Asami Imai (今井 麻美, Imai Asami; born May 16, 1977) is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Early Wing. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997 and as singer in 2009 by releasing her first single "Day by Day / Shining Blue Rain" under the 5pb. Records label. She is also well known for giving voices to Chihaya Kisaragi in The Idolmaster (all related productions, except for Idolmaster: Xenoglossia), Kurisu Makise in Steins;Gate, Tsubaki Yayoi in BlazBlue, and Ayumi Shinozaki in Corpse Party. She along with Eri Kitamura formed the music unit Artery Vein which is also under the 5pb. label.
Biography
Early life
Born in Tokyo in 1977, Imai moved from Shibuya to Tokuyama City (currently Shūnan City) in Yamaguchi Prefecture, when she was eight years old. However, it is stated in her official profile that she was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. She has stated that she graduated from Tokuyama High School, was vagabond for around a year, before entering Meiji University's School of Arts and Letters, majoring in Drama and Theatre Arts. In late April 2020, she uploaded her Youtube channel.
Career
In 1998, Imai won the Grand Prize for the Voice Actress category at the ENIX Anime Awards (エニックスアニメ大賞) while she was still studying. Subsequently, she debuted in the following year in the drama CD Toki no Daichi〜Hana no Ōkoku no Majo〜. In 2001, she was chosen as an assistant of the radio show, Tomokazu・Miki's Radio Big Bang. At one point of time in 2006, Imai once thought of giving up her job as a voice actress, but could not bear to leave the voice acting of her role as Chihaya Kisaragi in The Idolmaster to others.
Imai left her agency ArtsVision on April 5, 2007. She then free-lanced under the agency Kaleidoscope for 7 months. On April 22, 2009, Imai released her first major debut single, "Day by Day / Shining Blue Rain" under the 5pb. Records label. In the same year, she transferred to her current agency, Early Wing on December 1. She landed her first lead role as Kiiko Kawakami in the OVA Kuttsukiboshi in 2010. As she began expanding her singing career, she held her first solo live concert on December 25, 2010, and has since held concerts around the period of her birthday in May, as well as December.
On April 18, 2012, Imai was awarded the Best Female Character Voice award at the Famitsu Awards in 2011.
Imai is one of two members of the musical duo Artery Vein, along with Eri Kitamura. The unit mainly performs theme songs for the Corpse Party series. Imai's song "World-Line" is used as the second ending theme to the 2018 anime series Steins;Gate 0. Her song "Believe in Sky" was used as the opening theme to the 2019 anime series Pastel Memories.
Filmography
Animation
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Strait Jacket | Rachel Hammond | ||
| 2011 | Hotarubi no Mori e | Masked child (younger brother) | ||
| 2013 | Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu | Kurisu Makise | ||
| 2014 | The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! | Chihaya Kisaragi |
Live action
- Ultraseven X (2007): Soul of Light (ep 6.)
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | |||
| 2003 | Muv-Luv | Archery junior 1 | PC adult game As Keiko Horikoshi |
|
| 2004 | Flame of Recca: Final Burning | Kirito | PS1/PS2 | |
| 2005–present | The Idolmaster (series) | Chihaya Kisaragi, Yuu Kisaragi | All except Xenoglossia | |
| 2007 | Princess Maker 5 | Hiroko Sakakibara | PC | |
| 2007 | Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka | Minato Nagase | PC adult game | |
| 2008 | Lux-Pain | Lil | DS | |
| 2008 | Luminous Arc 2 | Fatima | DS | |
| 2008–10 | Twinkle Crusaders | Amyrina, Chelsea Akotto (Starlit Brave) | PC adult game As Hikōkai |
|
| 2008 | To Love-Ru: Exciting Beach School Version | Mei | PSP | |
| 2008–10 | Koihime Muso | Kakuka | PC adult game As Namiko Yamazaki |
|
| 2009–10 | Shukufuku no Campanella | Chelsea Arcot | PC adult game Also as Natsuki Miyagawa |
|
| 2009-present | Puyo Puyo (series) | Ringo Andou | DS, PSP, Wii, 3DS, PS3 (since Puyo 7) | |
| 2009–present | Steins;Gate (series) | Kurisu Makise | Including other games in the SciAdv series, including Anonymous;Code | |
| 2009 | BlazBlue: Continuum Shift | Tsubaki Yayoi | Arcade | |
| 2010 | No Fate! Only the Power of Will | Mutsuki 睦月 |
PSP | |
| 2010 | Prism Rhythm | Caroline Marigold | PC adult game As Mikage Haida |
|
| 2010 | Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland | Cecilia Helmold | PS3 | |
| 2010–present | Corpse Party (series) | Ayumi Shinozaki | 5pb. publisher | |
| 2010–present | Hyperdimension Neptunia (series) | Noire / Black Heart | ||
| 2010 | Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō | Chiaki | PSP | |
| 2010–12 | Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi | Minato Nagase (from Akaneiro) | PC adult game As Hikaru Mizusawa |
|
| 2010 | Love, Election and Chocolate | Michiru Morishita | PC adult game as Riko Inohara Also Portable in 2012 |
|
| 2011 | Disgaea 4 | Emizel | PS3 Also Return in 2014 |
|
| 2011–present | Senran Kagura (series) | Ikaruga | ||
| 2011–12 | Hakuisei Renai Shoukougun | Sayuri Sakai | PSP Also Re:Therapy |
|
| 2011 | Ragnarok Tactics | Cynthia | PSP | |
| 2011 | Walkure Romanze: Shōjo Kishi Monogatari | Rena F. Avery | PC adult game As Natsuki Hasegawa |
|
| 2012 | Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai!! S | Jinchu Lee | PC adult game As Maki Nishioka |
|
| 2012 | Nendoroid Generation | Kurisu Makise | PSP from Steins;Gate |
|
| 2012–13 | Root Double: Before Crime * After Days | Mashiro Toba | Also Xtend edition in 2013 | |
| 2012 | Borderlands 2 | Lilith | ||
| 2012 | Girl Friend Beta | Yukie Yatsuka | ||
| 2013 | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle | Sex Pistols | PS3; succeeded by Kohsuke Toriumi in *R* remaster on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC | |
| 2013 | Phantom Breaker: Extra | Kurisu Makise | from Steins;Gate | |
| 2013–15 | BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma | Tsubaki Yayoi / Izayoi | Also Extend and 2.0 | |
| 2014 | The Awakened Fate Ultimatum | Jupiel Soraumi | PS3 | |
| 2014 | Granblue Fantasy | Vira, Friday | Mobile / Browser / PC | |
| 2015 | Toukiden: Kiwami | Mio | ||
| 2015 | White Coat Love Addiction | Kaede Ohara 大原かえで |
||
| 2015 | Trillion: God of Destruction | Levia | ||
| 2016 | Hero Must Die | Angel Yulia | PS Vita version | |
| 2016 | Skullgirls 2nd Encore | Valentine | ||
| 2016 | MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies | Noire/Black Heart | ||
| 2016 | Mary Skelter: Nightmares | Cinderella | ||
| 2016 | Girls' Frontline | PSG-1, Welrod MkII | ||
| 2018 | BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle | Izayoi | ||
| 2018–present | Azur Lane | Noire / Black Heart, HMS Drake | iOS, Android | |
| 2019 | Arknights | Lappland | iOS, Android | |
| 2021 | Blue Archive | Sumire | iOS, Android | |
| 2022 | Artery Gear | Margot, Alma | iOS, Android |
Drama CD
| Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aki Sora | Sora | ||
| Fullmetal Alchemist | Elisa エリサ |
CD audio | |
| Kiss x Sis series | Yūzuki Kiryū | ||
| Metal Slader Glory | Kisaragi Yayoi 如月やよい |
CD audio | |
| Witch of the Kingdom of the time of the earth flower 刻の大地 花の王国の魔女 |
Nanami Nakajima 中島七海 |
CD audio Debut work |
|
| Scrapped Princess | Merchant 町人 |
CD audio |
Dubbing
Live-action
- Borderlands (Lilith (Cate Blanchett))
Animation
- The Summit of the Gods (Ryoko Kishi)
Discography
Asami Imai
Solo Singles
- "Day by Day /Shining Blue Rain", released April 22, 2009
- "Strawberry 〜Amaku Setsunai Namida〜", released October 21, 2009
- "Horizon", released April 21, 2010
- "Shangri-La", released July 22, 2010
- "Frame Goshi no Koi", released February 23, 2011
- "Enrai", released May 25, 2011
- "Hana no Saku Basho", released August 3, 2011
- "Hasta La Vista", released April 25, 2012
- "Limited Love", released July 25, 2012
- "Dear Darling", released March 27, 2013
- "Hoshikuzu no Ring", released June 26, 2013
- "Shikkoku no Sustain", released March 26, 2014
- "Tsuioku no Itoguruma", released July 30, 2014
- "Venus no Harmonia", released August 27, 2014
- "Asayake no Starmine", released June 3, 2015
- "BABYLON 〜 before the daybreak", released July 22, 2015
- "Sabaku no Ame", released July 27, 2016
- "Reunion -Once Again-", released October 26, 2016
- "World-Line", released August 29, 2018
- "Niji", released September 9, 2018 (Fan-club single)
- "Believe in Sky", releases January 30, 2019
- "Kimi no Koe no Kazu dake ~Can be strong~", released August 26, 2020 (Fan-club single)
Mini-Albums
- "Flow of Time", released November 27, 2019
Solo albums
- "COLOR SANCTUARY", released November 23, 2010
- "Aroma of happiness", released November 30, 2011
- "Precious Sounds", released November 28, 2012
- "Kono Kumo no Hate", released November 27, 2013
- "little legacy", released November 26, 2014
- "Words of GRACE", released February 24, 2016
- "rinascita", released May 16, 2017
- "Gene of the earth", released November 25, 2020
- "Balancing Journey", released December 22, 2021
Artery Vein
Singles
- "Confutatis no Inori", released August 25, 2010
- "Last Judgement", released April 20, 2011
- "Pandora no Yoru", released August 24, 2011
- "Kagerou", released August 8, 2012
Albums
- Artery Vein, released March 7, 2012