Netflix’s One Piece has been the talk of the town, thanks to the streamer’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga series of the same name. But aside from its great visuals and story, fans have loved how Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu Maeda, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero, and Taz Skylar perfectly played their roles as Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji. To give more insights about the Straw Hat Pirates, the mangaka himself talks about their greatest traits.
One Piece took the world by storm when it was released on August 31. In fact, it remains to be Netflix’s No. 1 title globally, with 37.8 million views in less than two weeks. With this feat, the service has already renewed the show for a second season, and all eyes are still on Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the gang.
In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Oda-san talked about everything about One Piece, from how it was created to how it made its way onto the small screens. Twenty-six years after the manga began its realization, many probably know the franchise, dubbed the best manga of all time. It wouldn’t receive that honor for anything, especially with its characters becoming fan favorites. So, how did the famed Japanese manga artist make them?
Why is Luffy always optimistic?
Despite everything he has gone through and being in the worst situations, Luffy has remained optimistic. For Oda, this trait can always be in other shonen manga characters, but as part of his personal philosophies, he doesn’t want to create a world that’s “too bleak.”
With Luffy’s optimism, the 48-year-old is confident that he can produce a hero who can still be fun in spite of being in the middle of the most severe situations. “Making someone like Luffy the hero allows me to take even the most serious of situations and make it fun somehow,” he explained.
Why does Zoro have three swords?
It can’t be denied that Zoro’s good looks and incredible fighting skills have caught the viewers’ interest. However, it remains to be a big question as to why he needs to have three swords when in combat, and Oda has the simplest explanation for it.
“In Japan, there was a real-life swordsman named Musashi Miyamoto who was regarded as the greatest ever, and he was known for using two swords,” he said. “My childish idea was to simply make Zoro even greater by giving him one additional sword.”
Why does Sanji only use his feet when fighting?
Another fighting skill set fans want to know more about is Sanji’s. The Straw Hat cook, aka Black Leg, only uses his feet to fight.
Oda explained that each of his One Piece characters has their own policies and philosophies they live by. So, since Sanji is a chef, the creator believed he had to protect his hands for his trade. That said, it only made sense that he would only use his feet in a fight.
Why does Usopp use a slingshot?
Fans are also curious as to why Usopp only uses a slingshot when fighting, and Oda reveals the most appropriate answer for that. “Usopp’s central character trait is that he’s always afraid, so he’d want a weapon that would allow him to attack from a distance,” he said.
Usopp grew up in a modest village where guns were deemed dangerous, and a slingshot made more sense. “Each of their fighting styles always need to feed into their respective characters,” Oda continued.
Why is Nami’s hair orange?
In Nami’s backstory in One Piece, viewers learn that her adopted mother grew tangerines for a living. And as living and earning money were hard for them back then, they only had this fruit to eat. So, does it have something to do with her hair’s color? The answer is no.
Oda revealed that he chose to make Nami’s hair orange because no other characters in the manga had the same hair color at the time. As he wanted to do something that wasn’t part of the norm, he gave Nami ginger hair.
Fans are about to see more of these characters after Netflix officially announced One Piece Season 2. However, with the ongoing writers’ strikes, it may take a little while before they return to the small screens.
