Kelly Hu

Kelly Hu’s Path From Beauty Queen to Voice Acting Icon

Long before video game fans recognized her voice, Kelly Hu had already built one of Hollywood’s more unconventional careers. As Miss Teen USA 1985 – the first Asian American to hold that title – she leveraged early fame into a modeling career spanning Japan and Italy, then pivoted to acting with a natural ease that eventually led her to the recording booth. That transition turned out to be where her talents found a second, enduring home.

Young Justice and the Cheshire Legacy

Animation fans know Hu’s voice best from Young Justice, where she plays Cheshire – the cunning assassin Jade Nguyen whose murky loyalties and fierce fighting style demand a performance equally sharp. Hu held that role from the show’s debut in 2010 through its later seasons, delivering a character who rarely shouts yet always commands the scene. That ability to project menace through restraint became something of a calling card.

Karai and the Ninja Turtles Universe

Starting in 2012, Hu joined the cast of the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as Karai, voicing the character across multiple seasons, direct-to-video specials, and into games including TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants (2024) and Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny (2025). The continuity speaks to how fully she inhabited the role – studios kept returning to her specifically rather than recasting.

Mortal Kombat 1 and Recent Game Credits

In 2023, Hu stepped into the rebooted Mortal Kombat 1 as Li Mei and Madame Bo, adding two distinct characters to a franchise she had previously contributed to across MKX and MK11. That same year she voiced Ashrah in Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match. Her 2024 credits include a role in Star Wars: Outlaws and the Watchmen: Chapter I animated film. Most recently, she reprised Lady Deathstrike for Deadpool VR (2025) and appeared in the 2026 Wolverine video game as Tyger Tiger.

Batman, Lady Shiva, and DC Animation

In the DC animated universe, Hu voiced Lady Shiva across Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) and Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021), two very different takes on the same martial arts legend. The casting made obvious sense given her own black belt in karate – the physicality she brings to action roles on screen translated directly into how she approached those vocal performances.