One Piece Live-Action Star Teases Nami's Emotional Arc From Manga: "I Have To Make It Right" (2024)

One Piece live-action star Emily Rudd teases that season 1 will feature a particularly emotional Nami story arc from the manga series. Netflix's One Piece adaptation will premiere on the platform on August 31, and will mark the first time the beloved manga and anime of the same name will be translated into live-action. Rudd landed a lead role in the series as Nami, the mapmaker for the Straw Hat Pirates, alongside Iñaki Godoy's Luffy and Mackenyu's Zoro.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Rudd shed some light on what viewers can expect from Nami's story in Netflix's One Piece. She teased that, right off the bat, the series will be diving into a very emotional story arc of Nami's from the manga series, which drew her into the show's fandom and inspired her to ensure she's doing right by them. Check out her statement below:

Oh, I was so deeply aware that this was going to hinge on me. I mean, the scene that we are addressing was the one that made me a fan of the show. It was what locked me in, and I remember the first time seeing it, I was bawling. And every time I have seen or read it since, I cry. I think about it, I cry. But that was the only scene that I think I was actually nervous for because everything else – like I said, I know I was joking when I said I was born to play Nami, but she truly is the first character in my career that I have ever been like: 'Oh, of course. Of course it's her. Of course it's me.' But that scene, because it means so much not only to existing fans, but to me, that was like, 'I have to make it right. I have to make it right,' and I really think that we did. Like the entire team really kind of turned it out for that moment.

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Editor's Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the movie covered here would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

What Nami Story Arc Will Netflix's One Piece Explore?

Of all the questions surrounding the live-action One Piece, some of the biggest ones revolve around which story arcs from the manga the show will utilize. Having begun in 1997, the manga spans over 1,000 chapters, meaning it's likely Netflix will need to do some condensing. The first season is slated to have eight episodes and will cover the first part of the manga, which is the East Blue Saga, though One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has warned that not all of the saga's characters and stories will appear.

Based on Rudd's statement, the emotional story arc she is referring to might be the Arlong Park Arc, which is the fifth arc of the East Blue Saga. This is the story arc that delves further into Nami than her initial introduction, in which she actually steals Luffy's ship, Going Merry, as well as the crew's treasure, and returns to her hometown. There, she is seemingly working for the pirate Arlong, who proves to be one of the first very memorable and formidable foes in One Piece, though, it quickly becomes clear there's more to the story than an unexpected betrayal.

Related: One Piece Is Making 1 Big Nami Change For Netflix's Live-Action Show

Nami's tragic backstory slowly unravels, and it's a harrowing and tear-jerking one. At a young age, her entire world was shattered, and she was forced to work for Arlong and do things against her will to save the lives of her family and village. When Nami asks Luffy for help, viewers realize just how much pain she's in, considering her pride would normally prevent her from ever asking for or accepting help. Many fans of the source material already suspected Netflix's One Piece would include the Arlong Park Arc, and Rudd's comments seem to assure the show won't hold back on the emotion.

Source: GamesRadar