Christopher Ayres

Christopher Owen Ayres (born May 16, 1965, in Richmond, Virginia) is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Script Writer at Seraphim Digital and Sentai Filmworks for English versions of Japanese anime series. He has also been a voice actor for FUNimation, OkraTron 5000 and New Generation Pictures. He is the older brother of Greg Ayres.

He is best known for his roles as Frieza in Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super, Kei Kurono from Gantz, Prince Soma from Black Butler and Shingen Takeda from the Sengoku Basara series.

Biography
Ayres got his start in voice acting at ADV Films on Kino's Journey as an extra. Chris has since gone onto voicing in many productions by ADV and soon expanding to FUNimation's talent pool; not only as a voice actor, but as a voice director and script writer. Ayres won the 2012 Staff Choice Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in an Anime Title in a Supporting Role as Frieza in Dragon Ball Z Kai at the 1st Annual BTVA Voice Acting Awards.

In 2017, Ayres was diagnosed with advanced COPD and final stage emphysema. This illness has kept him from voice acting since March of that year. A fundraiser launched in November of that year raised over $38,000 of a $25,000 goal in fan donations for Ayres' medical expenses. Daman Mills has been filling in as Ayres' understudy as Frieza in Dragon Ball Super on the condition should he be too ill to perform or something worse occur.

Anime

 * Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974) - Additional Voices
 * Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982-1983) - Lynn Kaifun, Additional Voices
 * Crayon Shin-chan (1992-present) - Additional Voices (FUNimation Dub)
 * Yu Yu Hakusho (1992-1995) - Demon Spectator (ep. 49) (Blu-Ray Remaster)
 * One Piece (1999-present) - Johnny, Additional Voices
 * Elfen Lied (2004) - Sniper (ep. 1), Additional Voices
 * Gantz (2004) - Kei Kurono
 * Samurai Gun (2004) - Jihou (ep. 6), Inumaru (ep. 10) , Informant (ep. 12)
 * Air (2005) - Attacker (ep. 7), Guards (ep. 8) , Monk Soldier C (ep. 8) , Pursuer (ep. 8) , Monk (ep. 9) , Priest (ep. 9) , Soldier (ep. 9)
 * Speed Grapher (2005) - Chōji Suitengu, Takeshi (ep. 17)
 * Trinity Blood (2005) - Isaak Fernand von Kämpfer, Butler (ep. 3), Noble B (ep. 18)
 * Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple (2006-2007) - Additional Voices
 * Kiba (2006-2007) - Elder (ep. 6), Morris (ep. 10) , Additional Voices
 * Ouran High School Host Club (2006) - Renge's Father (ep. 4)
 * Black Butler (2008-2009) - Prince Soma Asman Kadar
 * Dragon Ball Z Kai (2009-2011) - Frieza
 * Fairy Tail (2009-present) - Duke Everlue (eps. 3-4)
 * Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010) - Raven
 * Black Butler II (2010) - Prince Soma Asman Kadar
 * Dance in the Vampire Bund (2010) - Li
 * Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2010) - Corset
 * Beyond the Boundary (2013) - Additional Voices
 * Gatchaman Crowds (2013-2015) - Additional Voices
 * Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters (2014-2015) - Frieza
 * Sengoku Basara: End of Judgement (2014) - Takeda Shingen
 * Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018) - Frieza (FUNimation Dub)

OVAs & Specials

 * Megazone 23 - Part II (1986) - Cujo (ADV Dub)
 * Halo Legends (2010) - Commander (ep. 7), Operator (ep. 7)

Anime Films

 * Yu Yu Hakusho: The Golden Seal (1993) - Garuga / Yasha (FUNimation Dub)
 * Appleseed (2004) - Elder (Sentai Dub)
 * Summer Wars (2009) - Additional Voices
 * Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (2015) - Frieza
 * Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018) - Frieza

Voice Director

 * Beyond the Boundary

Trivia

 * He is also known for Mock Combat for Cosplay panels at anime conventions.