One Piece’s first live-action season introduced the Straw Hat Pirates by pitting them against some of the biggest villains of the shonen franchise. While the episodes introduced Luffy and his crew to threats such as Buggy, Alvida, and Kuro, Arlong might have posed the biggest threat to the swashbucklers on the Going Merry. The shark man put up quite the fight but was ultimately defeated during his one-on-one fight against the Straw Hat Captain, but that isn’t stopping cosplayers from thinking of new ways to bring Arlong to the real world.
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While Arlong might have been a major threat to the Straw Hats in their early days, the shark man hasn’t made many return appearances in the shonen franchise since. Captured by the marines, it will be interesting to see if the shark man is able to make an escape to make one more appearance before One Piece comes to an end. Of course, it’s been quite some time since Arlong faced off with Monkey D. Luffy and all of the Straw Hat Pirates have increased their strength and skills since the days of Arlong Park. If he hopes to be a threat to Luffy, Arlong would have needed to do some serious training in the background.
Arlong Returns
Aside from having wild physical strength, Arlong had the teeth that were worthy of a shark that could be found in the Grand Line. While the moment didn’t make its way to the live-action adaptation, Arlong was able to regenerate a new set of chompers when he lost them in the fight against the Straw Hat Pirates. The shark man might have been defeated, but fish men of all shapes and sizes continued to be a part of the series, with one even joining Luffy’s crew in Jinbe.
While One Piece’s live-action series was confirmed for a second season, it seems unlikely that Arlong will have a role to play in it. The shark man didn’t take part in either the Drum Island Arc or the Alabasta Arc, but luckily, some big villains were able to fill the “Arlong-shaped hole” left in his absence.
Do you want to see Arlong one more time before Eiichiro Oda ends the story of One Piece? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.
