Dragon Ball is the father of Shonen and its longevity alone has proven that time and time again. Created by the legendary late mangaka, Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball has shaped not only childhoods but also the manga and anime industry in general. Without Dragon Ball, many Shonen series wouldn’t exist today, at least not how fans know and love them. In that way, Dragon Ball will always be the biggest shonen out there. But, to add to that, Dragon Ball has recently achieved something that proved again that it’s the most iconic series ever. Recently, Goku's voice actress, Masako Nozawa, became the first-ever voice actor to be awarded the Cultural Merit Award in Japan, which was certainly a monumental step. Luffy’s voice actress, Mayumi Tanaka, has yet to win a similar award, but she could definitely be the next one on the list.
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Goku’s Voice Actress Masako Nozawa Wins The Cultural Merit Award
- Dragon Ball Proves To Be A Major Cultural Phenomenon Still
- Luffy’s VA Mayumi Tanaka Has Yet To Win This Similar Award
Goku is the main character of the phenomenal global sensation series, Dragon Ball. Over the years, he has become the most iconic and well-known anime character ever, recognized by just about anyone, even people who are not into Dragon Ball or the anime industry in general.
Goku has stayed with fans for decades through the Dragon Ball manga, and his character wouldn’t be the same without the voice of Masako Nozawa, the woman who has been voicing him since 1986, back when the very first Dragon Ball episode came out. Masako Nozawa has brought Goku to life, and even today, almost 40 years later, she is still the iconic voice of Goku. Fans couldn’t imagine anyone else in this role as her voice has become synonymous with Goku.
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Goku and Masako Nozawa’s impact can’t be underestimated, and with that, fans weren’t exactly surprised when Masako Nozawa was awarded the Japanese Cultural Merit Award. She has become the very first voice actor in history to win this award, and it's safe to say that this was long overdue. The fact that Masako Nozawa was the first voice actor to be chosen proves how big Dragon Ball was, and still is. In terms of a cultural phenomenon, it may be even bigger than One Piece, as voice actress Mayumi Tanaka has yet to win this award.
Mayumi Tanaka Could Be The Next Winner
- Mayumi Tanaka Is Just As Iconic
- Voice Actors Have Long Been Overlooked
While Mayumi Tanaka hasn’t yet won a Cultural Merit Award like Masako Nozawa, it doesn’t mean she is any less iconic. Mayumi Tanaka has been the talented voice actress of Luffy for over 26 years now, and her voice has become iconic, being associated with the protagonist of the biggest manga series in the world.
The impact that One Piece, and subsequently, Mayumi Tanaka, has had in Japan and worldwide is comparable to Dragon Ball. Sadly, only one winner can be chosen per year, but many believe Mayumi Tanaka could be the next winner, especially as Nozawa has paved the way for other voice actors to be recognized for their talent and contributions.
One Piece Chapter 1163 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 26. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1163 is October 26, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
