Netflix's One Piece Trailer: Breakdown, Small Details, And Big Reveals

Everyone knows that live-action adaptations of animes don't have the best track record, but even "Death Note" couldn't stop Netflix from going all-in on the trend. The streamer has now set its sights on "One Piece," bringing Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates to life, and dare we say, it looks promising. 

Created by manga artist Eiichiro Oda, "One Piece" has captivated audiences for decades, telling the famously lengthy story of Monkey D. Luffy and his quest for the greatest pirate treasure and the title of King of the Pirates. The legendary and still ongoing manga birthed an equally impressive anime, which cemented itself as one of the titans of the industry. With the upcoming adaptation, Netflix and Oda hope that "One Piece" will achieve even greater heights, becoming a staple for the streaming service and dodging the black hole of irrelevancy that countless live-action animes have fallen into. 

Netflix recently dropped the official trailer for "One Piece," and fans love what they see in the live-action adaptation. The streamer managed to fit a lot into its three-minute run time, including looks at beloved characters, future villains, and some "One Piece" lore. There's plenty to unpack in Netflix's "One Piece" trailer, so we broke down some small details you may have missed.

The "One Piece" trailer kicks off in an epic fashion, depicting the incredibly influential public execution of Gol D. Roger (Michael Dorman). Newcomers may not be familiar with the pirate, but longtime fans know everything there is to know about the man who was once the King of the Pirates.

In "One Piece," Gol D. Roger is the most legendary pirate in history and the captain of the Roger Pirates. He became the Pirate King by conquering the Grand Line and obtaining the One Piece. While his accomplishments on the seas made him a legend, they also put him directly in the World Government's crosshairs. Dying of an incurable disease, Gol D. Roger turned himself in, and the government planned to execute him publicly as a message to all pirates. Instead, with his last words, Roger refused to reveal the location of the One Piece, inspiring a new generation of pirates, including Luffy, to search for the hidden treasure and claim his title of King of the Pirates, ushering in the Golden Age of Pirates.

From the looks of it, Netflix's "One Piece" sticks close to the source material for Roger's execution, with practically a one-to-one adaptation of the same scene from the anime. With that in mind, chances are the live-action series gives us a glimpse at some of the Roger Pirates, as both Shanks and Buggy attended their captain's execution, and are set to appear in "One Piece."

Speaking of Shanks, the "One Piece" trailer also gives fans their first look at the fan-favorite character in live-action, including his heroics that not only set Luffy on the trajectory of becoming a pirate, but is one of the series' most iconic moments.

At the 2:15 mark of the trailer, we get a quick glimpse of Shanks and Luffy on a small boat as a giant monster erupts from the sea. We then see the monster lunge at Shanks, who holds up his left arm in defense. While it may not look like much to the average viewer, "One Piece" fans will quickly recognize this as a defining moment in Luffy's story, where Shanks sacrifices his arm to save the boy from a Sea King.

Early in "One Piece," a young Luffy finds himself thrown into the ocean, unable to swim because of his Devil Fruit powers, with a massive Sea King ready to eat him. Just as the monster goes in for a bite, Shanks saves Luffy, sacrificing his left arm to ensure the boy survives. The emotional moment shows Luffy how much Shanks believes in him, although he never outright tells him. Shortly after, Shanks and his Red Hair Pirates depart, leaving Luffy in Foosha Village, but not before the captain gives him his iconic straw hat, inspiring Luffy to become a greater pirate than Shanks.

Of course, the biggest draw of "One Piece" is seeing all the beloved characters brought to live-action for the first time, and Netflix's trailer features plenty of heroes and villains — many of which will play more significant roles if "One Piece" gets more than one season. 

The Straw Hat Crew is front and center in the trailer, with Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero), and Sanji (Taz Skylar) looking as if the fan-favorite pirates walked directly off the pages of Eiichiro Oda's manga. We even see the crew wearing a few different outfits, further showcasing how closely "One Piece" is sticking to the source material. 

Outside of the Straw Hats, the trailer shows Marine vice admiral Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan) at the 0:23 mark in attendance at Gol D. Roger's execution. At 0:46, we see Alvida (Ilia Isorelýs Paulino), the captain of the Alvida Pirates, and her ship, the Miss Love Duck. Although she doesn't pose much of a threat to Luffy, she's the first adversary he encounters on his journey and helps introduce him to Koby (Morgan Davies), who appears at the end of the trailer. At 2:14, we even get a quick look at Dracule Mihawk (Steven Ward), one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and a large part of Zoro's early story. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, at 2:26, we believe the trailer shows a first look at Helmeppo, although it's too blurry to know for sure. Many of these characters likely won't play significant roles in Season 1, but remember them if "One Piece" gets more seasons, as the story always brings back some familiar faces. 

What makes Netflix's "One Piece" look like such a promising live-action adaptation is that the production didn't heavily rely on visual effects to bring the world to life, building massive sets instead, and the trailer shows them off in all their glory. 

From the beginning, we see Loguetown, where Gol D. Roger was born and executed. The production even built the tall execution platform, where "One Piece" Season 1 could end, as the Straw Hats travel to see the legendary location. At 0:16, Baratie is in full view, where a few important battles will go down before Luffy, Zoro, and Nami add Sanji to the crew. Throughout the trailer, we get glimpses of other iconic "One Piece" locations, including Shells Town, Orange Town, and Arlong Park. The production also built multiple pirate ships to film on, like the Going Merry and the Miss Love Duck, showcasing Netflix's commitment to establishing the world of "One Piece" on the streaming service. 

While it may not seem like a massive feat, Netflix could've easily used on green screens and visual effects when filming "One Piece," and it's almost surprising that they didn't, given Hollywood's current reliance on visual effects. Instead, they had crews build them on-location, and from the trailer, it seems that investment paid off, as Echiiro Oda's beautiful world looks incredible in its transition to live-action.

While Netflix relied on practical effects to bring the locations of "One Piece" to life, that isn't the case for the Devil Fruit powers, which are also on full display in the trailer with Luffy and Buggy. 

Luffy's powers come from the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit, which he ate as a child, giving his entire body the properties of rubber. With it, Luffy can stretch, bounce, bend, twist, and inflate any part of his body, with even crazier techniques coming later in the series. Netflix's trailer holds out most of Luffy's abilities until the end, showcasing them during his battle against Arlong. We see him stretch his mouth, legs, and arms, showcasing one of his signature moves, Gomu Gomu no Gatling, to pummel Arlong at 2:19. 

Similarly, the "One Piece" trailer also gives us our first look at Buggy's Bara Bara no Mi Devil Fruit, which lets him split his body into pieces, reassembling them at will. At 1:19, we see Buggy split up nearly his entire body, calling out his iconic Chop Chop Cannon ability as he launches his knife-wielding body parts at, presumably, Zoro and Nami.

Although the trailer only showcases Luffy and Buggy's Devil Fruit abilities, there's a chance "One Piece" could feature another Devil Fruit user. We don't know exactly how much of "One Piece" Season 1 of the Netflix series will cover, but assuming it wraps up the East Blue Saga, it could end with the introduction of Captain Smoker, a ruthless Marine with smoke powers. Either way, Luffy and the Straw Hat crew will have their hands full with the show's confirmed villains.

Axe-Hand Morgan doesn't outright appear in the "One Piece" trailer, but Netflix sure does a lot to tease his imposing presence. 

At 2:25, "One Piece" gives fans a not-so-subtle tease of the corrupt Marine captain, with just an axe and a hand taking up the entire screen. While general audiences may not look twice at the shot, fans of the anime will instantly understand the reference, and if that wasn't enough, you can barely make out Morgan's iconic metal jaw in the corner. Then, at 2:26, just as Luffy is gearing up to unleash a massive stretchy kick, eagle-eyed fans will spot a poster of Morgan behind the pirate captain. It's difficult to determine exactly what the Marine Captain looks like, but his metal jaw stands out very clearly. 

"One Piece" fans know that Axe-Hand Morgan is Luffy's first adversary that challenges his plans of becoming the Pirate King. As the main antagonist of the first arc of "One Piece," Morgan abuses his military power, ruling Shells Town with an iron fist — quite literally, as he has an axe for a hand. When Luffy encounters him, Morgan is holding Zoro prisoner, torturing the bounty hunter by tying him to a crucifix and starving him. Although Morgan is a worthy adversary for a young, inexperienced Luffy, he won't be the Straw Hat captain's biggest challenge in Netflix's "One Piece."

Unlike Axe-Hand Morgan, Arlong shows his shark face throughout the "One Piece" trailer, and the fish-man has the same menacing and imposing presence as he does in the anime. 

Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) first appears at the 1:53 mark, just as Usopp (Jacob Romero) says, "Our crew can handle anything," teasing that the Straw Hats aren't ready to take on the likes of him and his pirate crew. The trailer wastes no time showing off Arlong's strength as he launches Luffy through the doors of Baratie Bar, showing a strange form of mercy to the Straw Hats by offering to kill them together. At 2:03, fans even get a glimpse of the captain of the Arlong Pirates wielding Kiribachi, a massive serrated sword capable of cutting through buildings. 

Without diving too deep into spoilers, Arlong plays a pivotal role in the Straw Hats' early story, particularly regarding Nami, her backstory, and her official addition to the crew. Luffy runs into Arlong after making his way through Axe-Hand Morgan, Buggy, and the Black Cat Pirates, so don't expect to see him until the end of Season 1. However, he'll be worth the wait, as he gives Luffy an immense obstacle to overcome, bringing an interesting fighting style with him. He's a sawshark fish-man, meaning he's a humanoid shark. He primarily attacks with his long serrated nose, but during his fight with Luffy, he pulls out a few crazy moves. It will be interesting to see if they make it to the live-action "One Piece."

While Arlong will be a massive challenge for Luffy and the Straw Hats to overcome, there's an incredibly emotional moment that comes during the story arc, one that longtime "One Piece" fans will have to emotionally prepare to reexperience in the live-action series. 

At 2:05, a defeated Nami falls to her knees just before a very serious-looking Luffy places his hat on her head. The next shot is Nami crying while wearing the iconic straw hat, as Luffy tells Arlong, "I'm gonna kick your a** because no one messes with my friends." It may not seem like much to "One Piece" newcomers, but longtime fans know exactly what scene this is, which will undoubtedly be one of the most emotional moments of "One Piece" Season 1. 

Skirting around spoilers, when Luffy and Zoro meet Nami, she has a very complicated past, and this moment pulls on every emotional heartstring relating to her tragic backstory. The series introduces Nami as a thief, stealing treasure from other pirates and bringing them back to her captain and pirate crew: Arlong and the Arlong Pirates. It's definitely a one-sided relationship, with Nami feeling trapped rather than enjoying her time with the fish-man pirates. Eventually, she can no longer take Arlong's abuse, and in a very emotional moment, Luffy places his straw hat on her head, signaling he'll do whatever it takes for his friend. 

To make it even better, Netflix rips the scene straight from the manga and anime, proving that "One Piece" is sticking close to the source material for its live-action adaptation.

At 2:41, right after the title card, Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and Koby (Morgan Davies) look at a wall of wanted posters. There's plenty of anti-pirate propaganda on the wall, but while Luffy can't get over his picture not being up there, we can't help but focus on the faces that are. The first and most obvious is Alvida, who both Luffy and Koby have already met, and her wanted poster reveals a 5 million berry bounty on her head. Eagle-eyed fans will also spot a wanted poster for Cavendish in this shot, which is interesting, as the character isn't introduced to "One Piece" until much later in the series.

In the next shot, Foxy's wanted poster is on full display, revealing an impressive 24 million berry bounty on the captain of the Foxy Pirates. While not as far out as Cavendish, Foxy's tease likely wouldn't pay off until either "One Piece" Season 2 or 3, as the Straw Hats don't encounter him until their voyage to Water 7. Then, there's Bellamy's wanted poster, as the member of the Donquixote Pirates has a 55 million berry bounty on his head. Bellamy is another antagonist the Straw Hats will eventually run into, but again, the earliest that could happen is Season 2.

Although it may be a while until these teases pay off, it's nice that "One Piece" is planning ahead, expecting the Netflix series to be a hit and garner enough attention to return for multiple seasons. If the trailer is anything to go off of, the teases will eventually pay off, as the live-action "One Piece" looks as promising as ever.