Karen Fukuhara Explained

Karen Fukuhara
Birth Date:10 February 1992
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education:University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation:Actress
Yearsactive:2013–present

Karen Fukuhara (born February 10, 1992)[1] [2] is an American actress best known for her roles as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana in the 2016 superhero film Suicide Squad and as Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female in the Amazon original series The Boys (2019-present). Fukuhara is also known for voicing the character Kipo from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Glimmer from the Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Haru from Pokémon Concierge.

Early life and education

Fukuhara was born to Japanese parents in Los Angeles.[3] Her first language was Japanese, and she attended a Japanese language school on Saturdays for 11 years. She has a younger brother. Fukuhara began practicing karate in middle school, and became a brown-striped belt before leaving for college. She is a lifetime fan of the Pokémon franchise and enjoyed playing her Game Boy growing up.[4]

Fukuhara attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) while working as a reporter for a sports show on NHK in Japan. She was a part of the Cultural Affairs Commission. [5] She was a member of the a cappella group Medleys, whose alumni include fellow actress Kelly Marie Tran.[6] [7] Fukuhara graduated from UCLA in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Theater.

Career

Fukuhara got her start in the entertainment industry in middle school when she was cast as a host for Movie Surfers, a short-form entertainment news program on the Disney Channel.

Before her acting debut, Fukuhara worked various part-time jobs, including translator, subtitle editor, and waitress at a reggae-themed sushi restaurant.

In 2016, Fukuhara made her film debut as Katana in the DC Comics superhero film Suicide Squad, which was released in August 2016.[8] [9] Although she had martial arts experience, Fukuhara trained for about two months to learn to wield a sword.

In 2019, Fukuhara appeared in Stray, alongside Christine Woods, Miyavi, and Ross Partridge.[10]

Fukuhara voiced the characters Sewer Queen and Alexis in the Cartoon Network series Craig of the Creek. In 2018, she began voicing Glimmer in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a reboot of the 1985 animated television series.[11]

In 2019, she began starring as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female in the Amazon Prime series The Boys, based on the comic book of the same name.[12]

In 2020, she voiced the titular lead character of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts,[13] a series based on the short-lived webcomic Kipo.

In 2023, Netflix announced that Fukuhara would voice Haru, the titular character of Pokémon Concierge.[14]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016Suicide SquadTatsu Yamashiro / Katana
2017The LostLaura BakerShort
2019StrayNori
2020Bobbleheads: The MovieIkioi (voice)Direct-to-DVD
2022Bullet TrainKayda Izumi Concession Girl
2023The Boy and the HeronLady Himi (voice)English-language dub[15]
2023Craig Before the CreekAlexis (voice)
TBAStone Cold FoxFilming

Television

Notes
2018–presentCraig of the CreekSewer Queen, Alexis (voice)Recurring; 11 episodes
2018–2020She-Ra and the Princesses of PowerGlimmer (voice)[16] Series regular; 48 episodes
2019–presentThe BoysKimiko Miyashiro / The Female[17] Series regular; 29 episodes
2020Kipo and the Age of WonderbeastsKipo Oak (voice)Lead role; 30 episodes
2021F (voice)Short film: The Village Bride: English-language dub[18]
2021ArcherReiko (voice)1 episode: Dingo, baby, et cetera
2022Modern Love TokyoTamami (voice)1 episode: He's Playing Our Song. English-language dub.
2023Pokémon ConciergeHaru (voice)Series regular: English-language dub
2024Alice's Wonderland BakerySakura (voice)1 episode: Dance of the Cherry Blossoms

Commercials

Awards

Notes and References

  1. News: Regensdorf. Laura. August 5, 2016. Meet Karen Fukuhara, Suicide Squad Karate-Trained Breakout Star. Vogue. August 20, 2019. August 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200815115631/https://www.vogue.com/article/suicide-squad-actress-karen-fukuhara-fitness-karate-martial-arts-skin-care. live.
  2. Web site: Andrea. Mandell. Truitt. Brian. Alexander. Bryan. February 15, 2017. Attention, Hollywood: It's time to give these 11 Asian stars their due. September 15, 2020. USA TODAY. en-US. November 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105082239/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/02/15/hollywood-oscars-asian-breakout-stars-diversity/97858328/. live.
  3. Nguyen. Minh. Karen Fukuhara Talks 'Suicide Squad,' Katana, and 'Dora the Explorer'. August 3, 2016. NBC News. August 1, 2016. July 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210717052235/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/karen-fukuhara-talks-suicide-squad-katana-not-knowing-dora-explorer-n622351. live.
  4. Web site: Talking Pokémon Concierge at Los Angeles Comic Con . 2023-12-05 . Nintendo Supply . en.
  5. Web site: Young Superstar Karen Fukuhara Joins Suicide Squad with a Mission. Mochi Magazine. November 4, 2016. en-US. December 15, 2019. December 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191215092647/https://www.mochimag.com/mochi-magazine/young-superstar-karen-fukuhara-joins-suicide-squad-with-a-mission. live.
  6. Web site: Next Big Thing: 'Suicide Squad's' Karen Fukuhara Explains Her Tattoo From Margot Robbie. December 15, 2019. The Hollywood Reporter. July 26, 2016. en. July 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160727130409/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/next-big-thing-suicide-squads-912173. live.
  7. Web site: Karen Fukuhara '14 . December 15, 2019. en-US. October 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201018153858/https://alumni.ucla.edu/class-notes/karen-fukuhara-14/. live.
  8. Web site: Rebecca. Hawkes. Suicide Squad: everything you need to know. The Daily Telegraph. telegraph.co.uk. May 26, 2015. January 26, 2016. June 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150606161013/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/suicide-squad/spoilers-rumours-news-cast-jared-leto-margot-robbie/. live.
  9. Web site: Dave. Trumbore. Suicide Squad Cast Reveals First Trailer At Comic-Con. Collider. July 11, 2015. January 26, 2016. July 12, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150712215842/http://collider.com/suicide-squad-comic-con-panel-recap-trailer/. live.
  10. Web site: Hipes. Patrick. Christine Woods, 'Suicide Squad's Karen Fukuhara & More Join 'Sleight' Team's 'Stray'. Deadline Hollywood. December 9, 2023. December 2, 2016.
  11. Web site: 'She-Ra And the Princesses Of Power': Aimee Carrero, Karen Fukuhara, Sandra Oh Among Voice Cast. Petski. Denise. May 18, 2018. Deadline. en. September 3, 2019. February 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210212024733/https://deadline.com/2018/05/she-ra-and-the-princesses-of-power-aimee-carrero-karen-fukuhara-sandra-oh-cast-1202394185/. live.
  12. Web site: Petski. Denise. March 21, 2018. 'The Boys': 'Suicide Squad's Karen Fukuhara Cast In Amazon's Superhero Drama Series. September 3, 2019. Deadline. November 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041211/https://deadline.com/2018/03/the-boys-karen-fukuhara-cast-amazon-superhero-drama-series-1202350607/. live.
  13. Web site: Ramos. Dino-Ray. December 12, 2019. 'Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts': Karen Fukuhara, Sterling K. Brown, Dan Stevens And More Set For Animated Series. September 15, 2020. Deadline. en-US. August 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812184034/https://deadline.com/2019/12/kipo-and-the-age-of-wonderbeasts-karen-fukuhara-sterling-k-brown-dan-stevens-netflix-animated-series-dreamworks-animation-1202808149/. live.
  14. News: Mateo . Alex . Pokémon Concierge Stop-Motion Animated Series' English Trailer Reveals Theme Song, December 28 Premiere . 15 November 2023 . Anime News Network . 14 November 2023 . en.
  15. Web site: Wu. Valerie. Hayao Miyazaki's 'The Boy and the Heron' Announces English Voice Cast: Christian Bale, Florence Pugh and Robert Pattinson to Star. Variety. October 17, 2023. October 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017162930/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/hayao-miyazaki-the-boy-and-the-heron-robert-pattinson-florence-pugh-1235758367/. October 17, 2023. live.
  16. Web site: She-Ra gets a makeover! A first look at the new Netflix series and meet the cast. Entertainment Weekly. May 18, 2018. July 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200705141552/https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/18/she-ra-netflix-cast-photo-reveal/. dead.
  17. Web site: Petski. Denise. The Boys: 'Suicide Squad's Karen Fukuhara Cast In Amazon's Superhero Drama Series. Deadline. March 21, 2018. March 21, 2018. November 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201109041211/https://deadline.com/2018/03/the-boys-karen-fukuhara-cast-amazon-superhero-drama-series-1202350607/. live.
  18. Web site: August 17, 2021. Stunning New Star Wars: Visions Trailer Debuts. August 17, 2021. StarWars.com. en-US. August 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210817133220/https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-visions-trailer-and-cast. live.
  19. Web site: July 1, 2022. 'THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL' CREATOR SAYS IT'S WAY SCARIER THAN 'DEAD SPACE'. July 12, 2022. June 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220630164019/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/callisto-protocol-scarier-than-dead-space. live.
  20. Web site: Taco Bell's 'Fry Force' Is About One Thing: Hope . 2023-11-15 . Muse by Clio . July 27, 2021 . en.
  21. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210516005016/en/Karen-Fukuhara-Receives-an-IMDb-STARmeter-Award-at-Identity-2021-Celebrating-Asian-Pacific-American-Heritage-Month
  22. Web site: The 2023 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) TV Astra Award Winners . January 9, 2024 .