Finding the right actor to play Luffy was a difficult task for the creator, Steve Maeda.

SUMMARY

Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action series has been well received, especially the casting of Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy.

After searching extensively, they found Iñaki Godoy who embodied the character perfectly with his optimism and sincerity.

Season 1 of the live-action series covered up to the Arlong Park saga (first 95 manga chapters).

Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action proved that, if done correctly, an anime adaptation into a TV show can work. The first eight episodes of the series laid down the groundwork for the upcoming seasons of the show.

Iñaki Godoy as Luffy in One Piece Live-Action

A huge reason behind it was the casting of Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy. Godoy played the role perfectly as he grasped the essence of the iconic character.

Also Read: “I’d love to do a young Mihawk series”: One Piece Live Action Writer Has a Thrilling News For Anime Fans After Insane Success of One Piece Season 1

Finding Inaki Godoy Was a Herculean Task for One Piece Live-Action Creator

Sometimes, whether a series works or not can depend on the quality of the casting. Fortunately, One Piece Live-Action did a terrific job of finding the right actors to bring arguably the best live-action adaptation of an anime to fans.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Steven Maeda revealed how it took the team’s best efforts to find Iñaki Godoy.

Yeah, Iñaki was a real find for us and our casting directors. We literally scoured the earth, trying to find the cast and particularly for Luffy, because he’s so important. If Luffy fails as a character, I think the entire show goes down with him because he is such the central driver of everything that happens. Inaki was such a great find that I honestly don’t know who we would have had as a backup that could have worked.

Playing Luffy wasn’t an easy task by any means. In fact, Maeda praised Godoy’s depiction of the Straw Hat Pirates captain in the same interview.

The thing that he did that he embodied Luffy was this kind of relentless optimism that didn’t feel grating or irritating or like he was trying to sell us something. Because a lot of the actors who read for us come from a little more sharp and cynical place perhaps, and they came across as salesmen, as opposed to someone who genuinely believed in what they were saying. The key to Luffy’s performance is Inaki’s absolute sincerity, which works because Inaki is an absolutely sincere young man.

Godoy looked so natural during the live-action series that no one expected Maeda to struggle to find him. If they had to guess, it would have been Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro. After all, Zoro is a fan-favorite character.

Also Read: “I think it’s a funny arc”: One Piece’s Iñaki Godoy Has a Favorite Arc of Eiichiro Oda’s Masterpiece and its Not the Wano Arc or the Alabasta Arc

One Piece Live-Action Has Been Renewed for Season Two

Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece Live-Action

The opening season of the Netflix series covers until the end of the Arlong Park saga. In simple terms, the series adapted the first 95 chapters of the long-running manga.

Keeping that in mind, there’s no shortage of content for creators to adapt for future seasons of the live-action series.

As a result, the 2023 series has already been renewed for next season by Netflix. There is no confirmed release date for the upcoming season, but fans shouldn’t expect it to be released earlier than the end of 2024.

Also Read: 5 Straw Hat Pirates Who May Appear in Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Season 2