA: Brand New Animal (2020).[2][3] In video games, she is notable for voicing USS Laffey in Azur Lane (2017), Lydie Maren in Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings (2018), and Huohuo in Honkai: Star Rail (2023).[4][3] By 2025, she had amassed over 100 credits across various projects, including theme song performances for series like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid and her debut solo mini-album Microcosmos (2025).[3][5]
Biography
Early Life and Education
Maria Naganawa was born on August 5, 1995, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.[6] She grew up in the city of Okazaki in the same prefecture.[2]As a middle school student around 2008–2009, Naganawa participated in a community smoking cessation campaign, volunteering to call out to passersby on the streets to promote the message. During this activity, her distinctive voice drew reactions from people nearby, who buzzed with surprise, and from her classmates, who imitated her, leading her to realize its unique potential and igniting an early interest in performance and voice work.[7]She attended a commercial high school in Aichi Prefecture. To pursue this emerging passion, Naganawa enrolled in the Nagoya branch of the Japan Narration Acting Institute during her second year of high school, a prominent voice acting school affiliated with production companies like Arts Vision.[7][2] Her time there laid the foundational skills for her professional development, focusing on narration, acting techniques, and vocal expression in a structured educational environment.
Professional Debut and Agency Affiliation
Maria Naganawa entered the voice acting industry in 2014 through auditions and initial projects that facilitated her professional entry, marking the beginning of her career with minor roles and collaborative initiatives.[8] Her affiliation with I'm Enterprise was established shortly thereafter, stemming from her enrollment in the basic course at the Japan Narration Acting Institute, where she passed both the promotion review and the agency's affiliated audition during her training period.[7] This success allowed her to join the agency as a junior member around 2015, providing structured support including access to professional training, networking opportunities, and guidance tailored to emerging talent. The agency's role was instrumental in her early development, offering a platform for skill refinement and industry integration without prior extensive experience.[2]In the debut phase spanning 2014 to 2016, Naganawa engaged in non-anime activities such as radio hosting, which served as key stepping stones to build her public presence and broadcasting skills. Notably, she launched her solo web radio program Naganawa Maria HAPPY ぬ～ LIFE! in February 2015 on ListenRadio, later moving to Super! A&G+, where she shared personal insights and connected with listeners during her transition into professional work. Additionally, from April 2015, she co-hosted Ozawa Ari・Naganawa Maria no Ozanari with fellow agency member Ari Ozawa, fostering collaborative experience and agency camaraderie up to 2020. These radio endeavors highlighted her adaptability and helped solidify her early career foundation beyond scripted performances.Naganawa's relationship with I'm Enterprise has remained stable and ongoing since her joining, with no public announcements of contract renewals but continued representation as of 2025.[2] This move underscored the agency's support in logistical aspects of career establishment, allowing her to focus on professional growth within a major talent network.
Voice Acting Career
Anime Television and Web Series
In 2017, Naganawa voiced Komekko in the second season of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!. Komekko, the younger sister of protagonist Kazuma Satou, is a cheerful and intelligent child with budding magical talents, appearing in family-oriented episodes that provide comic relief and emotional depth to the isekai comedy's narrative. Her recurring role across seasons, including the 2023 third season, highlights Naganawa's ability to convey youthful innocence and mischief, enhancing the series' wholesome sibling dynamics.[9]In the same year, Naganawa gained prominence as Kanna Kamui in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, a dragon girl who forms a close bond with office worker Kobayashi after being exiled from her world. Kanna's arc evolves from a lonely newcomer adjusting to human life—attending school and developing friendships—to a more confident family member in the 2021 second season, blending slice-of-life humor with themes of belonging. Naganawa's high-pitched, endearing delivery has been praised for capturing Kanna's childlike wonder and subtle emotional growth, significantly contributing to the character's iconic status and the series' widespread appeal among fans.[10][11]Naganawa's 2018 role as the Platelet Leader in Cells at Work! portrays a diligent, tiny blood cell responsible for clotting and wound repair, often leading her squad in high-stakes bodily defense scenarios amid the educational body's action-comedy format. The character's arc emphasizes teamwork and perseverance in microscopic battles against threats like bacteria, with Naganawa reprising the role in spin-offs. Her performance infuses the platelets with a cute yet determined energy, making the anthropomorphic cells memorable and aiding the series' success in simplifying complex biology for audiences.[12]In 2019, she voiced USS Laffey in Azur Lane, a sleepy, laid-back destroyer shipgirl in a fleet of anthropomorphic warships battling sirens in this mobile game adaptation turned TV series. Laffey's development involves overcoming her drowsy demeanor to support her comrades in naval warfare episodes, recurring in the 2021 second season. Naganawa's soft, monotone inflection perfectly suits Laffey's relaxed personality, amplifying the character's popularity in the moe anthropomorphism genre and resonating with fans through her subtle expressiveness in combat scenes.[13]Naganawa took on the role of Nazuna Hiwatashi in the 2020 Netflix web anime BNA: Brand New Animal, a energetic tanuki beastman who grapples with identity and prejudice in the beastman enclave of Anima City. Nazuna's arc shifts from an idol-wannabe facing discrimination to a key ally in uncovering city conspiracies, blending action with social commentary. Her vibrant, youthful voicing by Naganawa underscores Nazuna's optimism and vulnerability, enriching the series' exploration of coexistence and earning acclaim for adding emotional layers to the fast-paced narrative.[14]Most recently, in 2024, Naganawa stars as Komugi Inukai, aka Cure Wonderful, in the television series Wonderful Precure!, a dog-loving girl transformed into a magical warrior fighting evil with her family. Komugi's journey involves discovering her powers and balancing everyday life with heroic duties across the season's episodic battles promoting friendship and courage. Naganawa's enthusiastic yet tender portrayal brings out Komugi's bravery and warmth, strengthening the Precure franchise's tradition of empowering young heroines and boosting the series' reception among child audiences.[15]In 2025, Naganawa voiced Hina Yoarashi, a rich genius golfer, in the sports comedy animeSorairo Utility.[16]
Anime Films
In 2019, Naganawa voiced Valvaran "Ran," a reincarnated vampire in Laidbackers, a story about fantasy creatures living ordinary lives in the human world until they embark on a quest to recover a lost magical item.[17] In this ensemble production by Studio Deen, Ran's character contributes to the film's lighthearted adventure tone, blending comedic and action elements as the group navigates modern Japan.[18]Later that year, Naganawa voiced Komekko in KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson, the younger sister of the explosion-obsessed mage Megumin, during the party's journey to the Crimson Demon Village to combat a demon threat.[19] Komekko's childlike enthusiasm and family dynamics add humor and emotional depth to the film's parody-filled fantasy narrative, directed by Takaomi Kanasaki.[20] Her performance helped capture the character's mischievous innocence amid the high-stakes quest.In 2020, Naganawa portrayed Shia "Nomu" Nomura, the deputy captain of the battleship Yamato, in High School Fleet: The Movie, where the crew of the Harekaze II faces a hijacking during an inter-school maritime festival.[21] As a new character in this Production IMS film, Nomura's role supports the ensemble's tactical efforts, emphasizing teamwork and naval strategy in the self-contained thriller plot.[22]Naganawa reprised her iconic role as Kanna Kamui in the 2025 Kyoto Animation film Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved, centering on the young dragon's internal conflict when her father returns to reclaim her amid brewing chaos between dragon factions.[23] Kanna's arc explores themes of belonging and friendship, with Naganawa's delivery highlighting the character's vulnerability and growth in this cinematic expansion of the series.[24] The film's premiere contributed to heightened visibility for Naganawa, leveraging the franchise's popularity and international distribution by Crunchyroll.[25]
Video Games
Maria Naganawa has contributed voice acting to numerous video games since her debut in the medium around 2014, often portraying young, energetic, or mystical female characters in role-playing and mobile titles. Her performances integrate deeply with interactive gameplay, providing extensive dialogue that advances player-driven narratives, character backstories, and branching storylines in expansive game worlds. Developers such as Gust Co. Ltd. and Cygames have featured her in pivotal roles that enhance lore through voiced cutscenes, companion interactions, and event-specific lines, contributing to immersive experiences across consoles and mobile platforms.[3]One of her early notable roles was Saeki Hina in the mobile rhythm gameTokyo 7th Sisters (2014, developed by Misty), where she voiced a cheerful idol character involved in live performance events and story quests, with dialogue emphasizing team dynamics in a post-apocalyptic setting. In 2015, Naganawa lent her voice to multiple characters in Kaden Shōjo (mobile, DMM Games), including Ramu and Neiro, supporting puzzle-based gameplay through voiced hints and narrative interludes that reveal appliance-themed lore. That same year, she portrayed Miyuki in the action RPG Chrome Magna (PlayStation Vita, Acquire), contributing to combat tutorials and ally support lines that aid player progression in a mecha-fantasy world.[3]Naganawa's role as Lydie Malen in Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings (2018, PlayStation 4 and PC, developed by Gust Co. Ltd.) marked a significant lead performance in the Atelier series, where her calm, artistic twin sister character drives the core alchemy synthesis mechanics and exploration narrative. Lydie's extensive voiced dialogue—spanning over 100 hours of gameplay—details family bonds, artistic inspirations, and magical painting lore, with additional lines in DLC expansions like "The Alchemist of the Glass Palace" that expand on character development through new quests and interactions. Her portrayal received fan acclaim for capturing Lydie's quiet determination, enhancing the game's open-ended crafting and adventure elements. She reprised the role in the related title Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World (2019, multiple platforms, Gust Co. Ltd.), voicing Lydie in crossover scenarios that integrate her into town-building simulations with voiced event dialogues.[3][26]In mobile gacha games, Naganawa has voiced various characters in Granblue Fantasy (2014 ongoing, Cygames), including the primal beast Wamdus (added 2021), whose human-form lines during summon animations and raid battles emphasize themes of ancient power and transformation, tying into the game's epic skyfaring lore through event stories and multiplayer co-op modes. Her performance as USS Laffey in Azur Lane (2017, Yostar) features a sleepy destroyer ship girl with hundreds of voiced lines for fleet battles, dorm interactions, and seasonal events, integrating her childlike personality into tactical naval combat gameplay. Similarly, in Alchemy Stars (2021, Tourdog Studio), she voices Amy, Raphaela, and Kanna Kamui (from a collaborationevent), with dialogue volumes exceeding 500 lines per character that support turn-based strategy elements, aurorian lore development, and live service updates like anniversary expansions. These roles highlight her versatility in ongoing titles, where updates and live events often include new voiced content to maintain player engagement.[3][27][28]Later works include Huohuo in Honkai: Star Rail (2023, HoYoverse), a console and mobile RPG where her foxian judge character delivers lore-rich dialogues during exploration and combat, contributing to the game's interstellar narrative arcs. In The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak series (2021–2024, Nihon Falcom), she voices the dual characters Mare and Yumé across multiple entries like Kuro no Kiseki (2021, PlayStation 4), Crimson Sin (2022), and Kai no Kiseki (2024), with motion capture-enhanced performances that deepen twin-sibling dynamics in detective-style gameplay, including voiced flashbacks and choice-driven plot branches. These roles underscore Naganawa's impact on long-form RPGs, where her voices facilitate character growth amid complex world-building. While no formal awards specifically for her video game work have been documented, her performances in titles like the Atelier series have garnered significant fan recognition in community events and polls.[3]
Dubbing Roles
Maria Naganawa has contributed to Japanese dubs of several foreign productions, showcasing her versatility in voicing young characters across live-action and animated media. Her dubbing work began gaining prominence in the early 2020s, often involving adaptations that required capturing the energetic and innocent tones of child protagonists while navigating cultural differences in humor and dialogue delivery.[2]In live-action dubbing, Naganawa provided the voice for Sophie, the precocious nine-year-old girl central to the plot, in the 2020 action-comedy film My Spy. Directed by Peter Segal and starring Dave Bautista, the movie follows a CIA operative who becomes an unwitting babysitter; the Japanese version was released on DVD in 2020, emphasizing Naganawa's ability to convey Sophie's witty banter and emotional depth in a family-oriented narrative.[2]Turning to animated content, Naganawa's roles include voicing both Lola Loud and her younger sister Lily Loud in the Nickelodeon series The Loud House. This chaotic family comedy, created by Chris Savino, premiered its Japanese dub on April 28, 2021, via Rakuten TV's Nick+ streaming service, with Season 1 episodes becoming available on dTV Channel's Nickelodeon Japan platform starting in 2023. Lola, the sassy pageant princess, and Lily, the mischievous toddler, highlight Naganawa's range in portraying sibling dynamics amid the show's boisterous household antics. She reprised these roles in the 2021 Netflix film The Loud House Movie, where the family embarks on a rock band adventure in Scotland, released in Japan through streaming outlets.[2][3]Additionally, Naganawa voiced Tikki, the wise and cheerful kwami companion to the protagonist Marinette, in the Japanese dub of the French-animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and its 2023 feature film Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie. The series, produced by Zagtoon and Method Animation, began airing in Japan in 2017, with Naganawa's involvement noted in later seasons and the movie, which explores superhero origins and was distributed via streaming platforms like Netflix. Her performance captures Tikki's magical guidance and playful personality, adapting the show's Parisian setting and transformation sequences for Japanese audiences.[2][29]
Musical Career
Theme Song Performances
Maria Naganawa has made notable contributions to anime theme songs through her vocal performances, often collaborating with fellow voice actors to portray character ensembles that deepen the emotional resonance of the series. Her singing highlights her versatility, blending her voice acting skills with musical expression to enhance the thematic elements of the projects she is involved in. These performances frequently tie directly to her roles, allowing her to embody characters through song and fostering stronger audience connections to the narrative.[3]One of her prominent contributions is the opening theme for The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (season 1, 2023), titled "Daidaidaidai Daisuki na Kimi e♡," performed as part of a group featuring Kaede Hondo (Hakari Hanazono), Miyu Tomita (Karane Inda), Asami Seto (Nano Eiai), and Ayaka Asai (Kusuri Yakuzen), alongside Naganawa as Shizuka Yoshimoto. Released on December 27, 2023, by Lantis, the upbeat track captures the series' harem comedy essence with its playful lyrics and harmonious vocals, amplifying Shizuka's shy yet endearing personality from Naganawa's portrayal. The song earned a nomination for Opening Theme Song of the Year at the 10th Anime Trending Awards in 2024, reflecting its positive fan reception for its catchy melody and synchronization with the anime's vibrant animation. For the second season (2025), Naganawa again participated in the opening as part of the expanded Rentarō Family group, continuing the collaborative energy that mirrors the show's ensemble dynamics.[3][30][31][32]In 2021, Naganawa provided vocals for the ending theme "Maid with Dragons❤︎" from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S, singing as part of the Super Chorogons unit with Yūki Kuwahara (Tohru), Yūki Takada (Elma), Minami Takahashi (Lucoa), and Manaka Iwami (Ilulu), voicing her character Kanna Kamui. This lively, maid-themed song, which aired for episodes 1-2 and 4-11, complements the series' blend of fantasy and slice-of-life humor, with Naganawa's high-pitched delivery evoking Kanna's childlike innocence and adding warmth to the group's chaotic harmony. It received a nomination for Ending Theme Song of the Year at the 8th Anime Trending Awards in 2022, praised for its fun choreography in the anime's ending sequences and broad appeal among fans. The track's recording process emphasized group synergy, as noted in production notes, to reflect the dragons' familial bonds. Naganawa has performed it live at events like the Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid film concert world tour in 2025, including shows in Taiwan and Japan, where she joined Kuwahara onstage to recreate the performance with live instrumentation by fhána, enhancing fan engagement through direct character immersion.[3][33][34][35]Other significant performances include the ending theme for Magic of Stella (2016), "Yonaka Jikaru," a duet with Ryōko Maekawa that highlights themes of friendship and late-night creativity, aligning with Naganawa's role as Tamaki Miwa. In In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki (2022), she contributed to the episodes 12-13 ending "Akanegumi Katsudou Nisshi Umahan" with Marika Kohno and Yō Taichi, portraying the Akane team's spirited activities in a folk-inspired melody that underscores the series' secretive ninja world. These collaborations often involve synchronized recording sessions to match character interactions, and Naganawa has showcased them at live concerts, such as the World Dai Star joint music performance in November 2025, where she performed as Yae Niizuma, bridging her theme song work with broader musical appearances.[3][36][37][38]
Solo Music Releases
Prior to 2025, Naganawa had not released any solo singles or albums, focusing primarily on character songs tied to her anime and game roles.On September 24, 2025, Lantis announced Naganawa's first major-label release, the mini-album Microcosmos, scheduled for December 24, 2025.[39] Produced under the Lantis imprint, this six-track collection represents a significant milestone, emphasizing introspective pop themes that align with Naganawa's portrayal of youthful, emotionally resonant characters in her voice acting work.[40] The album's concept explores the idea of an inner "microcosmos"—a personal universe within each individual, filled with joy, sorrow, love, and pain, untouchable by others and symbolizing self-acceptance and intrinsic value.[40] Artwork and track index were unveiled on November 1, 2025, featuring Naganawa in ethereal, cosmic visuals that evoke wonder and intimacy.[41]Production highlights include collaborations with notable Japanese songwriters, blending electronic pop, romantic ballads, and whimsical elements to capture Naganawa's versatile range.[40] Key tracks were crafted by teams such as lyricist Tsuneyoshi Mio and composer Ishiguro Takeshi for the opening and closing songs, with others handled by artists like Blue BomBom, N1K0, and Asari Shinya, ensuring a cohesive yet diverse soundscape.[40]
[40]Promotional efforts include a series of 1-on-1 online talk events held on October 11, 2025, allowing fans direct interaction ahead of the release.[42] An internet signing event is set for November 23, 2025, where participants can receive personalized signed Christmas cards via lottery.[41] The initial limited edition features a photobook and random voice photo cards, while the regular edition offers the CD alone, with pre-orders reflecting strong anticipation among her fanbase for this personal artistic expression.[40]