Feb23

Rika Matsumoto and Ikue Otani, the Japanese voices of Ash and Pikachu, receive the Kids Family Award at the 17th Seiyuu Awards

Rica Matsumoto
Ikue Otani
The Japanese voices of Ash and Pikachu, Rica Matsumoto and Ikue Otani, have been honoured in the 17th Seiyuu Awards, receiving the Kids/Family Award in recognition of their voice acting in the Pokémon anime.

While the Kids/Family award is described as being given from the perspective of children, the award has often been used to recognise an actor's lifetime career in anime aimed at children and families, rather than just their most recent work. The 2022 winner for instance was Kyōsei Tsukui, who had not taken on any significant voice acting roles since his 2019 diagnosis with ALS.

The announcement of this award has come in advance of the actual live award ceremony, which will be held on March 11th. This is the first time in 3 years where a live ceremony has been held.
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