When Ace eventually appears in Netflix’s live-actionOne Piece, there should be one notable difference compared to his counterpart in the anime and manga series.One Pieceseason 1 barely scratches the surface of Eiichiro Oda’s 1000+ chapter manga, meaning there are plenty of amazing characters yet to materialize in live-action. WithOne Pieceseason 2and season 3 expected to adapt the Arabasta arc, a handful of those missing characters will soon make their debuts, including Crocodile, Nico Robin, and Captain Smoker. Another major character who emerges during the Arabasta chapters is Ace, one of Luffy’s adoptive brothers.
Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy grew up together as children, but as the older of the pair, Ace ventured out to make his name as a pirate years beforeLuffy sets sail. Despite rumors linking the role toCobra KaiandBlue Beetlestar Xolo Maridueña, Ace has not yet been confirmed for theOne Pieceseason 2 castat the time of writing, meaning fans may have to wait until season 3 for their fiery fix. Whenever he appears,Netflix’slive-action anime adaptationwould do well to adapt the character authentically, given how popular Ace already is, but with one crucial alteration.
Ace Should Appear More In Netflix’s One Piece Than He Did In The Anime
Ace Needs More Than Just A Couple Of Scenes
The problem with bringingAce into live-actionOne Pieceis the disconnect between his importance and prominence. On one hand, Ace is too vital toOne Piece’s overarching narrative for Netflix’s series to leave him out completely. On the other,Ace’s part in the Arabasta arc is tantalizingly small. The character escapes one small scuffle with Smoker, chats with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, then disappears again for a huge chunk of the story.
WhileOne Pieceseason 3 has not been officially confirmed, actorsVincent ReganandBrashaad Mayweatherhave both mentioned plans for a third season.
In a live-action medium where every minute counts and future seasons are never guaranteed,it may not work to cast an actor as Ace then only include him for a few scenes, vainly hoping that everything will pay off in season 5 or 6 after Ace has become a bigger deal. The solution would be to give Ace a bigger story in live-actionOne Piece, and, through Coby, season 1 already proved this strategy is viable. The flamingo-haired fledgling marine occupies the same position as Ace in the sense that both feature sporadically in the anime and manga before vanishing for extended periods of time.
I’m Worried One Piece Season 2 Won’t Include My Favorite Character After Netflix Show Update
One Piece saving Arabasta for a potential season 3 has me worried that the live-action show will not include a fan-favorite character just yet.
Netflix’s series gets around this by sticking with Coby throughout season 1 and depicting his adventures alongside Helmeppo and Garp after parting ways with Luffy. Coby’s subplot adds balance and variety toOne Pieceseason 1, and Ace could do something similar for season 2. Since the Arabasta arc is being divided between two seasons, there will surely be enough narrative real estate to explore avenues away from the main plot - avenues such as Ace’s solo adventures, perhaps.
Live-Action One Piece Can Show What Ace Was Up To When He Wasn’t In The Anime
A Big Part Of Ace’s Story Happens In The Background
A big reason behindOne Piece’s rare success as a live-action anime adaptation is its authenticity to the source material. Even with expanding Coby’s story, the extra material largely draws from a cover page story that accompanied theOne Piecemanga. Fortunately,Netflix’s series can do the same with Ace.
The cover pages ofOne Piece’s manga are sometimes used to tell a side story across many issues via a series of single panels.
While Luffy is recruiting reindeer, befriending giants, and battlingOne Piecevillain Crocodilein Arabasta, Ace is busy on a mission of his own: tracking down Blackbeard.TheOne Pieceanime and manga only shows a brief snapshot of Ace’s journey, and the rest is filled in via cover story chapters similar to Coby’s or simple dialogue - revealing Ace visited Drum Kingdom prior to Luffy’s arrival, for example.One Pieceseasons 2 and 3 could take these snippets and embellish them to show Ace’s search for Blackbeard more fully, turning the manhunt into a fully-fledged subplot.
The only problem is that Ace hunting Blackbeard will have little relevance to Luffy until much later in theOne Piecestory. The villainous pirate looks very likely to be Luffy’s final opponent whenOne Pieceeventually ends, but since that battle is yet to happen in the manga, it’s very unlikely to transpire in live-action. Similar to how Coby’s story came full circle when he reunited withLuffy inOne Pieceseason 1’s ending,Ace’s live-action side story would need to somehow dovetail into the main arc.
Eiichiro Oda Is Right, One Piece Season 2 Will Be Better Than Netflix’s Season 1
One Piece season 2 will “surpass season 1” according to Oda, and there’s no reason to think the genius mangaka is wrong given what’s next for Luffy.
PerhapsOne Pieceseasons 2 and 3 can accelerate Blackbeard’s introduction, establishing him as Luffy’s nemesis far earlier than Oda did originally. This option would have an added benefit too. In the extremely likely event that Netflix doesn’t let run piece run for 20 years, the live-action would still be able to feature Blackbeard as Luffy’s final boss. Alternatively, Blackbeard could be shown to have some connection to Crocodile that ensures Luffy and Ace’s respective paths aren’t completely disconnected. Crocodile and Blackbeard have very different goals, but the latter is infamous for making short-term alliances that benefit his larger plan.
Showing More Of Ace Wouldn’t Ruin His Character (As Long As He’s Not With Luffy)
The Full Ace & Luffy Team-Up Can’t Happen Yet
One could argue that Ace’s sparse presence throughoutOne Pieceis a factor in his huge popularity - that by protecting Ace’s mysterious aura and avoiding overexposure, he became a fan favorite. By that logic, giving Ace a dedicated subplot in live-actionOne Piecemight risk ruining his character. While not totally off-base, that viewpoint ignores Ace’s strength and depth as a hero, as well as the fact that Ace gets much more screen time in later chapters and flashbacks. Consequently,Ace can easily handle a meatier role in upcoming seasonsof live-actionOne Piece.
Ace’s introduction is one of the rare occasions where following the manga verbatim is unlikely to satisfy viewers.
The only caveat is that Ace should still remain mostly separate from Luffy. The two brothers are unique, each possessing a fiercely independent spirit, and it makes no sense for Ace to hop aboard the Going Merry and join the Straw Hats as a temporary member. Ace would have little reason to get deeply involved inOne Pieceseason 2’s Baroque Worksconspiracy, and Luffy wouldn’t care about Blackbeard this early into his voyage.Ace is also considerably stronger than Luffy when they meet in Arabasta, so the two brothers joining forces would throwOne Piece’s entire power ranking into disarray.
Ace is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates when he and Luffy reunite in Arabasta. Ace asks Luffy to join, but his brother declines.
If Netflix’sOne Piececan somehow locate the tricky sweet spot between Ace getting a separate character arc that ties into the main plot and not becoming a constant companion to Luffy, then the live-action series will achieve a very impressive balancing act. Ace is a pivotal figure within theOne Pieceworld, and his introduction is one of the rare occasions where following the manga verbatim is unlikely to satisfy viewers.
One Piece
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
