Rob Colletti, who plays Wapol in Netflix’s live-action One Piece, has called out the “creeps” who’ve criticized Charithra Chandran’s casting as Vivi in Season 2.
Ahead of its release in 2026, Netflix dropped a teaser for One Piece Season 2 during the franchise’s day of celebration in Tokyo. It features first looks at the next chapter’s newcomers, including Lera Abova as Nico Robin, Callum Kerr as Smoker, and Chandran as Vivi.
In the original anime, Vivi is depicted as having fair skin, while Chandran is of Tamil-Indian descent. This quickly became a subject of debate online, with some fans taking issue with her casting.
Beyond One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda insisting he chose the cast personally, the show’s stars have come to Chandran’s defence – with Colletti clapping back at the “hateful faction” of fans.
One Piece’s Wapol star defends Charithra Chandran’s Vivi casting
In a statement shared via an Instagram story, Colletti wrote that it’s “astonishing to me in all the wrong ways how certain small (but far too vocal) corners of the One Piece fandom can watch a rubber pirate, a reindeer doctor, and giant walking, talking fish and be totally fine… but draw the line at the simple idea of Nefertari Vivi being played by a woman who isn’t white.”
Colletti reiterated that Oda picked Chandran for the role, and “he has far more knowledge and understanding of his own characters than anyone else, particularly the hateful, unimaginative creeps who actually have the audacity to get on the internet to throw hate speech towards an actor without even seeing their absolutely amazing performance on the show.”
The actor also highlighted how the Kingdom of Alabasta draws from Middle Eastern and southern Asian culture, and how Chandran’s casting and “astonishing performance” honor Oda’s “intended vision.”
He also thanked fans who’ve been “welcoming and appreciative… we see that, we are grateful to you for that, and we encourage you to continue to stand up to racism and bigotry from the small, hateful faction of the fan base that are ruining this experience for everyone else.”
“But to those of you whose suspension of disbelief survives devil fruits, giant sea monsters, snails that become telephones, and all of the other marvelous, wondrous, imaginative, magical world-building that Oda created for everyone on this big, beautiful planet, yet somehow crumbles at the sight of an accurate representation of a pretend character in a live-action remake of a cartoon… The problem isn’t with casting, it’s with you,” he continued.
“That kind of behavior is ignorant, embarrassing, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Be better. Do better.”
Chandran’s latest Instagram stories feature screenshots of abuse and criticism from fans. “Thank you so much for all your support,” she wrote with a heart emoji.
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