Yurie Funato

Yurie Funato grew up in Saitama, Japan, in a family with deep appreciation for anime, games, and performance.

Her mother works as a narrator, sparking Yurie's early interest in voice work.

As a child, she took lessons in electone organ, piano, calligraphy, swimming, and jazz dance.

By age two, she was already attending music classes, later joining the school band where she played the flute and won a gold prize at a Kanto regional competition.

Influenced by her high school classmates attending a acting workshop, Yurie became passionate about voice acting.

In high school, she also joined the cheerleading squad due to the absence of a dance club, showing her flexible and positive spirit.

Yurie began her professional journey after graduating high school by enrolling in the Watanabe Entertainment College’s voice acting program.

She debuted in 2015 after passing an audition with over 60 talent agencies expressing interest in her, starting at Holy Peak.

In 2017, she became an original member of the voice actor idol unit "Purely Monster," contributing to both vocal and live performances.

A leg injury led to her temporary withdrawal from the group in April 2018, at which point she became a freelancer.

Her health fully restored, Yurie joined Amuse in January 2019, marking a new chapter in her voice acting career.

In June 2023, she formed the unit "MIX JUICE from Amubo ch" alongside Karin Isobe and Moeka Koizumi, emerging from the AMUSE VOICE ACTORS CHANNEL.

Yurie’s repertoire covers a broad range of characters in series such as "Centaur's Worries," "August’s Cinderella Nine," "Magica Party," "Hoshikuzu Telepath" (as Konohoshi Umika), and "HIGH SPEED Étoile" (as Hikari Hinata).

She’s also active in stage plays, radio, live performances, and gaming projects, showing impressive versatility.

Yurie is a multi-talented person with absolute pitch, and plays both the flute and piano, sometimes featuring her own music performances online.

She has a certified sake tasting qualification and enjoys visiting gourmet dessert spots and gaming in her free time.

Yurie’s love for gaming even led her to temporarily hold a world record in "Mario Kart Wii’s" Rainbow Road time trials.

In high school she also worked part-time at a sushi restaurant, adding down-to-earth experiences to her resume.

She has a driver’s license and owns her own car, a rarity among voice actors.

Yurie’s friends in the industry include Kaori Maeda, Moeka Koizumi, and Fuka Izumi, sharing her fondness for casual drinks and good company.

Her voice’s high pitch used to be a source of insecurity, but positive feedback in workshops helped her embrace it as a strength.

She started considering a career in voice acting thanks to the anime "Fullmetal Alchemist."

Yurie was once the victim of a friendly prank by her Amuse agency peers.

As a child, she maintained a game walkthrough blog and developed her own strategies for "Mario Kart."

She is particularly passionate about sake, hosting her own radio show exploring Japan’s wide variety of sake brands.

Yurie performed live music for her projects and participated in group singles and character songs for various games and anime.

Yurie has a rich portfolio including theater performances, narration roles, animation voice work, web radio, live appearances, and magazine columns.

Notable appearances include readings, promotional videos for sake and gaming, and character roles for model kits and attractions.

She is frequently involved in events—both as a performer and a host—continuously expanding her reach and fanbase.