Ikue Ōtani has voiced Pikachu in the Pokémon anime since the character’s introduction.
Ōtani’s performance is unusual in the international version of the franchise because Pikachu’s voice was generally retained across languages rather than being replaced by a different local dub actor. Pikachu typically communicates by repeating variations of its own name.
The voice became one of the most recognizable sounds in Pokémon. Ōtani also performed Pikachu in the main series games that use a recorded character voice, including Pokémon Yellow and later titles that feature voiced cries or lines.
This fact is often confused with the actors who voiced Ash Ketchum. Rica Matsumoto voices Ash in Japanese, while several performers have voiced Ash in different languages. Pikachu’s rare spoken dialogue in some films and special scenes also involved other actors for particular versions, but Ōtani remains the character’s principal long-running voice performer.