ONE PIECE Star Talks About Playing Monkey D. Luffy and the Pressure of Adapting the Manga for Live-Action

It’s not an easy feat to adapt manga and anime projects in live-action. Many have tried and failed, but Netflix is attempting to do it with One Piece, and while I think it looks fun, a lot of people think that it’s going to be terrible. There’s just a certain style and vibe from the source material that is just so hard to replicate in live-action, but if the creative team can actually nail down the story, they have a chance of succeeding. We’ll just have to wait and see what the fate of One Piece will be, but I’m rooting for it.

During a recent interview with GamesRadar, series Iñaki Godoy, who portrays Monkey D. Luffy in the series, opened up about the show, and the first thing he wants to make clear is that the people who are making the show are all fans of the source material. He said:

“Well, the show is made by people who love One Piece. We love the manga, we love the anime, we think they're great. And the only thing we want to do is honor that and get more people into it. We don't want to do anything else but honor the work of Mr. Oda and get more people to enjoy it too, because it's such a powerful story. And the whole world should know about it.

“I mean, so many people know about One Piece already. But I want your grandpa to know what One Piece is. I want your grandma – I want everybody to know what One Piece is. And, for the people who are already fans, to be able to relive those iconic moments. And you know, there's something really special about seeing your favorite characters as real people too. There's a special kind of magic to it.”

It seems like everyone who adapts an anime into live-action is a fan of the source material, but clearly, that hasn’t worked out well for those shows. Just because you're a fan, doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. The actor went on to talk about the pressure of making a great One Piece series:

“Of course! Of course! Of course there was a lot of pressure. There is a big responsibility to honor the work of more than 20 years of a man, you know? He's been writing this since he was 17. Not only just honor Mr. Oda, but honor the anime too. Mayumi Tanaka, she has been performing this character for so long. And the way they've been doing the anime for so long too, and there are so many people who have grown up with Luffy, and the Straw Hats and the world of One Piece. So you want to respect that, and you want to honor that.

“But if there's one thing that I have learned from One Piece, it's that even though things are challenging, you have to find a way to have fun. So yeah, there was a lot of pressure, there was a lot of anxieties, but there was also a lot of fun! And there was a lot of love. And just like any adventure, it was exciting. You know, I was so excited to get to be a part of something this massive and so incredible, and it's an exciting adventure.”

Godoy went on to talk about his character, who wants to be King of the Pirates, and how he sees the character. He definitely seems to have a good understanding of who Luffy is saying:

“I think Luffy is a very kind person. And he also encourages people to follow their dreams. He doesn't want to change anyone. He just wants to enjoy life, and he will respect whatever you want to do as long as it doesn't get in the way of anybody's freedom. He encourages freedom, he's a free person himself. I think that attracts people, because we all want freedom, right? We all need that. And he has a really beautiful smile.”

You know, if fans actually watch this One Piece series with that kind of attitude, they might actually like it. If they are able to effectively capture that spirit, I think fans will enjoy it. But, fans also have to be open to watching it and accepting a different kind of experience for these characters. In regards to the story that the series tells, the actor said:

“It's a story about a lot of things. It touches on a lot of different subjects. Mr. Oda created a story where you can visit lots of different islands and every single island can hold a different theme, different characters, different adventures; it's never just the same thing. It is a story about dreams, but it's also a story about a lot of different subjects too.

“When you move forward in One Piece, there's a lot of subjects like slavery and racism and war, but also joy and fun and friendship. So I think that's why One Piece has been going on for so long. Every time the Straw Hats visit a different island, it's a different adventure with different themes and different characters. And I think people really enjoy seeing that. And, you know, any island they visit, the Straw Hats are already so compelling and so amazing characters. Wherever they go, it's going to be interesting to see how it goes.”

It seems to me like Godoy has a very strong understanding of One Piece, and that actually gives me more hope that the series will end up being better than what people are expecting. Just because most anime live-ave action adaptations don’t work, doesn’t mean this one won’t be a success.

One of the things I love about One Piece is the positivity, so in regard to this series, I’ve been staying pretty positive. If the creator Eiichiro Oda is excited about the show, maybe the fans should be excited about it as well!

One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his pirate crew as they explore a fantastical world of endless oceans and exotic islands in search of the world’s ultimate treasure known as “One Piece” to become the next Pirate King.

The other main characters include Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson), and Sanji (Taz Skylar).

Steven Maeda is a co-writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the series along with Matt Owens, who is also co-writing and executive producing. The series also stars Morgan Davies (The Evil Dead) as Koby, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (The Sex Lives of College Girls) as Alvida, Aidan Scott (Action Point) as Helmeppo, Jeff Ward (Hacks) as Buggy, McKinley Belcher III (Ozark) as Arlong, and Vincent Regan (Troy) as Garp.

The 10-episode series comes from Tomorrow Studios and One Piece publisher Shueisha. One Piece will be released on August 31st!