| This article is written from the Real Life point of view |  |
| “ | As for the voice actress, we weren't necessarily looking for technique, but rather someone who could express herself using her own words. Natural voice tones seem to fit Samus's character, rather than a technically-created voice tone. Samus is not very good at living with other people. She doesn't talk much. Her personality is told through background and exposition, so by instructing the voice actress not to chatter idly, this was very close to what we were looking for. We had to find a balance between these two emotions. It was extremely difficult. | „ |
Ai Kobayashi (小林愛 Kobayashi Ai) (born May 25, 1973) is a Japanese voice and theater actress and acting instructor.[1] She provided the voice of Samus Aran in the Japanese version of Metroid: Other M.
Kobayashi gave an interview to Shinesparkers about her role as Samus in 2024.
Early career[]
Kobayashi initially intended to become a film actress. After watching a small theatrical performance in high school, she decided to perform on-stage instead, and began voice acting as a part time job on a superior's recommendation, while continuing to pursue theatrical roles.[1]
She is well known for her role as Deunan Knute, the protagonist of the anime series Appleseed XIII.
Metroid: Other M[]
Other M marked Kobayashi's debut as a video game voiceover artist, as was the case with Samus's English actress, Jessica Martin. She was first confirmed as Samus's voice actress in a developer feature released on the Japanese Nintendo Channel on Wii. The feature showed a clip of Kobayashi recording her lines, as well as a shot of some of her lines.
Interviewed in 2024, Kobayashi recalled that she may have had to self-tape her audition for the role as Samus. Recording took place circa 2009, over the course of two days. Unlike her English counterpart Martin, Kobayashi did not record with other actors, but they were both unfamiliar with the Metroid franchise beforehand, besides knowing Samus was a video games character. She worked to maintain a consistent tone of voice when recording, and was asked by Yoshio Sakamoto not to lower her tone too much. She also expressed interest in meeting Martin.[1]
Kobayashi likes that Samus has "some vulnerability and charm" while also being "strong, intelligent, calm and collected". Her favorite scenes to record include the flashbacks to Samus's time in the Galactic Federation Army, and Adam Malkovich's sacrifice.[1]
Kobayashi played Other M after it was released, only finishing it once on Normal Mode. She enjoyed it, although she is not much of a gamer. She was unaware of the criticism of Other M.[1]
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Wikipedia article
- Kobayashi on IMDB
- Kobayashi on TV Tropes
- Kobayashi on Behind the Voice Actors
- Interview with Shinesparkers