Netflix One Piece Live Action has been one of the greatest shows of 2023. The anime live adaptation surprised everyone when it got great reviews from critics and fans, especially after the horrible live adaptations of Death Note and Cowboy Bebop by Netflix. It was no secret that Eiichiro Oda played a big role in helping the series break from the shackles of failed live adaptations.
Another reason for its success was the showrunner, Matt Owens, who is a massive fan of One Piece and was particularly strict when following the manga storyline. Eiichiro Oda was always great at foreshadowing things in his magnum opus. He is the same with One Piece Live Action, too. Apart from Shanks Conqueror’s Haki, another individual had used Haki in Netflix’s series.
Monkey D. Garp Proved Why He Is A Marine Vice Admiral
In the anime, Monkey D. Garp’s proper introduction was done a bit later, but the live adaptation changed it. They introduced Garp’s character from the beginning, and he plays a major role in the series. His job as a Marine Vice Admiral and a grandparent was to bring in Monkey D. Luffy and make him forget his pirate ways. After chasing him for days, he got hold of his grandson at the end of the series.
While Garp was ready to take Luffy by force, he was not going to give up his dream of becoming the King of the Pirates. Since no side could compromise, they began to fight. At that time, Luffy stretched his arm and tried to punch Garp, but he could not dodge it. The sequence showed that time became slow, and Garp could clearly see Luffy’s hand and just moved his head a bit to dodge it.
Then he curled up his fist and punched Luffy, which sent him flying. Even though Monkey D. Luffy was made from rubber, the punch hurt him. It showed that Monkey D. Garp also used Haki in One Piece Live Action, apart from Red Hair Shanks. While dodging, he used Observation Haki and then the Armament Haki to punch Luffy, known as the ‘Fist of Love’ by anime watchers. Being a Marine Vice Admiral, it was expected of Garp that he knew Haki.
More on One Piece Live Action
Netflix One Piece Live Action gave several subtle hints that the audiences may have missed. Garp using Haki was one of them. While a few changes were major, Netflix managed to keep the essence of the manga intact. It is Eiichiro Oda’s nature to tease the fans and to be honest, the fans love it. It took hundreds of episodes for anime watchers to know what Haki is and what its types are.
But now that they are well-versed in that topic, they could tell that all three types of Haki were shown in the live adaptation. The first was Conqueror’s Haki by Shanks, and Monkey D. Garp showed the Observation Haki and the Armament Haki. Since the live adaptation is going at a faster pace than the anime, it will be interesting to see how fast Monkey D. Luffy learns it.
Few new characters will be introduced in Netlfix’s One Piece Live Action season 2, and the Strawhats will set foot on the Grand Line for the first time. It may take a couple more seasons for them to learn Haki, but showcasing Haki once in a while will rile up the fans, just like what Monkey D. Garp did.
