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The much-awaited One Piece live-action season 2 is currently at its full throttle with the shooting being completed and the series going into editing mode. It is safe to assume that fans might get to see the release of One Piece live-action in 2025 itself. However, this couldn’t have happened without the continuous support of One Piece’s creator Eiichiro Oda.
One Piece Live-Action | Credit: NetflixOda has been currently completely focused on the One Piece live-action as he was recently seen visiting the sets in South Africa and offering his advice and his expertise for the upcoming season. Not only that he is also serving as the Executive Producer of the One Piece live-action series which proves that the manga creator has offered his full support to the series.
While this is certainly a good thing, there are few fans who have questioned Oda’s love for the One Piece live-action and his undivided attention towards it rather than focusing on the anime series. And the reason behind this is that the One Piece anime initially became a problem for him and almost ruined his legacy as the creator of the series.
One Piece anime initially proved to be a big problem for Eiichiro Oda
Although the One Piece anime series is now regarded as one of the best series ever and has received many honors, its original reception was not as positive as fans would have thought. While the One Piece anime became a big deal in Japan as soon as it was released, it could not develop an impression internationally because of the anime version that was released.
After Japan, when One Piece decided to go overseas, the only version that was allowed on American TV was the 4Kids dub version. The 4Kids dub version was not able to generate numbers because of the inconsistency and hindrances in the story because of censorship and other issues. Thus, One Piece was deemed a big flop hurting the overall legacy of Oda.
Censorship in One Piece 4Kids | Credit: Toei AnimationHowever the series still somehow managed to grab the attention at other places and fans soon shifted to the original sub-version which was absolutely perfect. Slowly, One Piece gained popularity and ultimately became the industry giant that it is today.
Eiichiro Oda’s focus on One Piece live-action is justified
Eiichiro Oda’s commitment to the One Piece live-action series is vindicated by the fact that the live-action series has generated figures in only its first season that the animation series could never have equaled initially. Plus, the anime series hurt Oda’s legacy at the time when he was just getting started, but the live-action is getting him the worldwide attention that he deserved.
One Piece Live-Action | Credit: NetflixIn fact, he himself talked about how the One Piece live-action can help with One Piece’s fame in a special message shared by @Eiichiro_Staff on X.
He stated:
People often ask me, ‘One Piece is already popular worldwide, so why go through the effort of making a live-action adaptation now?’ Well, the global manga and anime industries already know about One Piece to a significant extent. But if someone tells you there’s an even bigger playground out there, wouldn’t you want to explore it?!
He understands that One Piece has the potential to go even higher in terms of fame and recognition and after the manga and the anime, the live-action adaptation is the best possible route.
However, it will all depend upon the second season and the reception it receives after its release. If it matches or outgrows the first season, it will be deemed successful.
One Piece live-action is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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