There's nothing quite like the brotherly dynamic of Zoro and Sanji in One Piece – and the English VA for Sanji, Eric Vale, agreed that they've changed so much over the last 1000+ episodes. In the several adaptations of One Piece, two characters of the Straw Hat Pirates never really got along at first – Zoro and Sanji.
Both of these characters have entirely different backgrounds and stories. During the arc, Wano Country, they were separated for some time before coming back together. In an interview that the voice actors did with CinemaBlend to promote the 1000th episode of the English Dub released to Crunchyroll, we asked what it was like to be voicing lines with Zoro again after such time apart and "ripping on each other" as if no time has passed.
Eric Vale, the voice actor for Sanji, compared the relationship between Zoro and Sanji to that of his other brother. He said that when they were younger, they would mess with each other, but as they've gotten older, that has turned more affectionate, and he said that Zoro and Sanji were the same now after all this time:
So I have a brother, a younger brother, and to me it was kind of like after I went off to college, you know -- I went off to college, and he stayed at home, and when I came back home after being gone for a little while, the relationship had changed. I was still riffing him and still messing around with him. But when you do that, as you get older, and my brother and I still do that, it becomes more nostalgic of your youth, of your growth period with that person. So I think their (Zoro and Sanji) jabs at each other have become more like that. It's more like, 'no, no, no, we're going to keep doing this thing. We're going to keep presenting this.' But it's a lot more based in affection at this point.
One of the most significant arcs of One Piece so far has been Wano Country, which has separated many of the Straw Hat Pirates (and is one of the voice actor's favorite arcs so far), which is what makes their reunion that much more fun.
Zoro and Sanji are two characters of One Piece that have been around since the very start of the series, alongside Nami (who has had an impressive arc throughout her time in the series) and Usopp. It's no wonder their jabs would be more out of care for each other than anything else – but it doesn't mean I still don't find it hilarious.
I'm pretty sure there isn't a person in the world right now who doesn't know what One Piece is. Besides being the most prominent manga of all time and having an anime adaptation that has run for over 1000+ episodes, the manga has received a Netflix adaptation that has already earned itself a Season 2 renewal, despite the immense amount of pressure Netflix was most likely under to make the adaptation good.
One Piece on Netflix introduced us to the live-action versions of Zoro and Sanji, portrayed by Mackenyu and Taz Skylar. While we were only given a few episodes with Zoro and Sanji together, the moments they did rip on each other were hilarious and reminded me of the anime itself.
I can't wait for Season 2 of One Piece on Netflix and hope we don't have to wait long to see these two come together and rip on each other more and more. Even so, until then, I'll enjoy watching Zoro and Sanji in the anime and seeing them rip on each other even more – but in a much more loving way that still makes me snicker.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll right now, so be sure to check it out – all 1000+ of them, if you're up for the challenge.
