Netflix recently unveiled Chopper's design in the live-action One Piece series, rekindling the debate surrounding the adaptation. This reaction proves that the American company will face a major challenge, as the sequel to Eiichiro Oda's manga is full of characters that are particularly difficult to adapt. Here are seven that Netflix could well struggle with.
#1 Wapol
Netflix has taken the first step by showing Chopper, but it still has to take the second step. Wapol, the antagonist of the Drum Island arc and enemy of the reindeer, represents a real challenge. His appearance is already strange to begin with, but it becomes even more complex when he uses the Baku Baku no Mi, a Devil Fruit that allows him to swallow and assimilate anything into his body. This means that his physique is constantly changing, adopting forms as absurd as they are unpredictable. Add to that the snowy environment of his arc, and adapting Wapol could well become an almost insurmountable challenge for Netflix.
#2 Jinbe
The biggest anticipation for Season 1 was the fish-men, but their design unfortunately disappointed. Netflix now has no choice but to make up for it with Jinbe, a character whose adaptation promises to be even more complex. The pirate is much more imposing than Arlong, and based on the live-action version of the latter, we can fear that Jinbe will lose his on-screen presence. Netflix still has time to think about this problem, but even the coming years won't guarantee a perfect adaptation of the sea paladin.
#3 Kaku
Among the members of CP9, Kaku will undoubtedly be the most difficult to adapt. Even without his transformation, his appearance is already atypical. We can imagine that Netflix will choose, as with Usopp, to skip his nose, but it would be a shame not to keep this characteristic, especially when he takes his giraffe form. It is also this transformation that poses the most problems: beyond his appearance, it is his size and his movements that risk being complicated to transcribe on screen. The fight against Zoro could quickly become confusing, which would be unfortunate since he's one of the best in the manga.
#4 Gecko Moria
Thriller Bark is, by default, a particularly difficult arc to adapt. One of the main reasons, of course, is Gecko Moria. The pirate has one of the strangest appearances in One Piece. He's the kind of character that could only exist in comics or anime. Representing it realistically is almost impossible, and yet, Netflix will have to tackle it.
#5 Dorry and Brogy
The other big challenge of this second season is a big one: it must introduce Dorry and Brogy, two very important characters as the last chapters show. The history of giants in cinema is not very glorious. Indeed, outside of animated films, successful adaptations are rare. For One Piece, Netflix will have to reverse the trend, but the mountain in front of them could be too big.
#6 Wadatsumi
If adapting fish-men and giants is already a challenge in itself, what about characters who combine both characteristics? This is the case with Wadatsumi, who even poses an additional problem: he looks like a forty-year-old baby. So there's a good chance that her appearance will be particularly disturbing in live action.
#7 The Charlotte Family
The Charlotte family is a bit like The Magic Roundabout: there's something for everyone! With its 86 members, each one more different from the next, we wonder how Netflix will manage to avoid a visually disturbing result. In fact, just adapting Big Mom will be a titanic challenge. Good luck to them!
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