Yachiyo Runami in Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is voiced by Saori Hayami in the Japanese version and Ryan Bartley in the English dub. The character’s dual identity — a popular virtual streamer on the surface and a soul that has traversed 8,000 years at a deeper level — demands a performer capable of layering warmth, distance, and ancient weight into a single voice, qualities both actors bring to their respective versions of the role.
Saori Hayami (Japanese Voice Actor)
Date of Birth
May 29, 1991
About Saori
Saori Hayami is a Tokyo-born voice actress who has built one of the most recognisable careers in the modern anime industry. Debuting in the late 2000s, she quickly distinguished herself through an unusually versatile vocal range — capable of projecting quiet, introspective softness in one role and sharp, commanding presence in another. Her performances are frequently noted for their emotional precision, a quality that has made her a go-to choice for complex or psychologically layered characters.
As Yachiyo Runami in Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, Hayami is tasked with one of the more demanding roles of her career. The character exists simultaneously as a digitally mediated virtual idol and as an ancient being carrying millennia of memory. According to coverage of the film’s voice cast, Hayami employs a subtly mechanical yet warm quality when Yachiyo performs as a streamer — a carefully calibrated distance that reflects the parasocial dynamic between idol and fan — while shifting into something altogether more mournful and expansive when the character’s true identity surfaces. The dual register is handled with the seamless control that has become Hayami’s trademark.
Beyond this role, Hayami has also contributed to the film’s soundtrack, performing the theme song “Ex-Otogibanashi” (“Ex-Fairy Tale”), composed by Ryo of supercell. Her status as a singer as well as a voice actress made her a natural fit for a production in which Yachiyo’s musical identity is central to the plot.
Hometown
Tokyo, Japan
Career Highlights
- Yachiyo Runami – Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
- Yukino Yukinoshita – My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
- Shōko Nishimiya – A Silent Voice
- Yumeko Jabami – Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler
- Shinobu Kocho – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Yor Forger – SPY×FAMILY
- Miyuki Shiba – The Irregular at Magic High School
Full Current Filmography
The following list reflects documented credits and may not be exhaustive.
Anime (Selected, Chronological Highlights)
- 2011 – Mobile Suit Gundam AGE as Yurin L’Ciel
- 2011 – Penguindrum as Asami Kuho
- 2011 – Morita-san wa Mukuchi as Chihiro Miura
- 2011 – Towa no Quon (films 2–6) as Kiri Jougasaki
- 2011 – Heaven’s Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork as Ikaros
- 2013 – Wako Agemaki – Star Driver
- 2015 – Seraph of the End as Shinoa Hiiragi
- 2015 – Snow White with the Red Hair as Shirayuki
- 2016 – My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU as Yukino Yukinoshita
- 2016 – Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches as Urara Shiraishi
- 2016 – A Silent Voice as Shōko Nishimiya
- 2017 – Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler as Yumeko Jabami
- 2019 – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba as Shinobu Kocho
- 2021 – The Irregular at Magic High School as Miyuki Shiba
- 2022 – SPY×FAMILY as Yor Forger
- 2024 – Delicious in Dungeon as Falin Touden
- 2025 – Witchy PreCure! as Kotohae Hanami
- 2026 – Cosmic Princess Kaguya! as Yachiyo Runami
Video Games (Selected)
- Persona 5 series – various credited roles
- SaGa Scarlet Grace – Rocbouquet
- Tales of Arise – credited role
Critical Reception
Hayami’s performance as Yachiyo Runami has been widely praised as one of the more technically accomplished vocal turns in the film. Reviewers and fan commentary on MyAnimeList highlight the emotional range she brings to a character who must feel simultaneously modern and ancient. Coverage at Anime News Network drew attention to her additional role as performer of the theme song “Ex-Otogibanashi,” underlining the rare synergy between her vocal acting and her musical contribution to the project. Analytical write-ups have specifically noted the way she modulates a slight mechanical quality into Yachiyo’s streamer persona without sacrificing the warmth needed to make the character sympathetic.
Ryan Bartley (English Voice Actor)
Date of Birth
February 3, 1988
About Ryan
Ryan Bartley is a voice actress born in Fort Worth, Texas, who trained at the prestigious performing arts program at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a professional career. A graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts with a major in Cinema-Television Critical Studies and a minor in Screenwriting, she brings both a performance background and a critical understanding of narrative craft to her work. She has been active in anime dubbing, video games, and animation since the early 2010s.
Bartley is perhaps best known to anime audiences as Ram in Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World and as Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion, two roles that demonstrate her ability to voice characters defined by emotional restraint and underlying intensity — qualities directly applicable to Yachiyo Runami. Her casting as Yachiyo in Cosmic Princess Kaguya! pairs her with the film’s singing voice Frankie Kevich, who handles Yachiyo’s musical performances in the English version.
In addition to anime, Bartley has contributed additional voices to major Hollywood productions including Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Boss Baby, and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, reflecting the breadth of her work across the Los Angeles dubbing and voice-over industry.
Hometown
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Career Highlights
- Yachiyo Runami – Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
- Ram – Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World
- Rei Ayanami – Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Yuna – Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale
- Kyoujurou Rengoku – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train
- Osamu – Erased
- Sage – Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Full Current Filmography
The following list reflects documented credits and may not be exhaustive.
Anime (Voice Acting)
- 1995–1996 – Neon Genesis Evangelion as Rei Ayanami
- 2016 – Erased as Osamu
- 2016 – Berserk as Nina
- 2017 – Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale as Yuna
- 2018 – Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World as Ram
- 2018 – Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms – credited role
- 2019 – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – credited role
- 2019 – The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: Reawakened – credited role
- 2019 – Isekai Quartet as Ram / Chomusuke
- 2019 – I Want to Eat Your Pancreas – credited role
- 2020 – Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon – credited role
- 2021 – Vinland Saga – credited role
- 2021 – EDENS ZERO – credited role
- 2021 – The Way of the Househusband – credited role
- 2023 – Vinland Saga Season 2 – credited role
- 2024 – Dandadan as Juju
- 2024 – Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain – credited role
- 2025 – DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE as Juju
- 2025 – Ubel Blatt – credited role
- 2026 – Cosmic Princess Kaguya! as Yachiyo Runami
Critical Reception
As Cosmic Princess Kaguya! was released on Netflix in January 2026, early audience response to the English dub has noted Bartley’s ability to carry the emotional duality of Yachiyo Runami — the polished, slightly remote quality of a virtual idol alongside the deeper pathos of a character with an ancient history. Her established reputation for nuanced, controlled performances in roles such as Ram and Rei Ayanami made her a credible choice for a character that similarly demands internal restraint over outward expression. The separation of dialogue and singing duties between Bartley and Frankie Kevich has been noted in cast announcements, with Netflix confirming Kevich as Yachiyo’s singing voice in the English version.
