Live-action adaptations of manga and anime for television and film are often met with skepticism, and for good reason: they tend to be terrible. Netflix’s One Piece series was heading down the same path, but franchise creator Eiichiro Oda stepped in.
The streaming service has a mixed track record when it comes to original productions based on Japanese franchises and Western cartoons. Just look at Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, all of which faced heavy criticism for straying too far from their
With those examples in mind, it’s easy to understand why audiences were wary of a live-action One Piece series. According to one of the show’s creators, there were indeed reasons to be concerned.
Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Series Wasn’t Going to Be Faithful to the Manga and Anime
Against all odds, the live-action series inspired by Toei Animation’s anime became a massive hit on Netflix. Its first season broke viewership records and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The second season continued that momentum, despite a slight decline in its ratings.
Now, fans are eagerly awaiting the third season, which is scheduled to arrive in 2027. However, there was a time when Netflix’s project faced considerable skepticism. During a recent appearance on the Trash Taste YouTube podcast, showrunner Steven Maeda discussed the challenges the series faced during its early development.
The creative, who co-created the live-action adaptation alongside Matt Owens, explained that Eiichiro Oda himself had to intervene to keep the series from becoming a disaster. According to Maeda, the production team was forced to rewrite the scripts three times.
The first version consisted of 10 episodes. Steven Maeda and his team were already aware of the project’s budget limitations, so they focused on “writing the best 10 episodes possible.” A Netflix executive liked the story but had one major complaint: it was too expensive to produce.
“A new executive read it and said, ‘I like it, but it needs to be much, much cheaper. We want you to cut the budget in half and go from 10 episodes to 8. We need a new version.’ My reaction was, ‘The fans aren’t going to like this,’” the producer recalled.
Maeda went on to explain that the budget cuts forced the team to change certain narrative elements and scale back the story. As a result, the series strayed too far from the spirit of the original One Piece manga and anime.
Eiichiro Oda Saved Netflix’s One Piece Series
Despite disagreeing with the decision, Steven Maeda had no choice but to follow the company’s instructions. “We rewrote the entire season, cut it down to 8 episodes instead of 10, and unfortunately, we had to change certain things because of the budget,” he explained.
The producer admitted that the revised season was still very good, even with all the adjustments and changes. However, he acknowledged that it was moving further and further away from the original One Piece story. At one point, he even feared Netflix might cancel the project altogether.
Eventually, the scripts made their way to Eiichiro Oda, the franchise’s original manga creator. The Japanese writer and illustrator rejected the second version and made his displeasure known to Netflix.
“Oda-san read the script, didn’t like it, and made that clear to Netflix, saying, ‘This isn’t what I signed up for.’ Fortunately, Netflix responded well and said, ‘Okay, we’ve strayed too far. Let’s rethink this and talk again,’” the showrunner recalled on the podcast.
According to Maeda, the streaming company subsequently reached out to him again and agreed to provide “the budget necessary to make a version of the series that was much more faithful to the original material.”
Netflix’s One Piece Adaptation Changed Usopp’s Story, and the Creator Wasn’t Happy
Despite being busy with the original One Piece manga and other projects related to the franchise, Eiichiro Oda remains actively involved in the production of Netflix’s live-action series. During the podcast conversation, the producer also revealed that the creator pushed back against certain changes to the main characters’ stories.
Steven Maeda recalled that Oda intervened to prevent the adaptation from changing Usopp’s introduction too much. In the original version of the story, Luffy was supposed to meet his future crewmate directly on Gaimon Island.
“We did a version where he was shipwrecked on this island… instead of going to Usopp’s hometown, and it was fine, but it wasn’t One Piece,” the showrunner explained.
Maeda also revealed that the team had to change how Dracule Mihawk was introduced.
“I told them, ‘Hey, you know what? We want Mihawk’s introduction to be spectacular so it’s clear how formidable he is,’ but they told me, ‘You don’t have the budget for that.’ And then Oda-san thought it was necessary. His support for that idea was enough for Netflix to say, ‘Yes, let’s do it,’” Steven Maeda concluded.
But tell us: what do you think of these changes? Do you enjoy the live-action series, or do you prefer Toei Animation’s anime? Let us know in the comments.
Stay with us here at LEVEL UP for more news about One Piece.
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