5 necessary changes One Piece Live-Action made from the manga (& 5 changes they never should have considered)

Netflix's One Piece Live-Action adaptation surprised fans worldwide by successfully translating Eiichiro Oda's beloved manga to the screen. They did a really good job adapting this series for television. Some of the changes they made were great, and some of them just made fans go "huh?" When fans are able to see the differences between both adaptations, then they can realize what has been changed and what has been kept the same.

5 Necessary Changes One Piece Live-Action Made From the Manga

1. Toning Down Sanji's Perversion

The One Piece Live-Action did the smart thing by toning down all of the craziness Sanji used to do around chicks. In the manga and anime, this guy had some pretty weird moments with females. In the live action, the Sanji character has been portrayed as cool and flirty, but not a creep. The new direction makes it easier for today's audiences to enjoy Sanji and still see his romantic side.

He's still interested in Nami and other girls, but it seems to be more natural rather than really obsessive. And even though he has changed, that hasn't made him a weaker character, but instead has allowed him to become more likable and relatable.

2. Eliminating Don Krieg From Baratie

They made a fantastic move cutting Don Krieg out of the Baratie arc for the One Piece Live-Action series. Here we see that he really slows down the pace of the arc, as he has no impact on the character development of anyone throughout his entire time there.

The adaptation made good use of its limited time by leaving out any content that wasn't needed. The adaptation does show Mihawk's strength and ability in a more effective way than including Krieg would have.

3. Casting Vivi as a Person of Color

When Vivi was introduced in the One Piece Live-Action adaptation, a person of color needed to portray her because Alabasta draws heavily on the cultures of Ancient Egypt, as well as Arabic and Indian cultures in South Asia. Having diversity in representation and acknowledging the cultures from which these inspirations come is a great way to enhance the authenticity of the world being created.

With no specific representation of an ethnicity in the art style of this manga, it gives adaptations flexibility to make thoughtful decisions regarding casting. A live-action version demands more cultural consideration than drawings.

4. Expanding Helmeppo's Character Early

The One Piece Live-Action really did a nice job in taking Helmeppo and transforming him from a spoiled brat into a real character. The manga just doesn't really give him much until a lot later in his cover stories, and it was awesome to have the show make him both funny and surprisingly sympathetic right off the bat.

Helmeppo is a great comedic relief character who helps develop the storyline of what will become his redemption. The way that we become "invested" in his character early allows us to support him in his eventual journey with Koby.

5. Building Crew Relationships Through Quiet Moments

In One Piece Live-Action, we see how the crew interacts with each other in their downtime, such as Sanji being a cook while Zoro is resting, and the crew having drinking contests, all of which help to create a more realistic crew. Unlike the Manga, which seems to move from fight to fight without allowing for an opportunity to take a breath.

Manga often can't show the same level of character interaction as live-action, and that's one of the biggest advantages of using live-action. While some of these scenes may not help advance the plot, they help build a stronger connection between the audience and the characters.

5 Changes One Piece Live-Action Never Should Have Considered

1. Weakening Luffy's Strength

One of the biggest blunders involved taking Luffy's power level down a notch during the adaptation. In the manga, Luffy is shown being nearly invincible, beating up on everybody in the East Blue, including someone as strong as Arlong.

However, in the One Piece Live-Action adaptation, Luffy has constant doubts about himself and isn't able to overcome his enemies. This goes against Luffy's role as a Captain and doesn't create the same juxtaposition with regard to Luffy's future losses.

2. Removing Sanji's Curly Eyebrows

When the One Piece Live-Action series chose to give Sanji regular eyebrows instead of his unique spiral shape, it seems like just a little change, but it creates some future issues. In the manga, Sanji's signature spiral eyebrow shape is very important in telling his backstory and about the genetic modifications that were made to him. The spiral shape is actually the visual representation of Sanji's bloodline with Germa 66.

3. Gutting Usopp's Heroic Moments

The One Piece Live-Action did dirt to Usopp's character by omitting key events that helped shape Usopp into who he is now. Usopp showed growth when he stood up against Kuro's pirates, even though he was scared out of his mind. He showed he could be brave for the sake of his friends in the battle with Chew. In the adaptation, Usopp is nothing more than a goofball who doesn't have any significance beyond the jokes he tells.

These moments aren't just for show; they show Luffy's reason for bringing in this "coward" to join his crew. Without the moments of him doing this, Usopp doesn't give the impression of being dead weight; instead, he gives the impression of having untapped potential.

4. Changing the Villagers' Knowledge of Nami's Sacrifice

In the One Piece Live-Action series, the show mixed things up a bit, creating confusion with the people of Cocoyasi Village. Unlike in the original manga/anime, where all the villagers are aware of Nami's sacrifice for them, in this show, they think of her as a traitor until Nami tells her sister what went down, all because they didn't know about her working for Arlong to free them.

5. The Entire Garp Subplot

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The One Piece Live-Action wasted a bunch of time it could have spent on the main plot by creating a completely brand-new story about Garp. This doesn't fit with Garp's character because he doesn't start caring about Luffy until after he intervenes at Enies Lobby and is way too serious to have the chaotic energy of his usual characterization.

Adding this subplot gave the show some added tension, but at the expense of losing out on important moments with Usopp and also the cuts to major backstory and depth of theme.

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