Natsuna Watanabe's Real Name: Watanabe Natsuna

Quick answer: Natsuna Watanabe's real name is Watanabe Natsuna (渡辺 夏菜). Born May 23, 1989, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, she now works under the shortened stage name Natsuna (夏菜).

Real name and the switch to "Natsuna"

Watanabe Natsuna debuted under her full birth name. After early TV drama work, she shortened her professional name to Natsuna around November 2009, a change reported by Japanese entertainment outlets and her agency materials as she pushed for larger film and drama roles (Anime News Network; TMDB; Japanese biographical summaries citing Toyota Office).

She was born in Toda, Saitama Prefecture, and joined Toyota Office after being scouted. She graduated from Hino High School (日出高等学校) and chose acting over university (Japanese career summaries).

Breakthrough: Gantz and the NHK asadora

Her film breakthrough was as Kei Kishimoto in the live-action Gantz and Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011), cast from hundreds of auditionees (ANN). In 2012 she won the lead of NHK's morning drama (asadora) Jun to Ai after an audition of more than 2,250 actors—her third try at an asadora heroine after earlier losses (TMDB biography; Japanese press accounts of the 2,258-candidate audition).

Other credits include Maria Ross in the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist film, female Ranma in a Ranma ½ special, and roles in dramas such as Doubles and Haken no Cabaret Girl Ayaka. She has also worked in variety and hosted NHK BS Premium's The Covers with Lily Franky (career listings).

Personal life

Through her agency she announced marriage to a non-celebrity partner on January 16, 2021. She later publicly shared the births of a daughter (March 1, 2022) and a son (August 2023) on Instagram via agency-confirmed reports (English Wikipedia citing agency/Instagram announcements). She remains affiliated with Toyota Office.

Gantz live-action Blu-ray/DVD (Region-appropriate) Jun to Ai DVD box set if available related Japanese cinema / asadora history book