One Piece‘s English dub just recruited a legendary 4Kids dub star for a new role that’s just as legendary and game changing for the anime’s future. One Piece’s English dub is gearing up for the final episodes of the Egghead Arc releasing later this Spring, and that means that fans of the dub will be able to catch up with the anime as it has aired. But the final episodes of the Egghead arc also come with some huge moments with some big character debuts, and there’s one in particular you need to hear for.
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The final episodes of One Piece: Egghead Arc (Episodes 1144 to 1155) will be streaming with Crunchyroll on March 24th, and with them will be giving fans the first look at the legendary pirate, Joyboy. Making this moment all the bigger is the fact that Toei Animation has announced that they have recruited Erica Schroeder, the voice of Monkey D. Luffy heard in the original 4Kids dub of the anime decades ago, as the voice of the legend.
Luffy’s Very First Voice Actor Returns to One Piece English Dub
Joyboy has been referenced multiple times throughout One Piece‘s past, but the Egghead Arc is the first time we actually get a glimpse of the legend. Joyboy is teased to have some deep connections with Luffy as other characters have noted the similarities between the two, and the anime takes this even further. The original Japanese release also went back 30 years into its vault by bringing back their first Luffy actor, Urara Takano, for the role. She was the Luffy heard in the original OVA before the anime became official, and was replaced by the current Mayumi Tanaka.
Now the English dub has done the same as Erica Schroeder was the voice of Luffy in 4Kids’ first dub of the series back in the early 2000s, but was later replaced by Colleen Clinkenbeard when Funimation (and later Crunchyroll following the merger) took over the license and started dubbing over the anime from that point on. Bringing the star back is a great way for the dub to capture the same spirit of the Japanese release, and an even more special Easter Egg for long time One Piece fans.
What Does This Mean for Joyboy?
Not only is this a cool move for the One Piece anime, it drops some even bigger teases about Luffy himself. Joyboy has been teased as the very first pirate in this world, and teased to have had the same kind of powers that Luffy did during that initial era. With the legend now sounding pretty much like an early descendant of Luffy, it makes the implication huge. Luffy just might have a much deeper role in the world than even he could have ever dreamed.
With the Egghead Arc wrapping up the first major phase of the Final Saga, fans have been eagerly waiting to see what’s next. One Piece will be returning for the Elbaph Arc on April 5th as part of the Spring 2026 anime schedule, but the release dates for any future dubbed episodes of the series have yet to be revealed as of this time. With this casting, however, we’ll have to pay even more attention from now on.
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