One Piece: Luffy's Father Made His Netflix Debut But Most Fans Missed It
Did you know that Eiichiro Oda, creator of the ongoing "One Piece" franchise, served as an executive producer for Netflix's live-action adaptation of his own manga? It's true! While not actually credited as a director, writer, or showrunner for Netflix's "One Piece," Oda played a major role in what made it to the screen. Entire sequences were reshot whenever the original artist felt as though the product didn't live up to his source material, so it probably comes as little surprise to know that the live-action adaptation of the Straw Hat Pirates' grand line adventure features some seriously deep-cut Easter eggs, including a shot of Monkey D. Luffy's (Iñaki Godoy) father, Monkey D. Dragon. But don't worry if you missed it — most fans did.
In Season 1, Episode 1, "Romance Dawn," during the prologue in which a comparatively young Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan) executes Pirate King Gol D. Roger (Michael Dorman), the camera pans across a full crowd of onlookers. The audience is mostly comprised of Loguetown citizens and Marines, although there's a young Shanks (Matt Herrington) and a young Dracule Mihawk (Theo Le Ray) on full display, too.
But there's another soul watching the Pirate King's final moments — a towering figure cloaked head-to-toe in green. Fans of the manga and anime will recognize this as the garb of Luffy's father, Dragon. It's not exactly a blink-and-you'll-miss-it situation because the green cloak stands out against the blue and white uniforms of the Marines, but casual or new fans won't understand the significance of this odd man out.
Netflix's One Piece is crammed with well-crafted detail
Netflix's "One Piece" is littered with Easter eggs like this. A flashback in Season 1, Episode 1, features a version of "Blink's Brew" or "Blink's Sake," a familiar tune to fans of the Thriller Bark Arc that introduces Brook, a skeletal musician who will eventually join Monkey D. Luffy's pirate crew. Season 1, Episode 2, "The Man in the Straw Hat," cameos Chouchou the Guard Dog (whose time in the anime garners the kind of tears typically saved for indie dramas) for a brief shot when the Straw Hat Pirates set sail from a reclaimed Orange Town. Even the credits include fun nods to obscure details. For example, the map animation that plays beneath the scrolling names will often display a drawing of Momoo, a cow-themed sea monster who appears in Eiichiro Oda's source material as well as the anime.
It's these kinds of moments that make Netflix's live-action adaptation of "One Piece" so magical because there is quite literally something for every tier of fan intrigue. The newcomers will hopefully enjoy the condensed origin story of Luffy's pirate crew; the casual fans will hopefully thrive in the series' dedication to the manga's eccentricity; and the diehard fans will hopefully forgive alterations and appreciate Eiichiro Oda's dedication to detail. Even so, Oda already has a response for haters – he just wants them to give this thing a chance, just like he has.
Aside from the main plot's obvious intent for a Season 2, which at this point is unannounced but likely, Oda's already planted the seeds for a number of branching arcs, which, if we're being honest, is 100 percent on-brand for "One Piece."