Toei Animation animator calls for studio to "fire the One Piece sound team" in since-deleted post

One Piece animator Sota Shigetsugu publicly criticized Toei Animation’s sound design team in a removed post where he labeled their work as unprofessional and recommended their dismissal. Debate has erupted within the anime community following the backlash, particularly among fans who have previously expressed dissatisfaction with the series' antiquated sound effects.

Despite the anime’s improved visuals and music since its April return from a six-month hiatus, many feel the recycled audio undercuts key scenes. Shigetsugu’s critique has sparked discussion about professionalism and further highlighted the growing gap between One Piece's modern visuals and legacy sound design.

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One Piece criticism intensifies as animator slams outdated sound design

The controversy erupted when Sota Shigetsugu, an animator working on the One Piece anime, took to X to express his dissatisfaction with the sound design team's work.

In his since-deleted post, Shigetsugu described their efforts as "unprofessional work" and went as far as suggesting that Toei Animation should "fire the One Piece sound team immediately."

The timing of this criticism is particularly noteworthy, as it comes after Toei Animation had explicitly promised improvements across all production aspects during the anime's extended hiatus, including new soundtrack compositions and updated sound effects.

Since its April revival, One Piece has fulfilled its upgraded animation and new musical score promises, but its sound effects remain a divisive topic.

Fans have remarked that fight scenes between central figures such as Luffy vs Kizaru, alongside Zoro vs Rob Lucci's fight sequences, the sound effects used during the fight originate from decades ago, with some dating back to the Dragon Ball era.

The combination of updated visuals and old audio results in an unsettling experience for many viewers.

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Fan reaction

Shigetsugu’s criticism of One Piece’s sound design has sparked a divided online response. Many long-time fans feel validated, particularly regarding the Egghead Island Arc, where scenes like Garp’s Galaxy Impact are seen as weakened by outdated audio.

"I mean they have been recycling same sfxs since first Dragon Ball i guess. If we hear same template sound designs, it is definitely Toei’s anime lol," said one fan.

"I think the g5 sounds were pretty good but most other sounds apart from that are," said another fan.

"They changed it a bit in Egghead but it's still pretty bad. Hope it improves, especially during important lore scenes," added another fan.

The controversy has prompted broader discussion about Toei Animation’s priorities, with viewers questioning the imbalance between visual upgrades and neglected sound elements.

Comparisons to other modern anime have intensified scrutiny.

"He aint wrong. toei needs an update in that department," stated one fan.

"@ToeiAnimation i hate haki clash sound in one piece pls toei do something," stated anothe fan.

"Toei has been using the same sound effects since the 1980s so who's surprised," added one fan.

Industry professionals point out how unusual it is for an animator to voice criticism about their peers, which indicates potential communication problems at Toei, along with increasing production team pressure due to industry competitiveness.

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Conclusion

The debate over sound quality in One Piece demonstrates how deeply fans care about every component of their favorite show, which remains both a long-lasting and worldwide popular anime franchise.

The situation remains unresolved by Toei Animation, but it has exposed a frequently ignored facet of anime production to the public eye.

Fans will focus extensively on sound design decisions to see if the series makes changes because of criticism from both internal and external production sources during the current storyline.

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