ONE PIECE Exclusive: Voice Actors for Usopp and Sanji Reveal Thoughts on Egghead Arc, Visiting India, More

“I'm gonna be king of the pirates!”, reiterates every episode of this show, which is funnily enough almost as old as me. The hunt for ONE PIECE starts– and continues– as Monkey D. Luffy and his comrades embark on the journey of a lifetime in this celebrated story. Originally written as a manga by the legendary Eiichiro Oda, it has been animated to become arguably the GOAT of this world.

With over a thousand chapters (and counting), ONE PIECE has been a wild experience for creators and viewers alike. We got chatting with two such crew members, Kappei Yamaguchi and Hiroaki Hirata, who voice for Usopp and Sanji respectively, as they made their way to India for the first time. With their pirate spirit alive and only growing each day, the two stars spoke very fondly about their time behind the mic as the Egghead Arc broke into the anime world. Check out the full interview below.

Usopp has a distinctive personality, often being called a liar and a coward, but at the same time, he's very brave and loyal. How do you approach voicing such a complex role? 

Kappei Yamaguchi: At the start, Usopp was a cowardly person, but when he met his crewmates, he realised, “There are other strong people.” And when his crewmates gave him the assurance about his improvement, he gained confidence and courageously moved ahead. From that moment onward, being around such powerful people, he felt that he could also be powerful and turned that into a reality. So I used that as a base to create the character.

What has been the most fun or unexpected thing you’ve experienced about your character? 

Kappei Yamaguchi: The most fun was telling lies, and that is still happening now. When I play him, I have to be happy, or I can't do it. There are a lot of cheerful characters in this ONE PIECE, so I want to be happy, and I want to welcome them to the studio.
As for the unexpected bit. I was really sad when I said goodbye to Merry. As the story went on, it happened so that many times one of the crewmates would go their own way. And when that happened, you wouldn't have a role to play for quite a long time. So that was something that I didn't expect: the loneliness that followed.

It has become evident over time that whatever Usopp had been telling Kaya before he joined the team is slowly coming true. What are your thoughts about it?
Kappei Yamaguchi: That's something I'm really looking forward to in the future. Yes. I'm also extremely excited to see how the lies that have been told will be resolved in the story, or if they won't be.

And one of the lies was regarding 8000 subordinates, and I’m wondering if that comes true. 

During the Dressrosa Arc, you were showing signs of awakening the Observation Haki. Do you believe that it will happen anytime soon, and how will that affect the story? 

Kappei Yamaguchi: Going forward, I can definitely see having this Observation Haki, but on the contrary, I feel that Usopp might just have the Observation Haki and not the other kinds of Hakis, which one sees in ONE PIECE.

Your Kabuto is very legendary; it's known worldwide. What are your personal favourite scenes while dealing with that? You've gotten the title of God Usop, so what do you think about that?
Kappei Yamaguchi: You mean the scenes, not the weapon? Well, it was after he started using that the Kabuto, and then when he got to the Fish-man Island Arc, his fighting style definitely changed. Before that, it was more about setting all sorts of traps to win. Of course, he still set traps, but the fact that he was now fighting with so much confidence really made an impression on me.

Was there a particular moment in ONE PIECE when you felt deeply connected to your character of Sanji, whether it be emotionally or creatively?
Hiroaki Hirata: Sanji has a very different personality. There was an episode where I sympathized with Sanji. At first glance, there are many scenes where he is cool, or he is smitten and has a silly, beautiful feel. As a character, he seems charming and interesting, but in the end it's Sanji’s humanity, or maybe it's because he’s often kind, that I feel for him. Sanji’s kindness and self-sacrifice are often misunderstood because he likes women. It may seem like he’s asking for something, but in fact it’s him offering help.

One moment, particularly, is from the Whole Cake Island Arc when he’s supposed to be marrying Pudding. You can see him falling for her and being all smitten with her. And even though he realises the truth behind it, he goes ahead due to Pudding’s happiness and for his thoughtfulness towards his friends. 

Continuing with the Whole Cake Island Arc discussion, how did you feel voicing/recording the moment when Sanji had to fight Luffy?

Hiroaki Hirata: I wasn't completely convinced, but I understood the thought behind Sanji’s actions. I had to be convinced within myself before I faced Luffy.
However, you cannot choose the path you have to take. The path has already been decided, so you continue on it. It's one where Sanji gets hurt. So he probably only thought about fighting and nothing else. I stood in front of the microphone with the same kind of uneasiness that Sanji had.

ONE PIECE is back with the Egghead Arc and this is right when you’re in Mumbai. So, how do you feel that the show has returned after such a long break?
Kappei Yamaguchi: That's right. I thought it was fun to be able to gather together after a break. There was a time when we couldn't all get together after the pandemic. Now, we're finally able to gather in the studio again and take that trip with a large group of people, and it was so much fun. It felt like that time had come back.

Hiroaki Hirata: Well, ONE PIECE has a long history, eh? When they split into groups there were episodes focusing on other characters, and there were times when Sanji didn't appear at all. And when it came to the episodes where they appeared, the work increased, and it was difficult, but now everyone has finally gathered.
I feel relieved that I've been able to take on the position of being one of the members of one big circle. I think that the fact that release of ONE PIECE overlaps with this event is amazing but I do feel like everyone is finally over from the pandemic and we're all sailing on the same ship. The only thing I'm not happy about is that I'd like to seriously fight with Zoro soon.