One Piece’s anime returned after a six-month hiatus only to get embroiled in another controversy regarding a beloved Straw Hats crewmate, Sanji. Sanji is one of the most popular characters in the manga, and yet, fans often notice him getting the short end of the stick in the anime. Many have previously pointed out how the anime exaggerates his gag scenes to make him more annoying in the series. Another complaint fans have is that Toei is adding non-canon scenes or extending his fights in a way that makes him seem weaker and slower. The anime’s return with two consecutive episodes should’ve been a happy occasion, but several changes in the new episodes were met with widespread criticism.
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In Episode 1123, Sanji having heart eyes while looking at Bonney was something that never happened in the manga. Instead, he was noticeably fawning over Stussy the entire arc. Additionally, he was completely removed from the scene where the Straw Hats captured York, which was an extremely popular panel when the chapter was released. The next episode showed him weaker than S-Shark, so Nami had to come and save him. Even before the hiatus, he was grabbed by the neck and even thrown away to quite a distance by S-Shark, despite the manga portraying him much stronger than the Seraphim. Fans have been openly expressing their dissatisfaction on social media, so much so that a former animator who worked on several episodes of the Wano Country Saga shared his thoughts with fans.
[RELATED: “Please Don’t Say This to Me”: One Piece Director Responds to Backlash From Fans]
One Piece Animator Henry Thurlow Explains Why Sanji Scenes Are So Different
Henry Thurlow addresses the major problem animators face while adapting a manga like One Piece. With each episode covering only one chapter, there’s not a lot of content available for them to fit into the 20-minute time frame. He explains, “One thing anime fans screaming ‘why isn’t the anime exactly like the manga!?’ don’t understand, is that episode directors (when storyboarding the episode) are told ‘you have to take these 3 pages & make sure they last 5 minutes.’ Alterations are the *only* way to accomplish that.”
Thurlow further adds, “Different directors handle this issue differently. Some will add still shots & panning backgrounds. Others will rethink the angles & approach to the scene, & others will outright add some things. It’s all to accomplish the same goal. Turn 1 minute of reading into 5 minutes of film.”
Even though Henry left Toei Animation in July 2024, he is still interactive with the One Piece fanbase and often posts about the show. While the reason he provided for changing Sanji scenes was valid, many fans believe that Toei can try to make the character look good instead of portraying him in a negative light. Other fans supported the animator since they had no issues with the changes made by the studio.
Before this, Megumi Ishitani, one of the most renowned animators in the One Piece team, also responded to fans’ dissatisfaction. While the studio continues to stay silent about the controversy, animators are choosing to interact with fans. It’s also highly unlikely that Sanji’s downplay will be avoided as a result of fans’ complaints.
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