Kirby's voice actor takes to the stage for a rare live performance

There are a handful of Nintendo characters whose voices are forever engrained into the memories of Nintendo fans, and Kirby is certainly one of them. That cute, high-pitched voice is instantly recognizable, and we’ve heard it in countless games over the years.

That iconic voice belongs to Makiko Ohmoto, who first lent her talents to Kirby in Super Smash Bros. on the N64, which was followed up by Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. We rarely hear from Ohmoto outside of her game performances, but fans were shocked and excited to see Makiko show up at the recent Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Fest.

You can see Makiko’s arrival at the concert above, where she offers up a quick sound bytes that Kirby fans will no doubt recognize. Ohmoto even sang at the concert, performing ‘Welcome to the New World’ from Kirby and the Forgotten Land with Neichel. If you haven’t seen the concert in general, you can find it here (3:32:20 timestamp).