Summary
The protagonist ofOne Piece,Monkey D. Luffy, is undoubtedlyone of the most recognizable anime characters in the entire world. This can be chalked up to several different reasons, one of them being his unique voice in the Japanese version, in which he is portrayed by the legendaryMayumi Tanaka.
She is a talented and seasoned voice actress who has not only been voicing Luffy for more than 27 years but has also lent her voice to countless other characters beforeOne Piecebegan airing. It’s most likely thatOne Piecefans have heard Mayumi Tanaka’s voice in other shows, and the following performances are some of the most notable examples.
As extensive as her role as Luffy has been, it isn’t even what put Mayumi Tanaka on the map.Dragon Ballfans most likely remember her voice from two of her most important and iconic roles:KrillinandYajirobe. These are different but equally fun performances, and the voice that she would later use for Luffy can be heard slightly in both of them.
Needless to say, Tanaka has been of extreme importance to theDragon Ballfranchise, as she has been voicing these two characters for over 38 years, even longer than her tenure as Luffy (although she hasn’t returned to voice Mini Krillin inDragon Ball DAIMA).
Sailor Moonis yet another massively popular and influential anime series that was animated by Toei Animation. But even though Mayumi Tanaka usually portrays main or secondary characters, this time around she was brought in to voiceRobert, a boy who only appears in episode 143 of the show.
Regardless of his brief appearance, Tanaka still gave it her all. Robert is quite different from her usual masculine roles, as he is not as comedic and simple-minded as someone like Luffy or Krillin. At the end of the day, this meansthat she managed to make appearances in three of Toei’s biggest shows:Dragon Ball,Sailor Moon, andOne Piece.
Most anime fans are familiar with the most recent animated adaptationofUrusei Yatsurathat aired back in 2022. But, considering that the original manga came out in 1980, it should be no surprise that it already got an earlier adaptation in 1981, in which Mayumi Tanaka voicedRyūnosuke Fujinami, one of the series’ major characters.
Her performance as Fujinami is particularly fascinating because it’s completely different from the two types of characters she usually portrays: young boys and old women. Instead, Ryūnosuke Fujinami is a young woman, and she sounds like one, which means that it’s most likely Tanaka used her regular voice more often for her. After all, she would have been 26 years old around that time.
Dragon BallandOne Pieceare not the only classic action shōnen anime in which Mayumi Tanaka got to display her talents. In 1992, she made her debut as the characterKoenmain Studio Pierrot’s animated adaptation ofYu Yu Hakusho, another classic performance that cemented her as an icon among fans of the genre.
Koenma has two different forms: A baby form (which sounds like Luffy’s Chibi Gear 3 form) and a teenage form (which sounds like a calmer version of Luffy). This is a fun character quirk that has let Tanaka show off her extensive and impressive range.And since Koenma is the ruler of the Spirit World, she was able to voice him for a very long time.
Of course, Mayumi Tanaka has excelled at voicing multiple iconic characters on several TV shows, but she has also worked on a fair share of feature films (and not just movie adaptations of big series likeDragon BallandOne Piece). One of her most important roles wasPazu,one of the main characters of Hayao Miyazaki’s second movie,Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
As always, Tanaka did an incredible job as Pazu, a young and energetic boy with a heart of gold. Considering that she began voicing Krillin around the same time, it seems that both roles inadvertently defined Tanaka’s career, and it can be said that she would’ve never voiced Luffy if it wasn’t for these two amazing performances.
Most of Mayumi Tanaka’s non-Luffy roles happened beforeOne Piecebegan airing, as this long and popular anime has most likely kept her extremely busy, especially when taking supplemental material (like films, video games, commercials, etc.) into account. However, she has still managed to occasionally pop up in other shows,with one of the most prominent being the 2018 version ofGegege no Kitaro, in which she voicesSunakake-Babaa.
Since she’s in her 60s now, Tanaka has taken advantage of her age and experience and began voicing older women. As a result, her performance as Sunakake-Babaa is both charming and funny. She stands out as this yokai who is also Kitaro’s advisor and the manager of Yōkai Apartments. The animators even included a familiar straw hat right next to her in one scene, which most likely is a fun little nod to Tanaka’s most iconic role.
7The Ancient Magus' Bride
As Phyllis
Nowadays, Mayumi Tanaka may specialize in voicing older women in anime, but this doesn’t mean that they always have to be comedic or lighthearted characters. Around the same time in 2018, she popped up in another popular modern show,The Ancient Magus' Bride, where she voicedPhyllis.
Phyllis is a faceless witch who is also the leader of an entire coven,which means that she’s never put in over-the-top, comedic situationslike Tanaka’s other characters. With this surprising performance, Tanaka has proven that she can seamlessly switch into darker and more serious roles when it’s required.
DanDaDan’sTurbo Grannyfeels like the epitome of Mayumi Tanaka’s entire career as a voice actress, because she simultaneously represents the two types of character she always excels at.Turbo Granny is first introduced as a powerful vengeful spiritwho manages to come off as very creepy, despite her foul mouth.
But later on in the show, Seiko Ayase seals her inside a stuffed cat doll, which is where the more comedic side of the character comes out. This new version of Turbo Granny sounds a lot more like Monkey D. Luffy, but Tanaka still managed to give it its own identity. Overall, Turbo Granny is definitely one of her best performances and it demonstrates her incredible vocal range. In Episode 1, she shared the screen with the Serpo Aliens, who are voiced by Mayumi Tanaka’s colleague and Roronoa Zoro’s voice actor, Kazuya Nakai.
