On December 4, LINE Yahoo Corporation announced the winners of the Yahoo! Search Awards 2024, recognizing individuals, works, and products with the largest year-over-year surge in search interest. In the Voice Actor Category, Kokoro Kikuchi claimed the top spot.

About the Yahoo! Search Awards

First launched in 2014, the Yahoo! Search Awards reflect public interest by analyzing search data from Yahoo! Japan, one of the country's largest search engines. Dubbed a "People's Choice Award," the rankings are determined solely by search trends, highlighting individuals and topics that resonated most with the public.

The 2024 rankings were based on search data collected between January 1 and October 1, 2024, across multiple categories, including:

People Categories (6): Actor, Musician, Athlete, Comedian, Voice Actor, Special.
Works Categories (5): Anime, Movie, Game, Drama, Song.
Product Categories (4): Food/Beverage, Electronics, Fashion, Automobile.
Destinations Categories (3): Theme Parks, Cultural Facilities, Shopping Centers.
Additionally, Next Break Categories (2) were introduced, predicting future stars in "People" and "Products."

Voice Actor Category: Top 5 Rankings

Kokoro Kikuchi
Best known as the second voice actress for Maruko in the iconic anime Chibi Maruko-chan.
Kikuchi’s surge in search interest followed her appointment as the successor to TARAKO, who voiced Maruko for 34 years before passing away in March. Her debut as Maruko drew immense attention, with Chibi Maruko-chan trending at No. 1 on X (formerly Twitter) after its broadcast.

Kenjirou Tsuda
A versatile talent with roles in anime such as Ramen Red Cat and appearances in the drama Saionji Doesn’t Do Housework.

Mayumi Tanaka
Renowned for her role in NHK’s drama series Tora ni Tsubasa, in addition to her extensive anime work.

Sayuri Date
Gained recognition for her performance as Kanon Shibuya in Love Live! Superstar!!.

Yuka Iguchi
Known for her role in A Certain Magical Index series and for generating buzz with her photo book MORE MORE MORE.

Source : ORICON NEWS