The Biggest Differences Between Netflix's One Piece And The Manga
Netflix's live-action adaptation of "One Piece" has finally arrived and brings fans and newcomers into a strange pirate world filled with danger and a wild sense of adventure. Based on the beloved manga of the same name by Eiichiro Oda, the series follows Luffy (Inaki Godoy), an ambitious traveler with stretchy powers who aspires to find the mysterious treasure known as the One Piece and be dubbed "King of the Pirates." However — before heading out on the dangerous and pirate-filled route known as The Grand Line — Luffy must assemble his own pirate crew. As he meets up with a bunch of ragtag warriors and travelers, Luffy also comes to find new enemies that ultimately test the resolve of his crew.
Fans will be thrilled to see some of the ways that Netflix's live-action adaptation brings iconic scenes and characters to life. From seeing Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) and his band of fish-men fully realized in live-action to that game-changing moment of Red-Haired Shanks (Peter Gadiot) giving Luffy his hat, the series pays respect to its source material in great ways. However, it also makes some interesting changes from the manga that fans may or may not have realized. Believe it or not, there are some characters that were totally cut and even some scenes that were completely altered from the original story. So, let's delve into some of the biggest changes that Netflix's "One Piece" makes from the manga.
The events of Shells Town were slightly altered
For the major event of the first episode — when Luffy meets Nami (Emily Rudd) and Zoro (Mackenyu) while trying to steal the map to the Grand Line at the Shells Town Marine base — there were a lot of changes made. For starters, in the manga, Nami has different motivations while in Shells Town. She's there to simply steal from Axe-Hand Morgan (Langley Kirkwood) and doesn't help Luffy pilfer the map, since she actually ends up taking it from Buggy (Jeff Ward). Axe-Hand Morgan is also depicted differently in the manga, acting more as a feared tyrant than a respected soldier. He's actually so secretly despised by most of the Marines that a lot of the soldiers cheer and thank Luffy when he beats Morgan in battle.
When Luffy arrives in Shells Town, Zoro has also already been arrested. So he never gets to see Zoro get into a bar fight like he does in the show. More importantly, there's actually a scene in the manga of Koby being goaded by Luffy to punch him in the face. Luffy does this to get Koby to join the Marines, but in the show he simply convinces him to follow his dreams and Koby (Morgan Davies) actually ends up hitting Helmeppo (Aidan Scott) to let Luffy escape.
The Baroque Works is introduced early
In the show, Zoro is introduced fighting against a pirate hunter named Mr. 7 (Ben Kgosimore), who he slices and dices with very little difficulty. But before these two start fighting, Mr. 7 invites Zoro into a mysterious society of pirate hunters. While he never mentions the name of the organization, longtime "One Piece" fans know that he's talking about the Baroque Works, a future antagonist for the Straw Hats. What's interesting about the show introducing the Baroque Works through this scene is that it's something that's never shown in the manga.
Zoro's fight against Mr. 7 is only alluded to and talked about in the manga, so it's pretty substantial that the series actually shows fans what happened. Also, it's pretty wild that the Baroque Works are introduced so early, since they don't appear in the manga until Luffy and the Straw Hats reach the Grand Line. It was a change that was likely needed in order to hint at storylines the series will touch on in the next season. The early introduction of the Baroque Works might seem strange to fans, but it'll likely pay off in the long run.
Certain characters are totally omitted
With the live-action series having limited space and time onscreen to tell everyone's stories, it's no surprise that some characters from the manga were cut out entirely. For instance, Zoro actually has two companions and former pirate hunter partners — Johnny and Yosaku — who help the Straw Hats in their early adventures. Both Johnny and Yosaku actually play big roles in not only establishing a group dynamic, but also in the battles at the Baratie and Arlong Park.
Unfortunately, Johnny and Yosaku were cut out of the show — likely because they wouldn't fit into the dynamic and thematic connections of the characters. To be fair, cutting Johnny and Yosaku was probably smart, since their stint with the Straw Hats ends in the manga before the crew heads off for the Grand Line and the two become bounty hunters again.
Another character that's absent is Jango — a key member of Kuro's Black Cat pirates in the manga. Jango's absence actually changes Kuro's (Alexander Maniatis) plan to take over Kaya's (Celeste Loots) estate. Unlike the manga, Kuro doesn't plan to use Jango's hypnosis powers to make his pirates stronger and instead tries to take over by brute force. Although the Netflix series finds ways around having to use certain characters from the manga, fans will still notice their absence.
Buggy gets a carnival
While Buggy the Clown is a prevalent part of the live-action series — easily having one of the more unique set pieces — his part of the East Blue Saga in the manga is almost entirely different. As mentioned before, Nami actually ends up stealing the map to the Grand Line from Buggy, but doesn't run into the same type of obstacles. In the manga, Buggy's invasion of Orange Town leads to most of the townsfolk leaving. Instead, in the show, Buggy captures the entire town and forces them to laugh at his jokes by being his personal audience. The entire circus arena isn't in the manga at all, and there are key members of Buggy's crew who are missing in the live-action show.
Buggy's first-mate Mohji and his fearsome lion Richie are totally absent from the show. We don't get to see more heart-warming characters like Chouchou on-screen because there's less focus on the people of Orange Town — although there is a little reference to the character that fans can spot. Plus, because we don't see Buggy's ship, we don't get to see the Buggy Bomb — which causes massive destruction in Orange Town in the manga. While Buggy's episode is one of the best of the show, it's a shame that some of the more intriguing parts of his crew in the manga were left on the cutting room floor.
Ussop's pirate crew is missing
While Usopp (Jacob Romero) is depicted as sort of a loner in the show, he actually has a small pirate crew of his own in the manga. Ironically though, that crew was made up of three children: Ninjin, Piiman, and Tamanegi. Under Usopp's leadership, the trio pretend to be an experienced pirate crew and help spread tall tales of Usopp's pirating adventures. They also play a role in keeping Kaya safe when Kuro enacts his plan to kill her. When Usopp leaves his young "pirate crew" in the manga, it's a real tearjerker and one of the more wholesome and emotional parts of the East Blue Saga.
Sadly, Usopp's pirates were completely cut from the live-action series. There's not even a small hint of them and it's not too hard to see why. As adorable and loving as it would have been to see Usopp mentor a trio of children who yearn to be pirates as much as he does, they simply wouldn't fit in the arc the series gives him. The series puts far greater focus on the crew obtaining the Going Merry and Usopp's budding relationship with Kaya. Although it's a shame that Usopp's band of child pirates aren't in the show like they are in the manga, it does make sense.
Don Krieg's role is heavily downsized
Believe it or not, Don Krieg, one of Luffy's toughest foes in the manga's version of the East Blue Saga, is turned into a small and almost forgettable cameo in the show. The live-action Krieg (Milton Schorr) briefly appears in the chaotic battle that introduces Mihawk (Steven John Ward) before being slain by the bounty hunter. For fans, this smaller appearance from Krieg was surely surprising since Krieg originally played a big role in the battle at Baratie.
While Krieg does battle against Mihawk in the manga, he isn't killed but sees his men decimated in the process. However, when one of his surviving crew members, Gin, is fed by Sanji at Baratie, he quickly comes back to tell Krieg — who goes to Baratie himself. When Krieg gets there, he's fed and regains his strength. With his strength back, Krieg then launches an attack on Baratie to take it over and attempt to rebuild his depleted fleet. However, Luffy ends up engaging in battle with him and despite Krieg's armor posing a strong threat to Luffy, Krieg ultimately faces defeat again. So instead of Luffy fighting Arlong at Baratie, he actually fights Krieg. Krieg's downsized role is probably one of the most notable changes the show makes from the manga.
Arlong's pirate crew is scaled back
There's something kind of miraculous about seeing Arlong and his crew of fish-men be brought to life practically in the show because it honestly looks amazing. Yet there are key members of Arlong's crew who are nowhere to be seen in the live-action series. For instance, Hachi -– a six-armed fish-man who can cut people apart with his flurry of sword attacks -– was cut from the show entirely. Frankly, most of Arlong's crew and the time spent at Arlong Park is actually significantly reduced in the show compared to the anime -– likely to give Nami and Arlong's dynamic more of the spotlight.
There is one thing that's not too surprising to see cut from the show, and that's the appearance of Momoo. The character is a giant sea cow –- who literally looks like a cow –- that's a pet of the Arlong Pirates and one of the first sea beasts that the Straw Hats encounter in their adventures. While it's sad that something as unique and kind of hilarious as Momoo was cut from the live-action show, it's not too surprising since it would probably look a little too ridiculous. Netflix's version definitely gives Arlong the personal spotlight he deserves, but it's a shame that some of the more intriguing parts of his background from the manga didn't make it into the show.
Koby and Helmeppo have a bigger role
The subplot of Koby and Helmeppo acting as cadets under Garp's (Vincent Regan) orders definitely helps flesh out the overall world lore and characters a bit. But this is actually something that happens much later in the manga. For the most part, Koby and Helmeppo's story is mostly told through different cover pages and artwork. There are small one-page scenes of them swabbing the decks and doing other menial tasks under Garp's command. Most of the time, Helmeppo even has hilarious-looking reactions and animations.
The show decides to not only start their story much earlier, but also give it much more of a meaningful spotlight. In the first season, they sort of have an interesting and at times fun arc together that highlights their rise in the Marines together under Garp. This change is likely one that'll heavily benefit the series down the road, since it could have huge payoffs in later seasons that focus more on Koby, Helmeppo, and Garp. Koby and Helmeppo are an iconic pair in "One Piece" lore, so the show makes a beneficial change from the manga to set up their potential greatly.
Usopp and Kaya have an actual romance
One of the more tender and heartfelt moments of the show is easily when Usopp and Kaya deliver their goodbyes to one another. Their chemistry and care for each other is incredibly apparent and you can't help but feel like a fated love is splitting apart. Thankfully, Kaya makes her feelings clear to Usopp by kissing him before he leaves -– which surely sends his heart fluttering. While this moment is incredibly sweet and something that fans loved, it's actually something that isn't in the manga at all.
In the manga, Kaya and Usopp never become anything romantic and remains close friends throughout the rest of the series. Fans, however, always theorized that their relationship could become romantic at some point. Perhaps Netflix is attempting to pay off this fan theory by letting Usopp and Kaya's romantic feelings come out in the open in the show's canon. Either way, longtime "One Piece" fans will definitely take note of this important change in Usopp's arc.
An entire island is unvisited
While the Netflix series does a pretty good job at capturing all the major events of Luffy's adventures in the East Blue Saga, there's one omission that can't go unnoticed. In the manga -– before Luffy and his crew meet Sanji in Baratie –- they actually travel to an island known as the Island of Rare Animals. It's an island that's mostly populated by an array of hybrid animals but also features two human characters –- Gaimon and Sarfunkel. Gaimon was once a pirate who became stranded on the island after his crew left him and his body became stuck in a treasure chest. Now, he acts as the island's guardian -– alongside Sarfunkel, whose body is stuck in a barrel -– attacking all invaders who arrive there.
Although Gaimon is skeptical of Luffy's crew when they land on the island, he eventually becomes friends with them and even invites them to stay. Gaimon also becomes good friends with Buggy when he lands on the island after being defeated by Luffy. While it would have been amazing to see Gaimon and the Island of Rare Animals brought to life, it's not surprising to see it left out of the show. Frankly, it's more of a side-quest than something that's pivotal to lore, so it makes sense to leave it out. Who knows, maybe the series will find a way to bring Gaimon and his animal companions up in a future season.
The circumstances around Nami's deal with Arlong are different
The final episodes of Netflix's "One Piece" are key in divulging Nami's backstory and her deal with Arlong, but things play out a little differently in the manga. While the people of Coco Village seem totally unaware of Nami's plan to buy the village back from Arlong and keep everyone safe, that isn't the case in the manga. In the manga, everyone in Coco Village is very aware of Nami's deal with Arlong and keeps up the charade so that her plan won't get discovered.
Nami's connection with Coco Village is also much stronger in the manga and her farewell to the village is much more tender and inclusive. In the show, she just says goodbye to her sister Nojiko (Chioma Antoinette Umeala), but in the manga she leaves the entire town tons of treasure to rebuild what they've lost. Although it's not a huge change compared to others, Netflix does take away one of the more emotional aspects of Nami's deal with Arlong and her connection to Coco Village.
A truth revealed earlier
One of the biggest shocks early on in Netlfix's "One Piece" is that Garp is actually revealed to be Luffy's grandfather. It adds a whole new layer to their conflict and Garp's constant pursuit of Luffy throughout the season. Now, fans of the manga or anime were already well aware of this fact since it's a big part of "One Piece" lore and Luffy's arc. However, no one probably expected this truth to be revealed so early since it's something that isn't touched on until much later. It's actually revealed so far down the line in the story that if the live-action series followed the manga beat for beat, then fans wouldn't be informed of this for a few more seasons.
It's a pretty big deal to see the live-action series do something significantly earlier than the manga. It's something that could pay off down the line when it gets to more Garp-focused storylines, and be an interesting factor when it comes to how the series handles Koby and Helmeppo's continuing arc with Garp. The reveal of Garp being Luffy's grandfather is an interesting change from the source material that could provide many potential benefits for the show's future.