Summary
- Shuichi Ikeda, voice of Shanks, steps down from one of his roles, indicating a possible change for Shanks’ future.
- Ikeda’s retirement from voicing iconic characters like Char may signal age-related or health issues.
- Shanks’ voice actor change may be imminent as series ages and other actors step down, but could be easier to accept.
Shanks is one of One Piece’s most popular characters, even though he doesn’t show up that often. His voice actor, the talented Shuichi Ikeda, has recently retired from one of his voice-acting roles.
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With him retiring from voicing one of his characters, what does this mean for the future of Shanks’s voice actor in One Piece?
Shuichi Ikeda Steps Down From Voicing Char
Shuichi is Also The Voice Actor of Shanks
Shuichi Ikeda is a very well-known voice actor in the anime industry, and he has voiced many popular characters.
However, recently, it was revealed that he has stepped down from voicing one of his characters. This character is Char, from the anime Gundam.
The reason for his retirement from voicing Gundam isn’t revealed, but one can easily assume it has to do with age. Indeed, Shuichi Ikeda is now 75 years old, and could be dealing with health issues, or simply wants to spend his remaining time doing something else.
What This Means For Shanks’ Future
Shuichi Ikeda Could Step Down From Voicing Shanks
Shuichi Ikeda has also been Shanks’ voice actor since One Piece started, which was way over 20 years ago. One Piece has been running for a very long time, and will keep running in the anime for years still.
Currently, Shanks has yet to get his time to shine in the manga. And even when he does, it will take at least a year for it to make it to the anime. Shanks will have a huge role in the Final Saga, and by the time this all makes it into the anime, it is highly likely that Shuichi Ikeda will have fully retired already. After all, he is already 75.
Shanks will probably soon need a new voice actor. Many of One Piece’s voice actors are aging, due to the series length, and Shanks’s wouldn’t be the first to retire, as seen recently with Franky. Kazuki Yao recently stepped down from voicing the character due to health issues.
A voice actor change for Shanks would, thankfully, be a lot easier to digest, as Shanks, despite being a very popular character, hasn’t been seen often in the series, making fans a lot less accustomed to his voice compared to a character like Franky, who is seen in almost every episode.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Creator
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Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
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1122