Summary

Kazuki Yao, voice actor for One Piece’s Franky, retired due to worsening health issues after a decade of voicing the character.
Fans bid farewell as Kazuki Yao expresses gratitude in a heartfelt message during Jump Festa.
Subaru Kimura, known for roles in other anime, is announced as the replacement voice actor for Franky.

Jump Festa is always a major event for every anime fan as quite a lot of exciting news and projects are revealed here. For One Piece this year, not too many projects were announced, however, one thing fans got to see was the new replacement for Franky’s voice actor, Kazuki Yao, who is retiring.

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With the reveal of his new voice actor, fans also got to see Kazuki’s last message to them before he stopped voicing the famous shipwright of One Piece’s Straw Hats, Franky. Here’s what he said and why he is retiring in the first place.

Why Did Franky’s Voice Actor Retire?

As many fans might now know, Franky’s voice actor, as well as the voice actor for Bon Clay and Jango, Kazuki Yao, has retired from his roles. This is due to his own health issues, which have only been worsening over the years. After over a decade of voicing Franky, he needed a break, so now, fans have to look forward to a new voice actor taking over the role of a very important main character.

Changing voice actors for characters is usually not hard, but Franky, being a main character and a part of the Straw Hats, has had his voice become iconic over the years.

Plus, when it comes to voices, Kazuki Yao had quite a unique one that made him stand out a lot. He was quite recognizable whichever character he voiced.

Kazuki Yao’s Heartfelt Message At Jump Festa

Here’s what Kazuki Yao had to say during Jump Festa:

I want to thank everyone, as well as the staff at Shueisha, including Eiichiro Oda. Lastly, I’d like to express my gratitude to my beloved dogs, and most importantly, my dear wife, waiting for me at home. Thank you so much! – Kazuki Yao

Jump Festa 2025 also saw the new voice actor for Franky being announced, and it was revealed to the fans that it will be Subaru Kimura who will replace him. Subaru is a great voice actor, with some known roles in anime, such as Todo from Jujutsu Kaisen, Tendo from Haikyuu!!, Saguraki from The First Slam Dunk, and much more.