Emi Lo: Maomao Voice Actor, Career & Biography

Quick Bio

Introduction

If you’ve watched the English dub of The Apothecary Diaries, there’s a good chance Emi Lo’s voice is one you now recognize instantly.

Lo is the English voice behind Maomao, the sharp-tongued pharmacist whose curiosity about poisons and medical mysteries keeps pulling her deeper into the secrets of the Imperial Palace. The role has become one of the defining performances of Lo’s career, particularly as The Apothecary Diaries continues to expand with a third season and a theatrical movie planned for 2026.

But Maomao is only one piece of a remarkably busy career. Lo has voiced Lucy in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Ruan Mei in Honkai: Star Rail, Rena Ryūgū in Higurashi: When They Cry, Rinku Aimoto in D4DJ First Mix, Suma in Demon Slayer, Columbina in Genshin Impact, Kate in Shadows House, Miri in Buddy Daddies, and Akane Sawatari in Chainsaw Man.

Their career is also unusual in another respect: Lo isn’t only an actor. They have worked as an ADR director and assistant director, giving them experience on the production side of English-language animation as well.

Early Life and Background

Emi Lo was born on March 5, 1991, in New York City and is of Chinese and Taiwanese descent. Public biographies also describe Taiwan as an important part of Lo’s childhood experience, with animation and video games becoming major interests while visiting Taiwan when they were young.

Music was an early part of Lo’s life. Before becoming widely known for anime dubbing, Lo trained as a classical pianist and continued performing piano later in life. Their professional background also includes singing, modeling and acting, creating a skill set that goes beyond traditional voice acting.

Acting was apparently never far from that musical training. Lo was active in local theater and continued taking acting courses even during graduate studies. Their education is associated with the Manhattan School of Music, where public records list graduate-level music study.

That combination of music, acting and performance experience makes sense when looking at Lo’s later career. Voice acting requires more than simply having a distinctive voice. Performers need timing, breath control, character interpretation and the ability to reproduce a performance consistently during long recording sessions. Musical training can be particularly useful for those demands.

Lo’s interest in animation and video games also wasn’t something that appeared after becoming a professional actor. Convention biographies describe those mediums as interests that had been part of their life from a young age. That enthusiasm eventually became part of their profession.

Career Journey and Breakthroughs

Lo’s professional anime dubbing career began around 2019. Early credits included roles in shows such as Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life, Demon Lord, Retry!, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life, Kemono Friends and Hensuki. They also began accumulating video-game credits, including Evelyn in Pokémon Masters.

The workload grew quickly.

In 2020 and 2021, Lo picked up increasingly prominent roles, including Fumiyo Niinuma in Smile Down the Runway, Hototo in Appare-Ranman!, Sisbell Lou Nebulis IX in Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World, Rena Ryūgū in Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU, Rinku Aimoto in D4DJ First Mix, Delmin in Show by Rock!! Mashumairesh!!, Michiru Inukai in Talentless Nana and Kate in Shadows House.

Rena and Rinku were particularly useful showcases of Lo’s range. One demanded the emotional intensity associated with a psychological horror series, while the other placed them in a much lighter, energetic musical setting.

Then came 2022, which proved to be an especially important year.

Lo voiced Lucy, one of the central characters in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. They also appeared as Akane Sawatari in Chainsaw Man, Miri Unasaka in Buddy Daddies, Ushio Kofune in Summer Time Rendering, Destiny in Takt Op. Destiny, Uta in Bubble, and Suma in Demon Slayer.

Lucy became one of Lo’s most recognizable performances. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners brought together Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red, and Lo announced their casting as Lucy ahead of the show’s September 2022 release.

Lo’s game work expanded at the same time. Their credits include Columbina in Genshin Impact, Ruan Mei in Honkai: Star Rail, Neve, Pinne and Phantom in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, Usalia in Disgaea 6, Da Qiao in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and several other game roles.

Ruan Mei became another notable performance. HoYoverse’s official character material identifies Emi Lo as the English voice of the elegant scientist in Honkai: Star Rail.

By 2023, the sheer volume of work was remarkable. A Crunchyroll industry survey reported that Lo had voiced 28 anime characters during 2023, including five main roles.

That same year brought what is arguably Lo’s biggest role to date: Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries.

Emi Lo as Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries

Maomao is a challenging character because her personality is deliberately restrained. She is highly intelligent, deeply curious about medicine and poisons, and often more interested in solving a mystery than in reacting to the social situation around her.

Lo’s performance has helped define the character for English-speaking viewers. In the English version, Maomao is voiced by Lo, while Aoi Yūki performs the Japanese role.

The series’ first season ran from October 2023 through March 2024, while its second season aired from January through July 2025.

The role has now brought Lo major industry recognition. At the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, they were nominated for Best Voice Artist Performance (English) for Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2.

The timing is especially interesting because Maomao’s story is far from finished. Season 3 is scheduled to begin in October 2026, with its second cour planned for April 2027. An original Apothecary Diaries theatrical movie is also scheduled for December 11, 2026, in Japan.

For Lo, that means one of their signature characters is about to enter another major phase.

Dubbing Career and Work Behind the Mic

One of the most interesting things about Emi Lo’s career is how much of it happens outside a conventional recording studio.

Lo has a professional home recording setup and publicly lists a Neumann TLM 103 microphone, an AKG P220 preamp, Solid State Logic 2 equipment and Adobe Audition among their studio tools. Their setup also supports Source-Connect, Skype, Zoom, Discord and Microsoft Teams for remote work.

Remote recording has become increasingly important to modern voice actors, particularly for performers working across multiple production companies and geographic markets. Lo’s ability to record from a home studio has allowed them to maintain work across different production environments.

They have also worked behind the scenes as an ADR director. Their directing credits include Gekidol and Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire, while they have assisted with projects including Ranking of Kings, Shadows House, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent, Restaurant to Another World 2, Fruits Basket Prelude and Aoashi.

That experience gives Lo a perspective that many performers don’t have. They understand both the actor’s job and the technical and creative demands involved in shaping an English dub.

Body Stats and Physical Appearance

Detailed physical statistics for Emi Lo are not reliably published by authoritative sources.

Their height, weight, eye color and exact hair color are therefore Not Publicly Disclosed rather than figures that should be guessed or copied from unreliable celebrity databases.

Photographs and convention appearances show Lo regularly embracing anime and gaming culture, including cosplay and character-inspired looks. Their public image is closely connected with the fandom communities surrounding the shows and games they work on.

Scandals, Controversies and Media Headlines

Clean Public Record

There are no major, well-substantiated scandals or criminal controversies associated with Emi Lo in the reliable sources reviewed for this biography.

Lo has, however, been part of broader conversations around Asian-American representation in anime voice acting. Their background as a Taiwanese/Chinese-American performer is particularly relevant in an industry that has faced long-running discussions about casting and representation. Their career has placed them in prominent English-language roles across Japanese anime, Chinese animation and video games.

It is worth separating those industry discussions from personal controversy: there is no credible evidence that Lo has been involved in a major personal scandal.

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Personal Life, Hobbies and Relationships

Lo is publicly described as agender and uses they/them pronouns in many contemporary biographies, although some professional pages have historically used she/her or mixed pronouns. Their own public statements have indicated that they go by any pronouns.

Lo is married to Zac. Public records and posts indicate that the marriage took place in 2022.

Outside acting, music remains an important interest. Lo plays piano and has continued performing, while other recurring hobbies include video games, cosplay, singing, modeling and exploring natural and abandoned man-made locations.

One particularly memorable detail from convention biographies is Lo’s Siberian cat, Noctis, who frequently gets mentioned alongside their hobbies and personal interests.

Their convention career has also grown considerably. Lo has appeared at events including Anime Expo, MomoCon, Sakura-Con, ConnectiCon, Metrocon, SacAnime and MiraiCon. FanimeCon announced Lo as a 2026 Guest of Honor, highlighting their growing connection with anime fandom beyond the recording booth.

Official Social Media Handles

Fans looking to follow Emi Lo can find their public profiles through these channels:

• Instagram: @kitsunesqueak
• X/Twitter: @kitsunesqueak
• Official Voice-Over Website: Emi Lo Voice Over
• Wikipedia: Emi Lo on Wikipedia

No verified official YouTube account was established from the sources reviewed, so one is not listed here.

Emi Lo’s Career Continues to Grow

Emi Lo’s rise is a good example of how modern voice acting has changed. A performer no longer has to be known for just one type of animation or one production company. Lo has moved comfortably between television anime, streaming animation, video games, Chinese-language animation, commercials and ADR direction.

And now Maomao has given that career a particularly visible centerpiece.

With The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 arriving in October 2026 and the franchise’s first theatrical movie scheduled for December, Lo’s most recognizable character is entering another major chapter.

For longtime fans, though, Maomao is only part of the appeal. The voice behind the pharmacist is also Lucy, Ruan Mei, Rena, Rinku, Suma, Kate and a long list of characters that can sound wildly different from one another.

That range may ultimately be what defines Emi Lo’s career: not a single signature voice, but an ability to disappear into the character.

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