Fairouz Ai
Fairouz Ai (ファイルーズあい, Fairūzu Ai) is a Japanese voice actress and singer who is affiliated with Pro-Fit. On April 4, 2021, it was announced at the JOESTAR The Inherited Soul event that she would be the voice of Jolyne Cujoh in the upcoming JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean anime.
Fairouz Ai is also known for her work on other anime such as being the voice of Manatsu Natsuumi in Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure, Hibiki Sakura in How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?, Emily Orange in Kandagawa Jet Girls, Eripiyo in If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, and Takechiyo in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.
Biography
Fairouz Ai Kadota was born in Tokyo, Japan from a Japanese mother and an Egyptian father. Her brother, Gihado Kadota (門田 ギハード, Kadota Gihādo), is an athlete who represents Japan in ice climbing competitions.[3] Fairouz was raised in Egypt and studied in the Cairo Japanese School in Giza from fifth grade of elementary school until graduation. She would later return to Japan during high school.
After graduating from high school, Fairouz did not immediately start a career in voice acting due to her parents' opposition. She first entered a graphic design school but her desire to become a voice actress rekindled during her third year. She worked as a dental assistant for one year to save money and entered the Profit Voice Actor Training Center, graduating in 2019 and debuting as a nameless female citizen in One Punch Man. In the same year, she starred in the role of Hibiki Sakura in the anime How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?.
In 2020, at the 14th Seiyu Awards, Fairouz Ai won an award in the "New Actress" category for her role as Hibiki Sakura.
Fairouz Ai is fond of drawing, watching horror movies, reading manga such as Prison School, Fist of the North Star, Akagi, and Kaiji, and muscle training. She has a grade 3 certification in Business Skill and a grade 4 certification in Horseback Riding.[4]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Fairouz is a notable fan of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, particularly Stone Ocean. She used to see comments on videos referencing JoJo which led her to the series. She liked how dramatic the art was and decided to buy some volumes. While in junior high, she bought the first five volumes of Stone Ocean, mistakenly thinking that it was JoJo's first arc since the volume count was reset. She couldn't understand anything but wanted to know more about Jolyne, who she thought was cool. After collecting more volumes of JoJo, she eventually had the entire set by her first year of high school.
Fairouz found it tough to adjust in high school but stayed optimistic and motivated herself by thinking that she wants to be like Jolyne. Being half-Egyptian, Fairouz was really happy when she read Stardust Crusaders as she met several people who told her they liked Egypt because of manga and anime which featured the country. After making friends with JoJo fans, they called her Avdol so she would joke that she'll bring out Magician's Red.
She participated in an online reading session of the manga through Skype group calls and was praised within her community for her skill in reading the dialogue out loud. As a result, she began to regularly act out scenes from JoJo. Jolyne has even helped her to stay optimistic while job hunting or working. Fairouz dreamed of appearing in an anime adaptation of the manga and it pushed her to becoming a voice actor.
Fairouz says that she affiliated herself with the agency Pro-Fit because the teacher of the training center was Yoku Shioya, who voiced Will Anthonio Zeppeli, and that it would help her appear in the anime adaptation. She received her certification in horseback riding after reading Steel Ball Run and wanting to ride a horse.[5]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Roles
| Title | Media | Year |
|---|---|---|
| JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean | Anime | ??? |
Commentary
CommentaryI got a lot of courage from seeing Jolyne's strong and beautiful figure, especially when I was a student. So to have the opportunity to play Jolyne, who I love and admire the most, I am really grateful that I can't describe it in words.
Jolyne Cujoh is the bravest, most beautiful, strongest, most loving, and most wonderful person I've come across. My admiration for her hasn't changed in 12 years. I'm really happy to be able to go on this bizarre adventure with her, and I'll put my life into my performance so that I can acquire the same "amazingness" as Jolyne through the recording process.特に学生時代に、徐倫の強く美しい姿を見てたくさんの勇気をもらっていたので、そんな大好きで1番の憧れである徐倫を演じる機会を頂けて、本当に言葉では形容できないほど感謝の思いでいっぱいです。
空条徐倫は私が今まで出会った中で、世界一勇敢で美しくて強くて愛情深い、素晴らしい人間です。12年前から彼女に対する憧れの気持ちは変わっていません。そんな彼女と一緒に奇妙な冒険ができることが本当にうれしいですし、私もアフレコを通じて、徐倫のような『スゴ味』を身につけられるように、命を込めて演技させて頂きます。[6]Gallery
With fellow voice actors of the Joestar Family in JOESTAR The Inherited Soul Event
Fairouz at JOESTAR The Inherited Soul Event
Fairouz styled like Giorno on the Japanese TV Show "Manga Saves the World"
Fairouz in the "How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?" Special Training Video
Trivia
- In a 2019 interview, Fairouz stated that she doesn't think she could pull off Jolyne, but she would love to play a character that helps Jolyne like Foo Fighters. However, she stated that if she does happen to play Jolyne, she would do her best to bring out the "Jolyne inside her".[4]
