Netflix’s One Piece: How Could Chopper Be Done in Live Action?

One Piece is taking over the globe right now for all the best reasons. With its manga toeing into its final act, the One Piece anime has kept fans hooked with its Wano saga climax. However, it is thanks to Netflix that the Straw Hat crew is drawing headlines. The service’s live-action adaptation of One Piece has gone live to stellar reviews, and now fans are putting together a vision for how season two could bring a favorite pirate to life.

After all, it will be no easy feat bringing Tony Tony Chopper to life. The humanoid reindeer will be a challenge for anybody to do in real life, but Netflix’s One Piece has a few options on hand to make it happen. 

As you can see above, a now-viral poster has taken over X (Twitter) showcasing Chopper’s look. The live-action makeover takes a Detective Pikachu approach, so Chopper is downright adorable. In the same way Legendary Entertainment brought Pikachu to life, we can see Chopper looking similar with big round eyes. His petite features and tiny legs are true to the One Piece anime, and while this live-action design is adorable, it would be costly to implement for seasons on end.

The second option for Netflix’s One Piece has less to do with visual effects. Chopper could be brought to life using a human actor who wears the reindeer’s outfit. Several of One Piece’s animal humanoids were adapted this way in season one. Using Netflix’s Sweet Tooth as a template, Chopper could be done in live-action using a young actor, but this method will make the doctor look very different from the anime.

As for the third option? Well, it comes down to puppetry. Just like The Mandalorian and its take on Grogu, a reindeer puppet could be used as the base for Chopper. This is hard to imagine given how expressive Chopper is in One Piece, and he gets into a number of battles. Grogu may be strong with the Force, but he doesn’t have a major physical role in The Mandalorian. Chopper is way more active as a Straw Hat member, but a puppet could always be used as the doctor’s base.

If you are not caught up with One Piece, you can check out Netflix’s adaptation ASAP. The show is streaming all of its first season right now. You can also catch the One Piece anime streaming on Netflix as well as Hulu and Crunchyroll.

What do you think about One Piece’s live-action debut? Are you eager for the rest of the Straw Hat crew to join the series? 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!