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Every anime is dependent on a quality voice cast. Failing to capture the essence of a beloved manga character is one of the worst blemishes a production house can have on its record. As opposed to other manga adaptations, One Piece presents a peculiar set of challenges for any voice actor.
The world of Eiichiro Oda’s hit series is so inherently goofy and filled with characters that behave similarly. As a result, it is exceedingly tricky for voice actors to switch between a serious, battle-ready tone and a comedic one. Some voice actors handle the task better than others, while others completely fall short.
10 Nailed It: Law’s English Voice Captures The Character’s Essence
Before Trafalgar Law became massively integral to the plot, Funimation cast industry mainstay Matthew Mercer to voice the surgeon of death. One Piece’s Funimation dub faces a great deal of fan scrutiny, but many fans felt Law’s casting was pitch-perfect.
Mercer’s ability to radiate Trafalgar D. Water Law’s calm and calculating nature got hailed as a success from his first appearance. With Law becoming more prominent in the dub, fans will get to enjoy Mercer’s turn as the doctor for years to come.
9 Fell Short: Whitebeard’s Dub Voice Made The Character Seem Too Weak
Heralding a character as the “strongest man in the world” will give fans high expectations. In One Piece‘s Japanese dub, Whitebeard—despite his age—still carries a fearsome and imposing aura with just his voice alone. In the Funimation dub, R. Bruce Elliott goes a different direction.
Choosing to focus on White Beard’s age as opposed to his power, Elliott makes Edward Newgate sound older and more feeble than his frame would indicate. With this choice, Funimation undersells Whitebeard’s raw power.
8 Nailed It: Robin’s English Dub Voice Has The Amazing Range Required For The Role
Nico Robin is a demanding role. Through her tenure with the Straw Hats, Robin undergoes several specific emotional arcs. However, given the character’s icy nature, the performance has to be subtle.
Robin’s Japanese voice actor does a tremendous job in the role, but Funimation’s Stephanie Young captures Robin’s energy perfectly. One of her most impressive performances comes from the famous “I want to live” moment where Robin pledges her loyalty to the Straw Hats. Young’s voice cracks during the line make the scene.
7 Fell short: Luffy’s English Voice Actor Is Wildly Inconsistent
Colleen Clinkenbeard, the voice of Monkey D. Luffy in Funimation’s English dub, is fantastic at her job. Luffy is a complicated character to voice, as the character has the most range in the show. More times than not, Colleen is a superb Luffy.
However, there are moments where she slips at the goal line. During Luffy’s fourth gear reveal, Clinkenbeard drove the internet into a frenzy with her over-the-top performance. Although she wins more than she loses, Clinkenbeard’s inconsistency keeps several fans from the dub.
6 Nailed It: Luffy’s Japanese Voice Actor Always Hits The Mark
Luffy’s Japanese voice actor has been the benchmark of quality for over 20 years. There isn’t an expression that she isn’t able to hit. Whether expressing Luffy’s childlike glee or animalistic fury, Mayumi Tanaka never misses a beat. Tanaka captures Luffy’s elasticity with a performance that can stretch between motivations on a dime.
Aside from the range of expression, Tanaka’s singing voice as Luffy lends the perfect amount of humor for the future Pirate King. Mayumi Tanaka is an absolute legend in anime voice acting.
5 Fell short: Blackbeard’s New English Voice Actor Leaves Some Fans In The Dark
In the early days of One Piece‘s Funimation dub, Cole Brown handled the vocal duties of dubbing Blackbeard. Unfortunately, Cole passed away and got replaced by Chris Rager. Although Rager tries his best, the actor is in the unenviable position of mimicking a classic voice.
Funimation’s original Blackbeard brought a sinister southern menace to the character that Rager can’t seem to replicate. At best, Rager’s performance is compelling because of how much it reminds fans of Brown’s turn as Blackbeard.
4 Nailed It: Sanji’s English Voice Actor Cooks Up A Perfect Version Of The Character
It’s hard for lighting to strike twice. Normally, when a voice actor gets an iconic character, it’s nearly impossible to earn a similar level of acclaim for another role. That honor is reserved for the greats.
Funimation’s Eric Vale, the voice behind Sanji, also brought future Trunks to life in the famous Dragon Ball dub. Vale infuses the perfect amount of humor and gruffness to convey Sanji’s complex range of emotions. Without a doubt, Vale is the secret ingredient in Funimation’s accomplished One Piece dub cast.
3 Fell short: Usopp’s English Voice Actor Is Too Close To Krillin
Usopp, like Luffy, is another tricky character to nail. The spectrum of emotions he’s supposed to convey, along with serving as the comic relief, gives the character a chance to come off as annoying. To remedy this, Funimation went to Sonny Strait, the actor who provided the dub voice of Krillin.
The logic checks out as both characters serve a similar function. However, Sonny Strait’s performance is far too close to Krillin’s. Instead of making Usopp a unique character, Strait unintentionally makes him a cliché.
2 Nailed It: The Japanese Voice Actor Behind Crocodile Is Truly Cold-Blooded
Crocodile is arguably the first major villain the Straw Hats have to face in One Piece. With Sir Crocodile serving as One Piece’s first example of what happens when Luffy clashes with an emperor of the sea, the character’s voice got cast with care.
Enlisting Ryuzaburo Otomo to lend his devious voice, Crocodile comes to life with all of the nefarious intent his manga counterpart displays. Although he’s cold-blooded throughout, Otomo’s voice has a dapper component that elevates the performance and reflects Crocodile’s sophisticated nature.
1 Fell short: Shirahoshi’s English Voice Actor Can Be Unbearable At Times
It’s a hard role to pull off. Even on the page, Oda intended Shirahoshi to be an annoying crybaby. When the character took the plunge and delved into the waters of animation, finding a suitable voice became a challenge. While the Japanese version of Shirahoshi’s voice isn’t much better, Funimation’s Bryn Apprill took the character to new and more annoying depths.
The Fishman Island gets weighed down by Apprill’s shrill performance as the mermaid princess. Hopefully, Apprill will dial it back in future arcs.
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