Netflix's One Piece Would Not Have Happened Without Luffy's Actor

Netflix's One Piece made its debut in August and brought a breath of fresh air to the fandom. After all, the live-action adaptation managed to wow fans with its careful characterization and action. With a top-tier crew overseeing the show, Netflix's One Piece is ready to tackle season two. And in a recent chat, showrunner Steven Maeda stressed the hit series would not have been possible without Monkey D. Luffy's new actor.

Speaking ComicBook, Maeda was clear when talking about the recipe for success the One Piece team followed. The entire process was complex, but at its foundation, Maeda and series creator Eiichiro Oda agreed finding the perfect Luffy was crucial. So luckily, the team was able to get actor Inaki Godoy onboard.

"That's a really tough thing for Luffy in particular, the live-action Luffy could be really annoying if you don't cast right. And I think we found the most genuine, nicest young man who embodied this character. I've said this before and I will stick by this, if Iñaki does not do this show. I don't know. We didn't have a backup for him that we were all really excited about and was very good. So once we saw Iñaki, we were praying that we could get him to close this deal and make this happen," Maeda said.

"He is really the glue that holds everything together. I think Taz and Emily and Mackenyu and Jacob and everybody else, I think really rounded out in a really wonderful way and embodied those characters, and it was such a pleasure to watch them grow and inhabit the characters and do that. But yeah, and Iñaki's the glue that holds it all together."

As it turns out, Godoy is the same kind of glue that Luffy brings in One Piece. The Mexican actor brought that special something to the screen that pulled Netflix's One Piece together, after all. Luffy does the same for the Straw Hats in the universe, and as you can imagine, this quality is hard to find. There is no telling what would have happened to this live-action adaptation if Godoy had passed on Luffy. But thankfully for us all, the actor was all too happy to step into the captain's shoes.

If you have not seen Netflix's One Piece, you can find the hit series streaming now. For more info on the show, you can read One Piece's official synopsis 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..."

Do you think Netflix found the perfect actor to play Luffy? What do you want to see from One Piece season two? 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!