The popular Shonen anime One Piece has been airing nonstop on television for almost 20 years, starting in 1999. One may reasonably infer that this anime is one of the greatest of all time in terms of popularity and recognition.
The legendary anime has received a great deal of praise for its story, characters, soundtrack, animation style, and other aspects, as it should. Over the years, the anime series has amassed a large cast of voice actors who have consistently given outstanding performances.
Sadly, a few of these outstanding voice actors have passed away. One Piece is over two decades old. One Piece is far from done, even if its finale is finally drawing close, so it’s amazing that Oda believed his comic would only last, at most, a few years.
1. Kinryu Arimoto (1940-2019)
Kinryu Arimoto voiced characters in a number of anime shows, including Psycho-Pass, Kill la Kill, Full Metal Alchemist, Elfen Lied, and City Hunter, in addition to his role as Whitebeard in One Piece. He contributed to many other shows as well.
He fought cancer for a few years before passing away on February 1st, at the age of 78. After that, his funeral was planned, and a large number of other artists attended to bid him farewell.
Most recently, Production Baobab hired him. He was also a kenpo practitioner. When Whitebeard was initially introduced, he was said to be the “strongest man in the world.” Sengoku calls him the strongest man on earth at Marineford.
2. Ginz Matuso (1951 -2001)
Ginz Matuso was a Japanese voice actor and narrator born in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture. In 1997, he established a production firm called Gin Production. He was most known for playing Captain Smoker in One Piece.
He died on August 24, 2001, at the age of 49, from a subarachoid hemorrhage. Ginz Matuso contributed to many characters in anime, including Dragon Ball Z as a farmer, Gilgamesh and Oltron in Eden’s Bowy, King in El Hazard, Kio and Ruhm in Escaflowne: The Movie, Masaru Kaneda Jigoku Sensei Nube, Tokuichi Genbu in Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo, and the Elvis brothers in Gigantor FX.
3. Tetsuo Goto (1950 -2018)
In 1950, Goto was born in the prefecture of Gifu. In 1975, he entered the acting training unit En Engeki Kenkyūjo, and the following year, he joined the main Engeki Shūdan En group.
Since then, he has made several theatrical appearances, such as Sakura no Kuni. In the live-action movie Taiyō wa Nakanai, he also made an appearance.
Dr. Sonoida in Dinosaur King, Gowasu in Dragon Ball Super, Arvind Ravy in Planetes, Hannyabal in One Piece, and Dare Kochak in Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files.
Tetsuto Mifune in KADO: The Right Answer are just a few of the many anime voice roles that Goto has performed. He also voiced the yōkai Otoroshi in the live-action tokusatsu anime Shuriken Sentai Ninninger.
4. Kōji Yada (1933-2014)
Multiple voice actors often portray regular characters in “One Piece.” Many of the original cast members may have moved on or gone away since the show has been on television for more than 20 years.
Zeff, a character that was voiced by Kōji Yada from his debut in the 20th episode until his death, is in this scenario. The main chef and pirate leader is a serious man who is often furious but who upholds a strict moral code.
While Yada’s most well-known anime role was undoubtedly in “One Piece,” it wasn’t his only one. Yada worked in several genres, from the action series “Fist of the North Star” and the always entertaining “Detective Conan” to the sci-fi series “Space Battleship Yamato” and the compelling anti-war film “Barefoot Gen.”
In 2014, his talent agency, Aoni Production, disclosed his death from renal failure. He died at the age of eighty-four.
5. Gorō Naya (1929-2013)
It had been reported on March 11 that voice actor Naya Goro had died on March 5 from severe respiratory failure. His age was 83 years. Hokkaido is where Naya was born.
He became an actor and director for Theatre Echo after leaving Ritsumeikan University and joining the Todo performing ensemble.
Gorō Naya dubbed Crocus in One Piece. In the anime world, Naya is well-known for lending Inspector Zenigata’s voice in “Lupin III.” Besides that, he provided the voice of Captain Okita in “Space Battleship Yamato” and of Shocker, the leader of the evil group in “Kamen Rider.”
The Hokkaido-born actor died suddenly in March 2013 from severe respiratory failure at the age of 83. Later, Masuo Amada took up the role; in 2021’s “The Promised Port!” she debuted on film! The Wano Country Arc opens with Act 3.
6. Takkō Ishimori (1932-2013)
In the anime series “One Piece,” Takkō Ishimori played Sengoku, a former fleet admiral engaged in combat with the Marines. Subsequently, he investigated allegations of misconduct inside the corporation while serving as an inspector general.
Sengoku was a well-known figure in his day who had fought Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger in the past. Luffy quickly turned against him once he made his debut in the episode “The 100,000,000 Man! The World’s Highest Authority and the Pirate Blackbeard,” believing him to be a threat to international peace and security.
As a skilled voice actor and dubbing expert, Ishimori provided Japanese dubbing for movies including “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Ghostbusters II,” and the “Harry Potter” series, in which he played the Sorting Hat.
7. Toshiko Fujita (1950-2018)
In the “One Piece” universe, Big Mom—whose true name is really Charlotte Linlin—is a formidable character. As the captain of the appropriately named Big Mom Pirates, she stands out as a woman in a profession that is dominated by men.
As one of the erstwhile Four Emperors, Big Mom is highly sought-after and plays a significant antagonistic role in several storylines. Her family consists of many children; Big Mom is the mother of 39 girls and 46 boys.
Toshiko Fujita, a Chinese-born voice actress with decades of experience in show business, provided the character’s original voice. Over the years, she worked on several anime and dubbed English-language movies.
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she passed away at the age of 68. Mami Koyama assumed her position as “One Piece” protagonist with the release of the episode “Totto Land! Emperor Big Mom Appears.”
8. Chikao Ohtsuka (1929-2015)
In the universe of “One Piece,” Gol D. Roger is a legendary character who is perhaps the most well-known pirate in history.
The World Government had Roger put to death, but not before he had encouraged others to search for his very precious treasure hoard, which they would later come to know as the One Piece.
Roger finally handed himself in after learning that he would soon pass away from an illness for which there was no treatment, having conquered the Grand Line and amassed riches and power.
Chikao Ohtsuka provided the voice of Gol D. Rogers from the character’s first appearance in the first episode until 2012. In the course of his career, he played the renowned role more than 300 times.
His last appearance in the role was in “Hero of the Slave Liberation: Adventurer Tiger.” In 2015, his talent agency, Aoni Production, announced that he had passed away from ischemic heart disease. He was eighty-five.
9. Takeshi Aono (1936-2012)
Dracule Mihawk was a talented swordsman who was a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea until the World Government disbanded them. Throughout his career, Hawk Eyes founded the Cross Guild and instructed Roronoa Zoro in swordplay.
Sadly no longer with us, Takeshi Aono provided the voice of Dracule. His health forced him to retire from acting in 2010, and two years later, at the age of 76, he passed away from a brain aneurysm. Aono has also done a great deal of work on video games.
He has appeared in titles like “Dead or Alive,” “Tekken 5,” and the “Mega Man” series, where he portrayed the antagonist Dr. Wily. His voice work as Colonel Roy Campbell in the “Metal Gear Solid” series was another noteworthy role.
10. Kazunari Tanaka (1967-2016)
Viewers are introduced to Hannyabal as the deputy warden of the Impel Down, an underwater prison ship that holds the most dangerous criminals for the World Government.
He, therefore, serves as one of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates’ primary opponents in the Impel Down Arc, trying to stop a prison break. Following the events of the time gap, Tararan is promoted to chief warden.
The person who voiced Tararan in “One Piece” was Tetsuo Goto. The actor started his career in live-action television before moving on to voice roles in animated series and video games.
