Original Luffy’s Voice Actor Breaks Silence on Returning to The One Piece Crew After 27 Years

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The One Piece anime is nearing the end of the Egghead Incident Arc, which kicks off the Final Saga. This arc has already unveiled surprising details about the past through a broadcast prepared by Vegapunk. Knowing he was in danger, Vegapunk arranged for this broadcast to reveal secrets of the Void Century after his death. Even though it only revealed part of the truth, it was enough to cause a global stir. As the broadcast played, Egghead became the site of a massive battle, and things got even worse with the arrival of the Five Elders. Luffy and his allies received unexpected help from the Giant Pirates, but the villains were simply too strong.

In the midst of the battle, a surprising helper emerges: the Iron Giant, a robot that has been motionless for two centuries. This ancient machine seems to be connected to technology from a forgotten age, and it unexpectedly came to life over 200 years ago, attacking the holy land of Marijoa. For a long time, it remained on Egghead, where Vegapunk studied its workings, but it wouldn’t move until Luffy activated his Gear 5 form. As the conflict intensifies, a voice from the past empowers the robot, known as Emet, to aid Luffy. The voice surprisingly belongs to Urara Takano, who previously acted as Luffy in a past event.

Urara Takano Shares Excitement Over Joining the One Piece Crew

Mayumi Tanaka has famously voiced Luffy for 26 years, but Mayumi Takano was actually the first voice actor to bring the character to life. She voiced Luffy in a 1998 animated short before the official One Piece anime began. Now, she’s returned to the series to voice Joyboy, a key figure from a historical war. Because of the connection between Luffy and Joyboy, fans are thrilled to have Takano back as such an important character.

I was SO thrilled to be back working on One Piece with Episode 1151! I actually worked on the series briefly way back when, 27 years ago, and it feels like a lifetime! This time around, I got to play a part as ‘Joy Boy’ in some of the flashback memories, which was incredible. Seriously, those 27 years felt like 800 or 900 years had passed! I’m so excited to be involved again and I’m giving it my all to recapture that original spirit!

Takano is a highly respected voice actor with over a hundred credits to her name. While she originally voiced Luffy, she’s particularly famous for playing Maria Tachibana in the Sakura Wars series. Even though the character Joyboy hasn’t appeared yet, his voice was featured in Emet’s recollections. Because he’s so important to the overall story, Joyboy is expected to appear in the Final Saga and reveal secrets from the past.

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2025-12-02 01:10