Beloved anime series “One Piece” has returned after a six-month hiatus, bringing excitement and controversy with it. Returning to the Egghead island arc, the series picks up right where it left off last year, satisfying fans with its updated, smoother animation style. Fans eagerly tuned in to Crunchyroll on April 5 to see the premiere, which ended up causing a lot more discourse than ever expected—even for a show already very much prone to discourse.
The new episodes, which will continue to air through August, introduce some pretty significant changes, like the retirement of longtime voice actor Kazuki Yao (“Initial D”) from his role as Franky. Replaced with younger voice actor Subaru Kimura (“Doraemon”), his first appearance has gained mixed reactions from fans. Some have welcomed the change, embracing a different take on the role, while others see the performance as, well, less than super.
Kimura already has some controversies surrounding his off-set behavior, including making fun of traditional African lip plates and photos of him doing blackface. Many fans, including those who enjoy the new take on Franky’s voice, disapprove of him in the role, not wanting actors who have done such insensitive and hateful things in a series full of positivity and acceptance. Many fans have even called for him to be removed from the role after his original introduction at manga/anime convention Jump Festa 2025 last December.
“Knowing that there is someone so hateful to my people voicing a character makes it hard to watch the show,” Zoe Zuehlke (11) said. “And anytime I see Franky it makes it hard not to see that the voice behind him is hateful.”
Production company Toei Animation, best known for producing “One Piece” and “Dragon Ball”, has also sparked some controversies with the new episodes. Fans are upset over the handling of tritagonist Sanji in the anime adaptation, which saw the addition of scenes that depict Sanji being removed from group scenes and thus made to look weaker than he is in the manga, and overall acting uncharacteristically compared to the source material. Along with these observations, rumors have begun to spread on social media and message boards of animators at Toei refusing to work on scenes featuring the fan-favorite and proposing to the author of the manga, Eiichiro Oda, the idea of killing him off in the anime. While Toei has denied any bias against the character among the animators or producers, this idea has nevertheless found many fans outraged as Sanji has been an integral member of the Straw Hat pirate crew for over 25 years now.
Even with these controversies surrounding the show, fans are still largely happy that it’s finally back. Hope for the series’ future is still high, with new chapters of the manga still steadily coming out via publisher Shueisha in Japan and VIZ Media in the U.S., and the Netflix live-action series expecting its second season in late 2025. Of course, with new content also comes new collaborations and merch as well, keeping fans thoroughly fed with new “One Piece” content, and even attracting former fans who may have given up on the show years ago.
“‘One Piece’ is one of my favorite animes because of the sheer amount of action and world-building,” Leo Pham (12) said. “I stopped watching at about episode 500, so the fact that it’s back is hype enough to get me watching it again, especially since it is getting close to being finished.”
All the changes to the series, from its adaptation to the voice actors, and even the end of the manga (as it has entered its final saga) have been both exciting fans and making them anxious. “One Piece” is still thriving as a global phenomenon and seems to only keep growing. As both old and new fans tune in for more episodes, the community surrounding the show thrives and continues to take the show’s positive messages to heart.
