The One Piece Live-Action Series Ushers in the Great Pirate Era

Left to right: Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, Mackenyu Arata as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, and Taz Skylar as Sanji in One Piece. Casey Crafford/Netflix © 2023

The One Piece live-action adaptation has been shattering records since its release last week. On September 2, 2023, it became the number-one most watched show on Netflix in 84 countries, surpassing the record set by season 4 of Stranger Things. It has over 10,000 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with a rating of 96 percent as of this writing—one of the the highest a Netflix show has ever received. Meanwhile, the still-ongoing One Piece anime was the most-watched show on Netflix in 2022, and the manga has sold a staggering 500 million units, surpassing all Batman comics ever published and on track to beat Harry Potter to become the best-selling series of all time.

The Great Pirate Era has begun.

Last year, I wrote an article talking about the live-action show’s potential and my hope that it would introduce an entirely new demographic to One Piece. It seems the new series has done just that. My social media feeds are filled with people experiencing One Piece for the first time. An anime YouTuber wrote that his grandfather randomly told him, “You need to check out this new Netflix show called One Piece. This guy stretches in it and just cracks me up.”

Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

As a longtime fan of One Piece, I am thrilled. Someone has made a successful live-action adaptation of an anime/manga that is being accepted by longtime fans and newcomers alike. The curse, as they say, has been broken! So, let’s talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what I hope for the future.

Note: The rest of this article contains some spoilers.

What Worked

A lot of things are great about this adaptation, but one of the big things is that is gets the tone right. This was a relief because translating from manga or anime to live action is notoriously difficult. How silly do you make it? How serious? How stylized? There is no formula to follow—the approach varies from adaptation to adaptation.

For One Piece, I’ve always believed a live-action adaptation should be more serious than the other formats, and the Netflix series leaves room for silliness and laughter but has darker tones than the original story. Buggy is the first real villain of One Piece and could be a hard sell to new audience members, but Jeff Ward captures his essence while making him more sinister and creepy than his manga/anime counterpart. It works perfectly.

Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

I saw one social media post this week where someone unfamiliar with One Piece compared the live action’s aesthetic to The Hunger Games‘ Capitol fashion. I think it’s a great comparison. The colors and designs are muted somewhat to fit the “real world,” but the live-action costumes are similar to their manga/anime counterparts. The show sells the look because the characters don’t comment on how other people are dressed or what color their hair is.

The reported budget for One Piece is almost $18 million per episode, making it more expensive than Game of Thrones. A robust budget doesn’t guarantee a good show or adaptation (see Marvel’s Secret Invasion), but it helps. The One Piece showrunners invested their budget into practical sets and practical effects: they built multiple ships, shot in fabulous locations, and made prosthetics for the actors. Incorporating practical sets and practical effects is always better. The CGI that is employed is appropriate and works in most scenes.

The casting is also perfect. From the moment the Straw Hat actors are introduced, they embody the soul of their characters. When One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda met Iñaki Godoy, who plays Luffy, he said, “You were the character I drew in my manga. I can’t imagine anyone else.”

The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and the show devotes a lot of time to character relationships. My favorite episode for this is episode 5, “Eat at Baratie,” in which Zoro and Nami talk about their personal lives and the boys tease Nami when Sanji tries to flirt. The dynamic between Zed and Sanji is gold. I also loved the scene where Zoro declares he will be Luffy’s vice captain/first mate. It gave the episode gravitas and solidified Zoro and Luffy’s relationship.

Sanji in “Eat at Baratie.” Casey Crafford/Netflix © 2023

The Straw Hats’ characterization keeps the things that make the crew loveable in the anime and manga while catering to a live-action medium. Luffy is toned down. Zoro has thoughts. Sanji’s compassionate nature is more prominent than his flirtatious one. Nami hardly yells. These were all changes I expected, and I thought they were executed well.

There are also lots of little details that bring the show life. The bounty poster transitions. The nods to future story arcs. The fact that we see Zoro killing Mr. 7, something that’s only mentioned in the manga. The cinematography. The villains. The way the backstories are incorporated. All of it is impactful.

What Didn’t Work

While everyone has their specific criticisms, the consensus among fans, including me, is the Garp storyline does not work. I understand what the show was trying to do—give the East Blue Saga a cohesive threat with emotional weight—but it did not stick the landing.

The live-action storyline is based on what happens in a later manga arc. In chapter 431, Garp shows up as Luffy is recovering from his fight with CP9. He storms in and punches Luffy while yelling, “I hear you’re stirring up trouble! I didn’t train you all those years so you could become a pirate! That Shanks corrupted you!” Then he exits dramatically, leaving the other Straw Hats bewildered. But there are some key differences that make the manga version work. In the manga, Garp has already accepted that (much to his annoyance) Luffy is a pirate. There is no emotional turmoil. Garp checks in on Luffy because his grandson has had a run-in with a powerful World Government faction. Garp is a strange person, but he loves Luffy. In the live action, Garp is chasing Luffy because he doesn’t want him to become a pirate. In the end, he let him go. It’s anticlimactic.

According to showrunner Steven Maeda, Oda needed some convincing to approve the Garp storyline for the live action. Oda’s instincts were proven correct once again—the small changes in Garp’s motivation make a funny and interesting revelation awkward and pace killing.

Vincent Regan as Vice-Admiral Garp, Morgan Davies as Koby, and Aidan Scott as Helmeppo. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

This storyline also takes away from Arlong Park, and this is my other big criticism of the live action: it doesn’t feel like Luffy earns his East Blue bounty. More baffling is when Luffy says to Arlong, “Maybe I can’t beat you, but I can bring down everything you’ve built.” That statement is antithetical to Luffy’s character. An important Arlong Park moment is when Luffy lists everything he’s bad at: He can’t navigate. He can’t cook. He can’t use swords. He can’t achieve his dream without his friends. Arlong asks, “What can you do, then?” Luffy grins and says, “I can beat you.”

Luffy also destroys Arlong because he wants to set Nami free. He says, “I finally realized how I can help her! This room can’t be here anymore. I’ll destroy every place she doesn’t want to be kept in!” The other Straw Hats are confused about what’s happening, but Nami understands immediately. It shocked me that the writers left out this emotional beat.

In addition, I was disappointed there was no “walk to Arlong Park.” If you’re a fan of One Piece, then you know the “One Piece walk” is ubiquitous to the franchise. Oda even wrote his own walk for the movie Strong World. It would’ve been fun to see the live-action cast do that walk to Arlong, and I’m sad not to experience it.

McKinley Belcher III as Arlong. Casey Crafford/Netflix © 2023

Looking Ahead

Despite my criticisms, I loved the adaptation. It was a joy to watch characters that I’ve invested so much time in come to life in a new way. As I watched the show, I couldn’t help but think about where the Straw Hats are in the manga. So much has happened since a skinny rubber boy set off in a dinghy with a dream to find the One Piece. But in the live action, Luffy’s just getting started.

Will we get a season 2 of One Piece? If Netflix and the other studios end the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike by giving writers and actors fair wages, we just might. The scripts are already written. If I had to guess, I expect season 2 will comprise the entire Baroque Works saga. I also am confident the producers have seen everyone’s wish for Jamie Lee Curtis to play Doctor Kureha. If she’s available and interested, I think we’ll see that fan casting. Making Chopper will be challenging, but I know he’s in good hands. I think it’s possible we’ll see some practical effects for Chopper rather than straight reliance on CGI.

If you haven’t watched this live-action series yet, please treat yourself. It’s the best live-action adaptation of anime or manga we’ve ever gotten, and it deserves our support. I’m confident season 2 will be even better.

And if you’ve never tried the manga, now is a great time to dive in. Right now, the entire East Blue Saga is free to read on Viz’s website.

Steven Ward as Mihawk. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023