Late last year at Jump Festa 2024,One Pieceheld a monumental announcement thatFranky’s Japanese voice actor, Kazuki Yao, would officially enter retirementand no longer be playing the role of the cyborg mechanic. While this came as a big shock due to it involving a major change in the Straw Hat crew lineup, it was followed up with Franky’s newest voice actor taking to the stage to pick up the torch and the underwear to carry on the legacy for one of the most magnanimous voices inOne Piece.
Kimura Subaru got his first chance to shine in thelatest episode to return toOne Pieceafter a brief hiatus was taken to allow the manga to get ahead and give the hard-working animators at the studio a much-needed break from what will inevitably turn out to be a very exciting arc ahead. Many clips are surfacing online, such as @pewpiece’s, generating excitement about how Kimura has adapted Franky to his liking and if there was still a resemblance to the excitable mechanic fans have already grown used to.
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One Piece’s latest episode #1124got to truly showcase more of Franky’s screentime, allowing for Kimura to get more lines out, so fans can get a solid take on how his version of Franky lives up to the expectations of an incredibly loyal fanbase. While there is no doubt going to be a select few who will miss Kazuki’s interpretation of the shipwright, Kimura does portray an accurate depiction based on tone and inflection alone. He carries the right energy in a scene where he’s not meant to be going all out just yet.
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What will be incredibly telling is how Kimura can reflect Franky’s exuberant energy in battle when he’s excited about research, and really amping up for the first big “Super!” line since Kazuki’s departure. There are a few notable differences, mainly in thegravely texture of Kazuki’s deliveryto the smoother take in Kimura’s tone delivery. For most fans, this is a solid first step, and for others, it’s going to take some getting used to.One Pieceis only a few episodes in, so there are plenty of moments to look forward to for this new leg of Franky’s voice-acting journey.
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Kazuki was the perfect embodiment of Franky, bringing him to life both in the Japanese version of the anime and when premiering atOne Pieceevents. Kimura will no doubt have quite the role to fill due to his absence and fan’s expectations, but as Kazuki’s chosen successor, he’ll be sure to deliver a Franky that is both unique to himself and carries on the torch for this lovable shipwright.
