Voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, known for countless roles like Seto Kaiba in "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and Kento Nanami in "Jujutsu Kaisen," might be a veteran at 54, but his immense popularity and dashing looks have also landed him frequent roles in Japanese dramas, constantly expanding his horizons.
To celebrate the release of "ONE PIECE" manga Volume 113 on November 4th, the official team dropped a brand-new promotional video. In this PV, Kenjiro Tsuda lends his voice to "Figarland Shamrock," the "Commander of the Holy Knights." This character has sparked massive buzz not only for his striking resemblance to Red-Haired Shanks but also because he marks Tsuda's third voice role in "ONE PIECE."
The PV for Volume 113 kicks off with the tagline, "This man is not Shanks." The video first features Shanks (voiced by Shuichi Ikeda), followed by Shamrock, who, with Kenjiro Tsuda's deep voice, declares: "That pirate is my long-lost twin brother." He then proclaims, "The warriors of Elbaf must obey the command of us, the 'World Government'!"
It's worth noting that Kenjiro Tsuda has previously voiced two other significant characters in the "ONE PIECE" series: "Vinsmoke Yonji," the fourth son of the Germa Kingdom and Sanji's brother; and "Gordon," the King of Elegia who knew Uta's past in the movie "One Piece Film: Red." Now, taking on a third pivotal role, he joins a select group of voice actors to play three distinct characters within the same franchise.
While it's not unheard of for a single voice actor to play multiple roles in "ONE PIECE" anime history, Tsuda's case is still special. For instance, Kazuki Yao, the original voice of Franky, also voiced Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Jango. Similarly, Hiroaki Hirata, who voices Sanji, also lent his voice to Karoo the duck. And let's not forget Hiroshi Kamiya, who started as an unnamed Pirate A in the very first episode before becoming the voice of the popular character "Law."
Still, Tsuda's triple role has fans absolutely buzzing! Online comments are flooding in with reactions like, "Tsuda is seriously incredible!" "Yonji, Gordon, and Shamrock are all such crucial characters – Kenjiro Tsuda is unstoppable," and "I'm going to cry tears of joy when Shamrock finally appears in the anime." These enthusiastic responses clearly show Tsuda's immense popularity and how hyped fans are to hear him in this new role.
While this PV is just a promotion for the manga volume, it's also served as a fantastic character and voice actor reveal. Even though it'll be a while before the anime catches up to this new storyline, getting to hear "Tsuda-san" voice such a captivating character is definitely a treat for fans! XD