Although live-actions have not had the best reputation, the “One Piece” live-action has completely surpassed expectations and gained excessive popularity. Originally a Japanese manga and later adapted to an anime, “One Piece” follows a boy named Luffy who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, a fruit that gives the consumer a stretchy body, on a mission to obtain the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates. The Netflix live-action condenses about forty episodes of his adventures from the anime to nine, forty-minute episodes.
While an anime adaptation of a manga is much easier due to both using similar mediums of illustration, a live-action is typically harder to carry out as aspects that can be drawn might not translate well into real life. In addition, due to the source material being so extensive, many people have questioned whether Netflix truly adapted “One Piece” correctly. Having details cut out or altered is normally to be expected in an adaptation, but sometimes adaptations can deviate too far from the original plot. In this article, all of the main differences between the live-action and the anime/manga will be discussed to see how accurate the live-action truly is.
Episode 1: Romance Dawn
Manga Chapters: 1-7 Anime Episodes: 1-3
Summary: Luffy begins his quest to become the Pirate King by finding the One Piece. His first step is to steal a map of the Grand Line from the Marine Base at Shells Town. Zoro and Nami decide to help Luffy.
Comparison: The first episode depicts the first half of the Romance Dawn arc, which is the beginning of Luffy’s journey. Here, the story does not deviate too much from the anime. Many parallel scenes are occurring, such as Zoro being tied up in the Naval base. One difference is that Nami joins up with Luffy and Zoro here, whereas originally she meets them later in the Orange Town arc. In regards to the casting, Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) junior Marian Hsieh says, “The cast was chosen super well, especially Iñaki Godoy as Luffy because his personality is similar to the character.”
Episode 2: The Man In the Straw Hat
Manga Chapters: 1-7 Anime Episodes: 1-3
Summary: Luffy begins his quest to become the Pirate King by finding the One Piece. His first step is to steal a map of the Grand Line from the Marine Base at Shells Town. Zoro and Nami decide to help Luffy.
Comparison: This episode finishes up the rest of the Romance Dawn arc and covers the entire Orange Town arc, where the trio is caught by Buggy the Clown. In the anime, the town was more involved in the arc, with Orange Town’s mayor, Boodle, helping Luffy defeat Buggy. To take the place of Boodle, Genzo, the sheriff, takes the place of Conomi Village’s ‘leader,’ most likely because he has a closer connection to Nami as someone who used to help care for her.
Episode 3: Tell No Tales
Manga Chapters: 22-41 Anime Episodes: 9-18
Summary: Luffy lands in Syrup Village to find a proper pirate ship. While there, they meet Kaya and Usopp. Vice Admiral Garp and Koby begin a manhunt for Luffy.
Comparison: In this episode, the Syrup Village arc begins with the introduction of Usopp and Kaya. A critique that has arisen in this arc is that Celeste Loots, the actress for Kaya, does not look young enough to play the 17-year-old, but at the same time, the character is terminally ill and should still look sickly.
Episode 4: The Pirates Are Coming
Manga Chapters: 22-41 Anime Episodes: 9-18
Summary: Luffy saves Kaya from Kuro and the Black Cat pirates. Usopp decides to join Luffy and they sail off in the Going Merry, named after Kaya’s butler and the original designer of the ship.
Comparison: The second half of the Syrup Village arc is finished in this episode. One of the most notable differences in this episode is the absence of Jango, who ate a Devil Fruit to become a hypnotist and uses this power to fight against Luffy in the anime. The Usopp pirates, which consisted of three children under Usopp’s command, were also removed completely. Although these characters were cut out to give more time to the main plot against Kuro, Usopp’s integral character development is still missing as he never really overcomes his cowardice in an intense moment as he does in the anime.
Episode 5: Eat At Baratie!
Manga Chapters: 42-68 Anime Episodes: 19-30
Summary: While running away from Garp, the group finds Baratie, a floating restaurant in the middle of nowhere. They meet Sanji, a fighting cook, and must fend off Mihawk, an assassin sent by Vice Admiral Garp.
Comparison: Here, the Baratie arc begins and Sanji is introduced. Originally, Luffy and the rest of the pirates realized that they needed a cook to survive, and had Zoro’s old bounty hunter friends lead them to the Baratie in search of a good cook. In the live-action, Luffy stumbles upon Baratie while running away from Vice Admiral Garp.
Episode 6: The Chef and the Chore Boy
Manga Chapters: 42-68 Anime Episodes: 19-30
Summary: The group is ambushed by Arlong and the Baratie is threatened, leading Sanji to follow his dream of finding the All Blue and join Luffy. An intense battle leaves Zoro in critical condition and a betrayal occurs.
Comparison: The last half of the Baratie arc is covered. Here, a major change is made when Arlong attacks Baratie instead of Don Krieg, who is seen earlier fighting Mihawk. While Sanji secretly saves a man by cooking him food as the man recounts a story of his captain leading them towards doom while looking for the One Piece, which is highly similar to what happened to the Krieg Pirates, Krieg never actually shows up on the Baratie. Instead, Arlong is the one to attack, most likely leading more closely to the Arlong Park in the last two episodes.
Episode 7: The Girl With the Sawfish Tattoo
Manga Chapters: 69-95 Anime Episodes: 31-44
Summary: Luffy and the rest of the group rush to save Cocoyasi Village, where the villagers are forced to pay tribute to Arlong.
Comparison: Here, the Arlong Park arc begins as the climax of this season. One of the most amusing elements continued in the live-action is Zoro and Sanji’s little rivalry, which is shown through familiar lines of banter, such as Zoro referring to Sanji as a dumb cook. While the main storyline of the plot is very similar, many events happen in different ways. Since the live-action revolves more on just Luffy and his crew, some of the side characters like the bounty hunters from the previous arc aren’t there to influence the plot in the live-action. One way they made up for this was by having Nojiko recount Nami’s past instead of the bounty hunters.
Episode 8: Worst in the East
Manga Chapters: 96-100 Anime Episodes: 45, 48-53
Summary: Arlong is defeated in an epic fight and Cocoyasi Village is saved. The Straw Hat pirate crew is born and Luffy gains his first bounty, which is set to 30,000,000 Berries.
Comparison: This episode wraps up the Arlong Park arc as Luffy defeats Arlong in the same way as in the anime. The beginning of the Loguetown arc is also covered with Mihawk showing Luffy’s bounty to Shanks and the Straw Hat crew being solidified over the barrel. In the last scene, Smoker’s appearance alludes to the next arc that Netflix plans to adapt which will most likely be in Arabasta. In regards to the overall message of the importance of pursuing one’s dreams, HBHS junior Caleb Arboleda says, “I think the live-action is good because anyone can relate to being able to believe in what they want.”
Overall, the live-action stays very loyal to the main plot. While some character development and side characters are lost, the major events are retained.
Minh Tue Nguyen, an HBHS junior, says “I like how well they did with the story because I can see all of the similarities to the anime.”
Because the main storyline is kept throughout the live-action, it is a great introduction to “One Piece” for anyone intimidated by anime and manga. Whether you have watched the anime/manga or have never even heard of the franchise, the “One Piece” live-action is great to watch because it brings a sense of adventure and freedom to a larger audience.
