Lera Abova "Nico Robin" Casting Controversy

Overview

Lera Abova "Nico Robin" Casting Controversy refers to the internet reaction and controversy surrounding Russian actress Lera Abova being cast as the character Nico Robin for the second season of the One Piece live-action Netflix show. Although the majority of fans met the casting with positive feedback, some netizens disagreed with the choice because of Abova's Russian heritage, claiming it is inappropriate given Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. A boycott movement against Netflix was started on X / Twitter in mid-September 2024 in which people canceled their subscriptions to the streaming platform and demanded a recast of the character.

Background

On September 18th, 2024, the X^[1] page @OP_Netflix_Fan revealed that Russian actress and model Lera Abova will be playing the role of Nico Robin in the second season of Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation. The tweet (seen below) amassed more than 50,000 likes and 10,000 reposts in four days.

Developments

Lera Abova Casting Boycott

Within hours of Lera Abova's announcement for the role of Nico Robin in mid-September 2024, the decision to cast a Russian actress caused considerable dissatisfaction among Ukrainian fans of the series, as well as others.

For example, on September 18th, 2024, X^[2] user @hka_toto posted an image of Monkey D. Luffy with the overlay text, "Russians are not my nakama." The post (seen below) amassed more than 3,400 likes and 220 reposts in four days.

One of the viral posts criticizing Nico Robin's cast was a fan art uploaded by X^[3] user @OtomiruTomoshi on September 20th, 2024, in which they drew the character pointing at a picture of Lera Abova with the text, "I'm not a terrorist and I don't want to be a terrorist!" The post (seen below) amassed over 6 million views and 8,200 likes in two days.

Some Ukrainians also started posting under the "#boycottNetflix" hashtag, accusing the streaming company of supporting Russia in the ongoing war, while also sharing screenshots of them canceling their subscriptions to the service.

For instance, on September 20th, 2024, X^[4] user @istota__ tweeted in Ukranian that they hoped the boycott of Netflix would reach a high level of people, "because well, they went to hell. Think about it, take on the role of a woman whose house was destroyed, a victim of genocide… you bastard. You're stupid #boycottNetflix," they wrote. The post (seen below) received roughly 5,400 likes and 550 reposts in two days.

Lera Abova's Response

On September 24th, 2024, Lera Abova did not directly comment about the wave of hateful and xenophobic comments about her heritage, but she posted a long statement via Instagram stories, thanking all the support and heartwarming reception by One Piece fans, writing that she "discovered so much about Miss All Sunday that resonates deeply with my own heart, soul, and who I am as a person."

Online Reactions

Lera's casting as Nico Robin sparked a viral debate on the internet. Many One Piece fans received the news with positive feedback, even pointing out that the series creator Eiichiro Oda has claimed numerous times before the characters' real-world nationality is Russian.^[5]

For example, on September 21st, 2024, X^[6] user @RevivalOfPotara shared a panel from the manga in which the character Franky says, "It's never a crime just to exist!!!" to Nico Robin, condemning @OtomiruTomoshi for "calling an actor a terrorist for existing because of their ethnicity." The tweet (seen below) amassed more than 15,000 likes and 2,100 reposts in a day.

On September 22nd, 2024, YouTuber^[7] and streamer Asmongold posted a video commenting on the Nico Robin casting controversy, which amassed more than 68,000 views and 5,100 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Search Interest

External References