Kazuki Yao is officially stepping down from the role of Franky in the ONE PIECE anime, with the successor to be announced at Jump Festa 2025 on December 22. The news were made on the official X account for the anime, with a comment from Kazuki Yao saying that a gap has formed between him and the Franky he envisions as ideal. A graduation ceremony for Yao will also be held during the Jump Festa event.
The official statement says that the decision was made after extensive discussions over a long period. The voice actor has previously been replaced by Wataru Takagi for episode 1121 due to his poor health. He was also the only Straw Hat Pirates voice actor absent from the ONE PIECE ’24 event.
Yao voiced Franky since the character’s debut in Episode 233, which aired in Japan on May 22, 2005. He also voiced Bon Clay and Jango in the anime. You can read his own statement below.
A heartbreaking farewell has come.
I’m parting ways with someone I’ve walked alongside for nearly a quarter of a century…
It feels like an out-of-body experience. A gap has formed between me and the Franky I envision as ideal…
So, I’ve decided to disembark the Sunny for now.
Frustrating! Heartbreaking!!
I’m truly sorry 🕴️ but we’ve prepared a su-per successor!
Look forward to Jump Festa on December 22!
- Kazuki Yao on stepping down as Franky in ONE PIECE
The ONE PIECE anime is currently on hiatus to ‘recharge,’ with the edited version of the Fish-Man Island Saga set to take its place until the return on March 30, 2025.
ONE PIECE anime has also been celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with several projects and collaborations. Some of them were the Las Vegas take over, a T-Shirt collaboration with UNIQLO, a phone accessory collection with CASETiFY, a special recap video, among many others.
There is also the upcoming anime remake by WIT Studio, as well as the 2nd season of the live-action series, which recently got a new message from the creator Eiichiro Oda.
Source: Official X
© Eiichiro Oda / Shueisha, Toei Animation
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