Are you a fan of reading the Japanese comics popularly called manga? If yes, you must know about the very popular series One Piece that chronicles the coming-of-age adventures of a young pirate with a heart of gold called Monkey D. Luffy. Fondly called Straw Hat by his comrades from the Straw Hat Pirates Crew, he is said to exhibit the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit. Luffy's adventures include exploring the Grand Line in quest of the deceased King of the Pirates Gol D. Rogers and his lifetime’s treasure known as the One Piece.
One of world’s bestselling manga series (in 105 volumes) has already been adapted for the screen into an anime TV series with over 900 episodes that has been well-received worldwide. Besides, there are also 13 animated movies, the ‘One Piece’ video game and associated merchandise.
Okay, so what else was remaining? Well, a live-action Netflix adaptation! This latest news has left the fans both excited and worried as they anticipate that a Hollywood adaptation might be underwhelming. Why? Because the 2017 Netflix movie adaptation of the manga series Death Note (about a book that has the power to kill people) was a flop. Following that, in December 2021, Netflix announced and thereafter cancelled the second season of another live-action adaptation of the space-based Western manga named Cowboy Bebop.
However, the One Piece adaptation by Netflix comes after the immediate success of another manga series Demon Slayer that too got its start with Shonen Jump magazine.
For those unaware, One Piece was released as a manga back in 1997 in the said magazine and was created and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. Its Netflix adaptation, in contrast, is expected to release later this year and will star Mexican actor Inaki Godoy (of The Imperfects fame) in the role of Luffy. Others from the cast include American actor Emily Rudd in the role of Nami, and Japanese-American actor Mackenyu in the role of Roronoa Zoro among others.
Netflix officials have cited that they are expecting the adaptation to be a success as they think the character of Luffy, his inclusive persona to let other people join his adventures will make people relate to it more, especially in the lonesome modern-day society. It is as if Luffy is the hero, the leader everyone wants, who only wants to do good for others.