One Piece Remake Reportedly Said No To Mayumi Tanaka’s Only Request For Luffy
Jump Festa 2026 hinted Mayumi Tanaka would keep voicing Luffy—but a new industry report says the legendary actor has asked producers to start scouting her successor, setting up One Piece for a seismic casting shift.
Here is the short version: Mayumi Tanaka reportedly asked the team behind The One Piece remake to find a new Luffy, and they told her no. That means the 70-year-old legend is set to keep voicing Monkey D. Luffy in WIT Studio and Netflix's new retelling, even though she herself wanted to pass the hat. Fans are happy, worried, and a little conflicted about it — for good reason.
What actually happened
On December 24, 2025, industry watcher @sandman_AP — who has more than 201,000 followers and a solid track record with One Piece news — said Tanaka asked the production to scout a successor for Luffy. According to the same report, staff declined and decided to stick with her for the remake.
This lined up with what was teased at Jump Festa 2026 (held in late 2025): Tanaka would continue as Luffy in WIT Studio's new One Piece anime project.
Why Tanaka wanted a successor
Tanaka has been Luffy since 1999. For a lot of fans, her voice is the character. But she is 70, and by her own request, she wanted someone ready to take over — both because of age and health, and to avoid the mess of a mid-series recast once the remake is underway. The logic is sound: if you are rebooting the beginning, you either lock in the legacy voice for the long haul or you reset now so viewers can adjust.
The remake, the plan, and where it sits
The new adaptation is officially titled The One Piece and is being produced by WIT Studio with Netflix. It is a fresh retelling of the early East Blue Saga with upgraded visuals and a bigger budget. WIT's resume includes the early seasons of Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and Spy x Family, so expectations are appropriately high.
Netflix says it is in production with no date yet, but the current expectation is 2026. Importantly, The One Piece is not replacing Toei Animation's long-running weekly anime. Both will run in parallel, giving fans two versions of the story at once.
The age question is bigger than just Luffy
- Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy): 70
- Akemi Okamura (Nami): 56
- Kazuya Nakai (Zoro): 58
- Kappei Yamaguchi (Usopp): 60
- Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji): 62
How fans are taking it
The reaction has been a mix of reverence and worry. Under @sandman_AP's post, you will find a lot of people praising Tanaka while also arguing that if she wants to step back, the team should let her.
"I get the respect for VA to avoid them being exploited, defending their rights and showing respect for their performance, but if someone asks for retirement when in her 70s and they are denied that, that is precisely exploiting them."
This is not a new drumbeat. Back in 2024, Dexerto reported fans pushing for younger voice actors in the remake to future-proof the franchise. The angle there is that a completely new cast gives the project its own identity and runway for years.
One comment that summed up that side of things: "They should all get fresh voice actors in my opinion. A new young voice cast is a huge sign that this remake plans to go for years to come."
Once word spread that Tanaka herself had asked for a successor, that argument picked up steam again.
Where this leaves The One Piece
As of now, Tanaka is still Luffy in the remake. Whether sticking with her is the right long-term call will only be clear once the show is out and rolling. If everything stays on track, expect The One Piece in 2026.
Meanwhile, the classic One Piece anime is still airing weekly from Toei. If you want to catch up right now, One Piece streams globally on Crunchyroll, and Netflix has the live-action season 1.