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The 4Kids! version of One Piece definitely had a lot of misses, but it also had its fair share of hits.
4Kids! Entertainment is a defunct licensing company, best known for dubbing Japanese anime in the early 2000's. Some of their most widely known English dubs include Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Unfortunately for the One Piece series, 4Kids! completely botched the localization.
It was widely criticized for its strict censorship, rushed pacing, and stereotypical voice acting. Some of the worst changes actively hurt the brand itself, at least in the United States. However, there are a few diamonds that can be found in the dirt. Surprisingly, there was a good decision made for every few bad ones.
4 things that One Piece 4Kids! did absolutely wrong
4) Removing important characters
4Kids! had a tendency of removing a lot of content in their English dub. The worst example involved Laboon, a giant whale that suddenly became an iceberg. It was likely done to avoid depictions of animal violence, given Laboon's scars.
This drastic change would've had major ramifications had 4Kids! reached the Thriller Bark storyline. Laboon plays a fundamental role in Brook joining the Straw Hats. Without him, 4Kids! created a plot hole that didn't need to be there.
3) Active censorship
Since 4Kids! intended to market One Piece as a children's show, they made several changes to the storyline. Marines would use cork guns instead of real ones, while characters like Sanji would no longer smoke.
However, some of these decisions remove the emotional weight of the original scenes. During Nami's flashback in the Arlong Park saga, her mother sacrificed herself to save her daughters. 4Kids! changed it so Arlong locked her up in a dungeon instead.
2) Strange decisions with voice acting and dialog
4Kids! often gives dubbed characters very cartoonish accents. A rather infamous example involves Sanji, who now has a stereotypical Brooklyn accent. This doesn't fit his suave character in the slightest.
Dialog is another problematic aspect from this localization. Characters would overly rely on puns, to the point that it ruins the mood. During the Alabasta saga, Crocodile uses a desert whirlpool on Luffy, who describes it as being flushed down a toilet. This makes their battle hard to take seriously.
1) Hurting overall popularity in the United States
From Japan all the way to France, One Piece is explosively popular in most countries around the world. However, it hasn't quite taken off in the United States. It lacks the cultural impact of other shounen anime.
Truth be told, the main reason is because One Piece uses rather goofy designs for their characters, unlike Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. This is a very hard selling point for a lot of fans. Nonetheless, the botched English dub certainly didn't help matters. Some can argue it made it even worse.
Many western audiences were introduced to the series through 4Kids! Entertainment. Whether it's cringeworthy puns or terrible voice acting, this inevitably left a bad impression on many viewers. Thankfully, the license was eventually dropped and Funimation took over the English dub.
4 things that One Piece 4Kids! surprisingly did right
4) Cutting some filler arcs
Sometimes it's better to cut right down to the chase. While 4Kids! did remove several arcs, they also got rid of a few unnecessary ones.
For instance, the Warship Island arc is completely skippable. The Straw Hats save a little girl from the Marines, but it doesn't serve much purpose for the story. Most of these filler characters never show up again. 4Kids! made the right decision to move past this arc.
3) Some good voice acting here and there
Not every casting decision was a terrible one. Some of them even stood out as particularly good.
The most prominent example is Marc Diraison, who voiced Zoro in the 4Kids! dub. Many One Piece fans have appreciated the effort he put into the role, even if they didn't like the dub itself. Nothing less can be expected from the man who once voiced Guts in the Berserk series.
2) Awesome opening theme
There is something very catchy about this particular theme. It's a very upbeat rap song that perfectly captures the frantic nature of the One Piece series. Some childhood viewers may have nostalgic feelings about this opening, even if they didn't like the localization itself.
1) It brought the series to the West
This may seem like a contradiction to a previous point. However, some One Piece fans only heard of the series because they watched the 4Kids! version. Those who weren't put off will likely check it out later in life.
Funimation would eventually right the wrongs of 4Kids! when they took over the licensing rights. Even so, a good number of Western fans probably started with the 4Kids! localization.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
