One Piece: In What Episode Does Franky Join The Crew?
The Straw Hat Pirates have spent nearly three decades searching for One Piece, the titular treasure in Eiichiro Oda's legendary manga. Over that time, Monkey D. Luffy added numerous members to his pirate crew who possess unique traits — a part of what makes "One Piece" such a special ensemble series.
Franky is one of the later members to join the Straw Hat Pirates. The cyborg shipwright joins the crew in Episode 322, "Goodbye my Loveable Followers! Franky Departs," leaving his bounty hunter team — the Franky Family — to start living his dreams again. Casual audiences may find it wild that "One Piece" is still adding new characters to the Straw Hats after 300 episodes but it's best to remember that the anime has over 1,000 episodes. So, technically, Franky's addition to the crew happens fairly early on in the series.
Although Franky is a latter-half addition to the Straw Hat Pirates, he still carries his own within the crew. The character starts as an enemy to Luffy and the gang in the "Water 7" arc, becoming an ally and full-time member by its end. He designs and builds the crew's second ship, the Thousand Sunny, which is still floating to this day.
Could we see Franky in Netflix's live-action One Piece?
The Straw Hat Pirates' dynamic is the driving force behind the success of Eiichiro Oda's manga and subsequent anime. Nearly 30 years later, "One Piece" is still going strong. Of course, it's no surprise that Netflix jumped at the opportunity to bring it to live-action.
For Netflix's "One Piece" to get to "Water 7" and Franky's introduction, the live-action adaptation will need at least one more season. Assuming Season 1 tackles the formation of the core group of Straw Hat Pirates, it'd end around the "Arabasta Arc." Then it could tackle that arc in a potential Season 2 — possibly along with "Sky Island." If that's the case, Season 3 could tackle "Water 7" and the introduction of Franky to the Straw Hat crew. But this is all hypothetical. Still, it's safe to say seeing Franky in live-action relies on Netflix's "One Piece" being a huge success.
As it currently stands, things are looking good for Netflix's adaptation. The streamer recently debuted its first trailer, showing all the hijinks the live-action series will offer. Also, fans will be glad to know that Netflix is giving the adaptation all the resources it needs. "'One Piece' is Netflix's biggest production in Africa to date – both in terms of scale and budget," the President of South Africa said in a press statement. While big budgets aren't synonymous with success, Netflix remaining committed to "One Piece" is crucial to the show's success.