Eiichiro Oda’s creation is a masterpiece. Netflix’s One Piece Live Action has already crossed several milestones within three weeks of its release. The series got positive reviews from everyone. While people were not so sure about it, considering the history of anime adaptations, they loved it after they gave it a try. One Piece Live Action has established itself as one of the biggest blockbusters for Netflix in 2023.
But the process of making it great was not easy. The auditions were a tough phase for the series. But Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, made the right choices with the cast. Iñaki Godoy, who plays Monkey D. Luffy, had the chance to meet Oda sensei. He was not sure why he was chosen by him. So he asked for the reason. Oda sensei’s answer was a life-changing one for Iñaki Godoy.
Reason For Eiichiro Oda To Choose Iñaki Godoy As Monkey D. Luffy
Iñaki Godoy’s portrayal of Monkey D. Luffy has won many hearts. It comes as no surprise that he was chosen by none other than Eiichiro Oda. But there was a particular reason as to why the legendary mangaka chose him out of thousands of auditions. The reason was plain and simple, Iñaki Godoy made Eiichiro Oda laugh.
It may sound like a lame reason, but no one knows Luffy better than his creator. Monkey D. Luffy is an easy-going fun-loving character. His smile plays a big role in his journey. The carefree laugh is an important characteristic of Luffy. He did it every time; whether the situation was serious or fun. Iñaki Godoy portrayed it perfectly.
When Iñaki Godoy first met Eiichiro Oda, he did not waste any time to ask why he chose him. He asked, “Why me? Why did you like me?” Eiichiro Oda answered, “I was watching various audition tapes, and when I saw you, I kind of started laughing.” To this Godoy was overjoyed.
Eiichiro Oda On Iñaki Godoy
Eiichiro Oda was very serious from the beginning of the One Piece Live Action series. He wanted no mistakes to happen. He wanted the series to have the essence of the manga and the anime but also wanted to have a separate identity for itself. For that reason, few changes were made to the series, but overall everything was based on the Straw Hats.
The creator of One Piece was worried that he would never find his live-action Luffy. But then came Iñaki Godoy –the human portrayal of Luffy. Oda said to Iñaki Godoy, “You’re just like the character I drew in the manga.” Oda thought to himself, “That’s Luffy.”
This is the biggest opportunity in Iñaki Godoy’s life. No one would have thought that a smile could change someone’s life. Moreover, there can be no doubt about this decision, since the creator of the highest-selling manga himself chose him.
Source: YouTube
