In recent years, the standard of One Piece‘s animation has improved significantly, and it’s all thanks to the extremely talented animators and directors who are not only passionate about their work but also the series itself. Megumi Ishitani is one such director who first worked on the series as a storyboard artist in Episode 971, which was released in April 2021. Since then, she has been a storyboard artist and director of a few episodes, as well as opening sequences. Fans have always loved seeing her work, even though she isn’t a regular staff member at Toei Animation. Ishitani stunned the world in 2024 with One Piece Fan Letter, which followed the story through the point of view of background characters.
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Released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the anime, Fan Letter easily became known as the best special episode ever made. Ishitani is widely recognized as one of the best animators in the industry, with a large global fan following. However, despite her impeccable work in One Piece, many fans have previously voiced on social media how she doesn’t animate action scenes. Many even claimed that she can’t draw them, so the complaints reached her ears, and she finally explained the reason behind it on her official X handle.
Megumi Ishitani Confirms She Doesn’t Want to Draw Action Scenes At All
Ishitani didn’t directly call out a certain fan, but addressed the issue recently. She posted it in Japanese, which roughly translates to, “ When I do ego searches, I keep seeing this weird theory from overseas One Piece fans that Ishitani can’t do action scenes, popping up periodically.”
She continues, “I don’t want to do issues that are all action, so I actually avoid them… they’re a hassle… The reason is that with action, the guarantee of quality shifts the weight from direction to animation production… plus, it’s hard to create the tension graph.”
She continues her statement and further emphasizes she doesn’t want to draw action scenes, “Even if there were a guarantee on the artwork, the workload would still be insanely brutal, so yeah, I still hate it…… I don’t wanna do it…… I like action itself, but if I have to direct it myself, I’m the type who wants it just as an accent.”
Ishitani is known for visually striking scenes using soft colors, distinctive cinematic techniques, and her fluid animation. Aside from the lore and world-building, fights are crucial to the series, which is why many fans, especially those from outside of Japan, want to see her work in one of those hype moments. Even in the Wano Country Saga, she gave her best in episodes like 1115, which is still considered one of the best episodes of all time. The controversy hasn’t been huge, but it has continued for a few years, which is why Ishitani took the time to address it. She has yet to return to One Piece after the release of Fan Letter, and no doubt, fans are eagerly awaiting her return.
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