Let’s face it: One Piece is a wildly popular anime with a fanbase that still can’t decide whether they like the anime better or the manga. If you throw a live-action, especially a Netflix one, into the mix – there’s going to be some mixed reactions. Although the Netflix live-action of One Piece became very popular worldwide, not everyone was impressed. To be fair, everyone expected some sort of backlash, considering how dear the anime is to people. But the good part is that the live-action production put a lot of thought into the sentiments of the fans. It did its best to stay true to the anime, but some changes were very apparent. Let’s take a look at the worst changes in the One Piece live-action ranking.
How Was The One Piece Live Action Made?
Anime live actions from non-Japanese studios have a legacy of being, to put it plainly, terrible. So, when the One Piece live-action was announced, everyone had their reservations. But Netflix proved that they knew what it takes to make one that would be a hit. They took on board Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. The casting team was dedicated to finding actors that matched the characters they were meant to play. Simply knowing that it took them months to find the right actor for Luffy shows the amount of thought that went into it.
The way that the story progresses was confirmed by the creator of the anime. He gave his input where needed, and it was taken into consideration. This collaborative approach made the live-action fun for everyone involved. If any changes were made in the live action, they were done so with Oda’s approval. However, even when the creator of the show is satisfied with the changes, sometimes the fans are not. Here’s what they disliked the most:
6. Not Exploring Usopp’s Character
The least detested thing about the series was how they never explored Usopp’s character as the cowardly hero. The anime has an entire arc dedicated to it, and it helps build his character. The rest of the Straw Hats in the anime had enough material to support their character development, whereas Usopp does not.
The Syrup Village Arc is split between two episodes, making it the shortest one in the live-action. The arc was missing key elements like Kaya standing up to Klahadore and Usopp being a hero where he had to be. Usopp has dreams of becoming a hero of the sea, something that needed to be established with his introduction and arc.
5. Too Much Focus on the Marines
Another thing that fans don’t like is how much focus is being put on the Marines. In the anime, there are some Marines that fans like and are actually decent people. In the live-action, fans felt as if the studio was trying to humanize them by showing that they weren’t the bad guys either. It takes away the necessary sympathy and support for pirates that the anime originally intended.
Some people are not happy with how brave and fast-paced the series shows Koby’s development. To them, Koby was not a likable character until much later in the anime. Plus, Garp was introduced too early on in the show and inserted in some arcs where he didn’t belong.
4. Making Buggy Too Powerful
Fans have noticed that the live-action takes Buggy the Clown a little too seriously. Although he still retains some of his comedic charm, overall, he’s just too strong. The Orange Town arc was heavily changed from what it was in the anime. In the live action, he had an entire village enslaved to be a part of his circus.
He was extremely feared and calculated with his moves. This doesn’t go hand in hand with the slightly goofy yet ambitious Buggy from the series. Fans feel it might take away from his eventual character growth throughout the series. He is supposed to mature with time and build up his strength.
3. Shortening of Arlong Park Arc
Another change, something far more grave, is that the Arlong Park Arc has been drastically reduced to fit the show. Although fans were not expecting the live action to be as slow-paced as the series, they were looking for a bit more detail where it mattered. The Arlong Pirates were introduced very early in the series, and the main battle also happened rather quickly.
There wasn’t as much involvement of Sanji in the Arlong Park fights. Similarly, unlike the anime, all of the villages hated Nami and saw her as a traitor when she was on their side. This is very unlike the anime, where they understood Nami’s sacrifice and supported her.
2. Reducing Don Krieg’s Role
One thing that upset fans the most was the fact Don Krieg and his crew didn’t have as much of a role in the live-action. They’re a very important part of the early Straw Hat adventure in the anime. Plus, we got to miss out on Sanji cooking for Don Krieg at his lowest moments. It is such a heartfelt moment that the live-action missed out on.
To many, it takes away from Sanji’s character building at the start of the show. Sanji cooking his infamous Seafood Fried Rice for the admiral was an epic sight. It’s hard to see whether skipping it impacted the plot, but it surely hurt the feelings of many fans.
1. Skipping the Loguetown Arc
Of all of the changes made in the anime, this one is criminal. The live-action team chose to animate one of the most famous scenes of the Loguetown Arc and scrap the rest. At the end of the last episode, we see the Straw Hats step on a barrel and declare their allegiance.
It’s a beautiful moment showing the friendship between them. But, chronologically, it makes no sense. Netflix already confirmed that they plan on including Loguetown in season 2. So, animating a scene from the end of the arc practically makes no sense.
