One Piece's Usopp Skin Tone Sparks Controversy
A recent controversy, particularly around the new One Piece remake has cast a shadow over the long-running One Piece series. One Piece fans are in an uproar after they spotted that Usopp skin tone had been changed to lighter in a recent art piece that showcased the look for the upcoming reboot.
Why Did Usopp's Skin Tone Change?
Usopp is one of the most beloved and popular One Piece characters. The artist of One Piece manga has repeatedly stated Usopp was inspired by an African character. This makes this change, even though it is just a concept piece, extremely concerning for fans and critics, and is a big moment for One Piece criticism, and discussion regarding One Piece controversy.
How Has Usopp's Skin Tone Changed Over The Years?
This issue with Usopp's skin tone isn't entirely new. Many fans, who were also deeply engrossed in the One Piece fandom, felt there was a lot of One Piece whitewashing over time, and noticed some instances where Usopp was depicted with a lighter complexion in the One Piece Anime.
Can You Give More Examples Of "Whitewashing" In One Piece?
Unfortunately, Usopp is not the only One Piece character affected by these accusations. Even when One Piece art style was undergoing a dramatic transition in the "Egghead Island arc", it still remained controversial! While the character Nico Robin is known to have dark skin, when a shift was made to the "post timeskip" storyline, her skin tone had drastically changed and was significantly lighter. This continues to be a huge problem for One Piece fans and One Piece critics!
Is It Always Whitewashing?
It isn't that simple. Though Usopp's skin is often depicted as darker, he has darker and lighter tones, and there could be many different explanations, including the character's parentage. Eiichiro Oda, the author, has repeatedly stated that Usopp's heritage was diverse, with one parent having lighter skin and the other being of a darker hue. You could imagine that this would naturally cause fluctuations, though it's hard to accept how dramatic the changes have been, especially when his Usopp controversy has brought out a significant One Piece criticism!
What is One Piece Day, and Why Did it Cause This New Controversy?
For One Piece fans, there's an exciting day every year that they look forward to! This is One Piece Day. This special day typically has new announcements for upcoming projects. One big announcement came for One Piece remake or, as some have called it, The One Piece reboot! It looks like Wit Studio, known for many great Anime series, is behind this exciting new One Piece project. Sadly, a recent illustration was shown in concept art for this remake, sparking concerns from One Piece fans over skin tone.
Why Is This a Big Deal for One Piece?
One Piece has consistently sought to highlight diversity within the series. One of the biggest complaints coming from One Piece critics, has been One Piece whitewashing! There is a constant push and pull from fans. The main storyline of One Piece centers around The One Piece, an incredible treasure that many in this anime series, seek. In many ways, it mirrors how many people throughout history have searched for the most amazing things!
