Netflix is gearing up to release another live-action take on a popular anime One Piece, which will see actors bring these animated characters to life. The live-action anime curse has seen plenty of failed live-action remakes of classic anime before. We won’t know how this show will fare until we can judge the show ourselves. Until then, we can look at the cast to get to know their previous work and who they play in the series for the streaming service. This will prepare both manga and anime fans, and newcomers who never read or watched the original story.
The Actors in Netflix’s Live-action One Piece
Here are the stars of Netflix’s ambitious take on the popular series.
I̱aki Godoy РMonkey D. Luffy
Even if you know nothing about the source material, you may recognize Monkey D. Luffy. The protagonist is the good-natured pirate captain of the Stay Hat Pirates who can stretch his body like Mr. Fantastic.
Iñaki Godoy will be our captain of the live-action One Piece actors. The series will introduce the actor to anyone who has not watched much Mexican TV. He is known more so in his home country for various TV roles. His biggest projects had been La querida del Centauro and Sin miedo a la verdad. You can get a taste of his work right on Netflix in Who Killed Sara? and The Imperfects. Regardless of the show’s quality, if Godoy sells fans of the Toei Animation series on his interpretation of Monkey D. Luffy, he could win over some new followers.
Mackenyu Arata – Roronoa Zoro
Unlike Godoy, Mackenyu Arata has plenty of experience with anime and its live-action remakes. With this background in live-action, he has the skills to play Roronoa Zoro, a sword-wielding bounty hunter who is one of the crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates. With a filmography of action films, like the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist films The Revenge of Scar and Final Transmutation, to non-anime remakes like Knights of the Zodiac, he seems ready to dive into the pirate crew.
Emily Rudd – Nami
The crew of the Straw Hat Pirates each have a variety of skills. Nami is their skilled navigator, who is also quite the thief, making her useful for a group of pirates.
Emily Rudd will be more known to Western audiences compared to the other One Piece actors. In 2021, she was part of the viral Fear Street trilogy that captured horror fans and people wanting a nostalgia trip from the R-rated R.L. Stine adaption. She also starred in the Al Pacino-led Amazon series Hunters. Now, she will have yet another high-profile project to capture more audiences.
Jacob Romero Gibson – Usopp
Some of the main pirates come from other crews. Usopp is our main crew’s marksman and a former member of the Usopp Pirates. He follows Roronoa as the third member to join Luffy’s ship for grand adventures.
Acting in small projects since 2018, Jacob Romero Gibson is going to be in the biggest project in his young career. He was best known for his time on the now-canceled Greenleaf, a drama that followed the secrets and lies of a family and their megachurch. Hopefully, One Piece can maintain to not be another axed series for Netflix and for Romero Gibson.
Taz Skyler – Sanji
One of the captivating things about One Piece, whether you are talking about the anime or live-action Netflix series, is that every one of the actors gets a character with their own desires and arcs. Sanji is the Straw Hat Pirates’ head chef, who can also beat down villains with his skills in martial arts. On the side, he seeks All Blue, the connecting point of all four seas.
Taz Skylar will be getting his hands dirty, both in the kitchen and in fights as Sanji. The actor has been working consistently on lesser-known projects. You may recognize him from The Lazarus Project, The Deal, Agatha Raisin, and Boiling Point.
That takes up the main actors in Netflix’s live-action One Piece. The show will also star McKinley Belcher III (We Own This City) as Arlong, Milton Schorr (Warrior) as Don Krieg, Jandre le Roux (Warrior) as Kuroobi, Stevel Marc (Professionals) as Yassop, Peter Gadiot (Yellowjackets) as Shanks, Craig Fairbrass (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) as Cheff Zeff, Langley Kirkwood (Warrior) as Ax Hand Morgan, Celeste Loots (Projek Dina) as Kaya, Chioma Antoinette Umeala (The Woman King) as Nojiko, and Armand Aucamp (Die Bouekklub) as Bogard.
One Piece will put plenty of actors into the shoes of characters from the anime for the Netflix live-action series. We will get to see how it will turn out on August 31.
