Netflix’s One Piece Unites Sanji With the Anime’s Star

When the One Piece live-action series was announced, many anime fans wondered whether it would come close to honoring its source material. Luckily, Netflix’s new take on the old anime favorites were a success, and have already been confirmed to return in the upcoming second season. The re-invented East Blue Saga saw Luffy gathering the first members of the Straw Hat Pirates. Played by Taz Skylar, the chef named Sanji was the last Straw Hat to join the crew and the young actor recently came face-to-face with Sanji’s Japanese voice actor.

The young actors who brought the Straw Hat Pirates to life weren’t shy when it came to sharing their love of the shonen series from creator Eiichiro Oda. Skylar, in preparation for becoming his character, didn’t just train his legs to portray Sanji’s high-flying kicks, he also worked on his culinary skills to truly get into the spirit of the Straw Hat cook. If the live-action series continues to follow along with its source material, the upcoming second season will have plenty of events, and villains, to keep Sanji busy. Most likely touching on environments like Drum Island and Alabasta, Taz Skylar might need to train his kicks, and cooking skills, for season two.

Sanji Meets Sanji

At the latest Jump Festa event, anime fans were able to witness several live-action Straw Hats meet their counterparts from the anime adaptation. In fact, Inaki Godoy, the young actor who portrays Netflix’s Luffy, re-enacted the legendary “Help Me” scene with Nami’s voice actor, Akemi Okamura. Now, a new image has surfaced which sees Taz Skylar side-by-side with Sanji’s original Japanese voice actor, Hirata Hiroaki.

When it comes to the anime front, One Piece is in the throes of its final saga. Despite the end being on the horizon, it might be years before we see Luffy and company sail off into the sunset. Shockingly, Netflix announced that it was working with Wit Studio to create a remake of the franchise dubbed “The One Piece“, meaning that the Straw Hats could remain on the small screen for decades to come.

Who has been your favorite actor portraying Sanji to date? 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.