The legendary shōnen anime One Piece has been actively airing for over two decades, since 1999. It’s safe to say that it’s one of the most popular anime of all time, as well as one of the most beloved. The long-running anime has received endless praise, as it should, for its story, animation style, soundtrack, characters, and more. However, one indispensable element that does not get enough love and recognition from viewers is the performance of the show’s voice cast. Eiichiro Oda’s manga is great source material and is indisputably the heart of the One Piece anime, but the performances of the voice actors have contributed considerably to making the anime as iconic as it is.

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The anime series has built an extensive roster of voice actors who have delivered stellar performances over the years. Unfortunately, some of these amazing voice actors are no longer with us. With the live-action adaptation of One Piece premiering on Netflix on Aug. 31, fans are excited to see their favorite characters for the first time “in the flesh” on screen. Now is as good a time as any to recognize the legends who laid the foundation for what the characters of One Piece would sound like.

Ginzo Matsuo (1951 -2001)

Ginzo Matsuo was a prolific voice actor in the anime industry. His voice role in One Piece, also his last before his death, was Captain Smoker, the gruff Marine and one of Luffy’s earliest adversaries. Matsuo unfortunately died at the age of 49, but his legacy lives on. Some of his other voice roles include Tonosama Gekomon in Digimon Adventures (1999), Grandpa Higurashi in Inuyasha (2000), and Dee Jay in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994).

Kazuyuki Sogabe (1948 -2006)

Kazuyuki Sogabe was an actor, musician, voice actor, and narrator. He passed away at the age of 58 in 2006. He voiced “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh and the first mate of the Red Hair Pirates Benn Beckman in One Piece. Some of his other voice roles include Huey in Fist of the North Star (1986), Gemini Saga in Saint Seiya (1988), and Suzuki in Yu Yu Hakusho (1993).

Isamu Tanonaka (1932 – 2010)

Voice actor and narrator Isamu Tanonaka passed away at 77 in 2010. His voice roles in One Piece were “Sonar King” Shoujou and Boo Jack, a member of the Trump Siblings Pirates. Some of Tanonaka’s other voice roles include Loki in Cyborg 009 (1979) and Medama Oyaji in GeGeGe no Kitaro (1968 – 2007).

Daisuke Gori (1952 – 2010)

Veteran voice actor Daisuke Gori unfortunately passed away in 2010 at 57. In One Piece, he voiced three characters: Dorry, Rockstar, and Jinbe. Gori is also known for voicing Mister Satan in the Dragon Ball series, Gemma Himuro in Ninja Scroll (1993), and Fatty River in Cowboy Bebop (1998).

Takeshi Aono (1936 -2012)

Takeshi Aono was a voice actor and narrator. He was aged 75 when he passed away in 2012. The actor voiced “Hawk Eye” Mihawk, and Woop Slap in One Piece. Some of his other well-known voice roles are Rihaku of the Ocean in Fist of the North Star, Doohan in Cowboy Bebop, and Bookman in D. Gray-man.

Takeshi Taniguchi (1947 – 2012)

Voice actor Takeshi Taniguchi was 65 years old at the time of his death. He voiced Montblanc Cricket in the Jaya arc of One Piece. Some of the actor’s other voice roles include Harry Anders in Hellsing (2001 – 2002), Professor Miyamoto in Rocket Girls (2007), and Shigure in Yu Yu Hakusho (1992 – 1994).

Goro Naya (1929 – 2013)

Goro Naya was an actor, narrator, voice actor, and theater director. He appeared in film and television from 1969 till 2011. He passed away at the age of 85 due to chronic respiratory failure. The actor voiced Crocus in One Piece. Besides being in One Piece, he voiced Koichi Zenigata in Lupin the 3rd, Great Leader in Kamen Rider, and Juzo Okita in Space Battleship Yamato.

Takkou Ishimori (1932 – 2013)

Takkou Ishinori was aged 81 at the time of his death in 2013. He was a voice actor, and he debuted in 1960 at the age of 28. Ishinori was best known for his role in One Piece, where he voiced the former fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, as well as the character Skid. Some of Ishimori’s other voice roles include Dr. Eckerman in Cyborg 009 and the King of Xerxes in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Rokuro Naya (1932 – 2014)

In One Piece, Rokuro Naya voiced Nami’s weather manipulation tutor, Haredas. Naya was an actor, narrator, and voice actor. He was also the younger brother of fellow One Piece voice actor Goro Naya. He passed away at the age of 82 in 2014. Naya also voiced Shinobu Sensui in the anime Yu Yu Hakusho and Dr. Riddles in Zatch Bell!

Koji Yada (1933 – 2014)

Koji Yada voiced two characters in the One Piece anime: the founder and head chef of the Baratie restaurant, Zeff, and Raoul, the elderly owner of the Gold Roger bar. He passed away at the age of 81 in 2014. Some of Yada’s other notable voice roles include General Talon in the Space Battleship Yamato series and Libra Dohko in Saint Seiya.

Chikao Ohtsuka (1929 – 2015)

Chikao Ohtsuka was an actor, voice actor, and narrator. His voice role in One Piece was former Pirate King Gol D. Roger. It is one of the voice roles he was well known for, alongside roles like Jagi in Fist of the North Star, Taopaipai in Dragon Ball, and Doctor Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Ohtsuka passed away at the age of 85 in 2015.

Yuko Mizutani (1964 – 2016)

Yuko Mizutani was an actress, singer, narrator, and voice actress. She voiced the World Pirates’ doctor, Nightin. She is best known for her other more prominent anime voice roles like Mihishi Kuramitsu in Tenchi Muyo, Pinoko in Black Jack, and her many voice roles in Hoshi no Kirby. The actress passed away at the age of 51 in 2016.

Kazunari Tanaka (1967 -2016)

Kazunari Tanaka voiced many One Piece characters before his untimely death in 2016. He voiced the pirates Brownbeard and Puppu, “Corrupt King” Avalo Pizarro, the mink Yomo, and Manboshi, the third son of the royal Neptune Family. Tanaka was also known for voicing Shinichiro Tamaki in the thrilling anime Code Geass and Genbu in Inuyasha.

Hiromi Tsuru (1960 – 2017)

Hiromi Tsuru was a voice actress famous for voicing the character of Bulma in Dragon Ball for over three decades. In One Piece, she voiced Shakuyaku, the former empress of Amazon Lily. Tsuru also notably voiced Miyuki Kashima in Miyuki, Michelle in Blue Exorcist, and Shino in Samurai Champloo.

Nobuo Tanaka (1935 – 2018)

Nobuo Tanaka was a voice actor and narrator. In the beloved anime, he voiced the Marine Vice Admiral, Jonathan. Tanaka was also known for voicing Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Shintaro Chiaki in Detective Conan (1996).

Tetsuo Goto (1950 -2018)

The voice actor, Tetsuo Goto, passed away at 68 in 2018. He voiced Hannyabal, Saint Mjosgard, and Lao G in One Piece. His other notable voice roles include Sukea in Cyborg 009, Gowasu in Dragon Ball Super, and Bizeff in Hunter x Hunter.

Toshiko Fujita (1950 – 2018)

Tokito Fujita was a voice actress, singer, and narrator. She briefly voiced Big Mom, a member of the Four Emperors in One Piece. Some of her other notable voice acting credits are Mamiya in Fist of the North Star, Hasky in Dragon Ball, and Madam Exorcist in Inuyasha.

Unshou Ishizuka (1951 – 2018)

Unshou Ishizuka was an actor, narrator, voice actor, and theater director. He was best known for voicing the narrator in the Pokemon anime series. However, he was also popular for his One Piece voice roles: Admiral Kizaru, master swordsman Shimotsuki Koushirou, and the legendary marine Kong.

Kinryu Arimoto (1940 – 2019)

Kinryu Arimoto was a voice actor who provided the voice of the legendary pirate Edward Newgate (Whitebeard). Some of his other notable voice roles are Yamamoto in Spriggan, Mr. Liebert in Monster, and Ginrei Kuchiki in Bleach.

Keiji Fujiwara (1964 – 2020)

Keiji Fujiwara was a veteran voice actor who had an extensive catalog of voice-acting credits. He voiced admiral Ryokugyu in One Piece. He was also known for voicing Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist, Shuichi Aizawa in Death Note, and Shiro Fujimoto in Blue Exorcist.