Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No 8, Dragon Ball Daima star announces hiatus, sparks concerns weeks after Jump Fest 2025 appearance

Japanese voice actress Fairouz Ai announced her indefinite hiatus, citing health reasons. Her expansive resume features projects like Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No 8.

Japanese voice actress Fairouz Ai has announced her indefinite hiatus amid perturbing health reasons. The 31-year-old star who’s brought more than a few standout anime icons to life by lending her voice to them recently caught Otakus off guard by her unforeseen social media post. On December 31 (IST), the artist who has contributed countless anime masterpieces like Chainsaw Man and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, took to her X, formerly Twitter, profile, revealing that her sudden professional break was attributed to her a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. Her talent agency, Raccoon Dog, backed the decision, informing fans of the development on Tuesday.

Chainsaw Man's Power voice actress Fairouz Ai has announced her hiatus following a PTSD diagnosis. (Instagram)

Fairouz Ai's expansive anime career featuring Chainsaw Man, Dragon Ball DAIMA, Kaiju No 8

In 2024 alone, Fairouz Ai’s contributions to the anime industry spoke volumes. She voiced Dragon Ball DAIMA’s Panzy, Magilumiere Co Ltd’s Kana Sakuragi, Negative Positive Angler’s Hana Ayukawa, Kaiju No 8’s Kikoru Shinomiya, Viral Hit’s Aki Yashio and many more. Her voice acting resume also boasts her versatile offerings to shows like Scott Pilgrim Takes off, Akama-kun, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Chainsaw Man, Kakegurui Twin, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Tokyo Revengers and countless other projects.

Her hiatus news has especially startled many because Ai graced several stages at Jump Festa 2025 event on December 21-22. Addressing her involvement in various ongoing anime narratives, she attended the Chainsaw Man, Dragon Ball DAIMA, Kaiju No 8 and Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc panels.

No news on when voice actress Fairouz Ai's hiatus will end

Ai withheld any details about the cause of her PTSD, asking audiences to respect her privacy during her time away from the entertainment industry. Divulging that she developed the disorder a few months ago, she expressed how she kept pushing boundaries endlessly to live up to the expectations during her professional career. However, she finally accepted that it was time for her to step down for a while to concentrate on her treatment and healing. Apologising for any inconvenience caused in the process, she thanked the “wonderful production teams that create my favourite works and characters.” As per Anime News Network’s translation, the actress also expressed gratitude to her fans for always supporting her.

Focussing on her swift physical and mental recovery, Fairouz intends to resume activities as soon as possible. A timeline for her comeback wasn't specified. Fairouz also helmed Friday MC duties on the ABEMA variety program Voice Actors’ Night Out. In light of Ai's hiatus, Nobuhiko Okamoto, alongside Toshihiko Seki, will replace her temporarily.

Jump Festa 2025 set the stage for Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc’s 2025 premiere. Fans also scored the first look at the upcoming film thanks to a brand-new trailer release. With a 2025 premiere date for Japan already locked in, it’s expected that the movie must be past its recording stages. Therefore, there’s a good chance that fans will still witness Ai voicing Power. However, official confirmations are still awaited.