Who Voices Main Characters In The Tale Of Princess Kaguya?

Okay, quick but heartfelt: the Japanese original of 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' casts Aki Asakura as Kaguya, with Kôji Yakusho as the bamboo cutter (the adoptive father) and Kengo Kôra often credited for the role of Sutemaru, the childhood friend. For the English dub, Chloe Grace Moretz voices Kaguya and James Caan is commonly listed as the bamboo cutter. Those are the core players — their vocal choices shape so much of the film’s emotional pull. If you’re comparing versions, listen to how the pauses and breaths differ between the Japanese and English tracks; it’s a tiny thing that changes the whole mood, and I love replaying scenes just to catch those differences.

I still get a little choked up thinking about the voice work in 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' — it’s that rare film where the performances feel like an extra layer of watercolor, fragile and full of breath. In the original Japanese release, the title role of Kaguya is performed by Aki Asakura, who captures that mixture of wonder and quiet sorrow as Kaguya grows from a mysterious child into someone trapped by court life and expectation. The bamboo cutter (often listed as Okina or the Father) is voiced by Kôji Yakusho, whose grounded, weathered tone gives the family’s emotional center a deep, human weight. The young friend who matters so much to Kaguya — Sutemaru — is played by Kengo Kôra, and his warm, straightforward energy contrasts beautifully with the courtly voices that eventually surround her.

If you watched the international/English-language dub, the most talked-about name is Chloe Grace Moretz as Kaguya, and she brings a clear, intimate presence to the role that leans into Kaguya’s curiosity and later, her heartbreak. In many English screenings the bamboo cutter was voiced by James Caan, giving that character a more gravelly, paternal edge. Those two versions (Japanese and English) are interesting to compare because the delivery and cultural rhythms of speech change how scenes land emotionally — the Japanese one feels closer to a traditional, mourning lullaby, while the English dub reads as slightly more immediate for Western viewers.

Beyond the core quartet — Kaguya, her adoptive parents, and Sutemaru — the film features a handful of notable court figures and suitors whose voices are intentionally formal and performative, emphasizing how the palace strips Kaguya of simple human contact. If you want precise credits for every role, the Blu-ray booklet and official Studio Ghibli credits list the full cast (and I love poring over those little details). Either way, the vocal performances are inseparable from the film’s art style: they don’t shout, they suggest, and they make the quiet moments feel enormous — like a hand closing around a paper lantern at dusk.