One of the biggest concerns One Piece fans had about Netflix’s adaptation was that the show would not remain loyal to the source material. As Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling manga is one of the most beloved pieces of entertainment ever, it made sense that fans wanted to see their favorite moments and characters come to life.
After the first eight episodes of the show were released, the community had the chance to confirm if their fears became reality. Below, we will discuss whether the Netflix One Piece adaptation is accurate to the original manga or not.
Beware of spoilers for the One Piece manga, anime, and Netflix adaptation.
Did Netflix’s Adaptation Remain Loyal to the One Piece Manga?
The first eight episodes of Netflix’s long-awaited One Piece adaptation show that the crew behind it did their best to be as accurate as possible. The show depicts most of the events of the first volumes of the manga almost perfectly. Many beloved moments were brought to the little screen for fans all over the world to enjoy.
However, Netflix did alter the story in some ways. Luffy’s encounter with Zoro and Nami was very different in the manga, as the three of them did not even meet each other on the same day. They also removed many of the more violent and graphic moments in the story, like Zoro being tortured. Still, the adaptation is loyal to the story in the most important ways.
Related: Netflix’s One Piece: Live Action Episode List (1-8)
What Changes Were Made?
One of the most important changes that One Piece fans will notice when they begin the show is the pacing. Despite being so beloved, Luffy’s adventure has been subjected to harsh criticism for how slow it can seem at times. This is especially applicable to the anime version, which tends to extend unimportant moments.
In contrast, the Netflix One Piece adaptation covers entire manga volumes in a matter of minutes, like Zoro and Nami’s introduction or Luffy’s fight against Buggy. In just eight episodes, the show went through 11 volumes of the manga, or about 95 chapters.
The show also changed many introductions to make them fit better into the time constraints they were met with. This was made for the important plot points to be developed further, instead of taking time to introduce characters one by one.
Related: One Piece Terms You Need to Know Before the Live-Action Netflix Series
This also applies to the fight scenes, as seen during the confrontation between Luffy and Buggy. The manga version of this battle is significantly longer, with a big portion of it focusing on the fight between Zoro and Cabaji.
Nonetheless, none of the important story elements were removed, which makes the show equally enjoyable for fans who were already followers of the source material and those who are new to One Piece. Overall, the Netflix adaptation did an outstanding job adapting Oda’s story for newer and experienced viewers.
