Netflix Japan has released a trailer for its live-action One Piece series that features some voice actors that anime fans might recognize. The video, which is actually a Japanese dub version of a trailer that was released last month, gives us our first taste of the original anime cast’s return to reprise their roles. It’s strange but comforting to hear these well-established voices over real-life versions of the characters they’ve been associated with for decades. Netflix’s live-action One Piece show has rubbed some die-hards the wrong way for one reason or another, so the return of the anime cast should at least help ease those fans into the series’ new direction. You can see the Japanese dub One Piece trailer below.
We’ve known the One Piece Japanese voice actors would reprise their roles for a while. Some of the cast announced they would reprise their roles at Anime Expo 2023.
“I’ve been voicing Luffy for more than 23 years now, and I think everyone has a little bit of Luffy in their heart,” original Monkey D. Luffy voice actor Mayumi Tanaka said at the time. “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.”
In addition to Tanaka’s return as Luffy, other returning members include Kazuya Nakai as Roronoa Zoro, Akemi Okamura as Nami, Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp, and Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji. While many longtime watchers will tune in with the Japanese dub from the get-go, the on-screen cast has done their best to prove their place in One Piece history in the few trailers we’ve seen so far. As Tanaka mentioned, Netflix has tapped Iñaki Godoy to be Luffy, with Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. It’s clear the streamer mega-company is doing its best to bring fans new and old into the One Piece fanbase. We’ll know if its efforts paid off when the live-action One Piece show comes to Netflix on August 31, 2023.
