Arlong is one of the most dangerous enemies that Luffy faces in East Blue. He is also a memorable villain for Nami. Plus, Arlong plays very well into her backstory and is an extremely personal villain. He also sets up later arcs by introducing things like the Fish-Men and Fish-Man Karate. Finally, he is an extremely dangerous enemy who gives Luffy a serious fight. So many fans were extremely happy to see him come into live action. There are plenty of changes that the One Piece live-action makes for the eight-episode first season. One of these is serious changes for Arlong and his appearance in the story. All of these changes were approved by Echiro Oda himself. They are all very interesting to analyze for sure!
Who Was Arlong In The Manga/Anime?
Arlong was the captain of the Arlong Pirates. They are an all-fishman crew who terrorized East Blue and especially Nami’s village. He blackmailed Nami into drawing maps for him and was also extremely racist towards humans. Arlong believed in total fish-man superiority and thought that with Nami’s help, he could take over East Blue.
He bullied Nami’s village and held her for ransom. Eventually, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived and defeated him. The guy was a fairly powerful villain who was a massive struggle for Luffy and his crew. He was also a gigantic shark man who had the power of the Fish-Men. He was ten times stronger than a normal human on land. His strength is further increased underwater, which was where he tried to fight his opponents.
Arlong In The Live Action Series
Arlong shows up much earlier in the live-action series. Instead of Don Krieg and his forces attacking the Baratie, Arlong shows up with his men and traces Luffy’s location with the help of Buggy the Clown. Then he burns down Nami’s village after claiming her treasure. Played by McKinley Belcher III, this Arlong is extremely powerful and just as evil.
The live-action series also reveals that the Fish-Men were enslaved by the humans much earlier than in the manga. This shows and changes why the Fish-Men and Arlong hate the humans.
How He Looks and Acts
Arlong is a massive character in the anime. He is a huge great white shark man, who easily dwarfs the rest of the cast. However, in the live-action series, he is around the same size as the rest. Now this can be waved when you understand the budget of the show. Additionally, anime and manga art and animation are much more freeing and customizable. Especially when compared to live-action. Additionally, Arlong’s nose looks much more like an attached prosthetic. In the anime, it actually looks like a serrated and sword-like nose.
Arlong also is a lot more proactive in the live-action series. In the Arlong Park Arc in the anime, he remains at Nami’s village for the entirety of the arc. However, in the live-action arc, he travels to the Baratie and actually hunts Luffy down. Rather than in the anime where he doesn’t know or care about the Straw Hats until they start interfering with his plans.
Nami and Arlong’s Relationship
The vast majority of Nami and Arlong’s relationship is the same. He is blackmailing Nami and ruling over Coco village like a tyrant. Nami also needs to raise 100 million berries in order to buy the freedom of the village. However, Captain Nezumi gets told about the buried money. He and his corrupt Marines confiscate it as stolen property.
Additionally, Nami leaves with Arlong at Baratie and goes back to her village. Rather than stealing the Going Merry and sailing away with the crew in pursuit. Otherwise, Nami getting used by Arlong and having to turn to the Straw Hats for help is still the same as the anime. The scene where she stabs her arm to get rid of the tattoo and asks Luffy for help is still just as powerful as it was during the anime!
The Arlong Park Fight Scene
Another massive change that comes with Arlong Park is the final battle scene. In the One Piece anime, the Straw Hats show up to rescue Nami. They easily defeat Arlong’s crew before engaging the officers. Luffy is thrown into the water by Arlong and needs to be rescued. Zoro defeats Hatchan and Sanji defeats Kuroobi. Then Arlong defeats both Zoro and Sanji, and Luffy steps in to battle him.
In the live action, the battles take place simultaneously. Luffy pursues Arlong underneath the park and fights him there. Meanwhile, Sanji and Zoro have an extended fight with the Arlong Pirates. Some sword swings, quick kicks, and back-and-forth banter later, the battle is over. Then the two of them team up to battle and defeat Kuroobi. Luffy battles Arlong underneath the park and the battle there is much shorter than in the anime.
Luffy vs Arlong Differences
The battle between Luffy and Arlong in the anime is much longer than the live-action series. For example, Luffy getting thrown into the water isn’t shown at Arlong Park in the live-action series. Instead, it is shown in their first fight at the Baratie, where Zoro saves him. Additionally, the fight at Arlong Park doesn’t take place outside the park as it did in the anime. Here it takes place under the park.
Several other scenes, such as Luffy wielding swords and Arlong using his teeth like bear traps, are also cut. Finally, the fight ends underneath the park where Luffy realizes he can’t defeat Arlong conventionally. Instead, he is forced to knock down the pillars holding the park up and bring it all crashing down. Contrasted to the anime, where he battles Arlong in the map room. Then sends the fish-man’s ultimate attack crashing through the floor.
The Live-Action Differences Can Help You Appreciate The Source Material More
The live-action adaptation is never going to be the source material. However, the differences can help you enjoy the source material even more! Arlong has some key differences with his character compared to the anime. Whether or not you enjoy them, if you are a true One Piece fan you can at the very least appreciate them.
Then you can get back to the source material with even more information. It can be really fun to watch an anime again and go: “Man, I wish they had put that in live-action!”
