At long last,One Piecemight finally be giving Dragon a new and improved voice actor. WithOne Piecehaving been around for almost 30 years, many of the voice actors will have to be replaced for one reason or another; Franky’s original voice actor, Kazuki Yao, recently retired due to age, and dozens of others have been replaced after tragically passing due to sickness or old age, as well.
Of all theOne Piecevoice actors failing due to age, however, there’s no clearer example than Monkey D. Dragon’s voice actor, Hidekatsu Shibata. Shibata is now approaching 90, and many fans have complained about how unfitting his elderly voice is for Dragon. That might be changing, however, asrecentOne Pieceepisodes suggest that Monkey D. Dragon will be voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue, best known for voicingKakashi inNaruto; it’s not as cut and dried as people might think, but even so, it would be a perfect change for theOne Pieceanime, going forward.
Why One Piece’s New Voice Actor For Dragon Isn’t Set In Stone
It’s Too Early To Say That Dragon Is Getting A New Voice Actor
As easy as it would be to definitively declare Dragon’s new voice actor to be Kazuhiko Inoue, doing so would be far too premature. TheOne Pieceanimeis currently engaged inKuma’s flashback arc, meaning Dragon is far younger than he is in canon, soKazuhiko Inoue might only be voicing Dragon in flashbacks to his younger days inOne Piece. By a similar token, Kuma, normally voiced by Hideyuki Hori, is voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto in his youth, so the anime likely just felt that younger-sounding voices were more appropriate for the context of the story.
Another point to consider is how previous episodes handled Dragon’s voice. Not only did Kazuhiko Inoue already voice Dragon in one of Vegapunk’s flashbacks, making it clear that this isn’t anything new, but Hidekatsu Shibata still voices Dragon in the present, making it unlikely that this is a full-fledged recast.Everything recent episodes ofOne Piecehave done suggests that Kazuhiko Inoue is only voicing Dragon in his youth, and overall, that’s pretty hard to deny.
Why Dragon’s New Voice Actor Is Perfect For One Piece, Even If It Isn’t Permanent
Kazuhiko Inoue Is The Best Choice For Dragon, By Far
Even if Kazuhiko Inoue isn’t Dragon’s new permanent voice actor, that doesn’t change how fitting he is for the role. Whether it’s heroic characters like Kakashi and Yoriichi Tsugikuni or villainous ones like Kars and Jerid Messa, Inoue always knows how to give an air of authority to his characters with his deep voice and imposing delivery. That sort of archetype is the exact sort of character Dragon is meant to be, and as such,Kazuhiko Inoue’s style of voice acting makes him the perfect voice for Dragon inOne Piece, an idea his recent showings perfectly support.
At the time of writing, there’s nothing to suggest that Hidekatsu Shibata is retiring fromOne Pieceor voice acting, in general, and he’s still regularly voicing characters in anime and video games, as well. That being said, anyone watching the anime can tell that he’s far too old for someone like Dragon, soOne Piece’s anime would be far better off by recasting Kazuhiko Inoue as Dragon’s permanent voice actor. That’s unlikely to happen unless Shibata himself decides to retire, but whatever happens, it will hopefully be the best forOne Piecefor years to come.
