From left to right Taz Skylar as Sanji, Mackenyu Arata as Roronoa Zoro, Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp in season 1 of One Piece. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
Eiichirō Oda’s ongoing manga One Piece (with more than 500 million copies sold, making it the most-sold manga in history) has been telling the stories of the charismatic pirate Monkey D.Rufy and his nominal crew, the Straw Hats since 1997, with the Toei Animation-produced anime debuting in 1999; now Rufy’s dream of becoming the King of the Pirates will be available to stream all over the globe, produced by Netflix.
The series has been developed by Matt Owens ( Luke Cage, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and Steven Maeda ( Lost, Pan Am, Helix) and features Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy (The Imperfects) as Rufy, Japanese actor Mackenyu (Knights of the Zodiac), son of legendary actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba as Roronoa Zoro, US actress Emily Rudd (Fear Street) as Nami, Jamaican-born US actor Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp and Spanish-British actor of Arab descent Taz Skylar as Sanji. This talented front quintet of actors brings to life the first five Mugiwaras with confidence but also brings new traits to the characters known and loved globally.
While the young actors add their own mojo, it is also uncanny to see those characters coming to life, from the contagious enthusiasm of Rufy to the coolness of Zoro, the no-nonsense and ingenuity of Nami, the bravado of Usopp and the swag of Sanji.
Of course, even if the first season touches on what can be seen as the beginning of the story in the East Blue, the manga aficionados can already see anticipations of things and characters to come, while also meeting heavyweights of the caliber of the Schibukai-Warlord Dracule Mihawk, played by South African actor Steven John Ward (Queen Sono), legendary pirate captain and Rufy’s role model Redhair Shanks, played by British actor Peter Gadiot (Yellowjackets) and Marine vice-admiral Garp the Hero, played by Vincent Regan (300, Troy), followed by the trusted Bogart (Armand Aucamp), the spoiled Helmeppo, who aims to do better (Aidan Scott, The Kissing Booth) and the good-hearted youth who hopes to grow through the Marine’s ranks, Koby (played by Australian actor Morgan Davies) while following his own sense of justice.
The need of avoiding the cosplay effect, as seen in Cowboy Bebop’ s Netflix adaptation has most likely weighed on the production, from the customes to the sets, which bring the viewer to the Baratie Restaurant and Arlong Park. Of course, there are also limits, but the involvement of Oda, the talent of the cast, and the willingness to break the manga live adaptation curse are positive signs for future seasons.
Are you ready to sail the seas and reach the Grand Line?
One Piece is out on Netflix globally today.