is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with

Arts Vision , stylized as ARTSVISION, is a Japanese talent agency based in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo that employs many high-profile Voice acting in Japan, voice actors. It was founded in 1984 by Sakumi Matsuda. General information Arts Vision was founded by ...

. She starred as Tonbo Ōi in ''

Tonbo! is a Japanese manga series written by Ken Kawasaki and illustrated by . It has been serialized in Golf Digest's golfing magazine ' since August 2014. An anime television series adaptation produced by OLM, Inc., OLM aired from April to June 2 ...

'' and won the Seiyu Award for Best Rookie Actor at the

19th Seiyu Awards The 19th Seiyu Awards was held on March 15, 2025, at the JOQR Media Plus Hall in Minato, Tokyo. The winners of the Merit Awards, the Kei Tomiyama Award, the Kazue Takahashi Award, the Synergy Award, the Kids/Family Award, the Game Award, and th ...

Biography

Rika Hayashi, a native of

Hashimoto, Wakayama 270px, Hashimoto city center in 2012 aerial photograph is a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,063 in 27,392 households and a population density of 470 persons per km2. The total area of the ...

, was born on 1 June. Her mother was a former

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

. While she was a young child, she would visit a

driving range A driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range ...

her parents took her to every week after getting a golf club as a gift, and at least once she curiously made a ball roll down an uneven surface there. However, Hayashi recalled that she rarely played golf and was unfamiliar with the sport's terminology. Inspired to go into voice acting after being hospitalized as a youth, she was educated at the Japan Narration Acting Institute. She made her voice acting debut during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths, along with 33,728,878 recoveries. Government of Japan, The Japanese government confirmed the country's first case of the disease on 16 January 2020 in a ...

, later recalling the first few years of her career as "being concurrent with COVID". In 2024, she had minor roles in '' Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian'', '' Magilumiere Co. Ltd.'', and '' Terminator Zero''. In 2024, she made her first starring role as Tonbo Ōi in the golf-themed anime ''

''; this was the first work she passed through an audition. At the beginning of recording she would bring a golf club to the studio. She also sang the anime's ending theme "Let's Swing" alongside Tokyo Groove Jyoshi. In 2025, she won the Seiyu Award for Best Rookie Actor at the

. Hayashi once practiced classical ballet and collected recorded albums, particularly orchestral music.

Filmography

Television animation

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Rika Living people Japanese women pop singers Anime singers 21st-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Singers from Wakayama Prefecture Voice actresses from Wakayama Prefecture Arts Vision voice actors People from Hashimoto, Wakayama