It’s here: in a few days the first season of One Piece, the live action based on the iconic manga by Eiichirō Oda, will arrive on Netflix. Although at the beginning we all had doubts, since live action manganimes usually turn out pretty bad, little by little they have been winning us over thanks to the charisma of the protagonists, and from doubt we have moved very quickly to expectation and hype.
Throughout the trailers and promotional images, everything has been improving and fans have already gotten the idea of the series. Now we just have to wait until August 31, and see what will be adapted concretely. Although we already know titles and synopsis of each chapter, there are plots that will change, others that will be expanded and others that will be reduced… but which characters will appear in these first episodes?
Below we leave you with the One Piece characters officially confirmed for the series. Of course, for just adapting East Blue, there are many that we will see, so it is very striking how Netflix has taken it so seriously to achieve a great success.
The Straw Hat Pirates
The first confirmed, of course, are the Straw Hat Pirates. If all goes well, we’ll end up seeing other characters like Franky or Chopper, but for now we’ll get a good look at the five main characters appearing in the East Blue arc. These are Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji, and the actors playing them are as follows.
Luffy is the already famous Iñaki Godoy, a Mexican actor who just turned 20 years old and who Eiichiro Oda himself chose when he laughed with him in his casting. Without a doubt, his charisma and perennial smile brings us some incredible Luffy vibes, so the casting seems perfect. His version as a child is played by actor Colton Osorio.
Nami is Emily Rudd, another cast that has been applauded by fans for its similar aesthetics. Rudd has stated that she has been an anime fan since she was a child and a full-fledged otaku, so for her it has been like a dream. She is originally from the United States and is currently 30 years old. Her child version is played by Lily Fisher.
For Zoro, Netflix has chosen the most popular actor of its main cast: Mackenyu. This 26-year-old actor from Little Tokyo (United States) also starred in Saint Seiya live action and was Yukishiro Enishi in Samurai X, so he is already known to the otaku public. His version as a child is played by actor Maximilian Lee Piazza.
As for Usopp, the actor chosen may not look much like the original character, but he has quickly won over the public with his charisma and proving that he is just like the character. The interpreter is Jacob Gibson, a 27-year-old Jamaican-born American.
Finally, Sanji is played by Taz Skylar, a Spanish actor born in the Canary Islands and of British descent. He is 27 years old and is an expert in martial arts of kicking and cooking… come on, a more than perfect Sanji even if they have not put curls on his eyebrows.
The Marines
A faction that has vital importance in the East Blue saga and that has been reinforced even more in the live action is the Navy. They will appear as half villains, just like in the anime, and will be the ones chasing the Straw Hats during the first few episodes. It’s funny because, while they had somewhat secondary plots originally, now they’ve been focused much more on them.
The first of the confirmed Marines is Koby, the first friend Luffy makes in his career and whom he takes out of the Pirates of Alvida to follow his dream of becoming a Marine recruit. Koby is played by 21-year-old Australian actor Morgan Davies.
Alongside Koby, as fans of the manga will know, always goes Helmeppo. At first he appears as a spoiled posh kid who is a sort of villain, but he is reconverted when he joins the Navy and gradually evolves. The actor for Helmeppo is Aidan Scott, an Englishman born in 1996.
Captain Morgan is also a small enemy of the Straw Hats who belongs to the Navy. The actor who plays him is Langley Kirkwood, a 50-year-old Englishman who gives him a menacing look. And the most important Marine is none other than Luffy’s grandfather: Monkey D. Garp. Although in the anime he has a veiled importance, in the live action he will be much more main, and the actor chosen for the role is Vincent Regan. Fullbody will also appear, played by Jean Henry.
Other pirates: live action villains
But what about One Piece’s main enemies? During East Blue, the Straw Hats face several enemy pirate crews, and of course, they also appear in the live action. Without a doubt, this is where the cast stands out the most. And not only are there villainous pirates, but there are also other allies such as Shanks’.
Shanks is played by Peter Gadiot, a 38-year-old British-Mexican actor well known on television. And along with his gang come others like Yasopp (Stevel Marc) and Luchy Roux (Ntalanhla Morgan Kutu). As in the anime, they will face the pirate Higuma, played by Tamer Burjaq.
The other great pirate who appears from the beginning is the aforementioned Alvida, who is played by actress Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Dominican born in 1995 and whom we have already seen in the trailers. But all eyes are on Buggy, the pirate clown who serves as one of One Piece’s biggest villains and is played here by Jeff Ward, a 36-year-old American.
Kuro is another of the One Piece enemies that appear, in this case under the interpretation of Alexander Maniatis, Greek-South African actor. Next to him will appear Sham (Bianca Oosthuizen) and in front of them the women Banchina (Chanté Grainger) and Kaya (Celeste Loots).
Later we will see one of the greatest pirates of the One Piece universe: Mihawk. The actor who plays him is Steven Ward, who has attracted attention for being a perfect characterization. But not so much that of Arlong, the gyojin played by McKinley Belcher III.
Arlong will come with his crew: Chew (Len Barry Simons) and Kurobi (Jandre le Roux). The pirate Don Krieg is another of those who will appear in the series, this time under the command of South African actor Milton Schorr.
Other characters that will complete the show
There are many actors who will appear in the One Piece live action. Although we have already mentioned almost all the most important ones, there are several others who will appear in the first season of the series, albeit in a more circumstantial way. Here is the list of those we have not previously mentioned:
- Zeff is Craig Fairbrass
- Nojiko is Chioma Umeala
- Genzo is Grant Ross
- Heppoko is Rendani Mufamadi
- Ukkari is Richard Wright-Firth
- Kuina is Audrey Cymone
- Koshiro is Nathan Castle
- Rika is Kamdynn Gary
- Ririka is Nicole Fortuin
- Mr. 7 is Rebaone Kgosimore
- Boodle is Lindsay Reardon
- Cabaji is Sven Rugryok
- Merry is Brett Williams
- Buchi is Albert Pretorius
- Mornin is Nicky Rebelo
- Moodie is Amber Hossack
- Motzel is David Muller
- Nezumi is Rory Acton Burnell
- Chew is Len Barry Simons
- Belle-Mere is Genna Galloway
- Dean Damonse is Monkey D. Dragon
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