One Piece animator under fire for Bonney's design in episode 1090

One Piece is once again, the topic of discussion within the anime and manga community. However, this time, the animator responsible for a particular scene, has stirred some controversy owing to the design for a character in the latest episode. The character in focus is none other than Bonney.

This character is 12 years old, but she has the ability to age her body and alter her physical appearance accordingly. The animator who worked with Toei Animation has been under fire owing to the adaptation of a panel where Bonney is not clothed.

The fanbase wasn’t too happy with Toei Animation’s decision to animate the scene. It was surprising to see that the One Piece fanbase was divided on this topic, with half the fans siding with the animator for doing their job. They took to X to share their reactions to the animation and adaptation.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga chapters.

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One Piece animator harassed for animating Bonney’s bath scene

Before diving right into the topic, it is important to understand Bonney’s abilities in the series, which is a major point in the discussion. Bonney has access to the powers of Toshi Toshi no Mi.

This is a Devil Fruit that allows the user to age people around them as well as objects. Bonney was administered a tiny portion of the fruit’s extract when she was a child. After the timeskip, Bonney is mentally just 12 years old but has the appearance of a woman.

Most fans show concern while some appreciated the animator (Screengrab via X)

Since this is the case, animating the bath scene involving this character wasn’t something fans liked. The fact that her mental age is just 12 didn’t sit well with a majority of the fanbase. Furthermore, fans also felt like the character was being s*xualized, both in the manga as well as the anime adaptation of the same.

One of the animators who worked on this scene received a ton of backlash on the internet. Most fans weren’t happy with the animator and believed that the overall decision taken by Toei Animation could have been better, especially when dealing with a character like this.

Additionally, the animator’s lack of concern seemed to egg netizens who were already annoyed with Bonney’s treatment in the anime adaptation. Some even pointed out the prevalence of anime-only scenes where she is barely clothed, which added more fuel to the fire.

However, the animator also stated that he wasn’t aware of the character’s age while animating this scene. Some fans acknowledged this and appreciated the animator for their work.

A portion of the One Piece fans wishes to enjoy the anime without drama (Image via Toei Animation)

On the other hand, there is a section of One Piece fans that is tired of such debates taking place on the internet. These fans observed that social media platforms have always waged Twitter wars over Yamato’s gender.

Now, netizens are addressing the issue concerning Bonney because there are fans who seem to be okay with portraying Bonney the way One Piece did in the latest episode.

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Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that the animator could have certainly handled their response in a better manner. However, the fanbase must hold Toei Animation and the author Eiichiro Oda accountable for this scene as well. The animator was merely tasked with animating this scene and followed the source material's art as a reference. Eiichiro Oda could have certainly avoided a scene like this in the manga since it wasn't particularly important from a plot perspective.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.