Voicing Usopp in the live-action version of One Piece became a challenge for Usopp’s voice actor.

SUMMARY

Jacob Romero Gibson, who portrayed Usopp in the live-action One Piece series, did a fantastic job portraying the straw hat sniper.

But for voice actor Kappei Yamaguchi, who portrayed Usopp in the anime and Japanese live-action adaptations of One Piece, this was not the case.

He claimed that after Eiichiro Oda made one significant alteration to the live-action series, he was left in a difficult situation.

Usopp’s character was played by Jacob Romero Gibson in the One Piece live-action series and his portrayal of the sniper of the straw hats was spot-on. Usopp is certainly one of the most loved and entertaining characters of the entire cast of One Piece and Gibson perfectly adapted the persona and brought it to life.

Although he did not have a long nose, and ethnicity was somewhat a question for One Piece fans, Gibson’s acting and his portrayal of the role made the character more comfortable with the live-action world.

Jacob Romero as Usopp

However, this was not the case for Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice actor who gave his voice to Usopp in One Piece anime and the Japanese version of the live-action. According to him, he found himself in a tough spot after Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series decided to make one major change in the live-action series.

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Eiichiro Oda Decided To Make a Change With Usopp’s Character in Live-Action

In an interview with Netflix, Yamaguchi explained that when he discussed the character of Usopp in the One Piece live-action with Oda san, he suggested that Yamaguchi portray a milder version in the live-action series as compared to the anime version. He said:
“I went over Usopp’s character with Oda at the beginning. He wanted him to be a bit milder compared to the anime version. That was what he wanted, so I tried to bring out the “human side” of Usopp if that makes sense. It’s different from the anime. I have to be in sync with the actor. It was different from voicing the anime.” 

Jacob Gibson as Usopp
Yamaguchi explained that as Oda wanted Usopp’s version of the live-action to be a bit milder, he tried to bring out the human side of Usopp, which would be a perfect fit for the real world as compared to the anime. He also confessed that voicing the One Piece live-action was different than the anime series.

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Kappei Yamaguchi Was Nervous To Voice Usopp in One Piece Live-Action

Yamaguchi also stated that because of the change suggested by Oda, he became nervous and wasn’t sure whether his voice would suit the live-action version of Usopp. He claimed that it became a challenge for him. Yamaguchi stated:
“I was nervous at first. I wasn’t sure if my voice would suit the live-action-version Usopp. It was a challenge. Jacob’s actions and facial expressions were on point. It was like watching the anime version of Usopp. Voicing him got easier with each episode. He was the perfect Usopp from the get-go.”

Usopp in One Piece Live-Action

Although, it was a little hard for Yamaguchi to portray Usopp for the live-action, watching Gibson’s actions and facial expression made him realize that the actor had much similarity with the character.

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He stated that after watching that, voicing him got easier as the episodes progressed and also praised Gibson and called him the perfect Usopp from the beginning of the series. Fans can’t wait to see his portrayal of Usopp in the next season.