After taking fans by storm back in 2023 and ending Netflix’s streak of bad live-action anime adaptations, One Piece‘s live-action is set to return even stronger than before with season 2 adapting the highly awaited Alabasta Saga. With the entry of exciting new antagonists like Sir Crocodile played by Joe Manganiello, and many more, season 2 has many fun battles in store, particularly for the Straw Hats’ resident chef, Sanji, whose battle in the desert against Mr 2 is one that many fans are looking forward to. That said, Netflix’s live-action One Piece may end up outdoing the original anime with regard to this fight as teased by Taz Skylar himself.
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In a recent exclusive talk with ComicBook, Taz Skylar confirmed that he has taken his fighting skills even further up a notch for season 2. When asked about whether he underwent any special training in anticipation of the upcoming season, Skylar reveals that he traveled around the world gathering knowledge and bringing many new ideas to the table in terms of Sanji’s stunts for season 2. This means fans can expect his fights to be not just true to the source material but potentially even more exciting.
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The Sanji vs. Bon Clay Fight Finally Gives the Straw Hats’ Chef the Spotlight
Ever since being cast as Sanji, Taz Skylar has shown an overwhelming commitment to the role that quickly saw him become a favorite among fans of the original series as well as those introduced to the franchise via the live-action series. With season one mostly introducing the core member of the Straw Hats and their Straw Hats, fans have yet to see them shine individually, and the upcoming Alabasta Saga provides just that opportunity.
The arc sees each of the crew tasked with taking down a member of Baroque Works while Luffy goes after their enigmatic leader Crocodile. That said, Sanji’s fight against Mr 2, better known as Bon Clay is the most memorable second only to Luffy’s, and not just because of the role Bon Clay goes on to play in the series in future arcs. The fight sees Sanji almost equally matched by Bon Clay’s Okama Kenpo, with both their fighting styles being heavily focused on leg work. That said, the battle also undoubtedly has its hilarious moments with Bon Clay shrewdly using Sanji’s weakness for Nami against him. Yet, there is also an undercurrent of respect between the two that isn’t quite present in other fights in the arc.
One Piece Live-Action Star Taz Skylar Hypes the Sanji vs. Bon Clay Fight
Luckily for fans, it seems Taz Skylar is dedicated to doing this fan-favorite Sanji battle justice. Skylar has previously confirmed that he wants to perform Sanji’s iconic move, the Party Table Kick Course in season 2, and his newly revealed training regime only goes to prove his dedication to that end. Skylar told ComicBook, “I basically traveled around every single country where there was a fighting style that was applicable and just would train there for a month. And I went to Japan, I went to Brazil, I trained with the Special Forces in Brazil. I wrestled sumo wrestlers in Japan. I trained with lucha libre people in Mexico.”
Seeing as Sanji’s fighting style is commonly regarded as a combination of the Brazilian Capoeira, French Savate, and even Taekwondo, it makes sense that Skylar took up this unique approach to training for his role as Sanji. Skylar goes on to share, “I just kind of tried to acquire as much knowledge and as many new things that I could bring to him as possible.”
This means fans could potentially see Sanji pull up some new moves against Bon Clay in addition to his already memorable ones. Talking about bringing these ideas to the stunt team Skylar continues, “And then, the stunt team—we’re just so blessed to have one of the best stunt teams working on the show with us. And the first few weeks when I got there, I brought all my ideas to the table, and they brought theirs and we definitely did take it up a notch.”
But of course, the only way to know for sure is to watch the new season of Netflix’s live-action One Piece when it releases. For now, though a release date has yet to be revealed, filming for season 2 has wrapped up which means it won’t be too long till fans finally get to watch Sanji fight Bon Clay.
If you liked Taz Skylar’s interview, be sure to check out more on ComicBook’s YouTube channel!
