Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action version of the manga seriesOne Pieceis already exciting fans with the tantalizing prospect of new characters joining the show. Some of the most beloved characters from the anime series and original manga comic are about to join Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in theOne Pieceseason 2 cast. But the introduction of characters like Nico Robin and Tony Tony Chopper pose a problem for the live-action adaptation, which becomes even bigger when another new face is thrown into the mix.
In the first season ofOne Piece, Luffy’s crew of Straw Hat Pirates consisted solely of four humans, Nami, Usopp, Roronoa Zoro and Sanji. This crew is about to get a new addition, though, with Netflix’s show on course to reach Drum Island in the coming season. There, the existing Straw Hats will be joined by Chopper, an anthropomorphic reindeer whose live-action appearance will have to be computer-generated. Meanwhile,Nico Robin could enterOne Pieceseason 2 to fight the Straw Hats, with her ability to sprout body parts from any surface posing a new challenge for the show’s special effects team.
Franky Will Be Even More Difficult To Get Right In Live-Action Than Robin Or Chopper
His Appearance Is Humanlike But With Superhuman Features
With last September’s update fromOne Piece’s showrunners teasing Chopper in reindeer form, it’s clear that they’re prepared to overcome any problems the supernatural elements of the manga story may pose them. What’s more, Robin’s special powers aren’t radically different from the special effects that already appeared in season 1 of the show, with Luffy’s elasticated body requiring extensive CG graphics.
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Yet further down the line,One Piece’s visual effects team will find it even more difficult to portrayother new members of the Straw Hat Pirates as live-action characters. Take Franky, the crew member who joins next after Chopper and Robin (who switches sides following the defeat of Baroque Works).Franky is a cyborg who’s mostly human in appearance, apart from his robotic legs, disproportionately humongous arms, and height of around eight feet. It doesn’t make sense for him to be entirely computer-generated, but it’s hard to see how his superhuman body parts could be designed to fit a human actor in a natural way.
One Piece’s Characters Will Only Get More Difficult To Get Right In Live-Action After Season 2
More Supernatural Characters Will Appear Throughout The Straw Hats' Grand Line Journey
The trend begun by Robin and Chopper ofOne Piece’s new characters becoming increasingly supernatural in appearance will only continue as the show’s Grand Line story arc develops. Far from being an exception, Franky is just one of the many supernatural beings the Straw Hat Pirates will meet during the course of their route, from the giants Dorry and Brogy to the devil-like member ofOne Piece’s Shichibukai Warlords, Gecko Moria.
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WhileOne Piece’s first season received positive reviewsfor its nimble adaptation of the manga’s more cartoonish elements to a live-action setting, continuing to do so is going to get harder the more the show explores these original storylines. At the same time, it can’t abandon, divert from, or skip over too many of these storylines, which would risk alienating the core of its fanbase who came to it via the anime series or original manga..
Franky Is Not Even The Trickiest Straw Hat For Netflix’s One Piece To Pull Off
The Show Will Soon Have To Contend With Adapting Brook And Jinbe For Live Action
There are at least two more characters who will be absolutely essential to include in further seasons of the show, who are even trickier to adapt for live action than Franky. “Soul King” Brook and “Knight of the Sea” Jinbe complete the set of senior Straw Hat crew members, in the manga’s Thriller Bark and Wano County arcs. Brook will be the second swordsman to join the pirate crew alongside Roronoa, while Jinbe will be amongOne Piece’s most powerful characters in his role as Straw Hatshelmsman.
It’s probable that Netflix’s live-actionOne Piecewill skip certain arcs from the manga series, including Thriller Bark and Wano County, to focus on others in more depth. But skipping these arcs will simply mean introducing Brook and Jinbe in other ways, and likely sooner than in the original series.
It’s almost impossible to imagine how Netflix’sOne Pieceis going to turn these incredibly cartoonish figures into live-action characters, given that Brook is a giant skeleton and Jinbe is a fish-man who’s half-whale shark, half-human. They may have to solve at least one of these conundrums sooner rather than later, though, as alive-action Brook could well appear inOne Pieceseason 2during a flashback sequence. But judging by what Matt Owens and his production team have pulled off so far with characters like Arlong, there’s good reason to be optimistic.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
