Key Takeaways
- Kazuki Yao steps down from voicing Jango for health reasons, Wataru Takagi to take over.
- No news of Kazuki Yao leaving role as Franky, but potential for change if health declines.
- One Piece anime to release One Piece Fan Letter project for its 25th anniversary directed by Megumi Ishitani.
With over 1100 episodes, One Piece is one of the longest-running anime series. Naturally, the voice actors, especially those voicing the Straw Hat Pirates, have been working for decades. Kazuki Yao is the voice actor of Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates. Aside from voicing Franky, Kazuki Yao also lends his voice to Jango and Bon Clay.
Unfortunately, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the One Piece anime disclosed that Kazuki Yao would be stepping down from his role as Jango. The decision was taken while keeping the voice actor’s health in mind.
The New Voice Actor For Jango
According to the announcement, Wataru Takagi will be taking over the duties from Kazuki Yao. Wataru Takagi is an experienced artist who has voiced some of the most well-known anime characters.
- Onizuka from Great Teacher Onizuka
- Okuyasu from Diamond Is Unbreakable
- Obito Uchiha from Naruto
- Knuckle from Hunter x Hunter
- Caiman from Dorohedoro
Wataru Takagi will take over Jango’s voice in Episode 1121, and he will keep the role until Kazuki Yao gets better. The important question is: will Kazuki Yao step down from his other roles? At the time of writing, there has been no news about Kazuki Yao leaving his role as Franky. However, if his health continues to worsen, then there will likely be a change.
If it does happen, it won’t be the first time that a well-known character gets a different voice actor. The voice actors for Whitebeard and Sengoku also had to be changed, as both the original ones passed away. The news about Kazuki Yao’s health is definitely concerning, and fans will hope that he makes a full recovery. So, he can lend his voice to Franky and the other characters.
The Future Of One Piece
The Series Is Announcing New Projects At A Steady Pace
In an unrelated announcement, the One Piece anime announced that it would be releasing a new project called One Piece Fan Letter to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Megumi Ishitani will be directing the entire project, so fans already know that it is going to be incredible.
One Piece Fan Letter will adapt four stories from One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories. It is a novel that offers a gander into the lives of the ordinary people in One Piece. For instance, one of the stories offers fans a chance to see Luffy’s acts of valor in Marineford from the lens of a Marine soldier.
One Piece Fan Letter is set to be released on October 20th, 2024.
Source: Official One Piece Anime X (formerly Twitter) Account
