Plenty of people have brought Unico to life with their voice talent over the years, and I really wanted to showcase and share this information with fans. I’m going to jump back in time to the very first Unico voice, then head all the way to the most recent. While I’m sure there will be more in the future, it’s lovely to hear all the different variations of Unico.
I do hope that I’ve been able to capture all voices. Unico often made appearances in various media over the years, but wasn’t often given a voice. Below, you’ll find actors and actresses who played Unico in anime, games, and more.
Hiroya Oka (岡浩也)
Born on March 21, 1967, Hiroya Oka was a former child actor who played the lead role as Ken-chan in the Ken-chan Series from 1974 to 1982. He quit acting in his teens and finished high school, moving on to Kitasato University School of Medicine and becoming a psychiatrist in 1995, where he continues his practice to this day.
Oka voiced Unico in the short animation Unico: Black Cloud and White Feather in 1979. While not only Unico’s first voice, Oka is also the only male role and youngest person to provide a voice for the character. Oka was around 11 years old when he provided his voice for Unico.
Katsue Miwa (三輪勝恵)
Miwa was born on October 12, 1943, and was also a former child actor, but continued to do voice work well until her passing on June 19, 2024. Known for her role as Perman, a role she played for 57 years, Miwa brought several loved characters to life.
Miwa was the second voice of Unico, providing her talent for the Sanrio films, Unico (1981) and Unico in the Island of Magic (1983). These films were popular during the 80s, so it’s hard not to think of her as one of the key voices for Unico.
Akiko Yajima (矢島晶子)
Akiko Yajima, who now goes by Aki Uechi, was born on May 4, 1967, and her first role was Eriko Tamura from Legendary Idol Eriko in 1989. Yajima would end up playing the famous role of Shin-chan (Shinnosuke Nohara) from Crayon Shin-chan for 27 years until she stepped down in 2018.
She voiced Unico in Saving Our Fragile Earth: Unico Special Chapter (2000). This was the first animation involving Unico since the 80s, so it was lovely to see Yajima bring Unico to life.
Rumiko Tezuka (手塚るみ子)
Born on April 30, 1964, Rumiko Tezuka is Osamu Tezuka’s eldest daughter and second child. She is a company director and producer with Tezuka Productions, helping manage her father’s legacy. Tezuka is active in several areas, including art exhibits, writing books, promoting her father’s work, and much more.
Tezuka provided Unico’s voice in the Dr. Pinoko’s Forest Adventure (2005) short, which was screened in conjunction with the Black Jack: The Two Black Doctors film. Since Pinoko was modeled off of Rumiko Tezuka, it’s cute to see her play Unico and speak to Pinoko in the film. This makes her the fourth Unico.
Twitter/X: 手塚るみ子 (@musicrobita) / X
Nana Mizuki (水樹奈々)
Nana Mizuki, born on January 21, 1980, is not only a voice actress but also a singer, narrator and stage actress. While focused on becoming a singer, Mizuki went to Yoyogi Anime Academy to study voice acting. As a result, she could become a voice actress much faster. Popular series she’s acted for would include Naruto, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Rosario + Vampire, and much more. She has also sung many popular opening and ending themes, as well as character songs for anime series.
Mizuki did Unico’s voice for the Bee TV version of the Unico manga. Bee TV was a broadcasting channel app for mobile phones that had original content for purchase. While this version of Unico is not exactly an anime, this Bee Manga presented the original manga as a movie comic with voices, sound effects, and some minor animation. It was available on August 1, 2010, with 20 6-minute episodes. At the time, this movie comic was the only way to see the manga in color until the next publication was released.
Website: 水樹奈々 オフィシャルWEBサイト NANA PARTY (mizukinana.jp)
Ai Furihata (降幡愛)
Furihata was born on February 19, 1994, and is a voice actress and singer. One of her well-known roles is Ruby Kurosawa from the Love Live! franchise, but she’s been busy releasing several songs over the past few years. Her latest song Hohoemi no Oto (ホホエミノオト), the opening theme to the anime Astro Note, was released April 6, 2024.
Furihata played Unico in the Eshigami no Kizuna mobile game in 2020. The game featured several of Osamu Tezuka’s characters in female forms and yes, that included Unico. Unico’s design was illustrated by jimmy and features Unico as a cute but meek 13-year-old magic user. Furihata is the sixth Unico voice and brings this magical girl version of Unico to life.
Website: 降幡 愛 | オフィシャルサイト (furihataai.jp)
Haruna Kawai (河井晴菜)
Born September 11, Kawai has provided several voice and singing roles for anime, games, and more. She’s known for playing Nishino Flower from Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Valeria from Mon Musume ☆ Harem, and Aya Takajo from Grim Guardian Demon Purge.
Kawai voiced Unico from the Kemono Friends 3 game in 2021. This game has several anthropomorphic female characters in an RPG styled game where you battle other kemono characters. Unico was a friend available during a special event, and while Unico has a boyish look to him, he’s technically a female in this game as well, like all the other characters. Kawai is the seventh Unico on this list.
Website: Haruna Kawai | VIMS