One Piece’s live-action has made a elevated Nami’s character, making her better than her anime counterpart.

SUMMARY

Netflix’s One Piece Season 1 has garnered positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
While it has done several changes to match it with the timeline of the Season 1 timeline, Emily Rudd’s Nami character has witnessed a significant change.
In the live-action, she’s more courageous and composed unlike her anime counterpart.

Netflix’s adaptation of the popular anime, One Piece was an immense hit garnering positive reviews from critics and fans. The fair success of the first season has already greenlighted the show for another season with many praising it for remaining faithful to its original source. That being said, it has also altered some elements that are different from the anime due to its restrained time slot. 
Netflix’s One Piece live-action

Given that the series has over 1000 episodes, they would have to adjust it accordingly to cover the events in the 8 episodes of the first season. Emily Rudd’s character, Nami also underwent several changes from her anime counterpart, which made her character stand out more in live-action. But, there’s one abstract detail per Reddit user, which has notably improved the character. 

What Makes One Piece Live-Action Nami Better than Her Anime Counterpart?

Emily Rudd as Nami in One Piece live-action

After the announcement of Netflix working on the One Piece adaptation came to the surface, many became worried whether they would portray the storylines correctly with what happened in the original source. However, the live-action adaptation has managed to win fans’ hearts by retaining the original source’s essence to it.

But, when it comes to Nami’s character, we witnessed several changes, even in the timelines. However, as per a Reddit user, Emily Rudd’s Nami is more “courageous and stronger than her anime counterpart.” 

They shared, 

“This is evidenced not only in her battles alongside the crew but also in her embodiment of her role as a cat burglar. Interestingly, we don’t see her engaging in much cat burgling in the anime or the manga.”

While the anime or manga did not feature much of her cat burgling sequences, the live-action version has tremendously added further depth to her trait as “Nami steals keys from Axehand, expertly opens safes, and lock-picks cages, thereby proving her indispensability to the crew beyond just creating maps and navigation.”

The user further asserted how live-action has given her character a gritty tone thus enhancing her backstory. 

“The narrative of Nami actively seeking to join Arlong’s crew while keeping her intentions hidden from the village intensifies her portrayal. It emphasizes her inability to trust others, yet it also underscores her incredible kindness and her willingness to sacrifice herself for the village she deeply loves.”

In the live-action, Nami’s character traits are expressed with more clarity, with several instances making her nature evident to the viewers. However, this is not the only difference that makes her character stand out. 

Emily Rudd’s Nami is Introduced Earlier in One Piece Netflix Adaptation

Nami in One Piece anime

In the live-action, she’s seen as more composed, leaving unnecessary dramatic moments that vary from her anime counterpart. However, this change could have been done to match the tone of the live-action adaptation. 

Netflix’s One Piece has made a significant story change in Nami’s case with her introduction sequence. In the manga, she is introduced during the Orange Town arc. in Chapter Eight. However, the live-action took a different approach as it introduced the female protagonist in Episode 1.

One of the major changes in her sequence is how she allies with Luffy and Zoro to steal the map to the Grand Line. It is slightly different from the manga as she’s already a part of the Straw Hat’s team in the Netflix series. 

Advertisement

The live-action adaptation of One Piece consisting of 8 episodes in the first season is available to stream on Netflix.