ALBAWABA- Netflix's One Piece is here and has been among the few rare Anime live-action series to deliver on quality and story!
One Piece is a Shonen Jump Manga created by the legendary Mangaka (Japanese comic book artist) Eiichiro Oda that tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose dream is to become the king of the pirates and find the ultimate treasure known as the "One Piece" with the help of his Straw Hat Pirates crew.
The manga was serialized by Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997, and is still ongoing to this date with over 516.6 million copies sold worldwide. It got an Anime by Toei Animation 2 years later under the same title and quickly rose to the top charts.
Today, Al Bawaba will list their favorite cast from the live-action including the goofy ones such as Arlong and Buggy.
Please note that this article will contain spoilers, so proceed with caution if you have not watched Netflix's live-action.
One Piece Live-Action vs. Anime
1) Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, The Straw Hat captain
Luffy is played by Iñaki Godoy, an actor from Mexico who is known for his role as Juan Ruiz in Netflix's "The Imperfects."
Iñaki met Eiichiro Oda in a YouTube video by Netflix where they had a heartfelt conversation and was told by Oda that he couldn't think of a better person to play Luffy.
Watch the video here
2) Emily Rudd as Nami, the crew's navigator
Emily Rudd is an American actress most known for her role as Cindy Berman in the Netflix horror film trilogy Fear Street. Emily plays the one and only Nami in One Piece's live-action, the straw hat's navigator and skilled thief.
3) Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Ex pirate hunter
Mackenyu is a Japanese-American actor and musician who rose to fame from his role as Enishi Yukishiro in Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final.
Al Bawba recommends watching the Rurouni Kenshin live-action set of movies for their stunning fighting choreography and faithful adaptations of the anime and manga.
Mackenyu plays Zoro, the straw hat's green-haired three-sword-wielding swordsman.
4) Taz Skylar as Sanji, the crew's chef
Luffy's favorite chef who is also known for being a women's flirt, Sanji is played by Taz Skylar, an Olivier award-nominated writer, actor, and producer.
Besides his skillful cooking, Sanji is a great fighter who only uses his legs.
5) Jacob Romero as Usopp, the Crew's sniper
Jacob Romero is a Jamaican actor best known for his roles in One Piece and Grey's Anatomy, he plays the crew's biggest liar and best sniper, Usopp. He dreams of becoming a great pirate like his father, Yasopp.
His trusty slingshot and skilled lying are his primary weapons of defense.
6) McKinley Belcher III as Arlong, Leader of the Arlong pirate crew
The captain of the fish pirate crew Arlong, is played by McKinley Belcher III, an American actor best known for his roles in Marriage Story, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and The Passage.
One Piece's character designs are hard to imitate in real life and Arlong is the first victim. Arlong in the Anime and Manga looks buff and creepy but his design and proportions made it difficult for Netflix to recapture his essence.
7) Jeff Ward as Buggy the clown
Another victim of the live-action curse is Buggy who is played by Jeff Ward, an American actor and writer best known for his role in Hacks and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Al Bawaba's issue with Buggy's live-action is his nose; instead of providing him a prosthetic nose, Netflix connected his "Proknose" to his actual nose, making it look incredibly artificial.
8) Steven John Ward as Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world
Last but not least, The greatest swordsman in the world and one of the seven warlords of the sea is played by Steven John Ward, a South African actor who is best known for his role in Netflix's One Piece.
AlBawaba believes Netflix did an excellent job casting Steven as Mihawk by faithfully recreating his iconic sword and clothes.
For more information:
Visit One Piece's IMDB page
Watch the trailer
