Shocking Age Comparisons: Netflix's One Piece Cast Vs Original Anime Characters

Summary

Some of the actors in Netflix's One Piece, such as Iñaki Godoy who plays Monkey D. Luffy, closely match the ages of their respective characters from the original anime.

Emily Rudd, who plays the character Nami, is ten years older than her anime depiction, while Mackenyu, who portrays Roronoa Zoro, is approximately six years older than his character.

Taz Skylar, who portrays Sanji, is of a similar age to Jacob Romero Gibson, who plays Usopp, as both actors were in their mid-20s at the start of filming for Netflix's One Piece.

The characters of the beloved anime series, One Piece, are brought to life in Netflix's live-action adaptation. However, many have questioned how the actors' ages align with those of their respective characters. Like many live-action adaptations, Netflix's One Piece makes a few changes to the original story to accommodate the transition from anime to live-action. Due to the lengthy ongoing nature of the One Piece anime, Netflix's version condenses the timeline of the initial story arcs. As a result, there are inquiries about whether the ages of the original characters have been altered. Throughout Netflix's One Piece, contextual hints are provided to indicate the ages of various characters, with some being slightly older than their anime counterparts. Given the diverse ages of the cast members in Netflix's live-action adaptation, the question of their alignment with their characters' ages in the original anime arises. Here are the real-life ages of each member of Netflix's One Piece cast and how they compare to the ages of their characters in the original anime story of the Straw Hat Pirates.

9 Iñaki Godoy - Monkey D. Luffy

8 Emily Rudd - Nami

Iñaki Godoy takes the lead in Netflix's One Piece as the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, also known as the self-proclaimed King of the Pirates. Luffy embarks on a quest to discover the legendary pirate treasure in the series. In reality, Godoy celebrated his 20th birthday just one week before the release of One Piece in August 2023. This implies that when the filming of One Piece commenced in January 2022, Godoy was 18 years old, aligning closely with Luffy's original age of 17 when he embarked on his voyage to assemble a pirate crew in One Piece.

In the Netflix adaptation of One Piece, there is a notable change regarding Luffy's first companion. Instead of the original anime where Nami is introduced to Luffy when she is 18 years old, the Netflix version depicts their meeting at an earlier stage. Nami is portrayed by Emily Rudd, who turned 30 in February 2023, before the show's release on the streaming platform. During the principal photography of One Piece in January 2022, Rudd was 28 years old, making her character 10 years older than her anime counterpart.

7 Mackenyu - Roronoa Zoro

Roronoa Zoro, an infamous pirate hunter, makes his debut in Netflix's One Piece. Following a fierce brawl with the Marines, Zoro finds himself bound within the courtyard of the Marine stronghold. It is Luffy who takes it upon himself to free Zoro and invite him to join his crew. Zoro stands out among the Straw Hat Pirate crew as the most grown-up, which is consistent with his position as one of the original members of the anime. At the start of the original One Piece storyline, Zoro is 19 years old. Mackenyu, the Japanese actor portraying Zoro in Netflix's adaptation, commenced filming in January 2022 at the age of 25, in line with his birthdate in November 1996.

6 Jacob Romero Gibson - Usopp

Usopp joins the Straw Hat crew on Netflix's One Piece as the fourth member, following Luffy, Nami, and Zoro. In the original anime, Usopp's age matches Luffy's at 17, which is also emphasized in the live-action adaptation on Netflix. Jacob Romero Gibson portrays Usopp in Netflix's One Piece and celebrated his 27th birthday in July 2023, a month before the show premiered. Thus, during the filming of Netflix's One Piece, Gibson was 25 years old, creating a small discrepancy compared to Usopp's age in the original anime.

5 Taz Skylar - Sanji

In the original One Piece, Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirates' chef, is one of the oldest members of the crew, along with Roronoa Zoro. Prior to the two-year time skip in the original series, Sanji joins the group of young pirates at the age of 19. In episode 6 of Netflix's One Piece, Sanji becomes a member of the Straw Hats after forming a friendship with Luffy in the previous episode. Taz Skylar, a Spanish-English actor, portrays the chef who has a fondness for women in the live-action adaptation. Skylar is of a similar age to Jacob Romero Gibson, with both actors being 26 years old during the filming of One Piece for Netflix, based on Skylar's birthdate of December 1995.

4 Vincent Regan - Monkey D. Garp

Luffy's grandfather in Netflix's One Piece, Vice Admiral Garp, adds an intriguing twist for those unfamiliar with the source material. In the live-action adaptation, Garp is portrayed by Vincent Regan, who was 56 years old when filming commenced for the series. It's worth noting that the actor turned 58 in May 2023. This age difference creates the largest contrast to date between an actor and their corresponding anime character, as Garp begins the story of One Piece at the age of 76, presenting a two-decade disparity between the two versions of the Marine Vice Admiral.

3 Morgan Davies - Koby

Despite not being part of the Straw Hat Pirates, Koby became Luffy's initial companion in the Netflix series One Piece. Initially forced to join Alvida's pirates, Koby was ultimately saved by Luffy and went on to fulfill his dream by joining the Marines. In the original anime, Koby was introduced at the age of 16, and in Netflix's live-action adaptation, actor Morgan Davies portrayed the character. As of the release of Netflix's One Piece, Davies, born in November 2001, was 21 years old, making him 20 during the filming that commenced in January 2022.

2 Jeff Ward - Buggy The Clown

Buggy the Clown is a recurring antagonist in season 1 of Netflix's One Piece. He holds the same role as a primary antagonist of the Straw Hat Pirates in the original One Piece anime, particularly in the early parts of the story. At the start of the original storyline, Buggy the Clown was 37 years old. When filming for Netflix's One Piece began in January 2022, the actor portraying Buggy, Jeff Ward, was 35 years old, as he was born in December 1986.

1 Peter Gadiot - Shanks

Luffy's childhood hero, Shanks, is a pirate on the Grand Line and is expected to have a significant role in a potential second season of Netflix's live-action adaptation of One Piece. In the original anime series, Shanks is 37 years old when Luffy starts his quest to become the King of the Pirates. Interestingly, Peter Gadiot, the actor portraying Shanks in the live-action adaptation, turned 38 in January 2023. This makes Gadiot 37 years old during the filming of the show, making him the only main cast member in Netflix's One Piece who perfectly matches the age of their character from the beloved original anime.