FRACTAL Inc. (Read: Fractal, Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "our company"), which is headed by voice actor Yuki Kaji as its representative director and operates an audio AI business centered on the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal], as well as a voice actor management business, has entered into a business partnership with Yoyogi Animation Academy Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Taro Ito, hereinafter "Yoyogi Animation Academy"), which operates specialized schools focused on the anime and entertainment fields. This partnership aims to build an educational program for learning about voice actor expression and rights in the AI era.

This partnership was initiated by Yoyogi Animation Academy's deep resonance with our company's stance and philosophy of directly confronting the AI era as an expressive artist and business leader, pursuing new forms of creativity beyond just voice acting, through the launch of the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal] produced by Representative Director and President CEO Yuki Kaji. They also highly evaluated our company's advanced initiatives.

We intend for the academy to utilize this initiative as the best teaching material for students aspiring to work in voice acting, enabling them to learn about the role of voice actors and expressive artists in the AI era. Through this partnership, we aim to foster talent capable of thriving in the AI era by merging the long-standing voice actor education cultivated by the academy with our new learning methods utilizing audio AI.

[Key Points of This Release]

* An educational program will be constructed to learn about the expression and rights of voice actors in the AI era, using the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal], personally handled by Yuki Kaji, and the audio AI character "Soyogi" based on Kaji's voice, as teaching materials. * Yoyogi Animation Academy resonated with our company's philosophy of voice actors proactively engaging with AI and protecting their own voice rights, leading to the decision to utilize these initiatives as teaching materials in student education. * Special lectures by Yuki Kaji will provide students with opportunities to directly learn about the concepts and practices behind the project.

● Background and Significance of the Partnership

In recent years, the rapid evolution of audio AI technology has brought about a major turning point in the audio production environment. As AI applications expand into areas traditionally supported by human expression, such as recording narration and character voices, there is a growing need to address the fundamental challenge of how to co-create with technology while protecting the value of expressive artists.

In this era, FRACTAL is promoting the construction of a new business model that ensures the protection of creators' rights and appropriate profit distribution, centered around the audio AI character "Soyogi" born from the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal] launched by our Representative Director and President CEO, voice actor Yuki Kaji.

Behind this is a strong ideology of co-creating with technology while protecting the rights of expressive artists themselves, amidst growing global attention to the issue of "voice rights" due to the spread of unauthorized voice generation and learning by AI. This initiative embodies Yuki Kaji's firm desire to spread the awareness and culture of protecting voice rights throughout the entertainment industry and to the next generation.

Yoyogi Animation Academy, which has led voice actor education for many years, has deeply resonated with our company's stance and philosophy, and has decided to deliver the [Soyogi Fractal] initiatives to students as cutting-edge teaching materials for voice actor education in the AI era. This partnership is extremely significant for both parties, as it will widely disseminate the importance of rights protection promoted by our company, and also provide Yoyogi Animation Academy with an opportunity to quickly offer new voice actor education needed in the AI era.

● Main Initiatives to be Implemented Through This Partnership

1. Practical Education Utilizing the [Soyogi Fractal] Project A practical educational program will be developed using the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal], based on Yuki Kaji's voice, allowing students to learn about audio AI expression and the rights and expressive value of voice actors. Students will work on productions incorporating voice actor-specific perspectives such as voice tuning, direction, and management, after understanding the characteristics of audio AI.

2. Narration Contest and Character Contest Implementation Narration contests and character contests will be held as new expressive competitions utilizing voice synthesis. For example, challenges will be presented to create productions combining audio AI with realistic performance for CM narration, fostering practical production skills required in the AI era. In the character contest, using "Soyogi" as the subject, students will create works leveraging the characteristics of each department at Yoyogi Animation Academy, such as illustration, animation, and voice expression. Feedback from Kaji is also planned for the created works.

3. Special Lecture by Yuki Kaji Prior to this partnership, on June 20, 2026 (Sat), our representative Yuki Kaji conducted a special lecture for current students. Under the theme "The Future of Voice Actors in the AI Era," he lectured on how voice actors and business leaders should approach AI technology and the attitude that expressive artists should cherish going forward. This provided a valuable opportunity to directly convey the philosophy behind this partnership and the latest industry trends to the students.

Scenes from the Special Lecture on June 20 (Sat)

● Future Prospects and Stance Towards Co-creation

Our company intends to promote this partnership not as a one-off event, but as a medium to long-term joint project. We aim to jointly build a project promotion system that transcends departments, leveraging Yoyogi Animation Academy's strengths in areas such as anime, manga, illustration, video, and content production, not limited to the voice acting field. We will continue to invest resources in education, events, and content development.

We will continue to collaborate closely with Yoyogi Animation Academy Co., Ltd. to promote the use of audio AI that protects the expressive value and rights of voice actors, foster next-generation creators, and create audio AI character IPs. Through establishing a new standard for voice actor education in the AI era, both companies will work together to create an environment where students can quickly succeed in future expressive domains.

● Comment from Yuki Kaji

"I hope this will be an opportunity to create a new form of 'creativity x voice rights' in the AI era, born from voice actors proactively engaging with it, together with the students. I encourage everyone to join us in creating entertainment that has never been seen before."

● Comment from Taro Ito (Representative Director, Yoyogi Animation Academy Co., Ltd.)

"In my conversations with Kaji, I was deeply impressed by his philosophy and stance of directly confronting the AI era and creating his own future as a voice actor. I believed this was a crucial issue to convey to our students, and this partnership was realized through our request and his kind acceptance. I am proud that this is a wonderful step forward in entertainment education."

【About Yoyogi Animation Academy】

Yoyogi Animation Academy is a specialized school established in 1978, focusing on the anime and entertainment fields. It supports the learning of students aiming for careers in diverse fields such as voice acting, anime, illustration, manga, VTubers, and live production.

It offers various learning methods, including full-time courses at nine campuses nationwide, as well as evening courses, correspondence courses, weekly courses, high school programs, and university programs. It also operates talent agencies (affiliated talents: =LOVE, ≠ME, ≒JOY) and facility management, feeding the latest industry trends and on-site know-how back into its education.

Official Website https://www.yoani.co.jp/

【Company Profile】

Company Name: Yoyogi Animation Academy Co., Ltd.

Location: 1-3-9 Kanda Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo MC Building 5F

Representative: Taro Ito, Representative Director and President

Established: June 1978

Business Activities: Education, Entertainment, Facility Management

Corporate Site: https://corporate.yoani.co.jp/

【What is Soyogi Fractal】

An audio AI project launched in 2023 to commemorate voice actor Yuki Kaji's 20th anniversary. Centered around voice synthesis software developed using Kaji's own voice and its character "Soyogi," it explores new fusions of AI technology and creativity. In response to the industry challenge of "voice rights" arising from the rapid spread of AI, it aims to present society with the "correct way of audio AI" that co-creates with technology while protecting the rights of expressive artists through the deployment of official software.

"Soyogi" Profile

Character Design: Mai Yoneyama © FRACTAL Inc.

A symbolic character of the audio AI project [Soyogi Fractal], born from Yuki Kaji's "voice" and "words." It is a "co-creative" entity that forms and grows its personality through collaborations with various creators. On March 8, 2026, the 3D entertainment LIVE "Soyogi 1st EXPO '0rigin'" was held at Tokyo Garden Theater, receiving significant acclaim as a new form of expression merging AI and reality.

Company Profile / Representative Profile

Company Profile

Company Name: FRACTAL Inc. (Read: Fractal / English Name: FRACTAL Inc.)

Headquarters Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Yuki Kaji

Founding Date: April 9, 2026

Business Activities: Audio AI Business / Voice Actor Management Business

FRACTAL Inc. / Soyogi Fractal Official SNS & Media

We will provide information about our company regularly. Please subscribe and follow our channels.

▪️ FRACTAL Inc. Official HP & X (Corporate Information, Press Releases, etc.)

Official Website: https://fractal-voice.jp/

Official X: @FRACTAL__inc

▪️ FRACTAL Management Staff Official X (Announcements regarding Yuki Kaji's appearances, etc.)

Official X: @FRACTAL_staff

▪️ Soyogi Fractal Official HP, X, YouTube (Latest project information, content distribution, etc.)

Official Website: https://www.soyogi-fractal.com/

Official X: @kaji_project

Official YouTube: @soyogi-fractal

Yuki Kaji Profile

Born September 3. Debuted as a voice actor in 2004. Has voiced numerous characters in popular works, including Eren Yeager in "Attack on Titan," Shoto Todoroki in "My Hero Academia," Kenma Kozume in "Haikyu!!," Mao in "MAO," Meliodas in "The Seven Deadly Sins," and Jet Senpai in "Detective Precure!" He also performs narration for many programs, including NTV's "1 Okunin no Daishitsumon!? Waratte Koraete!", voices the Mizuho official character "Aomaru," and the sound logo for "Iris Ohyama." In 2013, he became the first person in history to win the Voice Actor Award for Best Actor for two consecutive years. In 2018, he published the book "Someday Everything Will Be Your Strength," which became a bestseller with over 70,000 copies sold. He has expanded his activities to include starring roles in live-action productions, stage plays, reading performances, and various production roles. His voice possesses a "1/f fluctuation" resonance that has a healing effect on the human brain and mind. In 2024, marking his 20th anniversary, he launched the project [Soyogi Fractal], aiming for co-creation between audio AI and humans. In March 2026, he successfully held the 3D entertainment LIVE "Soyogi 1st EXPO '0rigin'" at Tokyo Garden Theater. In April of the same year, he established "FRACTAL Inc.," where he serves as representative director, looking towards further possibilities in expression through co-creation with AI.

Inquiries regarding this matter: pr@fractal-voice.jp

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: ビジネスPartnership