Netflix’s One Piece Live Action series is finally out and it’s been making waves across the anime fandom. For the most part, the series tries to be a faithful adaptation and treads along the lanes paved by the anime.
However, there are a few significant changes that distinguish the Live Action adaptations from its source material. Let’s look at the Top 5 Changes in the One Piece Live Action.
Top 5 Changes in the One Piece Live Action
5. Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates
In the show, the Red Hair Pirates seemed to have a different relationship with their captain Shanks when compared to the anime. Interactions between Shanks and his crew felt a bit more formal and rigid than how it is portrayed in the source material.
What was supposed to be a casual, banter-filled friendly relationship in the anime felt more like a semi-professional yet jolly relationship with a chill boss in the show.
4. Name of the Crew
For the most part, the series faithfully replicates most events revolving around the Straw Hats. But when it comes to the name of the crew, Netflix actually took the liberty of changing its origin. In the anime and manga, none of the Straw Hats ever refer to themselves as ‘The Straw Hat Pirates’.
It was Smoker who first used that term in Alabasta. However, in the Netflix show, Luffy himself names the crew ‘Straw Hat Pirates’, way before Alabasta Arc.
3. Foosha Village Flashback
The show adopts a non-linear narrative to show the events that transpired in Luffy’s childhood back in Foosha Village. In doing so, Netflix also changed many things in the flashback. Luffy doesn’t eat the Devil Fruit right in front of Shanks, but actually in isolation after he storms off Shanks’ ship.
Shanks’ iconic Bar Scene was also changed quite a bit, followed by a small crew vs. crew fight with totally different choreography from the anime.
2. Role and Character of Garp
The most noticeable change in the Netflix show has to be Garp’s role. In the anime, Garp doesn’t play a prominent role until the very end of Water 7. In the adaptation, however, he was right next to Roger during his execution.
Garp’s personality was also slightly altered. He doesn’t seem to have the air of flamboyance and intentional naivete that he has in the manga anymore. Instead, the show mostly chose to adapt his raw and intimidating side.
1. Teamwork of the Straw Hats
Even though they are a very closely-knit pirate crew, we usually never see the Straw Hats working together in the anime or the manga. Typically, each Straw Hat faces off against someone from the enemy’s team who matches their power level or has a certain thematic similarity to them.
In the Netflix show, we got to see many moments where Luffy worked together with the rest of his Crew to take down adversaries, most notably in his fight against Axe-Hand Morgan.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Netflix’s One Piece Live Action series has certainly made a splash in the anime community, blending faithfulness to the source material with some notable deviations. Some of these changes work, while others stand out like a sore thumb. Still, they all offer fresh perspectives into a familiar world, creating a captivating reimagination of one of the greatest stories in fiction.
For more such lists, Stay with Spiel Anime.