At AniManGaki 2025, we had the opportunity to speak to Aya Hirano, a veteran voice actress and singer known for playing iconic anime heroines like Haruhi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Konata from Lucky Star, and Misa from Death Note. Here’s five interesting facts she shared with us during the interview:
1. She never expected her level of success
Starting things on a positively wholesome note, Hirano-san mentioned having never expected the kind of future she has now – one where she’s a globally renowned voice actress and singer, especially since she originally wanted to specialise in stage acting.
Hirano-san only began to pursue voice acting after being told by a director that she had an interesting voice, and was later encouraged by her manager to audition for a role that would become her anime debut. In her words, “I had always loved anime ever since I was little, but I never imagined that I would get the chance to work as a voice actress. And the fact that people outside of Japan can now know me as a voice actress like this, I never could have imagined such a future.”
Similarly, she never expected to debut as a solo artist, having started her career as part of an idol group. “When I was a first-year university student, I was told I would be making my solo debut, which really surprised me. I was given the opportunity to perform for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and I was asked to sing its theme song, which then became my second single. At that time too, I thought, although I really love singing, I never imagined that people would actually listen to my songs, or that I’d be able to do concerts and live performances.”
2 . This is her second visit to Malaysia
AniManGaki 2025 is actually Aya Hirano’s second visit to Malaysia, as she had previously visited the country 17 years ago for a DVD shoot. Unfortunately, back then her schedule was too tight to allow for much sightseeing, which meant she had to return home without having seen much of the local culture or scenery.
Thankfully, this time around, her schedule seems to be much more relaxed. She shared, “After today’s event, I’ve made some time tomorrow to do some sightseeing, and there are several places I’d like to visit, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
3. She’s more of a casual gamer
When asked about what games she’s currently playing, she shared that she’s not much of a fan of combat-heavy videogames, despite having starred in a number of them. For example, while attempting to play through Like A Dragon: Ishin, she was unable to meet her own character, Ikumatsu, as she kept losing before she could get to that point.
Instead, she prefers playing story-based games like Granblue Fantasy, where the player gets to sit back and enjoy the story without having to take part in much active combat. Coincidentally, a new story update featuring her Granblue Fantasy character, Beatrix, just released a few days before her visit to Malaysia.
4. She’s currently watching Dan Da Dan
On a similar note, when asked about any current anime series she’s catching up with, Hirano-san mentioned that she’s a fan of Dan Dan Dan, having even considered buying merchandise of Turbo Granny at AniManGaki. In particular, she especially enjoyed the X-Japan parody from the in-universe band HAYASii, a scene which she had been looking forward to since she read the original manga.
5. Her favourite role is Haruhi Suzumiya
Last but certainly not least, Aya Hirano is perhaps best known for her breakout role as Haruhi Suzumiya in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a role she played at just eighteen years old. Although Haruhi’s personality is quite different from her own, Hirano-san mentioned that she still takes inspiration from Haruhi’s energy and courage.
One such instance took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Hirano-san considered what Haruhi would do during a situation when everyone was trapped indoors. Eventually, she decided to post a video of herself performing Haruhi’s iconic Hare Hare Yukai dance, done with the full blessing of the Haruhi production team. “I thought, surely you can still dance your heart out at home. If we can’t gather and dance together outside, then why not dance at home, share our videos with each other, and make it feel like we’re all dancing together?”
The video unexpectedly went viral, inspiring her Haruhi co-stars Tomokazu Sugita and Minoru Shiraishi to also take on the challenge, and even returning the Hare Hare Yukai song to the Japanese music charts. Hirano-san noted how she felt just as moved by the trend as she did years ago, when the Haruhi anime first became a global phenomenon. As she shared, “That whole chain of events really showed me the power of the kind of movement that Haruhi can spark.”
We’d like to once again thank AniManGaki and Aya Hirano for the interview opportunity! You can keep up with Aya Hirano through her official blog, Instagram, and Twitter.
