MrBeast has pushed back against criticism from parts of the One Piece community after being accused of jumping on the anime as a trend.
The backlash traces back to when MrBeast changed his X profile picture to Monkey D. Luffy, a move that immediately sparked debate online. Before the switch, he had publicly asked followers whether he should finally start watching One Piece, admitting the show’s massive episode count had put him off for years.
After encouragement from fans and other creators, including iShowSpeed, MrBeast said he had been “converted” into a fan and updated his profile picture to reflect it. While some welcomed him, others accused the YouTuber of anime tourism, arguing he was only engaging now that the series had gone fully mainstream.
MrBeast hits out at One Piece fans over profile photo
When asked whether he had actually watched One Piece, MrBeast directly addressed the backlash and called out what he described as toxic behavior from parts of the fanbase.
“The One Piece fanbase can be so toxic,” he said. “I’ve seen more anime than all of you little anime clowns with your anime PFPs. I’ve been tweeting about anime before some of you were born.”
He then doubled down on his anime credentials, adding, “I’ve watched all 700 episodes of Naruto.”
With more than 1,000 episodes and over two decades on air, One Piece has long proven popular for debates around gatekeeping and “earned” fandom.
The release of Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series is also expected to bring in another wave of new viewers, with the show dropping on March 2, 2026.
