Respect for Ikue Ootani

While still on the subject of the de facto series mascot, one cannot escape talking about Pikachu without talking about the one who provides its characteristic voice: Ikue Ootani. She is a master voice actress with the way she has provided the voice of Pikachu all these years. But behind all that, she also has a lot of things going for her, and not just Pokémon. For that, she deserves a lot of respect.

Her voice work for Pokémon may be somewhat one-note, but it is very much commendable. The reason is that her voice work is present not only in the anime, which is usually considered a traditionally prominent area for Japanese voice work. It is also present in the games and even a pack of LINE stickers to boot. In short, her voice work is present in many places in addition to being long-lasting and unique. It is just that iconic. I can't think of anyone that can fulfill the role of Pikachu just as good, if not better than her. This is something to be considered as time goes on and Pikachu is still prominent in many places.

Aside from her voice work as Pikachu in Pokémon, what people may not know is that she is also a master voice actress in other respects. Period. She provides the voice for Tony Tony Chopper in the One Piece series, which happens to be one of the few Japanese series I know well other than Pokémon. Another series that she provides a voice for is Persona (Shin Megami Tensei), where she voices Morgana; I was alerted to this fact when a photo of me from an event in July with a cosplayer with a Morgana doll surfaced and became extremely popular. Strangely enough, they're all also animal characters; Chopper is a reindeer and Morgana is a cat. I'm totally amazed of this fact.

For many Pokémon fans, including me, Ikue Ootani will always be forever tied to the image of Pikachu, the unique electric rodent with a uniquely identifiable voice. But in the world of voice acting, this is just one of her claims to fame, though it is a claim that is indeed a hallmark of her work. It demands a sense of thanks and respect that is as great as the hallmark of the work itself.