Veteran One Piece animator Vincent Chansard has finally weighed in on a long-running fan controversy: whether Toei Animation is biased against Sanji. During a recent appearance on the Brago D. Ace YouTube channel, Chansard acknowledged the theory—popular in certain fan circles—but made it clear that there’s no deliberate attempt to downplay the Straw Hat cook.
The animator didn’t shy away from the topic. “You’re bringing up everything we’ve discussed with colleagues!” he said, revealing that even insiders at Toei joke about the idea. “Obviously, the people who are in the deciding position who attribute these scenes — there is no agenda in these people.”
Ishitani Incident Highlights Fan Tensions
Much of the backlash reached a peak during the airing of Episode 1123, when episode director Megumi Ishitani was targeted online for allegedly downplaying Sanji in a key group scene and altering a fight sequence with S-Shark. Ironically, Ishitani wasn’t involved in the episode, but that didn’t stop fans from flooding her social media with criticism.
Known for her acclaimed direction on several One Piece episodes, Ishitani responded by asking fans not to target individuals with collective outrage about adaptation decisions. The episode served as a flashpoint in a broader conversation about perceived bias toward characters like Zoro receiving more cinematic treatment.
Chansard’s Take: It’s Not Bias, It’s Logistics
Chansard noted that, during Wano, Sanji’s fight against Queen received top-tier animation talent, including Akihiro Ota and Tu Yong-Ce. “The biggest names were on the Sanji vs. Queen episode,” he said. “I never really felt like this was a genuine concern.”
However, he did admit that, as a fan, the disparity between Zoro and Sanji scenes was visible. His personal theory? Scenes with more plot density—like those involving Zoro—are more likely to be given to higher-tier animators simply because of how the episodes are structured. “It could be… just naturally how things are happening,” he said. “I could be wrong. But that’s my analysis.”
Still, Chansard left the door open for change. “I’m curious to see how it evolves in the next episode,” he said, noting his dual perspective as both a One Piece fan and animator.
For more on One Piece’s behind-the-scenes and what’s coming next, check out Toei Animation’s official X account and Vincent Chansard’s animator page.
