Popular anime with Mayumi Tanaka

Key things

• Known for voicing Luffy, Mayumi Tanaka also portrayed the iconic characters in Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho.
• Tanaka's versatile voice talent shines in roles such as Pazu from Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Turbo Granny from DanDaDan.
• Tanaka's career spans a variety of characters, from her early performances in Urusei Yatsura to her recent roles as Phyllis in Bride of the Ancient Mage.

The main character One piece, Monkey D. Luffyis undoubtedly one of the most famous anime characters in the entire world. This could be due to several different reasons, one of which is his unique voice in the Japanese version, in which he is portrayed by the legendary Mayumi Tanaka.

She is a talented and seasoned voice actress who not only gives Luffy over 27 years, but has also lent her voice to countless other characters. One piece started broadcasting. Most likely it is One piece fans have heard Mayumi Tanaka's voice in other shows, and the following performances are some of the most notable examples.

1 Dragon Ball

Like Krillin and Yajirobe

As extensive as her role as Luffy was, it's not even what put Mayumi Tanaka on the map. Dragon Ball fans probably remember her voice from two of her most important and iconic roles: Krillin and Yajirob. They're different but equally fun performances, and the voice she later uses for Luffy can be heard slightly in both.

Needless to say, Tanaka was extremely important to her Dragon Ball franchise, as she has been voicing the two characters for over 38 years, even longer than her tenure as Luffy (although she did not return to voice Mini Krillin in Dragon Ball DAIMA).

2 Sailor Moon

Like Robert

Sailor Moon is another massively popular and influential anime series that was animated by Toei Animation. But while Mayumi Tanaka usually portrays the main or supporting characters, this time she was brought in to do the voice Roberta 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 male roles as he is not as comedic and simple minded as someone like Luffy or Krillin. At the end of the day, this means she managed to appear in Toei's three biggest shows: Dragon Ball, Sailor Moonand One piece.

3 Urusei Yatsura

As Ryūnosuke Fujinami

Most anime fans are familiar with the latest animated adaptation Urusei Yatsura which aired as early as 2022. But given that the original manga was published in 1980, it should come as no surprise that it had already received an earlier adaptation in 1981 voiced by Mayumi Tanaka Ryūnosuke Fujinamione of the main characters of the series.

Her performance as Fujinami is particularly fascinating because it is completely different from the two types of characters she usually portrays: young boys and old women. Instead, Ryūnosuke Fujinami is a young woman and sounds like a young woman, meaning Tanaka most likely used his regular voice for her more often. After all, she would have been 26 at the time.

4 Yu Yu Hakusho

Like Koenma

Dragon Ball and One piece are not the only classic action shōnen anime in which Mayumi Tanaka has showcased her talents. She debuted as a character in 1992 Koenma in the animated adaptation by Studio Pierrot Yu Yu Hakushoanother classic performance that cemented her as an icon among fans of the genre.

Koenma has two different forms: a child form (which sounds like Luffy's Chibi Gear 3 form) and a teenage form (which sounds like a calmer version of Luffy). It's a fun character that allows Tanaka to showcase her vast and impressive range. And since Koenma is the ruler of the spirit world, she was able to utter it for a very long time.

5 Laputa: Castle In The Sky

Like Pazu

Of course, Mayumi Tanaka has excelled in portraying several iconic characters in several TV shows, but she has also worked on her fair share of feature films (and not just film adaptations of major series such as Dragon Ball and One piece). One of her most important roles was Armpitone of the main characters of Hayao Miyazaki's second film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

As always, Tanaka did an incredible job as Pazu, a young and energetic boy with a heart of gold. Since she started voicing Krillin around the same time, both roles seem to have inadvertently defined Tanaka's career, and it's safe to say that she would never have voiced Luffy if it weren't for these two amazing performances.

6 Gegege no Kitaro

Like Sunakeke-Babaa

Most of Mayumi Tanaka's non-Luffy roles have taken place before One piece began airing because this long and popular anime most likely kept her extremely busy, especially when factoring in supplemental material (such as movies, video games, commercials, etc.). However, she still managed to make occasional appearances in other shows, with the 2018 version being one of the most notable Gegege no Kitaroin which she voices Sunakake-Babaa.

Now in her 60s, Tanaka has taken advantage of her age and experience to reach out to older women. As a result, her performance as Sunakeke-Babaa is charming and witty. He stands out as this yokai who is also Kitara's advisor and manager of the Yōkai Apartments. The animators even included the famous straw hat right next to her in one scene, which is most likely a fun little nod to Tanaka's most iconic role.

7 The bride of an ancient mage

Like Phyllis

• Release date: October 7, 2017
• Genres: Dark Fantasy, Mystery, Supernatural
• Studio: Studio Wit, Studio Kafka
• Creator: Kore Yamazaki

Currently, Mayumi Tanaka may specialize in voicing older women in anime, but that doesn't mean she always has to be comedic or cheerful characters. Around the same time in 2018, she appeared in another popular modern show, The bride of an ancient magewhere she spoke Phyllis.

Phyllis is a faceless witch who is also the leader of the entire coven, meaning she never gets into over the top comedic situations like Tanaka's other characters. With this surprising performance, Tanaka proved that she can seamlessly transition into darker and more serious roles when needed.

8 DanDaDan

Like Turbo Grandma

DanDaDan'with Turbo grandma she feels like the epitome of Mayumi Tanaka's entire career as a voice actress, as she simultaneously represents the two types of characters she always excels at. Turbo Granny is first introduced as a powerful vengeful spirit who, despite her foul mouth, is very creepy.

But later in the show, Seiko Ayase encases her in a plush 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 her her own identity. Overall, Turbo Granny is definitely one of her best performances and demonstrates her incredible vocal range. In Episode 1, she shared the screen with the Serpo intruders, who were voiced by fellow Mayumi Tanaka and Roronoa Zoro voice actor Kazuya Nakai.