At last, the first trailer of One Piece Live-Action Season 2, which everyone’s been waiting for, was released a few days back on One Piece Day 2025. The One Piece community celebrated the first look at the live-action versions of Nico Robin, Smoker, Miss Wednesday, and Brogy. However, a portion of the fanbase lashed out at Charithra Chandran, the actress playing Vivi (Miss Wednesday), with racist and hateful messages. In the face of racist backlash, Emily Rudd and Rob Colletti, the stars of the One Piece live-action series, backed their co-star Charithra earlier today.
Through her Instagram stories, Charithra shared screenshots of the cruel remarks she received, accompanied by the message, “Thank you so much for all your support.” Amid the rising hate for Charithra, Emily Rudd (who plays Nami) voiced her support for her co-star with the following message on her Instagram story:
Perceived “canon” does not excuse blatant racism, or hate of any kind. I am beyond proud of our show, our cast, and the opportunity we have to life a story centered around a diverse found family – by an equally diverse found family.
Following Emily, Rob Colletti, who plays Wapol in One Piece Live-Action Season 2, shared a detailed Instagram story expressing unwavering support for Charithra, condemning the surge of racial comments aimed at her.
Through his statement, Rob extended his support and clarified the situation at the same time, that Charithra’s casting as Vivi in the second season is in line with Oda’s intended vision. Many fans are not aware that the author Eiichiro Oda is the one who gave the green light to the final cast lineup. “Charithra was hand-selected by Oda, and he has far more knowledge and understanding of his own characters than anyone else,” emphasized Rob.
Many fans also argued that the Alabasta nation is based on the Arabian countries, not on India. Thus, an Indian actress should not have been hired for the role of Vivi, who hails from Alabasta in the story. However, Grand Line Review, one of the popular One Piece content creators, pointed out the fact that Alabasta draws inspiration from a blend of Ancient Egyptian and Indian cultures, which fans blinded by hate often tend to overlook.
The beautiful world of One Piece is home to diverse characters, who are all treated as equals. As many fans highlighted, the core themes of the One Piece series are fighting against injustice, such as oppression, racism, and many more. Ironically, it’s saddening to see a part of the fan base embrace those toxic values that our favorite heroes stand against in the story.
Hate and racism do not have a place in the One Piece community, and the people who spread hate about Charithra online can’t truly call themselves One Piece fans. We at Beebom stand firmly against all forms of hate and racist remarks. As Rob Colletti stated, we look forward to watching and celebrating the astonishing performance of Charithra Chandran as Vivi in One Piece Live-Action Season 2 next year.
