Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Crew Rallies Round Charithra Chandran After Racist Backlash

With One Piece season two crusing onto Netflix subsequent yr, the most recent teaser shocked followers with thrilling appears to be like at what’s to come back for the Straw Hats. Of their journey to the Grand Line, they’re set to encounter more friends and foes.

One of many new faces within the forged is Charithra Chandran as Nefertari Vivi, additionally identified within the long-running manga and anime as Miss Wednesday. The character within the comics is depicted as a light-skinned Egyptian girl, and a loud minority of racist One Piece nerds are criticizing Chandran’s casting as a result of the actor has darker pores and skin. Due to course, they’re mad at that being a believable factor in a universe the place a person can stretch his pores and skin or a speaking reindeer generally is a medical skilled.

In response actress Emily Rudd, who performs Nami, shared on her Instagram tales, “Perceived ‘canon’ doesn’t excuse blatant racism or hate of any sort. I’m past pleased with our present, our forged, and the chance we have now to convey to life a narrative centered round a various discovered household—by an equally various discovered household.”

Rudd additionally shared a prolonged publish from co-star Rob Colletti (who will debut as Wapol in season two):

As Colletti factors out, “Charithra was hand-selected by [One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda], and he has much more data and understanding of his personal characters than anybody else, significantly the hateful, unimaginative creeps who even have the audacity to get on the web to throw hate speech in the direction of an actor with out even seeing their completely superb efficiency on the present.”

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