__Height:__ 157 cm
__School:__ Municipal Mizusawa High School - Year 2 Class 1 - Karuta Club secretary and recorder of matches
__Karuta Society:__ Shirohoku Society - B Class

An intelligent boy in Chihaya's class who is second only to Taichi in test scores. Often tied to his desk and anti-social, he feels that nothing is worth doing unless it makes you smarter. However, Chihaya and Taichi help to convince him that karuta involves a lot of strategies and he joins the club. He is also left-handed.

Chihaya Ayase is a girl who has spent most of her life simply supporting her sister in her model career. That changes when she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, a talented karuta player who recognizes Chihaya's potential to become a great player herself. As Chihaya takes on a new dream of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends, Taichi Mashima and Arata Wataya, as they grow up. Now in high school, Chihaya still continues to play karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again. 
 
(Source: Chihayafuru Wikia)


[Profile](http://www.kenproduction.co.jp/talent/member.php?mem=m47) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/numanumakapa)

Married voice actress [Yuka Nishigaki](https://anilist.co/staff/105045) in 2015. Part of the trio Trignal with fellow voice actors [Takuya Eguchi](https://anilist.co/staff/102695/Takuya-Eguchi) and [Ryohei Kimura](https://anilist.co/staff/96762). Hosts radio programs for Kiramune.

__Non-Anime Roles:__
~!Dice in "Summon Night 6: Lost Borders" (VG) (Japanese)
Dixen in "Hortensia Saga" (VG) (Japanese)
Hero in "Hero Must Die" (VG) (Japanese)
Hikaru Onigashima in "Kenka Banchou Otome ~Kanzen Muketsu no My Honey~" (VG) (Japanese)
Hikaru Onigashima in "Kenka Banchou Otome" (VG) (Japanese)
James Rogers in "Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow" (animated direct-to-video movie/DVD version) (Japanese)
Jude Mathis in "Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave" (VG) (Japanese)
Jude Mathis in "Tales of the World: Reve Unitia" (VG) (Japanese)
Jude Mathis in "Tales of Xillia 2" (VG) (Japanese)
Jude Mathis in "Tales of Xillia" (VG) (Japanese)
Kashiwagi Yuu in "Kirai ja nai Kedo" (Drama CD) (Japanese)
Kashiwagi Yuu in "Warui Koto Shitai" (Drama CD) (Japanese)
Kenshin Kagemitsu in "Touken Ranbu" (VG) (Japanese)
Kurumi in "Side Kicks!" (VG) (Japanese)
Main Character in "Toki to Eien ~Toki Towa~" (VG) (Japanese)
Mias in "Moujuutachi to Ohime-sama ~in blossom~" (VG) (Japanese)
Mias in "Moujuutachi to Ohime-sama" (VG) (Japanese)
Momota Itsuki in "Mispri! Miss Princess" (VG) (Japanese)
Rengokuin in "Rust Blaster" (Drama CD) (Japanese)
Shinji Naruse in "LUX-PAIN" (VG) (Japanese)
Shunya in "Blazer Drive" (Japanese)
Tokio Horou / Ethan Kairos in "Time Hollow" (VG) (Japanese)
Vermeil in "Granblue Fantasy" (VG) (Japanese)
Wataru Kagurazaka in "Gakuen Club" (VN) (Japanese)
Yukihiko Himeno in "CV: Casting Voice" (VG) (Japanese)
Yumiru in "Avalon Code" (VG) (Japanese)!~

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/baugusbryson) | [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/baugusbryson) | [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@baugusbryson)

__Non-Anime Roles:__
• Gepard (Honkai: Star Rail)

Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game.
 
Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. Don't miss this story of adolescent lives and emotions playing out in the most dramatic of ways!
 
(Source: Kodansha USA)
 
Notes: 
- It won the 2nd Manga Taisho Award and the 35th annual Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shoujo. 
- It was nominated for the 20th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2016.

They may have just won their most coveted karuta tournament, but members of the Mizusawa karuta team still have a long way to go. Each member chases their dreams, and with a win under their collective belt, those dreams are closer in reach than ever. Chihaya Ayase is determined to challenge Wakamiya Shinobu and win the title of Queen, and Taichi Mashima is ready to take on Arata Wataya now that he’s made it into the most elite of karuta players — but an unexpected revelation will deal these karuta players a hand none of them saw coming. (Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Now in their second year of high school, Chihaya and her friends share all the fun and worries that come with welcoming underclassmen to the team as they face tough rival schools. The passion of the Mizusawa Karuta Club burns hotter than ever, but with the same refreshing, youthful mood carrying over from the first season. 
(Source: Crunchyroll)

Original episode bundled with the 22nd manga volume.

Tsutomu Komano