Riko Kohara

Riko Kohara (小原 莉子, Kohara Riko, born February 3, 1990) is a Japanese voice actress and guitarist from Gifu Prefecture. She is currently affiliated with Object.[1]

Riko Kohara
小原 莉子
Born	(1990-02-03) February 3, 1990[1] Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Other names	Rikopin (りこぴん)
Occupation	Voice actress Singer
Years active	2014–present
Agent	Object
Notable work	BanG Dream! as Rokka Asahi/Lock Kandagawa Jet Girls as Misa Aoi
Height	156 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Musical career
Genres	J-pop Anison
Instruments	Guitarist
Years active	2011–present
Associated acts	Raise A Suilen
Website	object-co.jp/talent/riko_kohara/

History

Kohara graduated from ESP College of Entertainment, a vocational school that specializes in electric guitar and basses.[2] According to her friend in high school, Kohara switched from vocals to guitar when her guitarist band mate asked to switch their position. While she was in vocational school, she studied under BURNY's guitarist Masanori Kusakabe, who is also from Gifu Prefecture. Therefore, Kohara inherited Kusakabe's guitar playstyle.[3]

In July 2011, Kohara became a member The Sketchbook, a real band based on a fictional band in Sket Dance universe along with Hiroshi Tada (vocal & bass) and Yuu Watanabe (drum), in which three of them performed opening, endings, and insert songs for the anime. The band disbanded on March 25 as the personnel wanted to focus on their own dreams.[4]

In 2014, Kohara debuted as voice actress with her first role as a vegetable-hater boy in Soreyuke! Anpanman.[5]

In 2018, Kohara joined The Third (TBD), a backup band in the mixed-media franchise BanG Dream!. She joined the band as its guitarist during its first live on March 25, 2018 at Shimokitazawa Garden.[6] The band was later renamed to Raise A Suilen and its members received their own in-universe characters, with Kohara voicing the guitarist Rokka Asahi.[7] Kohara used to perform with a Gibson Les Paul, but switched to Strandberg after joining RAS.[8]

Filmography

Television anime series

• BanG Dream! as Rokka Asahi/Lock
  • BanG Dream! 2nd Season (2019)
  • BanG Dream! 3rd Season (2020)
  • BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! ☆ Pico ~Ohmori~ (2020)
• Caligula as Lily
• Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation as Riko
• Idol Memories as Nanami Hoshi
• Sket Dance as Female Kid's Singer
• Soreyuke! Anpanman as Nekomi, Vegetable-hater boy
• Ice Kuritaro as Berry-chan
• 25-sai no Joshikōsei as Hasegawa
• Persona 5: The Animation as female character
• Senran Kagura Shinovi Master as Gekkō
• Gifu no Tate ka Yoko as Tatekayoko
• Kandagawa Jet Girls as Misa Aoi
• The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? as Miliyama

Video games

• Art Code Summoner as Gustave Courbet[9]
• BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! as Rokka Asahi/Lock
• Hoshizora Tetsudō to Shiro no Tabi as Hanae[10]
• Wonder Gravity as Pycno
• Azur Lane as USS Richmond (CL-9)

References

1. "小原莉子｜アニメキャラ・プロフィール・出演情報・最新情報まとめ". animate Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
2. "活躍するESP学園出身生". 音楽・芸能と楽器の専門学校 ESPエンタテインメント東京. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
3. ANIME Bros.♯3 (TOKYO NEWS MOOK 770号). 23 January 2019. pp. 19, 35.
4. "Sket Dance-Inspired Band The Sketchbook to Break Up". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
5. "The Sketchbook tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
6. "『THE THIRD(仮)1st ライブ』にて新情報解禁！" [New information has been released at "THE THIRD (TBD) 1st Live"!]. Bushiroad (Press release) (in Japanese). PR Times. March 26, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
7. Komatsu, Mikikazu (July 18, 2018). "BanG Dream! Franchise's 3rd Girls Band Reveals Their Official Name "RAISE A SUILEN"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
8. "Riko Kohara's statement on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
9. "アートコードサマナーオフィシャルサイト". artcodesummoner.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-27.
10. "星空鉄道とシロの旅公式サイト - サークルしらたまこ". shiratamaco.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-27.

External links

• Riko Kohara at Anime News Network's encyclopedia