Can One Piece Live Action replace the introductory episodes of the anime?

One Piece Live Action did all it could from promotions to getting the creator involved to deliver a good live-action adaptation to fans. All the efforts have come to fruition as the show is proving to be a hit with very few misses here and there.

Usually when there’s not a complete adaptation of a manga fans switch between the anime and the manga. Now that One Piece is available in all three formats, can fans switch between all of them? Can One Piece Live Action replace anime or manga? 

One Piece Live Action is great but…

The One Piece Live Action is fun and depicts most parts of the manga well. Albeit with some major changes to the story. 

• The Live Action has twisted Garp’s character and the way he was introduced. We get to know Garp much earlier in the story and he’s more serious as well. 
• Similarly, we get a lot of insight into Koby’s character. Whereas in the manga and anime, after Romance Dawn we directly saw him post Enies Lobby. There were updates on his life from the cover pages but that’s the extent of his appearance in the manga. 

• The live-action has taken the liberty to kill off some characters like Merry. It also alters Don Krieg and Gin’s sequence, by not introducing the former at Baratie and cutting some corners with the later. 
• There are also some inconsistencies with the Devil Fruit powers of Luffy and Buggy. Considering how important these characters are, it’s fair to say that it affects the overall One Piece experience factually. 

The Live Action has converted the events of East Blue into a long saga instead of standalone arcs. Similar to how things happen after the time skip in the anime. 

Can One Piece Live Action replace the introductory episodes of the anime?

• With all the changes in mind, it’s safe to assume that One Piece Live Action can’t replace the introductory episodes of the anime.
• If you’re someone who is entering the world of One Piece with the Live-action and wondering if you can continue the anime after Logue Town, then the answer would be a no. The One Piece live-action is great as extra content for any One Piece fan. 

There was a time when One Piece was disliked for being too funny and not serious enough. This was mostly said regarding the earlier episodes of One Piece. So Live Action can be watched as a serious alternative. The Live Action also fails to deliver some emotional moments as well as the anime and the manga. This might just be a bias of a manga fan as the bar has already been set pretty high.  

Conclusion

The One Piece Live Action tried to get to the first checkpoint in the manga with just 8 episodes. They have built a reputation with fans and also managed to become a commercial success. The path they took by turning the individual events into a whole saga paves the path for follow-up seasons.

Most changes don’t hurt and hopefully won’t in the future. The One Piece Live Action is extended entertainment but when it comes to One Piece the adventure, the manga, and anime are just better experiences.