One Piece’s colorful set of characters. However, not everything about Sanji works.
Netflix’s One Piece was expected to make changes to Eiichiro Oda’s manga, from the pacing of the story to which characters and locations would be featured. With only eight episodes to cover an entire anime saga, most of One Piece season 1’s changes to the manga had to do with the pacing and how one arc tied into the next. That said, the Netflix live-action show also made a couple of changes to the backstories and even the personalities of some characters. This includes toning down Sanji’s “pervert gag” from the manga.
One Piece Live-Action Dropping Sanji’s Gag Made Him So Much Better
Sanji’s “Gag” Was Not Overused In The Live-Action Show
While Sanji is a loyal friend, a skillful warrior, and a great cook, he is arguably most known for being a womanizer who behaves like a pervert and tries to romance almost every female character he encounters. Sanji’s pervert gag isn’t exclusive to One Piece and can be found in plenty of other anime, from Master Roshi in Dragon Ball to Jiraya in Naruto. However, not only did Sanji’s gag start to become annoying in the manga, but it would not work well for the live-action version of the character in Netflix’s One Piece.
One Piece Season 2's Main Cast |
Characters |
|---|---|
Inãki Godoy |
Monkey D. Luffy |
Emily Rudd |
Nami |
Mackenyu |
Roronoa Zoro |
Jacob Romero Gibson |
Usopp |
Taz Skylar |
Sanji |
Jeff Ward |
Buggy the Clown |
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino |
Alvida |
Callum Kerr |
Smoker |
Charithra Chandran |
Miss Wednesday |
David Dastmalchian |
Mr. 3 |
Joe Manganiello |
Mr. O |
Lera Abova |
Miss All Sunday |
Thankfully, One Piece season 1 toned down Sanji’s “perviness” and made it a funny quirk rather than an annoying, often ridiculous personality trait that completely defined the character. Taz Skylar's Sanji is still the pathetic romantic who wants to flirt with Nami and every other woman on the show, but the gag doesn’t overtake the character. Not every Sanji scene in the live-action series involves him trying to flirt or making disrespectful comments. Quite the contrary, there are only a couple of scenes in which Sanji’s character is used for humor only.
Sanji Is A Far More Interesting One Piece Character When You Ignore His Gag
Many Serious Sanji Moments Were Undercut By His Silliness In The Anime
Sanji is one of the most fascinating One Piece characters, from his full origin story to the choices he makes later down the line. However, much of this gets lost whenever Sanji’s pervy gag takes over and becomes the defining trait of his character. There have been several One Piece scenes in which Sanji will be saying something serious or inspiring, only for the tone of the scene to completely shift as he “breaks character” to comment on Nami or another female character. Any joke told too many times risks no longer being funny.
One Piece gets more serious – or at least gets higher stakes – as the story advances. One would think that Sanji would not be used as comic relief as often in those circumstances, yet his gag seems to have only gotten worse. One Piece has a very distinctive tone and humor, and while it is a funny series regardless of how high the stakes are, the jokes involving Sanji tend to be hit or miss. This is something that the live-action show was going to have to solve sooner rather than later.
Sanji & Zoro’s Rivalry Can Be Much Cooler In Live-Action Thanks To Netflix’s Change
Sanji Can Be Depicted As An Equal Rather Than A Comic Relief
One of the many positive outcomes of Netflix’s toning down Sanji’s “romanticism” is how he can be used as a serious character more often. It can be difficult to take Sanji seriously in the anime sometimes given how many of his lines are played for laughs, which is a problem that the live-action show will avoid. In fact, Sanji had one of the most emotional scenes in the first season of the Netflix show – the moment where he bids farewell to Zeff.
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Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry also benefits from the cook not being used primarily as a comic relief. While Zoro also has some hilarious moments, he is depicted as a more serious character who can fight for the crew whenever Luffy isn’t there. Depicting Sanji as a not-so-silly character means he can be seen as an equal to Zoro, which can make their banter even more hilarious and believable. One Piece should not abandon Sanji’s humor altogether, but the Netflix series seems to have found the perfect approach to the character.
One Piece (Live-Action)
- Release Date
- August 31, 2023
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Matt Owens
Cast
Iñaki GodoyMonkey D. Luffy
Emily RuddNami
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy's relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
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