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Voice Actor Yūki Kaji Leaves Talent Agency, Starts Own Company

Voice actor Yūki Kaji announced on Thursday that he will be leaving his talent agency VIMS on April 8, to go independent and start his own company for his voice AI project Soyogi Fractal, where he will also serve as representative director, starting on April 9.

Kaji stated his gratitude to VIMS, which he said discovered him "when he was a nobody" and built the foundation for him as a voice actor. Kaji added that VIMS is the place that has nurtured his entire life as a voice actor.

For the reason of leaving his agency, Kaji stated that he wants to further expand his possibilities as a voice actor and continue to challenge himself to be a passionate artist, and his Soyogi Fractal project is a big factor in realizing this goal. Kaji now calls this project his "life's work."

Kaji has decided to devote his all to lead the project to success, and has launched a new team. Kaji stated that his goal is to revolutionize the history of vocal expression, where humans and AI technology resonate with each other. Kaji added that he believes in the value of the "soul of the voice" that only humans can create, and wants to protect it to the end. 

Kaji started a campaign through the crowdfunding service Campfire to fund his Soyogi Fractal project in April 2024. The project would offer creators the means to use Kaji's voice to create new and interesting stories and songs, while also helping to prevent the illicit use of Kaji's voice. The crowdfunding campaign began on April 11, 2024 and ran until May 31 that same year on Campfire. The initial goal was 10 million yen (about US$64,090 in current conversion), but the campaign raised over three times as much from 907 backers.

Sources: Yūki Kaji's X/Twitter account, VIMS talent agency's website, Comic Natalie