In Netflix's Netflix live-action adaptation. Although she’s always depicted as a skilled thief and expert navigator, the anime version of Nami doesn't portray her as a strong and able fighter who excels in hand-to-hand combat until much later in the story.

By contrast, Netflix’s live-action One Piece has Nami fighting alongside Luffy and Zoro from its very first episode. It’s not just her sleight of hand as a thief or sense of direction that mark her out as a potential Straw Hat Pirate in One Piece season 1, but also her powerful fighting ability, strong and fast enough to outdo almost any opponent, and fend off several attackers at once with her signature staff. Nami engages in several daring combat sequences during One Piece season 1, and we can expect to see her at the center of even more fight scenes in the show’s seasons.

Netflix’s Nami Is Stronger In One Piece Season 1 Than Her Anime Counterpart

She Holds Her Alongside Luffy And Zoro In Several Big Fight Scenes

In the anime version of One Piece, Nami is a brave and resilient pirate from the first time we encounter her. However, she’s also portrayed as physically weak compared to the other Straw Hat Pirates and doesn’t engage in any extended fight scenes during the East Blue Saga.

She is a capable exponent of the Japanese bō staff but rarely finds a use for it in direct combat, other than as a form of self-defense. Usually, Nami leaves the fighting to the Straw Hats’ deadliest fighters in One Piece, Zoro and Luffy, while she focuses on stealing things, such as Buggy’s treasure and the Grand Line map during the manga’s Orange Town Arc.

Nami plays a major role in the Straw Hats defeating Buggy himself, smacking his loose body parts into circus crates that she slams shut.

On the other hand, Netflix’s Nami in the live-action One Piece is pretty much as strong as Luffy and Zoro and stands on an equal footing with them when it comes to combat scenes. She s forces with the future Straw Hat Pirates during three different fight scenes in episode 1, as the trio fights off Marines at a base in Shells Town.

In episode 2, it’s Nami who saves Zoro from Buggy Pirate Cabaji, karate kicking Cabaji across a room before releasing Zoro from the circus wheel he’s tied to. Nami plays a major role in the Straw Hats defeating Buggy himself, smacking his loose body parts into circus crates that she slams shut, on Luffy’s instruction. In a later episode, she’s the one who knocks out a Marine with her staff when he calls the Straw Hat Pirates “criminals”.

Nami Will Likely Have Even More Action Scenes In One Piece Season 2

The Straw Hat Pirates Will Be Faced With Even More Formidable Adversaries

With the Straw Hat Pirates now fully united and ready to start their journey on the Grand Line, Nami is set to be involved in even more action during One Piece season 2. The season of Netflix’s One Piece will feature the character Smoker, a villainous naval officer who attacks the Straw Hat Pirates when they enter Loguetown. Since it’s confirmed that Loguetown will feature at the start of season 2, we can assume that there’ll be at least one action sequence involving Smoker, which will likely include Nami.

Meanwhile, in the Little Garden Arc, which could form the basis of episodes later in season 2, Nami is imprisoned on the prehistoric island of Little Garden and turned into a wax statue. She ultimately has to fight her way out, knocking out Baroque Works member Miss Valentine in the process. In addition, the Drum Island Arc, which is set to complete season 2, features a climactic battle sequence, which might again feature Nami depending on how fast she will recover from her sickness.

Why Netflix’s One Piece Made Nami Stronger Than The Anime Version

Her Strength Avoids A Negative Gender Stereotype And Reflects Her Harsh Upbringing

Netflix’s live-action One Piece made a good call in increasing Nami’s physical strength and fighting abilities for this adaptation of the manga series. If Emily Rudd’s character relied on Luffy and Zoro to get her out of trouble whenever she was in physical danger, it would have reinforced negative gender stereotypes about the only female member of the Straw Hat Pirates during season 1.

Nami had to become physically tough at a young age to endure the harsh conditions of imprisonment, which explains her strength and readiness to fight.

What’s more, Nami has an even darker backstory in the live-action One Piece than she does in the manga series. Her overall origin story is the same, though. As a member of the Arlong Pirates, she had to become physically tough at a young age to endure the harsh conditions of imprisonment, which explains her strength and readiness to fight and makes perfect sense in the context of the live-action show.

Nami Will Become Even More Powerful As One Piece Advances

Her First Major Solo Battle Will Come In Season 3’s Arabasta Arc

Nami’s fighting abilities will only grow stronger as the live-action version of One Piece continues beyond season 2. We already know that One Piece season 3 is set to focus on the Arabasta Arc, which is when Nami’s combat skills really come to the fore. At the beginning of this story arc, Nami asks Usopp to make a weapon for her so that she’s better equipped to fight like the other Straw Hat Pirates.

Usopp upgrades her bō staff into a stronger weapon called the Clima-Tact, which can not only withstand more powerful attacks but can also control the weather in its immediate environment. The Clima-Tact will be key to Nami’s fight against Ms. Doublefinger during the Arabasta Arc, as she learns to harness hot and cold air pressure to repel her opponent with great speed and force.

If Nami started the live-action One Piece as strong, powerful, and combative as she did, we can expect that her growth as a fighter in season 2 and her landmark battle with Ms. Doublefinger in season 3 will be even more dramatic than what’s portrayed in the anime show. Nami is set to be one of the Netflix series’ central heroes, alongside Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp. Her heroism won’t just be reflected in navigational and pickpocketing skills, however. Nami is going to be a warrior, and a great one, too.