- Masane Tsukayama, who played Roger, has retired from his role in the One Piece anime.
- Shunsuke Sakuya has now been cast as the Pirate King's voice in One Piece.
- Sakuya has already played Charlotte Daifuku and Scotch roles in the One Piece anime.
The One Piece anime has been long-running for decades, and many voice actors continue to portray their roles in perfection to this date. However, the main downside of a long-running anime is the departures of the senior voice actors from the series due to health issues. Recently, Franky’s iconic voice actor, Kazuki Yao, stepped down after 25 years. Now, Masane Tsukayama, who has been playing Gol D. Roger for the past decade, has retired, and Toei Animation has found a new voice for the Pirate King for the third time.
Shunsuke Sakuya Is the New Voice Actor of Gol D. Roger in One Piece
In case you aren’t aware, Chikao Otsuka was the veteran voice actor who portrayed Roger in the One Piece anime until he died in 2015. Then, Masane Tsukayama picked up the baton to continue playing the Pirate King’s role for the next decade. However, since Masane Tsukayama turned 81, he has also recently stepped down from his role. Now, Toei Animation has rehired Shunsuke Sakuya (who has played Scotch and Charlotte Daifuku) to play Gol D. Roger in the One Piece anime, as confirmed in the recent episode 1153’s credits.
This was a necessary decision made for the well-being of the veteran voice actor. Shunsuke Sakuya is currently 60 years old and has played fan-favorite roles, including Kenjirou Shibazaki in Terror in Resonance, Ryuuichi Kazama in Ping Pong the Animation, Sakon and Ukon in the Naruto series, and many more.
Sakuya, as an experienced VA, has successfully retained the spirit of the Pirate King and delivered a strong performance in the Gol D. Roger’s execution scene in One Piece Episode 1153. Gol D. Roger will be a recurring character in the upcoming Elbaf arc, as the complete God Valley incident will be revealed in the next arc. Therefore, we will continue to see more of Sakuya’s performance from now on.
That said, what do you think about Roger’s new voice actor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
