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Christopher Owen Ayres (May 16, 1965 – October 18, 2021) was 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 was 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 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 filled in as Ayres' understudy as Frieza in Dragon Ball Super lest he was too ill to perform or something worse occurred.

In November 2019, it had been announced that Ayres had successfully undergone a double lung transplant.

Death[]

Ayres died on October 18, 2021, at the age of 56, following years of complications from pulmonary disease. His death was announced on Twitter the following day by his girlfriend and fellow voice actress, Krystal LaPorte, and his friend and colleague, Sean Schemmel.

Filmography[]

Anime Dubbing[]

Anime[]

OVAs & Specials[]

Anime Films[]

Video Game Dubbing[]

Voice Director[]

Writer[]

Trivia[]

  • He was also known for Mock Combat for Cosplay panels at anime conventions.
  • Due to Christopher Ayres' passing in 2021, many of his ongoing roles were recast.
    • Daman Mills replaced him as Frieza in the Dragon Ball series.
      • Interestingly, Mills briefly filled in for him as Frieza in episodes 26 and 27 of Dragon Ball Super and in the video games while Ayres was undergoing treatment at the time.

External Links[]

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