One Piece director and storyboard artist Megumi Ishitani has directly responded to international fan criticism about her work, specifically addressing the theory that she cannot direct action scenes.
Ishitani stated that she actively avoids directing action-heavy episodes because she finds the process difficult and prefers to use action as an accent.
She cited the immense workload and the challenge of creating a “tension graph” as main reasons, adding, “I like action itself, but if I have to direct it myself, I’m the type who wants it just as an accent.”
エゴサをすると謎に海外のワンピファンからイシタニはアクションが出来ない説が定期的に流れてくる…
アクションばっかの話数はやりたくないので実際避けてる…大変だし……
何故ならアクションはクオリティの保証が演出ではなく作画へ比重がいってしまうから……あとテンショングラフが作りにくい
— 䂖谷牛乳 (@ishigyunyu) November 9, 2025
Ishitani is renowned for her cinematic direction in the One Piece anime, using techniques like rack focus and creative lighting similar to live-action filmmaking. She has directed several highly-praised episodes, including 957, 1015, and 1072, as well as Openings 25 and 26.
Her other notable work includes directing and storyboarding Episode 131 of Dragon Ball Super, and most recently, she served as director and storyboarder for Witch Watch.
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2025-11-18 06:30:00
