Catch First Look At Straw Hat Pirates As Kids In Upcoming ‘One Piece’ Series On Netflix

While things are heating up with the long-awaited reveal of Luffy’s Gear 5 form in the One Piece anime, its live-action counterpart is gearing (no pun intended) up for its Netflix debut. The previously released trailer offered a glimpse at the Straw Hat Pirates and their fantastical world, and now, fans have gotten their first look at the characters in their younger days.

Released on the official X (formerly known as Twitter) account for the series, the images don’t give away any plot points, and instead serve to signpost the backstories of Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. Check them out below:

The lack of context may appear worrying, but there’s no need to fret — creator Eiichiro Oda has made sure the adaptation will remain faithful to the original character backstories. “They’re so pivotal to who they are as people, what their dreams and motivations are, and how Luffy digs into that as he meets them and helps them rediscover those dreams,” shared series showrunner Matt Owens.

The accuracy to source material was one of the two demands put forth by Eiichiro, with the other being that the functionality of each devil fruit (special fruits that grant users different powers, such as Luffy’s stretchy limbs), and by extent, the characters’ abilities, have to stay the same.

The live-action One Piece adaptation will set sail for Netflix on 31 August. It stars Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. For those who grew up with the anime, the Japanese version might sound a little familiar, as the original voice actors will be reprising their roles. In the Japanese dub, Mayumi Tanaka is returning as Luffy, Kazuya Nakai as Zoro, Akemi Okamura as Nami, Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp, and Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.