Vincent Chansard Responds to Controversy Over Sanji’s Portrayal in the Anime: “Obviously There Is No Agenda In the Anime”

A long-running debate among One Piece fans has sparked a heated conversation once again. Recently, social media exploded with discussions about whether Toei Animation shows bias against Sanji, one of the main characters. Some fans feel that Sanji gets less attention and lower-quality animation compared to other characters, especially Zoro.

This controversy caught the attention of the One Piece creative team itself. Vincent Chansard, an animator at Toei, spoke about the issue during a YouTube interview. He admitted that even the studio staff are now questioning the situation, saying, “Do we need to do something differently?”

Chansard did not completely dismiss the idea of bias. While he believes there is no intentional agenda against Sanji, he acknowledged that there are noticeable patterns in how big scenes are assigned to animators.

According to him, episodes featuring Zoro often receive higher-profile animators, while Sanji’s moments do not always get the same level of attention. Chansard explained that this might be due to the narrative structure and timing rather than favoritism, but he admitted that the difference can be seen.

“Obviously, with colleagues we’ve been like is there actually something we should do differently? Obviously when it comes to to the top people in One Piece or the people who are in the deciding positions who attribute the same, the scenes will go like you are going to do this scene, you are going to do this scene, you are going to do the story board for this scene” he stated.

“Obviously there is no agenda, in the anime.”

He also pointed out that when Sanji does get a major scene, like the Sanji vs. Queen fight, Toei brings in some of their top talent. That episode featured well-known animators like Akihiro Ota and Tu Yong-Ce.

However, these moments are rarer compared to Zoro’s frequent highlights, which could explain why fans feel Sanji is being overlooked.

The situation became even more intense when Megumi Ishitani, one of the anime’s most respected directors, faced backlash after Episode 1123 aired.

Some fans accused her of downplaying Sanji’s role, even though she did not work on that specific episode. As criticism turned into harassment, the controversy grew, leading to a surge of support for Ishitani from other fans and creators.

Ishitani responded to the negative comments, reminding viewers that animation is a collaborative effort and that individuals should not be blamed for creative decisions made by the whole team. She urged fans to avoid directing hate at specific people when they are unhappy with the show’s portrayal of a character.

Her response sheds light on a bigger problem within anime fandom: people reacting emotionally without understanding how production works. Even though fans have access to episode credits and staff lists, many still blame individual creators without considering the context. While it’s normal to feel passionate about favorite characters, personal attacks on animators and directors can harm the very people who make One Piece special.

This ongoing debate highlights how anime creators often face backlash over choices that might not even be theirs. As the One Piece team continues to discuss how to balance character portrayals, fans are encouraged to show support rather than hostility.

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