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Cell is one of the very few characters in Dragon Ball Z who managed to take down almost every Dragon Ball warrior with his immense strength and abilities. He was the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, who combined the genetics of the greatest fighters on Earth. He still holds the title of one of the strongest anime villains, and his character development has a lot of complexities.

Cell in Dragon Ball | Credit: Toei Animation

The main reason behind these complexities in Cell’s character development was his ability to get stronger by absorbing other characters. Without this ability, Cell would have been an easy target and would have never made it to the top of Dragon Ball’s villain list. Until he reached his perfect form, he was pretty weak and didn’t pose much threat to the Dragon Ball world.

In fact, one of the most important characters, Vegeta,...

In the realm of voice acting, Kazuki Yao is one of those names who have been highly regarded as one of the greatest talents to breathe life into the characters. While he had voiced several characters in his long and illustrious career, where he had voiced Jango and Mr. 2 in Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus, he finally became part of the main cast by voicing Cyborg Franky.

Jango. Credits: Toei Animation

However, things did not get easy for Yao-San because he had to part ways from the series due to his poor health. While his performance brings up the concern for longevity, his last few performances have been difficult to look at. The fans found it difficult to understand his voice, and he could not articulate his lines at all.

Nevertheless, he was replaced by Wataru Takagi to voice the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates. Recently, a fan page...

Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, doesn’t get too much time to shine in One Piece. His moments in Water 7 and the Enies Lobby arcs were brilliant, his budding dynamic with Nico Robin stealing the hearts of fans and his extravagant ways were hilarious. He’s the person who made and keeps the Thousand Sunny together and gets overly emotional, despite his cyborg structure. In the Dressrosa Arc, he encountered one of the most tragic villains in One Piece, Senor Pink of the Donquixote Pirates. Franky’s voice actor, Kazuki Yao, even chooses it as his favorite fight in One Piece.

Senor Pink vs Franky in One Piece. [Credit: Toei Animation]

One Piece has a certain way of making the audience sympathize with the villains, even if most of them are still unforgivable for their actions. Senor Pink became one of the most prominent examples of a sympathetic...

The one question that every One Piece fan has been asking ever since the final saga started is who will be the final antagonists against Luff and his crew. The two biggest contenders for this role are the Blackbeard Pirates and the World Government. The Blackbeard Pirates are led by Marshall D. Teach, and the World Government is led by Imu and the Gorosei.

The Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

Both of them have developed a presence that has confused fans about their role in the final war. While some fans believe that in the last moment, Luffy will fight the World Government and save the whole world, others believe that Luffy will battle it out against Blackbeard for the One Piece treasure and become the King of the Pirates.

However, a bizarre One Piece theory states that Blackbeard and the Gorosei will unite against Luffy to take him down.

When it comes to iconic moments in One Piece, there are several to begin with. Be it burning the world government flag or Arlong Park walk, the moments are a real treat. Of all these scenes, the Luffy’s Gear-5 transformation takes the cake. From the drum beats to the fluid motions, the scene is nothing short of legendary. Even the Straw Hat Captain’s voice actor vouches for it.

The Straw Hat Pirates in a still from the series | Credit: Toei Animation

Colleen Clinkenbeard, who plays the crew’s captain in the series revealed the process behind it. Her revelation provides a glimpse into the efforts put into a single scene. Furthermore, the director left no stone unturned in recreating the essence of liberation in the dub version.

Luffy’s voice actor revealed the process behind the Gear 5 transformation scene

Luffy has had some of the major power-ups in the series.

One Piece’s longevity has always been one of the strong points of the franchise. For the past 25 years, Eiichiro Oda has been constantly delivering top-notch arcs with no signs of stopping. There are ups and downs in everyone’s life, but One Piece has only seen ups since 1999. However, it may not be the same for the artists who are involved with the franchise.

While Eiichiro Oda will soon turn 50, there are others who have crossed the 60-year mark. One of the popular voice artists, Kazuki Yao, is currently 65 years old. He gives voice to Cyborg Franky and recently opted out due to some health issues. While One Piece’s longevity is unmatched, Oda sensei can no longer rule out the age factor in his magnum opus.

Franky Voice Actor Steps Down Due To Health Issues In The Latest One Piece Episode Franky as seen in the anime (Credits: Toei Animation)

Kazuki Yao,...

Transformations are a major part of Shonen anime. Apart from the plot, fans are always excited to see transformations. Transformation not only gives a power boost to the characters but also justifies character development. Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation will forever be one of the most iconic transformations ever. In the modern generation, One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy will top the chart.

Gear 5 transformation during the battle against Kaido will always be remembered as one of the best transformation in the modern times. However, the iconic moment might soon lose its charisma due to Eiichiro Oda. According to the fans, the mangaka may have been over-using Gear 5. He is using Gear 5 to fight weaker enemies while he still has other Gears.

One Piece’s Gear 5 Might Be Suffering From Over Usage Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece (Credit: Toei Animation)

Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 was introduced in the manga quite early,...

One Piece fans recently got a big scare when Franky’s voice actor Kazuki Yao decided to step out of the upcoming One Piece Episode 1121, which is scheduled to release on October 6, 2024. The reason given by the creators and Yao himself is that his health has been deteriorating and he might not be able to perform for the upcoming episode.

Franky in One Piece anime | Credits: Toei Animation

The only sense of relief is that the upcoming episode does not focus on Yao’s role as Franky but involves the other character that he portrays in the One Piece anime. This character is none other than Jango, the Marine lieutenant commander who is serving under Rear Admiral Hina. However, Franky and Jango are not the only two characters Yao played in One Piece.

The voice actor also plays the role of Bentham of the Wild, popularly known as Bon Clay.

The rivalry between One Piece and Naruto has been a never-ending topic of debate that has led to heated discussions between the fandoms of both series. The two titles have been there since The Big Three era and have developed a loyal and massive fanbase who are ready to go to war to show their superiority over the other.

Monkey D. Luffy. Credits: Toei Animation

The fierce animosity would have taken a step further during the Wano Country Arc had Eiichiro Oda made Raizo the traitor in the Akazaya Nine instead of Kanjuro. A fan took to Reddit and asked the new watchers of Oda-Sensei’s magnum opus, whom they thought would be the spy among the followers of Oden.

The decision to make the Shinobi would have been a fantastic idea because, factually, ninjas were the spies of ancient Japan. However, in this case, it could not be done...

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is one of the most popular Shonen series at the current time; it has featured a ton of defining moments in 25 years. However, a major credit for the fame should ideally go to the voice actors of the Straw Hat Pirates. One such name that has resonated quite well with the fans is Kazuki Yao, the voice behind Cyborg Franky.

Franky. Credits: Toei Animation

The actor has been involved in voicing the character since 2000, first playing the role of Jango and later Mr. 2 in 2001, later becoming the permanent voice of the Straw Hat Member in 2005. Indeed, he was a core part of the show’s production.

Sadly, the deteriorating health of Yao-San will force him to lend his voice to the iconic character for one last time in the upcoming episode, 1120. The fans were heartbroken as they expressed their concern for the health of the actor.

One Piece anime fans have expressed concerns about the health of veteran voice actor Kazuki Yao following recent changes in his voice acting performance.

Yao, who has been the voice of Franky, for nearly 20 years, has reportedly been experiencing slurred speech in his latest portrayal of the character. This has sparked discussions on social media, with many expressing worry and offering well wishes.

The concerns stem following the premiere of the new Egghead Arc in One Piece. Fans noted a noticeable difference in Yao’s speech patterns during the episode that aired on Feb 14, 2024, particularly in a scene where Franky struggles to steer the ship in rough seas. Some viewers found his dialogue difficult to understand due to the slurring.

“Yao-san’s (Franky) voice feels off.“ “Is Franky’s voice actor, Mr. Yao, at his limit…? His speech is clearly slurred…“ “Is Mr. Kazuki Yao’s voice okay? He spoke...

Adult Swim and Crunchyroll have revealed the characters and stellar English and Japanese voice cast of its anticipated animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus, inspired by the Blade Runner movie franchise.

Cast includes Jessica Henwick, Arisa Shida, Will Yun Lee, Shinshu Fuji, Samira Wiley, Takako Honda, Brian Cox, Wes Bentley, Josh Duhamel, Taiten Kusunoki, Peyton List, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Stephen Root, Hochu Otsuka, Barkhad Abdi, Takayuki Kinba, Gregg Henry, Masane Tsukayama, Henry Czerny, Akio Nojima, Jason Spisak and Kazuki Yao.

Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) will direct all 13 episodes. The series is produced by Alcon Entertainment and animation studio Sola Digital Arts, with Shinichiro Watanabe serving as a creative producer.

Henwick/Shida voice Elle, a female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose. Lee/Fuji voice Joseph, a mysterious figure who owns a spare parts junkyard in Los Angeles. Wiley/Hona voice Alani Davis,...

Yayyy! The second film, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II – The Battle for Doldrey is off, have you seen it? Sound off in the comments, but only after you see what I got for you. As you already know, probably, the next Berserk film, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III – Descent, was slated to be released this fall, but has been moved to January 2013.

This new poster offers a first look at the third and final part of the Berserk Golden Age trilogy of Studio 4°C’s adaptation of Kentarou Miura‘s medieval-horror-action manga. These posters will be appearing in Japanese movie theaters starting August 25th, so here, look at that foreboding eclipse:

Official synopsis:

He trusts no one, only his sword. He doesn’t have a place to call home. The lone mercenary Guts travels the land where a hundred-year-old war is taking place. His ferocity and ability to...