The ongoing debate surrounding Yamato's gender identity in the One Piece anime and manga has caused significant challenges for translators working on the English version. This article explores the complexities faced by translators, particularly Stephen Paul, the official English translator for the series, in navigating this sensitive topic.
The One Piece franchise is undoubtedly one of the most beloved anime series among fans. Over the past couple of decades, followers of Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece have continuously shown their support at every opportunity. However, even this cherished series has been involved in controversies from time to time. One of the biggest is the debate over Yamato ’s gender, which has been a constant cause for arguments among fans, despite the series being considered a champion of the LGBTQ+ community.
In a recent interview published by the Gizmodo website, a translator revealed the struggles the industry faced while working on chapters of the manga focusing on Kaido’s son and his gender identity. Stephen Paul, the official English translator for the One Piece series, explained the complexities of choosing the right pronouns for Yamato. While Yamato has always referred to himself as a man in the manga, using masculine pronouns has often caused issues for translators. The tension stems from the topic of Kaido’s son being trans, with both sides of the discussion being quite aggressive when discussing it. The issue has often escalated due to the franchise’s inconsistent use of pronouns, as products such as the official One Piece card game tend to refer to Yamato as a woman.Paul further revealed that translating the One Piece story into English presents its own unique set of problems. Unlike Japanese, which allows for genderless words when speaking about someone, English requires the determination of a person’s gender. As such, even when the manga decides not to explicitly address Yamato’s gender, translators are forced to choose which pronouns to use. Moreover, the fact that the One Piece story is far from over means that any decision Paul makes while working on the manga can become an issue in the future. If he decides to call Yamato a man in the present, the series could someday decide to begin using female pronouns. Paul’s words highlighted the difficult and stressful job translators face, as they need to do much more than just rewrite Oda’s words into English. Unfortunately, Yamato’s gender identity might continue to be a source of controversy for the One Piece franchise
ONE PIECE Yamato Gender Identity Transgender Translation Controversy Anime Industry
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