Epic One Piece Short Brings Luffy vs Kaido to Live Action

There is no denying the difficulty of adapting anime in live action. While Japan and South Korea have long embraced the challenge, Hollywood has only begun exploring what works and what does not. This year, Netflix’s One Piece helped shift the anime curse plaguing Hollywood, and the TV show has put Luffy on the map. And now, one fan is going viral for giving One Piece a different live-action adaptation that slaps.

The whole thing hails from YouTube courtesy of the user Jalex Rosa. The user, who has nearly two million subscribers, made a name for themselves on social media by making live-action adaptations of anime, comics, games, and more. So of course, the fandom paid attention when Rosa tackled One Piece.

As you can see above, the video by Rosa comes in at under ten minutes, but it packs a lot in its short run. After a brief intro, Rosa shows his mind-boggling take on Luffy vs Kaido from the One Piece anime. Using a mix of video editing and animation rigging, this live-action One Piece adaptation is second to none in terms of aesthetics. It certainly rivals the quality of Netflix’s One Piece, but it is up to you to decide which adaptation is best.

The care Rosa put into this One Piece tribute is staggering, and it proves the YouTuber has a true gift. The challenge of adapting anime into live-action is complex, but Rosa managed to nail his attempt after a hundred days of hard work. So if Netflix’s One Piece needs pointers for season two, call this man up!

If you have not seen One Piece’s live-action run, you can find its first season streaming now on Netflix. For more info on One Piece, you can read the synopsis of Eiichiro Oda’s hit series below:

“As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer “Red-Haired” Shanks. But Luffy’s life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure…one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…”

What do you think about this latest One Piece tribute? Do you love this live-action take? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!