One Piece Stars Reflect on the Anime’s 25th Anniversary (Exclusive)

While San Diego Comic-Con might have a major focus on properties associated with Marvel, DC, and Image, the annual event has plenty of room for all things anime. One Piece hit the convention by lending some of its biggest voice talent to the California convention and we here at ComicBook had the opportunity to chat them up about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the shonen franchise. During our interview, we sat with Kent Williams (Dr. Vegapunk), Rob McCollum (Donquixote Doflamingo), and Chris Rager (Blackbeard and Arlong) about their recent San Diego Comic-Con visit and One Piece turning twenty-five.

To start, Chis Rager talked about his history on the anime adaptation, “I’ve worked on this show for a couple of decades and getting to do more and more with it these days, it’s a fun special show. It’s fun to see the rise of its popularity and it getting the due that it finally deserves.” Adding to Rager’s thoughts, Rob McCollum shared his feelings on One Piece’s upswing, “It’s been incredible to see how huge One Piece has been. Some shows when they do their anniversary, they’re trying to gin up response for a franchise that’s gotten slow over the years. One Piece just keeps growing and it’s at its most popular than it’s ever been.”

One Piece Turns 25

McCollum continued, noting that the Straw Hats have leaped “niche” to “mainstream”, “This is not niche culture anymore, this is mainstream and everybody knows about One Piece. You see the costumes all over San Diego and you see Luffys all over the place. When we all started out years ago, you had to explain what anime was but now, everybody knows and everybody’s on board.” 

While One Piece has a presence at San Diego Comic-Con, the comic convention isn’t the biggest real-world event focusing on the Straw Hat Pirates. One Piece Day will be held on August 10th and 11th in Japan and based on the annual event’s track record, Straw Ht fans should prepare for some big reveals when it comes to all the mediums that Luffy and his crew sail to. 

Want to stay up to date on all the sea-faring adventures of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on the Grand Line.