In the realm of voice acting, Kazuki Yao is one of those names who have been highly regarded as one of the greatest talents to breathe life into the characters. While he had voiced several characters in his long and illustrious career, where he had voiced Jango and Mr. 2 in Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus, he finally became part of the main cast by voicing Cyborg Franky.
However, things did not get easy for Yao-San because he had to part ways from the series due to his poor health. While his performance brings up the concern for longevity, his last few performances have been difficult to look at. The fans found it difficult to understand his voice, and he could not articulate his lines at all.
Nevertheless, he was replaced by Wataru Takagi to voice the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates. Recently, a fan page shared a picture of Yao-San with Kakarot’s voice actor, breaking the hearts of the fans, but they should not jump to conclusions and spread any rumors about him.
Kazuki Yao’s Recent Picture With Another Legend Breaks the Fans’ Hearts
In the past few months, the One Piece fandom has undergone a series of misfortunes, where they had to hear the news of Eiichiro Oda being in poor condition, the anime going on a 6-month hiatus, and how Kazuki Yao stepped down from the role of voicing Franky over growing health concerns.
Fans were immensely tensed over the veteran voice actor; much was not shared about his health. Recently, a fan page (@PookiePiece) shared a picture of him, where he was seen sharing the frame with another legend, Masako Nozawa, the voice actor of Goku in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series.
New photo of Kazuki Yao (Franky) with Masako Nozawa (Goku)
Seeing Kazuki Yao looking so thin has me a bit worried. I hope he’s doing okay and taking care of himself 😢 pic.twitter.com/65C5ROOPP8
— Pookie Piece (@PookiePiece) November 19, 2024
Though the picture was a legendary one, where two icons of the industry were together, fans got concerned as Yao-San was looking terrifyingly lean. The fan page also expressed their concern on the post, where they wrote how looking at him in this avatar got him “a bit worried. I hope he’s doing okay and taking care of himself.“
While it is a heartwarming gesture that fans are concerned over the Jango voice actor’s health, they should not think too much about it because there have been several instances where celebrities have undergone massive weight changes but were totally healthy.
For instance, Cillian Murphy won an Academy Award for his atomic classic role in replicating the physique of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Hence, fans should not be overconcerned with following his health because it might be just old age catching up to him or it’s just father time.
One Piece Community Expresses Their Concern Over Yao-San’s Health
Despite the frame being a “Super” legendary one, where two legends of the anime industry were standing beside each other, the fans can’t get over their favorite voice actor’s health.
Hence, it did not take them long to flood the comment section with concern following his poor physique. The fans commented,
This is not super. pic.twitter.com/ERV4iOdQkR
— Jacque Kinov (@ningen_bot95) November 19, 2024
I don’t know if he has cancer or something else, but sad to see him have to retire. hope he hangs in there!
— Welltree (@welltree_bonsai) November 19, 2024
He looking thinner than brook 😭 I hope he takes care of himself.❤️ Him doing the Franky and Bon Clay VA is too iconic 😭
— Mochi | Will of Donuts (@_Mochi2000) November 19, 2024
This is why I need One Piece to end sooner rather than later. The anime just won’t be the same if the actors aren’t here to make it complete.
— Wardski Doedels 🇳🇱 (@Gwartabig) November 19, 2024
— Punky Jag (@Punky6660) November 19, 2024
He looks so frail 😭
— LA Dog (@LADog20) November 19, 2024
Well, the official X account of the anime has shared updates on the voice actor’s fitness, but if we were to assume that he is not in top condition, then it is for the better to see him step down and rest from straining himself by voicing the character.
One Piece can be streamed on Netflix.
