One Piece’s Live-Action Cast Look Exactly Like Their Anime Counterparts

Lea Veloso
·6 min read
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He’s going to be the pirate king. Netflix’s live-action One Piece is finally here. With over 25 years of lore, manga, and anime, the One Piece live-action cast did not disappoint.

In case you don’t know, One Piece is an anime and manga of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates in order to find the treasure called the One Piece which will make him the King of the Pirates. The series is beloved by anime fans everywhere since 1997 when it debuted in the Weekly Shōnen Jump anthology magazine before getting its long-running anime TV adaptation in 1999.

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One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda gave a rare interview with the New York Times as to why he decided to greenlight a live-action version after being hesitant over it for a while. “When I first started, I didn’t think there was any point in drawing a manga that could be remade in live-action,” Oda said. “But when I saw the movie [Chow’s] , it felt like a manga-esque world brought to life.”

“Even after the shoot was over, there were numerous scenes the production agreed to re-shoot because I felt they weren’t good enough to put out into the world,” he wrote. “On the other hand, there were lines that I thought didn’t feel like Luffy on paper… but when I saw the filmed scenes, I went, ‘It works when it’s Iñaki [Godoy] performing it as Luffy.’”

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“There were so many things that had to be done to keep things from looking too unnatural in live-action,”  he continued. “A live-action adaptation of a manga doesn’t simply re-enact the source material on a one-to-one basis: It involves really thinking about what fans love about the characters, the dynamics among them — and being faithful to those elements,” he told the NYT. “A good live-action show doesn’t have to change the story too much. The most important thing is whether the actors can reproduce the characters in a way that will satisfy the people who read the manga. I think we did it well, so I hope audiences will accept it.”

So who plays who in the One Piece live-action series? Read more to find out.

Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy

As the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates, his live-action counterpart embodies his exact persona. Iñaki Godoy plays Monkey D. Luffy. He revealed in an interview with Teen Vogue that he got the part by being funny. “I didn’t get to meet with Oda during the audition process. I did get to meet him later down the line, and I remember I asked him that question, like, ‘Why me? Why did you like me?’. And he said that I made him laugh in my audition,” he recalled.

In an interview with Games Radar, he talked about all the pressure he felt when making the live-action series. “There is a big responsibility to honor the work of more than 20 years of a man, you know? He’s been writing this since he was 17. Not only just honor Mr. Oda, but honor the anime too. Mayumi Tanaka, she has been performing this character for so long. And the way they’ve been doing the anime for so long too, and there are so many people who have grown up with Luffy, and the Straw Hats and the world of One Piece. So you want to respect that, and you want to honor that.”

He continued, “But if there’s one thing that I have learned from One Piece, it’s that even though things are challenging, you have to find a way to have fun. So yeah, there was a lot of pressure, there was a lot of anxieties, but there was also a lot of fun! And there was a lot of love. And just like any adventure, it was exciting. You know, I was so excited to get to be a part of something this massive and so incredible, and it’s an exciting adventure.”

Emily Rudd as Nami

A life-long anime fan, Emily Rudd was ecstatic to star as Nami on One Piece. She described her character to Games Radar. “I would say, clever. I think she’s the brains of the bunch. You know, she’s keeping the boys in line. And she’s obviously a cat burglar, so she knows how to pull the wool over people’s eyes. I think she’s protective, not only of her crew members but of herself, especially during the East Blue Saga. You know, she keeps some secrets, she keeps her cards close to her chest. So she’s protective. And… I would say, loving, I think, even when it seems like she’s doing something that could be harmful to people, the undercurrent and the true reason behind it is love. And so I think she is a deeply caring person.”

Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro

Japanese actor Mackenyu plays the skilled swordsman Roronoa Zoro. He told Netflix Tudum, “I was born in 1996, so ONE PIECE has been around my entire life… If you’re Japanese, it’s impossible not to know about it. He even pierced his ears for the role.”They were painful,” he said, with a laugh. “But for Zoro, I’d do anything.” Did he dye his hair for the role? “It’s my natural green hair, what are you talking about?” he joked.

Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp

An expert storyteller. Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp. On his ability to tell the greatest stories, Gibson told Netflix, “He tells stories as a way of healing himself and as a form of medicine for the people around him. The goodness of his heart was so clear to me.”

Taz Skylar as Sanji

Taz Skylar plays Sanji in One Piece. A talented chef and fighter Skylar told Netflix Tudum that he had to train with Tae Kwon Do professionals, MMA fighters, and a professional chef to get into the place of Sanji. “It would just be: wake up, either kick, then cook, or cook, then kick, then go do Hamlet at the Young Vic [Theatre in London],” Skylar said of his early preparation for the role. “On the matinee days, I would just cook for the cast of the play.”

Morgan Davies as Koby

Morgan Davies plays Koby who dreams of being in the Marines. Davies told Netflix Tudum about the character’s friendship with Luffy. “He’s Koby’s first friend… the first person that believes in him, and the first person that helps him get [to] where he wants to be,” said Davies. “Ultimately, they both are deeply good people who just want the best for everyone else.”

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