Kohara Riko

is a voice actress from Gifu Prefecture, Japan. She is RAISE A SUILEN's lead guitarist and also voices Asahi Rokka. She is currently a freelancer.

Background
Riko started playing guitar when she was 18 after her friend asked her to be their guitarist because the band's initial guitarist became a vocalist. At first she started with an acoustic guitar and after getting bored of it, she switched to an electric one. Later Riko moved from Gifu Prefecture to Tokyo in order to pursue her music carer, and graduated from ESP College of Entertainment, a vocational school that specializes in electric guitar and basses. During her time at the vocational school she studied under guitarist Kusakabe "BURNY" Masanori.

Riko used to be a member of The Sketchbook, a real-life band formed in July 2011 based on the fictional band from, which performed majority of the opening, endings and insert songs for its anime. After the their last concert at Tatsuya O-West and on March 23, 2015, the band announced their disbandment because each individual wanted to focus on their own dreams. On September 14, 2015, she became affiliated with Object. On March 15, 2022, Riko announced that she has become a freelancer due to Object shutting down their voice talent business.

She debuted as a voice actress in 2014 by performing as a side character in Sore Ike! Anpanman. Riko's other roles include:
 * Nanami Hoshi in Idol Memories
 * Aoi Misa in the Kandagawa Jet Girls series
 * Riko in Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation
 * Kiyosujiou, Uwajimajou, Tsurushimajou and Tonokourijou in Oshiro Project: RE ~CASTLE DEFENSE~
 * Gekkou in Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link
 * Lily in The Caligula Effect
 * Shirakabe Mako in Teppen—!!!

In March 2018, Riko was recruited by Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani to join the BanG Dream! franchise after a fan sent a video of her performances to Kidani on social media.

Riko used to host a corner in Bandori! TV called "Saechi and Rikopin's Jam Session" where she and Sae shared Bandori announcements through improvised songs.

Hobbies & Personality
Riko's hobbies include bungee jumping, cosplaying and aromatherapy, and her special skill are cooking and bending her thumb. She loves tomatoes and cake, while her least favorite food is uncooked rice.

Her favorite anime is Kare Kano and manga Death Note, while her favorite video game series is the Animal Crossing series.undefined

Trivia

 * She is left-handed. In addition to this, she has a Level 3 qualification in sign language.
 * She used a Les Paul guitar when she played in The Sketchbook, but started using a Strandberg after joining RAISE A SUILEN.