Exclusive Insight: The Untold Reason Behind Loguetown's Omission in One Piece - A Major Regret by the Showrunner
One Piece showrunner expresses regret over cutting present-day Loguetown in the anime Fans anticipate future seasons to delve deeper into the early world-building of the manga
Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Netflix's One Piece!
Summary
The Loguetown arc was omitted from the live-action adaptation of One Piece due to limited budget and time constraints, resulting in disappointment and a rushed feeling among the showrunners.
In order to maintain the show's dedication to preserving each story's integrity and giving importance to world-building and character development, the decision was made to reserve Loguetown for a future season.
The Loguetown arc holds significant importance for the future of the franchise, as it brings back important characters like Buggy, Alvida, and introduces the Marine Smoker. It also hints at backstory connections that fans would be thrilled to explore in a potential season 2.
Despite being an integral part of the expansive One Piece universe, Loguetown received only fleeting attention in the live-action adaptation. Co-showrunner Steven Maeda has shed light on the reason behind this. Situated in the East Blue and featured in chapter 1 of Eiichiro Oda's manga, this city, which spans almost an entire island, was initially showcased as the location of Gold Roger's execution. It was here that Roger revealed the existence of the coveted treasure and invited the world to seek it out. While the live-action show did include the depiction of Roger's execution, certain alterations were made. Vice Admiral Garp presided over the execution, and it was attended by "Red-Haired" Shanks and Mihawk. However, the series did not revisit Loguetown after that.
During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for the premiere of the show, Steven Maeda discussed the changes made for the live-action adaptation of One Piece. He admitted that one of his biggest regrets was having to remove the Loguetown arc from the Netflix series. Although there were initial plans to include it, they were unable to fit it into the eight-episode season and wanted to avoid rushing the storyline. Maeda explained that they briefly featured Loguetown in the beginning, during Roger's execution, but couldn't find space to fully explore it. Budget constraints and the complexity of recreating the town were also factors.
Editor's Note: This article was crafted amidst the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, emphasizing that the featured show owes its existence to the dedicated work of the writers and actors from both unions.
Future One Piece Seasons Can Incorporate More Of Manga's Early World-Building
In addition to removing the Loguetown arc from the live-action One Piece, the Netflix showrunners made several other significant changes. They decided to cut everything from The Island of Rare Animals and introduced Arlong much earlier. The creative team had initially planned to adapt the first 100 chapters of Oda's manga for season 1, with a focus on staying true to the source material. This led to the inclusion of the Baratie and Syrup Village arcs, which remained faithful to the original storyline. Considering that Loguetown covered the final five chapters of the first 100 in the manga, as well as episodes 45 and 48-53 in the anime, it would have been logical for it to appear in the live-action show.
Loguetown being saved for a later time in One Piece may enhance the longevity of the series. Maeda's decision to not rush this crucial arc demonstrates a commitment to maintaining the authenticity of the individual stories, as well as the overall world-building and character development. Furthermore, Loguetown holds significant importance for the future of the franchise and the Straw Hat Pirates. Not only does it reintroduce Buggy the Clown Pirate and his partner Alvida, who Luffy had previously defeated, but it also hints at interconnected backstories involving characters like Buggy, Gold Roger, Shanks, and Mihawk. Additionally, the introduction of the formidable Marine Smoker, who possesses powers from the Logia-type Devil Fruit, promises to be a recurring antagonist for Luffy and his crew. Given the abundance of material to explore within the first 100 chapters of the manga, as well as the extensive 26-year history of the series comprising over 1000 chapters, it is hoped that Loguetown will be one of the first arcs to be explored in a potential second season of One Piece.
