The most recent teaser for One Piece season two, which will premiere on Netflix next year, shocked fans with tantalizing glimpses of what the Straw Hats may expect. They will likely run into more friends and enemies on their way to the Grand Line.
Charithra Chandran, who plays Nefertari Vivi, better known as Miss Wednesday in the long-running manga and anime, is one of the new cast members. Since the character in the comics is shown as a light-skinned Egyptian woman, Chandran’s casting has drawn criticism from a vocal minority of racist One Piece fans due to the actor’s darker skin tone. Naturally, people are upset that it is conceivable in a world where a talking reindeer can practice medicine or a man can stretch his skin and launch himself into the air.
Take a look at what Chandran posted earlier today, which includes some disgusting instances of the vitriol she has encountered. In order to ensure that no trolls are taking advantage of it for some strange sort of bragging, the names and accounts have been redacted, not because I care about the people who posted:
“Perceived ‘canon’ does not excuse blatant racism or hate of any kind,” actress Emily Rudd, who plays Nami, responded on her Instagram stories (@emilysteaparty). “I am beyond proud of our show, our cast, and the opportunity we have to bring to life a story centered around a diverse found family—by an equally diverse found family.”
Additionally, Rudd shared a long message from Rob Colletti, a co-star who will make his season two debut as Wapol:
As noted by Colletti, “Charithra was hand-selected by [One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda], and he has far more knowledge and understanding of his own characters than anyone else, particularly the hateful, unimaginative creeps who actually have the audacity to get on the internet to throw hate speech towards an actor without even seeing their absolutely amazing performance on the show.”
Racist fans would voice disappointment at any other non-white actor playing this part. But others are upset at the lost chance to cast an Egyptian actor in the role. Emily Rudd clarified in a tweet that she is not denying the discourse of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) representation in Hollywood, but stating that hatred towards a specific person for doing their job is unacceptable.
Unfortunately, racist attacks against actors is a common problem in Hollywood. Amandla Stenberg from The Acolyte is the most recent example. There have been cases where performers felt unsupported or that studios failed to sufficiently handle racist assaults directed at them, despite the fact that some people and studios have taken action to solve these problems.
It’s great to see that the actors behind the scenes quickly stood up in support of their colegues. They could just sit back and watch but they decided to quickly take action.
Netflix hasn’t given a release date but One Piece season two is scheduled to premiere in 2026.
