As Netflix’s much-anticipated live-action adaptation of the popular anime One Piece is gearing up for a release on August 31, the streamer has announced that the Japanese voice actors from the original anime will reprise their roles for the Japanese dubbed version of the series.
Netflix released a video at Anime Expo 2023 in Los Angeles that showed Mayumi Tanaka, the original anime voice of Monkey D. Luffy, welcoming actor Iñaki Godoy (who plays Luffy in the series) to the Straw Hats with symbolic gifting of Luffy’s iconic straw hat.
Others who will join Mayumi Tanaka include Kazuya Nakai as Roronoa Zoro, Akemi Okamura as Nami, Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp, and Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji.
“I’ve been voicing Luffy for more than 23 years now, and I think everyone has a little bit of Luffy in their heart. Iñaki, who performs Luffy in this live-action series, is so fun and joyful that he really makes a perfect Luffy! I’m very happy to be able to voice Luffy in this adaptation as well. One Piece is a story whose words and images can resonate with you in different ways depending on your situation or perspective at any given moment, allowing for new discoveries all the time. And of course, nothing would bring me greater joy than if people who’ve never experienced One Piece can become part of the family beginning with this show,” shared Mayumi Tanaka.
Based on the manga written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. “Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, One Piece, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn,” reads the plot description from the streamer.
Written, developed, and executive produced by Steve Maeda and Matt Owens, the live-action series stars Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Additional cast includes Vincent Regan, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Langley Kirkwood, Jeff Ward, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, McKinley Belcher III, Craig Fairbrass, Steven Ward, Chioma Umeala, Peter Gadiot, Bianca Oosthuizen, Chanté Grainger, and Grant Ross.
