Summary
- The Netflix live-action One Piece cast stays true to the original anime and manga franchise, which has been a popular and epic series.
- One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda was heavily involved in the production, ensuring that the adaptation matches the charm of the animated characters.
- The cast, including Iñaki Godoy (Luffy), Mackenyu Arata (Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), and more, closely resembles their animated counterparts, which helped bring One Piece to life in live action on Netflix.
The Netflix live-action One Piece cast ended up being very faithful to the original anime and manga franchise. With its colorful cast of characters, fanciful fight scenes, and storylines that get more and more epic in scope and length with each installment, One Piece has long been one of the biggest and most popular anime franchises. Every new installment of the One Piece franchise has had an incredible amount of care and attention brought its way, and the Netflix adaptation was no different. The live-action cast of One Piece has been incredibly well received, and though few of the faces are familiar almost all have other movies and shows worth exploring.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda served as executive producer for the live-action series, and was adamant that the cast needed to be the perfect fit for the characters he created. Oda has had personal involvement in the production of the series, so if the One Piece live-action cast has gotten his seal of approval, then it stands to explain why they matched up to the charm of the original anime characters. This definitely helped the Netflix live-action One Piece cast when it came to winning over fans of the original manga and anime. Here’s a look at everyone in the Netflix live-action One Piece adaptation and how they compare to the original characters.
Iñaki Godoy As Monkey D. Luffy
Iñaki Godoy plays Monkey D. Luffy in the Netflix live-action One Piece cast and seems like an ideal choice for the part. Best known for his roles in La querida del Centauro and Who Killed Sara?, Godoy effortlessly manages to capture Luffy’s trademark energy and enthusiasm, and is the perfect age to accurately portray the character, who is only seventeen before the time skip. Prior to playing Luffy in One Piece, Iñaki Godoy has starred in MexZombies and The Imperfects.
Godoy's casting in a show as prominent on Netflix's agenda is a great move forward for the representation of Latin American actors, and the casting is accurate to Oda’s statements on what nationality every Straw Hat would be if they existed in the real world. Granted, it’s not entirely accurate to the creators original vision, since Godoy is Mexican and Oda said that Luffy would be Brazilian, but the fact that they aren’t whitewashing an anime character like Ghost in Shell with Luffy still speaks bounds.
Mackenyu Arata As Roronoa Zoro
Mackenyu Arata's Netflix live-action One Piece cast character is Roronoa Zoro. Oda had previously stated that Zoro would be Japanese in real life, so much like Godoy being cast as Luffy, the series is already making good decisions simply based on this merit. Mackenye also exhibits an air of toughness that's so vital to Zoro's character that wouldn't be the same without it. It certainly helps that he has experience playing an anime tough guy through his role of Okuyasu Nijimura in the live-action adaptation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, and he even has experience playing an anime swordsman as Yukishiro Enishi in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final.
Emily Rudd As Nami
Emily Rudd s the Netflix live-action One Piece cast as Nami, the navigator and occasional femme-fatale of the Straw Hats. Best known for her roles in The Romanoffs and Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Rudd exudes a lot of the happiness the charismatic thief Nami gives off throughout the series, both before and after her main arc is dealt with. If nothing else, she’s made it clear that’s she very excited about being cast for the part, so there’ll be no doubt about her commitment and investment in the role. After her stint in the Fear Street cast, Rudd has had roles in Moonshot and Hunters.
Jacob Romero Gibson As Usopp
Jacob Romero Gibson's Netflix live-action One Piece cast character is Usopp, the sniper and consummate liar of the Straw Hat Pirates. Best known for his role on Greenleaf, Gibson turned out to be an ideal choice to play Usopp in live-action, and he certainly has the energy for the part and the enthusiasm needed for the role. Usopp also got a costume change for his live-action counterpart and the series sees him using his first weapon, a slingshot named Ginga Pachinko. A relative newcomer prior to playing Usopp in the live action One Piece, can also soon be seen in thriller movie Blairsden.
Taz Skylar As Sanji
Taz Skylar s the Netflix live-action One Piece cast as Sanji, playing the Straw Hat’s chef and Casanova wannabe. Skylar toned down his normally muscular physique and punkish expression to accurately portray Sanji, who’s usually portrayed as having a slimmer build (and could use a reinvention thanks to Sanji's womanizing ways). Skylar showcased his acting ability well in projects like The Reserves and Villain, so there shouldn’t be any doubt about him having the ability to pull off the role. Regardless, when playing Sanji in the live-action One Piece cast Taz Skylar showed his range, as previous characters he's played in shows like like The Lazarus Project are quite different from Sanji.
Peter Gadiot As Shanks
Peter Gadiot plays Shanks in the Netflix live-action One Piece cast, the leader of the infamous red-haired pirates. Shanks acts as Luffy's childhood idol as he's the one who inspired Luffy to start a pirate crew in the first place. All actor Peter Gadiot needed to do to look like Shanks was slap on a red wig and put on a pirate suit and the resemblance is uncanny. It wasn't hard to imagine the actor embodying the hardened pirate, and Gadiot didn't disappoint. Outside of playing Adam in Yellowjackets, Gadiot has also had roles in Queen of the South and Matador.
Langley Kirkwood As Captain Morgan
Langley Kirkwood s the Netflix live-action One Piece cast as Captain Morgan, leader of the Navy. Morgan and co are after the Straw Hats and Captain Morgan doesn't take kindly to being constantly evaded by Luffy. With a big ego and an axe for a hand, Morgan could have been one of the biggest antagonists of the series' first season. However, his vanity and corruption ended up toned down from the manga. Langley Kirkwood's appearance as Judge Lexx in Dredd showed he was perfect for a hyper masculine military-type character like Captain Morgan. Outside of the One Piece live-action cast, Langley has also had parts in Warrior, Mia and the White Lion, and Banshee and can soon be seen in White Lies.
Aidan Scott As Helmeppo
Aidan Scott's Netflix live-action One Piece cast character is Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son. In One Piece, Helmeppo's ego is just as big as his father's, and he uses his status and resources to bully those around him. While he's rather insufferable, he's quite enjoyable to see on the screen. Actor Aidan Scott certainly had the necessary sneer to take on Helmeppo, and the live-action version is almost more tolerable than the anime. Helmeppo in One Piece is Aidan Scott's biggest one to date outside of a few background characters. Beyond One Piece, Scott has had parts in Theodore Roosevelt, The Kissing Booth 2, and The Power.
Jeff Ward As Buggy
Jeff Ward plays Buggy in the Netflix live-action One Piece cast and his character got a pretty terrifying makeover. Leader of the Buggy Pirates crew, Buggy is a formidable foe, and Netflix really upped the ante on his appearance to reflect that, turning him into a terrifying clown rather than a disturbing one. Buggy can split his body into different pieces with the use of his devil fruit and control each of them individually. Jeff Ward's look as the character is interesting, and ed by some slick-handed CGI and special effects to make his Chop Chop self-dismemberment characters work in live-action. Prior to One Piece, Jeff Ward has played other memorable roles like Deke Shaw on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Roy Hardaway in Brand New Cherry Flavor, and Charles Manson in Manson's Lost Girls.
Steven John Ward As Dracule Mihawk
Steven John Ward s the Netflix live-action One Piece cast as Dracule Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world — or at least within the One Piece universe. Mihawk will eventually come into conflict with Zoro over this title, which is something that Zoro wants for himself. Ward looked the part of Mihawk, as evident when he made his first appearance in the show's fifth episode. Previously working as a casting director, Ward is relatively new to the industry as an actor meaning Dracule will be the first time he will be able to showcase his talents. Outside of One Piece, he has appeared in The Day We Didn't Meet and Inconceivable.
