One Piece Creator Hails Netflix Adaptation's Impeccable Cast

Eiichiro Oda commends the Netflix adaptation's flawless cast while receiving the manga's iconic 'snail phone' from Inaki Godoy.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda gave his blessing to Netflix's live-action rendition of his acclaimed manga just before the series' debut on Aug. 31.

Oda praised the cast and VFX team in a video shared by the official One Piece Instagram account. Although his face is hidden with an illustration, his voice is transmitted through a snail phone presented as a gift by series star Inaki Godoy. "As a Hollywood production, the action and VFX are great, not to mention the performances by the cast," Oda said. "But above all, I want to call attention to how perfect the Straw Hat cast are. It's like you're watching the Straw Hats in real life, which I'd love for you to savor."

Although Oda is known to stay out of the public eye, he wasn't shy about his conditions for bringing his creation to Netflix. Emma Sullivan, one of the directors of the upcoming series, recently detailed Oda's involvement in the production, saying he asked for reshoots and changes to the script if something didn't adhere to his standards. "You want them [fans] to be happy, you know, but I think the only way we can do that is to make [Eiichiro] Oda happy. When he saw stuff that he didn't like, we redid it," Sullivan explained.

Oda Insisted on One Piece Adaptation Integrity

Sullivan also mentioned concerns of the One Piece fanbase regarding the adaptation. Despite their excitement for the long-awaited series, fans also want the show to uphold the integrity of the 1997 manga. "You know that [fans] are passionate about it, but they want the best for it," the director continued. Ultimately, the only thing that mattered was that Oda was happy with the result since he was the driving force behind the series. "He's the leader, really, and I think if Oda says he's happy with it, then the fans will be happy. But you know, we just hope we did our best," Sullivan added.

One of the things about Netflix's One Piece series Oda is most pleased with is the live-action Luffy actor Inaki Godoy. When the 20-year-old actor met the legendary manga creator at his studio in Tokyo, Japan, Oda immediately embraced him, saying he "can't imagine anyone else" playing his beloved character. He added that Godoy impressed him with his lively personality in his audition tape.

One Piece is based on Oda's ongoing manga series of the same name. Since its debut, the written works have amassed a library of 105 published volumes. The live-action adaptation is developed for Netflix by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, with Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha, the publishers of the manga, producing.