One of the most hotly debated topics in the anime community is centered around subbed translations versus their dubbed equivalent. Fans of the sub attest to the authenticity of the actor's emotions, retaining all the nuance of the original dialogue, whereas dub fans cite the ease of enjoying the show unencumbered by reading.
Generally, the root of the preference is based on nostalgia and ideology as opposed to the quality of either version. In certain cases, often dependant on the episode, the dub can be better than the sub. Listed below are 10 times One Piece's dub surpassed the original version.
10 Afro Luffy
Most anime focus on Japanese protagonists and Japanese culture, making the dubbed translations fairly clunky in translation. Yet, on an increasingly frequent scale no less, some anime tend to focus on characters of foreign origin and the culture they emanate from, making the dub preferable.
One such example is Luffy and Usopp's hilarious take on 70's jive-a pattern of speech created in the U.S. after the former donned his overpowered afro in his battle against Foxy. The admittedly slight tether to American culture only enhanced the performance.
9 Introduction Of The Supernovas
Even in the manga, devoid of all sonic assistance, Eiichiro Oda makes a point to highlight the distinct verbal ticks of his characters, imbuing them with unique personalities.
With the Supernovas supposedly hailing from, and possessing visual references to varying cultures around the One Piece world, often reminiscent of the West, the dub easily transcends the sub by assigning each character a culturally accurate accent. Watching Capone "Gang" Bege, inspired by 1920's American mobsters, speak Japanese was always ill-fitting and the dub exposes as much.
8 Robin Wants To Live
Only recently have voice actors garnered the respect befitting their profession. The influx of anime in the last twenty years has served to bolster the aforementioned respect afforded to some of the most talented performers in voice acting. One such performer is Nico Robin's VA, Stephanie Young.
Young's acting chops are put on full display in Robin's most emotional scene in the series when she proclaims her desire to live. The piercing sorrow evident in Young's voice would be considered masterful acting in any field.
7 Franky's Voice
Few VA's have as a distinct voice as Patrick Seitz who plays the perverted cyborg, Franky, in the Funimation dub of One Piece. While all of the Straw Hats are presumably cast with great care, Seitz's brilliant turn as Franky is lightning in a bottle.
Capturing the burly irreverence attributed to Franky via his eccentric design with ease, Seitz is equally adept at hitting the intimate emotional beats, of which Franky, a noted cry baby, has several, with a tenderness that defies his gruff voice.
6 Luffy Defeats Lucci
Colleen Clinkenbeard is arguably the most polarizing cast in the Funimation dub of One Piece. Playing series protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, Cinkenbeard's rendition of the future pirate king is the proverbial rubicon separating sub and dub fans. If her casting is debatable, her commitment to the role is unquestionable.
In closing moments of the gut-wrenching battle between Luffy and Lucci, Clinkenbeard pours her soul into a staggering range of emotions as Luffy howls with pain to best Rob Lucci. Clinkenbeard haters even respect the performance.
5 G-8 Arc
Thriving on humor as much as action, One Piece demands comedic talent from almost every voice actor under Funimation's banner. One saga that allows the cast of the Funimation dub to focus on the fun first is the famous G-8 arc.
From humorous pairings within the Straw Hats to overtly silly scenes, G-8 allows the varied cast of One Piece to play to their specific strengths while deviating from type within the arc. The VA's are easily one of the reasons G-8 is widely revered.
4 Chopper's Voice
As the mascot of One Piece, Tony Tony Chopper's VA would invariably face a mountain of scrutiny irrespective of whoever was cast. Chopper's Japanese VA does a fantastic job in her own right, but Brina Palencia is a revelation.
Tasked with arguably the most frequent shifts in emotion, Palencia glides from beat to beat without missing a single one in the process whenever she lends her voice to the Straw Hat's doctor. Palencia has also provided her voice for one of the Series' English intros.
3 Whitebeard's Death
In his final moments, Edward Newgate, otherwise known as Whitebeard, reaffirms the theories of Gol D. Roger's mysterious One Piece held within the world of the series. Such an impactful moment had to be handled with a certain deftness and R. Bruce Elliott delivers in spades.
Issuing a rumbling growl from his diaphragm, Elliott captures the spirit of the moment from the manga while outclassing the Japanese version of the speech. The moment is further punctuated by the English narrator listing Whitebeards copious mortal wounds.
2 Bink's Sake
In yet another case of an English voice actor lending an authentically English take on a song that's supposed to evoke classic pirate ditties of English origin being superior to the original Japanese, Funimation's Bink's Sake is a high watermark for the dub.
The palpable emotion infused in the scene of Brook watching his crew slowly dwindle, due to a horrific illness, is harrowing in any medium, but the English version of Bink's Sake, provided by Sinclair, elevates the scene from sorrowful to utterly tragic.
1 Blackbeard's Speech
Facing comparative scrutiny to Luffy's casting, Funimation's Blackbeard, the late Cole Brown, is massively underrated for his take on the presumed final boss of One Piece. Showcasing his skill in his very first appearance, Brown captures the wild-eyed madness and optimism attributed to Blackbeard by nailing the character's famous speech about dreams.
Considering that the audience is unaware of the malicious intent housed in Blackbeard's heart, the speech precariously straddles the line between endearing and ominous. Cole Brown may be gone but won't be forgotten.
