JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean introduces Jolyne Cujoh as the JoJo anime series' first female lead, completing the lifelong dream of both of Jolyne's VAs.
The 5th season of the JoJo series premiered to much anticipation on Netflix on December 1st. Focusing on Jolyne Cujoh, the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, Stone Ocean follows the 6th arc in Hirohiko Araki’s manga series.
Jolyne Cujoh is played by Egyptian-Japanese VA Fairouz Ai and American VA Kira Buckland, in the sub and dub respectively. Heartwarmingly, the two VAs had shared the same lifelong dream to act in a JoJo series. Now, with the launch of Stone Ocean, the two have finally achieved that dream - not just as any character, but as season 5's protagonist.
WHO IS THE JAPANESE VA IN JOJO STONE OCEAN?
In the Japanese Stone Ocean anime, voice actress Fairouz Ai plays the role of Jolyne Cujoh. The 28-year-old had made her professional voice acting debut in 2012, appearing in numerous anime and video games since. She's most known for her roles in How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (2019), Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo (2021), and Dr. Stone (2019).
Originally, she was announced to play Jolyne at the April 2021 JOESTAR The Inherited Soul Animation Special Event. During the stream, she said: "It's really saved my life. There were hardships that I experienced that I was able to overcome because of the encouragement that I received from Jolyne... To everyone watching, I think you love JoJo from the bottom of your heart, and I am very much the same. JoJo is my life. JoJo is what encouraged me and guided me to come to this profession as a voice actor." (roughly translated)
To sweeten the moment even further, she had stated in an interview via WebNewType that she initially wanted to play a different JoJo character. Because her love for Jolyne was so strong, she stated she wanted to play Foo Fighters, just so she could be the one that supports her beloved heroine.
And so, after 12 years, Fairouz Ai has finally achieved her biggest dream. It's a momentous occasion for both the actress and the anime series, one that certainly has fans hyped for Stone Ocean.
WHO IS THE ENGLISH VA?
For Stone Ocean's English dub, Alaskan VA Kira Buckland lends her voice to Jolyne Cujoh. Buckland has built an impressively extensive voice acting career since 2004. An incredibly versatile actress, she made appearances in HunterxHunter, NieR: Automata, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, among many others.
Additionally, this is not Buckland's first entry into the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure series. As Reimi Sugimoto, she appeared in the 4th arc of the series, Diamond is Unbreakable.
As if it couldn't get any better, American VA Kira Buckland actually shared the same voice acting aspirations as Fairouz Ai. For nearly 8 years, Buckland had dreamed of one day appearing in a JoJo role. Now, finally taking up the mantle of a Joestar family member, Buckland has joined Ai in completing a lifelong dream.
Overall, it's extremely sweet that both of Jolyne's voice actors hold the show in such a special place in their hearts. It makes for such a genuine performance, connecting the two through their mutual love for JoJo and Jolyne. To have such passionate actors behind a major series, especially for one of the franchise's strongest female characters, can surely only make Stone Ocean that much more impactful.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean is available to stream on Netflix starting December 1st.