Highlights
- Charithra Chandran faced racist online abuse after being cast as Nefertari Vivi in Netflix's One Piece season two.
- One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda personally endorsed the casting, calling the season two cast "absolutely the perfect choice".
- One Piece is based on the world's best-selling manga, which has sold 600 million volumes worldwide since 1997.
Chandran's casting prompted a wave of complaints from a vocal section of fans who objected to a woman of colour playing Vivi — a blue-haired bounty hunter portrayed as white in the original manga.
Some critics also took issue with an actress of Indian heritage portraying a character from Alabasta, a region inspired by Ancient Egypt.
Chandran pushed back against the abuse by sharing negative messages on Instagram alongside the sarcastic caption: "Thank you so much for all your support."
Co-star Rob Colletti, who plays Wapol, said it was "astonishing" that a "vocal minority" took issue with Vivi being played by a woman who wasn't white.
Creator backs Chandran
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, known to fans as "Oda Sensei" and thought to be heavily involved in the Netflix production, personally endorsed the casting in a letter to fans, saying the season two cast were "absolutely the perfect choice."
For Chandran, Oda's approval was the only validation that mattered. "If Oda Sensei, the person whose brilliant mind this has all come out of says you are the right person to portray this character, that to me is the only validation that matters," she told BBC.
One Piece is a live-action adaptation of the world's best-selling manga, created by Japanese artist Eiichiro Oda in 1997, which has sold 600 million volumes worldwide.
The show follows hero Monkey D Luffy, leader of the Straw Hat pirates, on a worldwide hunt for a treasure known as the One Piece.
Chandran noted that she was not familiar with the source material before being cast but has since become a devoted fan.
"I couldn't believe how I had not interacted with One Piece prior to this, because it is huge," she said. She added that the show's universal themes of friendship and following your dreams felt especially relevant today.
"In a time where the world feels incredibly divided, the message of following your dreams and being good to your friends — how can anyone disagree with that?"
