Airi Sakura in Classroom of the Elite (Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsu e) is voiced by Mao Ichimichi (M·A·O) in the original Japanese version and Leah Clark in the English dub. M·A·O’s soft and emotionally vulnerable performance helped establish Airi as one of the series’ shyest and most emotionally sensitive characters, while Clark brought the same quiet sincerity and gradual emotional growth to the English adaptation. (behindthevoiceactors.com)

Mao Ichimichi (M·A·O) – Japanese Voice of Airi Sakura

Date of Birth

February 1, 1992

About Mao

Mao Ichimichi, professionally credited as M·A·O, is a Japanese voice actress and former actress known for her versatility across anime, games, and live-action productions. Since transitioning from on-screen acting into voice work, she has become widely recognized for portraying both energetic heroines and emotionally reserved characters.

As Airi Sakura in Classroom of the Elite, M·A·O delivered a gentle and emotionally restrained performance that reflected Airi’s shy personality and social anxiety. Airi spends much of the series struggling with confidence and communication, and M·A·O’s soft vocal delivery helped emphasize the character’s vulnerability and emotional sincerity.

Fans frequently praised how naturally she portrayed Airi’s nervousness and gradual emotional growth throughout the series.

Outside of Classroom of the Elite, M·A·O is also internationally famous for major roles in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Fire Force, and Princess Connect! Re:Dive.

Hometown

Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Career Highlights

  • Airi Sakura — Classroom of the Elite
  • Shion — That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
  • Iris — Fire Force
  • Pecorine — Princess Connect! Re:Dive
  • Rem Galleu — How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord
  • Filo — The Rising of the Shield Hero (Japanese support media projects)
  • Melie — Granblue Fantasy animation projects
  • Renge Mibu — Kokkoku

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented anime, film, and game credits from publicly available industry sources and may not be exhaustive.

Television Anime

  • Classroom of the Elite — Airi Sakura
  • That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime — Shion
  • Fire Force — Iris
  • Princess Connect! Re:Dive — Pecorine
  • How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord — Rem Galleu
  • The Rising of the Shield Hero — Additional Roles
  • Zombie Land Saga — Additional Voices
  • Dr. Stone — Supporting Roles
  • Blue Archive related media — Supporting Characters
  • A Couple of Cuckoos — Hiro Segawa
  • Horimiya — Supporting Roles
  • Edens Zero — Rebecca Bluegarden

Anime Films

  • Classroom of the Elite promotional projects — Airi Sakura
  • Princess Connect! Re:Dive special projects — Pecorine
  • Slime franchise film projects — Shion
  • Fire Force related productions — Iris

Video Games

  • Princess Connect! Re:Dive — Pecorine
  • Granblue Fantasy — Various Roles
  • Blue Archive — Supporting Characters
  • Classroom of the Elite game projects — Airi Sakura
  • Genshin Impact Japanese media projects — Additional Voices

Critical Reception

M·A·O’s portrayal of Airi Sakura received praise for its emotional subtlety and sincerity. Fans frequently highlighted how effectively she captured Airi’s introverted personality, social anxiety, and emotional vulnerability while still allowing the character’s personal growth to feel believable over time.

Her performance helped make Airi one of the more emotionally sympathetic characters in Classroom of the Elite.

Our Sources

Leah Clark – English Voice of Airi Sakura

Date of Birth

July 24, 1979

About Leah

Leah Clark is an American voice actress, ADR director, and scriptwriter widely recognized for her extensive work in English anime dubbing with Funimation and Crunchyroll. Over the years, she has become known for portraying emotionally expressive heroines, shy supporting characters, and psychologically layered personalities across romance, comedy, fantasy, and drama anime.

As the English voice of Airi Sakura in Classroom of the Elite, Clark delivered a soft and emotionally sincere performance that captured Airi’s social anxiety, introverted nature, and quiet emotional vulnerability. Airi spends much of the series struggling with confidence and self-worth, and Clark’s gentle delivery helped make the character feel believable and sympathetic throughout her development.

Fans frequently praised how naturally she portrayed Airi’s nervousness and emotional sincerity without overplaying the character’s timid personality.

Outside of Classroom of the Elite, Clark is also internationally famous for major roles in Soul Eater, One Piece, and Fairy Tail.

Hometown

Texas, United States

Career Highlights

  • Airi Sakura — Classroom of the Elite
  • Maka Albarn — Soul Eater
  • Nico Robin — One Piece (select productions)
  • Blair — Soul Eater
  • Marika Tachibana — Nisekoi
  • Kobayashi — Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
  • Mavis Vermillion — Fairy Tail
  • Himiko Toga — My Hero Academia (support media and additional productions)

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented English dub acting, directing, and writing credits from publicly available industry sources and may not be exhaustive.

Television Anime

  • Classroom of the Elite — Airi Sakura
  • Soul Eater — Maka Albarn / Blair
  • One Piece — Nico Robin (select productions)
  • Fairy Tail — Mavis Vermillion
  • Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid — Kobayashi
  • Nisekoi — Marika Tachibana
  • My Hero Academia — Additional Voices
  • Fire Force — Additional Roles
  • Black Clover — Additional Voices
  • Dr. Stone — Supporting Characters
  • Noragami — Additional Voices
  • Blue Lock — Supporting Roles

Anime Films

  • Classroom of the Elite promotional projects — Airi Sakura
  • Soul Eater related releases — Maka Albarn / Blair
  • One Piece Film projects — Nico Robin appearances
  • Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry — Mavis Vermillion
  • Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid film-related projects — Kobayashi

Video Games

  • One Piece game projects — Nico Robin
  • Fairy Tail game adaptations — Mavis Vermillion
  • Classroom of the Elite game projects — Airi Sakura
  • SMITE anime collaboration appearances
  • Soul Eater related game appearances — Maka Albarn

ADR Direction & Scriptwriting

Leah Clark has also contributed extensively behind the scenes in anime localization and dubbing production.

Notable ADR and script-related work includes:

  • Soul Eater
  • One Piece
  • Fairy Tail
  • Black Clover
  • Classroom of the Elite

Critical Reception

Leah Clark’s portrayal of Airi Sakura received praise from English dub audiences for its emotional warmth and believable vulnerability. Fans frequently highlighted how effectively she captured Airi’s shy personality and emotional insecurity while still allowing the character’s quieter strengths to emerge naturally throughout the series.

Her performance helped make Airi one of the more emotionally relatable characters in the Classroom of the Elite English dub.

Our Sources

Social Media

Published by Limarc Ambalina

Limarc Ambalina is the founder of Japan Bound, a website covering all things Japan — from travel and culture to anime, manga, and pop culture. He is also the Director of Content at ISNation and the former VP of Editorial at HackerNoon. Based in Japan, he has been writing about Japanese life and entertainment since 2019, growing the site to over 2.4 million views.

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