1. Overview
Rumi Hiiragi (柊 瑠美Hiiragi RumiJapanese, born August 1, 1987) is a prominent Japanese actress. She began her career as a child performer, gaining widespread recognition for her role as the voice of Chihiro Ogino in Hayao Miyazaki's critically acclaimed animated film Spirited Away. Her career spans television dramas, live-action films, voice acting, stage productions, and commercials, showcasing her versatility across various media.
2. Early Life and Career Beginnings
Rumi Hiiragi's journey into the entertainment industry began at a young age, leading to her early debut in television and film.
2.1. Childhood and Education
Born on August 1, 1987, in Tokyo, Japan, Rumi Hiiragi is the youngest of three sisters. Her parents divorced during her childhood. She commenced her acting career as a child actor at the age of six in 1993, appearing in numerous commercials before transitioning into more significant roles.
2.2. Early Activities and Debut
Hiiragi's early career was marked by a series of appearances in commercials, which paved the way for her breakthrough roles. In 1999, she starred as the young Moe Tokiwa, the heroine in the NHK asadora (morning drama) Suzuran. Her performance was well-received, leading her to reprise the same role in the film adaptation, Suzuran ~Shōjo Moe no Monogatari~, released the following year in 2000. These early roles established her as a promising young talent in the Japanese entertainment industry.
3. Acting Career
Rumi Hiiragi has built an extensive acting career across diverse platforms, including television, film, and voice acting, with notable performances that have garnered significant attention.
3.1. Television Dramas
Hiiragi has appeared in a wide array of television dramas, showcasing her acting range. Her early roles included a guest appearance in Kayō Suspense Gekijō Kyūkyū Shitei Byōin 3 in 1995. Following her breakthrough in Suzuran (1999), she took on the role of Marika Kobayakawa in the long-running Getsuyō Mystery Gekijō Card G-Men Kobayakawa Akane series from 2000 to 2005.
Other notable television drama appearances include:
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Yonimo Kimyō na Monogatari '01 Aki no Tokubetsuhen 'Obaa-chan | Miho Nakamura / Grandma | Fuji TV |
| 2003 | Dōbutsu no Oisha-san | Chobi (voice) | TV Asahi |
| 2003 | Mito Kōmon 32nd season, Ep. 12 | Ichi | TBS |
| 2004 | Hannari Kikutarō 2 ~Kyō Kōjiyado Jikenchō~ Ep. 3 | Otose | NHK General |
| 2004 | Sky High 2 Ep. 7 | Haruka Yoshizawa | TV Asahi |
| 2004 | Hontoni Atta Kowai Hanashi 'Yūgure no Maigo' | Nozomi Yagi | Fuji TV |
| 2004 | Ultra Q dark fantasy Ep. 19 | Young Shizue Yajima | TV Tokyo |
| 2005 | Kayō Suspense Gekijō Kansatsui Muro Akiko 36 Boshi Kantei | Yoko Okawa | NTV |
| 2005 | Hagure Keiji Junjō ha Final Start Special | Guest | TV Asahi |
| 2005 | Nobuta wo Produce | Kasumi Aoi | NTV |
| 2005 | Getsuyō Mystery Gekijō Yamamura Misa Suspense Kyōto Kadō Iemoto Satsujin Jiken | Haruka Hanagata | TBS |
| 2006 | Shin Momotarō-zamurai Ep. 7 | Osayo | TV Asahi |
| 2008 | Loto 6 de 3 Oku 2 Senman En Ateta Otoko Ep. 8 | Hostess | TV Asahi |
| 2008 | Yottsu no Uso | Semi-regular | TV Asahi |
| 2008 | Seishun Comeback!? Metabolic☆Band! | TV Aichi | |
| 2009 | Akai Ito | Nozomi | Fuji TV |
| 2009 | Kamen Rider Decade Ep. 8-9 | Ai | TV Asahi |
| 2009 | Kinyō Prestige Okusama wa Keishisōkan 4 | Young Yukari Mochizuki | Fuji TV |
| 2009 | Meitantei no Okite Chapter 9 | Nami Asakura | TV Asahi |
| 2009 | Natsu Uta Drama SP Shiawase no Okurimono | Prep school student | TBS |
| 2009 | Otoko Mae! 2 | Kayō (Komatsuya's daughter) | NHK General |
| 2009 | Sono Otoko, Fukushochō Ep. 5 | Chika Onō | TV Asahi |
| 2010 | Doyō Wide Gekijō Hōigaku Kyōshitsu no Jiken Fairu 30 | TV Asahi | |
| 2010 | Keishichō Shissōnin Sōsaka Ep. 6 | Nagi Namura | TV Asahi |
| 2011 | Onihei Gaiden Yato no Kakuemon | SKY PerfecTV! / Jidaigeki Senmon Channel | |
| 2011 | Getsuyō Golden Tsuri Keiji 2 | Shiori Hachiya | TBS |
| 2012 | Iryū Sōsa Season 2 Ep. 1 | Aoi Nagamine | TV Asahi |
| 2012 | Taira no Kiyomori | Tōri | NHK General |
| 2012 | Odoru Daisōsasen THE LAST TV Salaryman Keiji to Saigo no Nan Jiken | Wangan Police Station female officer | Fuji TV |
| 2013 | Onihei Hankachō Special Miharino Ito | O-Yumi | Fuji TV |
| 2013 | Nijūshi no Hitomi | Kotsuru Kabe | TV Asahi |
| 2013 | Doyō Wide Gekijō Tensai Keiji Noro Bonroku 8 | TV Asahi | |
| 2013 | Woman Ep. 8-9 | Maki Uesugi | NTV |
| 2014 | Omiyasan Shinshun Special | Riko Okada | TV Asahi |
| 2014 | Kamiya Genjirō Torimonochō | Oshino | NHK BS Premium |
| 2015 | Kamiya Genjirō Torimonochō 2 | Oshino | NHK BS Premium |
| 2014 | Doyō Wide Gekijō Kansatsukan Hanyū Sōichi | Midori Mutō | TV Asahi |
| 2015 | Dr. Rintarō Ep. 2-3, 6, 8-9 | Kazuo Ennōji's secretary | NTV |
| 2015 | Kasōken no Onna Season 15 Ep. 2 | Miyako Kubo | TV Asahi |
| 2016 | Tokubetsu Drama Kikaku Tensai Bakabon ~Kazoku no Kizuna~ | ||
| 2016 | Doyō Wide Gekijō Kenji Akudama | Eri Kigawa | TV Asahi |
| 2016 | Nezumi, Edo wo Hashiru 2 Ep. 1 | Okiku | NHK General |
| 2017 | Getsuyō Meisaku Gekijō Kanshiki Sōsakan Kameda Nobuo no Rinshō Fairu 1 | Atsuko Tsutsui | TBS |
| 2017 | Kōnodori Season 2 Ep. 2 | Izumi Mikami | TBS |
| 2017 | Nemurenu Shinju ~Mada Koi Shitemo Ii Desu ka?~ Ep. 2 | Yomiuri TV / NTV | |
| 2018 | The Confidence Man JP Ep. 3 (Art Dealer Arc) | Fuji TV | |
| 2018 | Legal V ~Moto Bengoshi Takanashi Shōko~ Ep. 6-7 | TV Asahi | |
| 2019 | Dying Eye Ep. 4 | WOWOW | |
| 2020 | Lupin no Musume Season 2 Ep. 3 - | An Mikumo's homeroom teacher | Fuji TV |
| 2022 | Getsuyō Premier 8 Saikoyō Keisatsukan 4 | Yuriko Yamashina | |
| 2024 | Aibō Season 22 Ep. 15 "Matterhorn no Satsujin" | Sanako Toshima | TV Asahi |
3.2. Film Appearances
Hiiragi has also established a significant presence in live-action films, often taking on diverse roles. Her film debut was in Suzuran ~Shōjo Moe no Monogatari~ in 2000, where she played the lead role of Moe Tokiwa.
Her filmography includes:
| Year | Title | Role | Directed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Suzuran ~Shōjo Moe no Monogatari~ | Moe Tokiwa | Rintaro Mayuzumi | Lead role; a side-story of the NHK morning drama program Suzuran |
| 2008 | Akai Ito | Nozomi | Shosuke Murakami | |
| 2010 | Wandering Home (Yoi ga Sametara, Uchi ni Kaerou.) | Momoka Inose / Nurse Inose | Yōichi Higashi | |
| 2012 | Bayside Shakedown: The Final | Police officer / Wangan Police Station female officer | Katsuyuki Motohiro | |
| 2012 | Key of Life (Kagi Dorobō no Method) | Editorial staff A | Kenji Uchida | |
| 2014 | Buy Bling, Get One Free! (Oshare Bangaichi) | Kosuke Takaya | ||
| 2015 | Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen (Ryūzō to Shichinin no Kobun-tachi) | Takeshi Kitano | ||
| 2016 | Happy Wedding | Shōzō Katashima | ||
| 2021 | Blueheaven | Takehiko Hata | ||
| 2021 | Ruined (Nare no Hate) | Asumi Kawai | Taro Miyaoka | |
| 2022 | Life in Bloom (Yo no Naka ni Taete Sakura no Nakari Seba) | Nobuyuki Miyake |
3.3. Voice Acting
Rumi Hiiragi is most widely recognized for her significant contributions to voice acting, particularly in animated films from Studio Ghibli.
Her most iconic role is that of Chihiro Ogino / Sen, the protagonist in Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 Academy Award-winning animated film Spirited Away. This performance brought her international acclaim and established her as a prominent voice actress.
She continued her collaboration with Studio Ghibli, voicing a young mother in Miyazaki's 2008 film Ponyo and Sachiko Hirokoji in Goro Miyazaki's 2011 film From Up on Poppy Hill. In 2008, she also lent her voice to the character Merci (a dog) in the film Detroit Metal City. More recently, she voiced the Orphanage Vice Principal in the 2021 Studio Ghibli and Toho animated film Earwig and the Witch.
3.4. Other Media Appearances
Beyond her work in television and film, Rumi Hiiragi has participated in various other media formats, including stage productions, radio dramas, video games, and commercials.
She has appeared in numerous television commercials for major Japanese and international brands. These include American Family Life Insurance Company (1994), SKY PerfecTV! 'Anime' (1999), Lawson 'Natsu Matsuri' (2003), Toyota 'WiLL Cypha' (2003), Victor (JVC Kenwood) 'BabyMovie' (2003), Meiji Seika 'Almond' (2004), Hakusensha 'LaLa' magazine (2006), LIXIL 'Ecocarat' (2017), and SUBARU 'EyeSight' (2024).
In other television programs, she served as a field reporter for the high school baseball program Netto Koshien in 2002. From 2009 to 2013, she was the 9th "Onēsan" (hostess) for the educational program Nyan Chu World Broadcasting Station on NHK Educational (later NHK E Tele), a role she held for four years, making her the second-longest serving hostess in the show's history at the time. She later made guest appearances on Nyan Chu World Broadcasting Station in 2017 and Nyan Chu! Uchū! Hōsō Chū! Nyan Chu! 30th Anniversary Special in 2022. She also narrated Mō Hitotsu no Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi ~Butaika, 200 Nichi no Kiroku~ for NHK BS4K in 2022.
Her stage work includes playing Heidi (Adelheid) in the S.T. Corporation Dream Musical Alps no Shōjo Heidi in 2002 and Princess Giraffa in DECADANCE I in 2008.
For radio, she was a personality for Bunka Hōsō BSQR's Konya mo Hati Hati (2003) and Tengai Radio ~Ōgon Koku Densetsu~ (2003-2004). She also performed as Anna Amamiya in the radio drama ON THE WAY COMEDY Michikusa (2006) and played the lead role of Kaede Tanuma in the NHK Audio Drama FM Theater LET IT PON! ~Sore de Ee n yo~ (2012).
In the realm of video games, Hiiragi voiced Miya in Tengai Makyō III Namida (2005) and Yadoya in One Piece: Unlimited World RED (2013).
Her other works include performing the ending song "Suzuran no Uta/Haha ni Sasageru Uta" for the Suzuran movie, serving as the 2002 image model for the Red Feather Community Chest, and a serialization titled "Hiiragi Rumi No Nan Demo Sōdan Corner" in Chagurin magazine from 2002 to 2003. She also provided the audio guide for the Studio Ghibli Layout Exhibition. She has released a photo book titled Ruri-iro no Calendrier (2004) and a DVD titled CUTE THEATER VOL.1 'Hiiragi Rumi' (2005).
4. Personal Life
Rumi Hiiragi's personal life has seen significant developments alongside her professional career. She took a temporary hiatus from entertainment activities from April 2007 to June 2008 to focus on her studies. During this period, she also changed agencies, leaving Central Production in March 2007 and later joining BESIDE, which she left at the end of 2009 to join Fathers Corporation in January 2010.
In late 2018, Hiiragi married a man of the same age whom she had met during her student days and had been dating for some time. They held their wedding ceremony in late April 2019, and she publicly announced her marriage through her blog on June 22, 2019. In late 2021, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, a joyous event she shared with the public on May 7, 2022.
5. Evaluation and Impact
Rumi Hiiragi's career is marked by several highly impactful roles that have left a lasting impression on audiences. Her portrayal of Chihiro Ogino in Spirited Away is widely considered her most iconic performance, bringing her international recognition and cementing her status as a talented voice actress. This role, in particular, introduced her to a global audience and remains a significant highlight of her career.
In live-action television, her role as the bully Kasumi Aoi in the 2005 drama Nobuta wo Produce garnered considerable attention and became a topic of discussion among viewers. Her four-year tenure as the 9th "Onēsan" on Nyan Chu World Broadcasting Station also contributed to her public profile, making her a familiar face to younger audiences and their families. Throughout her career, Hiiragi has demonstrated a consistent ability to adapt to various roles across different media, from child actor to lead voice artist, establishing herself as a versatile and enduring presence in Japanese entertainment.