- Urara Takano is returning to work in the One Piece anime after 27 years.
- She is playing Joy Boy in the One Piece anime.
- Takano-san is the first voice actor who played Luffy in the One Piece: Defeat the Pirate Ganzack! OVA.
Dr. Vegapunk’s broadcast is well underway in the One Piece anime right now, and the old genius is revealing the unknown truths about the Void Century. And the star of this forbidden history period is none other than Joy Boy. Fans have been waiting with bated breath to meet Joy Boy anime, and our time has finally come with the legend’s voice revealed in episode 1151. Moreover, Joy Boy is set to make his official debut in the upcoming episode, and he is played by a veteran voice actor who voiced Luffy in the past.
Who Voices Joy Boy in the One Piece Anime?
Not many One Piece fans are aware of an OVA that aired before the One Piece anime debuted in 1999. It is the One Piece: Defeat the Pirate Ganzack! by Production I.G., in which Urara Takano played Luffy. Urara Takano didn’t continue as Luffy, as Mayumi Tanaka went on to portray the rubbery hero in the anime by Toei Animation. Now, Urara Takano has returned after 27 years and is lending her voice to Joy Boy in the One Piece anime.
Urara Takano also shared her thoughts about returning to work on the One Piece anime after nearly three decades on her X account:
I had the honor of appearing in “ONE PIECE”! I was involved in “ONE PIECE” only once, a long time ago. 27 years have passed since then. This time, I will live the role of “Joy Boy” with many memories. 27 years has been a very long time, and it feels like 800 or 900 years… I will go back to my roots and do my best!
Day by day, the resemblance and connection between Luffy and Joy Boy is becoming indistinguishable. Thus, it’s a nice touch from Toei Animation to recruit the forgotten voice actor who was the first to play Luffy in the role of Joy Boy.
Joy Boy will be appearing (albeit in a silhouette form) in the upcoming One Piece episode 1152. This will be an iconic moment in the series as the legend passes down an unbelievable power-up to Emet, the Iron Giant. Though we have got a glimpse of Urara Takano’s voice in episode 1151, gear up to witness a full-fledged portrayal of Joy Boy in the next episode.
That said, what do you think about Urara Takano taking on the role of Joy Boy in the One Piece anime? Let us know in the comments below.
