Kazuki Yao officially steps down as Franky’s voice actor, passing the torch of succession to Subaru Kimura, the man behind Aoi Todo’s global fame.

SUMMARY

Kazuki Yao has been the voice behind Bon Clay, Jango, and the fan-favorite character, Cyborg Franky.
Jump Festa 2025 finally unravels Subaru Kimura as the new voice actor behind Franky, replacing Kazuki Yao.
Nakamas react to Subaru Kimura being the new voice behind Franky while bidding adieu to Kazuki Yao.

In the world of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, every member of the Straw Hat Pirates has become an indelible part of the series, where viewers have formed a connection with the characters. One such character happens to be Cyborg Franky, who has been lighting up our days with his jokes and silly behavior, including his iconic ‘Suuuperrrr’ pose.

Sadly, Kazuki Yao, the man behind the iconic voice of the Straw Hat pirates, Bon Clay, and Jango, for the last two decades, had to step down over health concerns. While the veteran actor bids farewell to the fan-favorite character, the series has found his replacement in Subaru Kimura, who has been an essential part of Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen. The fans can’t wait to hear how he will be filling the Yao-San-shaped void in the series.

Kazuki Yao passes the torch to Subaru Kimura

Kazuki Yao has been an essential part of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, where he has been voicing Franky since Episode 233, which aired in Japan on May 22, 2005. However, by episode 1120 of the anime, there has been a major scare among the fandom because of his health condition.

Pre-time skip Franky. Credits: Toei Animation

Though much has not been shared by the actor or the series, his recent picture with Masako Nozawa, Goku’s voice actor, has alarmed the fans as he looked frail and terrifyingly lean.

However, it was announced that the veteran actor will officially step down from his service to the anime. With that being said, the Jump Festa 2025 was attended by all the voice actors, including Yao-San himself.

Senor Pink vs. Franky in One Piece. Credits: Toei Animation

The event witnessed the marvelous farewell of the voice actor, as well as revealing the new voice actor. The official X account (@Eiichiro_Staff) of the anime shared a photo of the cast, bidding farewell to Kazuki Yao and announcing Subaru Kimura to be the new successor of the shipwright of the Straw Hat pirates’ voice.

The announcement was a thrilling one, where Yao-San taught the actor to hit the character’s ‘Suuuperrr’ pose. Though the series is on a 6-month hiatus, fans have high hopes for Kimura-San after all; he has been the voice behind Aoi Todo in Gege Akutami’s JJK, where some would consider him to be the most entertaining character in the series.

Nevertheless, the announcement was not an easy one to bear for the fans, as they cried their hearts out on social media following the announcement.

One Piece fans bid farewell to Kazuki Yao

While most fans are die-hard fans of Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, or Tony Tony Chopper, they can’t deny the fact that the inclusion of Kazuki-Yao-voiced Franky has been the most entertaining one. Moreover, he has played a major role in the series, including Ennies Lobby, Dressrosa, the Wano Country Arc, and the ongoing Egghead Island Arc.

Franky and Zoro. Credits: Toei Animation

Hence, when it was announced that Yao-San stepped down and Kimura-San would be the new voice, fans bawled their hearts out. The fans commented,

Subaru Kimura seemed very enthusiastic and showed how he is ready to recreate the character’s mannerisms, catch on to Yao-San’s fame, and continue to elevate Franky’s popularity.