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Western transgender activists have created a hostile environment on social media in recent months because they think Yamato fromOne Pieceis transgender. However, the recent color spread from series creator, Eiichiro Oda seems to indicate that the online bleating of this debate was in vain.
Yamato’s gender identity has been a hot topic of discussion ever since they first appeared in the Wano arc. And this discussion over Yamato’s gender identity has thus been reopened after the newly chosen English voice actor, Michelle Rojas for the Oni’s princess reignited the debate.
Rojas further ignited the gender conversation surrounding Yamato by referring to the character as a transgender man while announcing her casting on Twitter.
For the unversed,One Piecehas been a worldwide sensation ever since its Japanese broadcast premiere in 1999.
Also Read:‘Arendsvlei’ Star Dean Damonse Reportedly Playing Monkey D. Dragon in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series
Michelle Rojas To Voice Yamato inOne PieceEnglish Dub
The non-binary voice actress,Michele Rojas, who announced via Twitter, is cast to voice Yamato aka Kozuki Oden in theOne PieceEnglish dub. Shehas been giving many characters their voices, including Tohka Yatogami inDate A Live, Momoe Sawaki inWonder Egg Priority,and Toka Yada inAssassination Classroom.
Well, Oni’s princess, Yamato must be a transgender man, claim Western Twitter activists, because the character is a tomboy and uses male pronouns (referred to as a Bokukko in Japanese).
However, this interpretation disregards the fact that her abusive father forcibly raised her as a boy in order to satisfy his desire for a son. Additionally, her character aspired to be like Kozuki Oden, her hero.
As mentioned above, the issue of whether Yamato identifies as a man or a woman was finally settled by series creator,Eiichiro Oda– twice – after months of discussion among fans.
The first came in the form of Yamato’s ‘Vivre Card’, an official profile that was written with Oda’s approval and specifically identified the protagonist as a female.The second time was in 2023 when he featured the young warrior in a cover drawing that highlighted the female lead of the series.
However, it appears the Western voice acting industry is refusing to acknowledge the reality of the Yamato situation despite these affirmations from the character’s creator himself.
Also Read:“1000+ episodes. Still doesn’t have a fight that beats Naruto vs Sasuke”: Naruto Fans Declare War on One Piece in Viral Tweet
Fans Blast Michelle Rojas for Pushing Yamato as Transgender
The Wano Country Arc of theOne Pieceanime has recently welcomed Michelle Rojas for voicing Yamato in an English dub, according to Crunchyroll.
Rojas subsequently reopened the gender identity conversation surrounding Yamato by referring to the character as a transgender man while announcing her casting on Twitter.The actor, who uses the pronouns she/they, exclaimed:
I AM KOZUKI ODEN!! ⚔️
Honored to announce I play ✨Yamato✨ in#OnePiece!!
I am a huge One Piece fan and resonate with this character so much! So excited for everyone to meet him in the dub!! 😭😭pic.twitter.com/7AebbWCJ54
— Michelle Rojas (@littleramyun)July 12, 2025
The non-binary voice actor’s alteration of Eiichiro Oda’s well-established canon was seen by activists as a victory over ‘transphobic’ fans.Others attempted to return to the debunked Yamato theories by stating that pronouns and gender are unrelated.
In response to Rojas and her supporters’ mental gymnastics, One Piecefans in general simply cited Oda’s words and refused to consider any effort to make this story popular.
Look at a few of the fans’ tweets:
She’s a girl canonically :3 Confirmed by Oda himself.
— H.P. GreenPact(Astolfo Arc) (@SaintGreenPact)June 17, 2025
Seems most have already corrected you and ratio’d anyone arguing incorrectly that she’s a dude but here’s just one morehttps://t.co/0dB23fPiHo
— John Goetz (@john_goetz)June 02, 2025
She’s a woman :3
it’s not too late to correct this tweet. Massive disrespect to Oda himself. Do better.
— Harsh Patel (@hpatel561)July 19, 2025
Apperently you’re not that big if you’re thinking that Yamato is male. As Oda said himself laid out several times Yamato is Female.
— ScarletEmber (@Nightdragonx1)June 13, 2025
Is Yamato a male or female? What gender does Yamato identify as inOne Piece? We need to set the scene first. Eiichiro Oda, the creator ofOne Piece,revealed Yamato’s gender in a set of Vivre Cards in the fall of 2021, though. The fanbase became confused and in disarray as a result.
In addition, after Yamato’s face is revealed, she is reintroduced in the manga and anime as ‘Kaido’s daughter’. Thus, this gets more puzzling for fans.
Also Read:Netflix’s One Piece Live Action Test Screening Reportedly a Slaughterfest of Bad CGI, Nonsensical Story
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