According to the CEO, the casting of a crucial live-action One Piece character posed one of the most significant challenges in Netflix's history.

Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, reveals that casting One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy became a big challenge for the company. Based on the popular manga series, One Piece follows a group of pirates in search of legendary treasure, and Iñaki Godoy portrays their young, high-spirited captain. Aside from his distinctive personality, Luffy is known for being rubber-like, a result of the Gum-Gum Fruit, and donning a straw hat. Since its release, One Piece has boasted impressive viewership numbers, and Godoy’s performance continues to earn praise.

During the company’s Q3 2023 earnings interview, shared by Netflix Investor Relations, Sarandos revealed that casting Luffy was one of the biggest challenges “in the history of our original programming.” He noted how Godoy was already a part of Who Killed Sara?, but added that following the debut of One Piece, he became a “global superstar.” Read Sarandos’ comments regarding the casting of Luffy below:

Iñaki Godoy, who stars in the show, it was — one of the most difficult casting challenges in the history of our original programming was who’s gonna play Monkey D. Luffy. And he was right under our nose, right in our talent family. We discovered him a couple of years ago and had him in this great show in our Mexican series called Who Killed Sara?, and then we were able to cast him in this, and now he’s a global superstar. So this is that kind of thing you could do well, a thing that’s hard to copy and gives us kind of competitive running room from our competitors, being able to do that more and more.

How Netflix’s One Piece Got Luffy’s Casting Right

Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece, eager to assemble his own crew and locate the famous treasure, which would make him King of the Pirates. He’s a very dynamic character, and despite his lighthearted nature, Luffy is able to stand up for himself and others, even at a young age. Prior to the show’s release, Eiichiro Oda, creator of the manga, revealed that he had some concerns over the potential casting, however, he also explained that Godoy was ideal for the part, noting how similar the actor was to Luffy.

When bringing a beloved source material to life, getting the right talent on board is always pivotal. In terms of the casting process for One Piece, director Marc Jobst previously shared exclusively with Screen Rant how hard it was to find Luffy. He added that Godoy managed to make an impression, touching on the actor’s own personality and revealing that he went off-script. While there are slight changes to Luffy’s character in the Netflix adaptation, Godoy’s charismatic performance seems to have won audiences over.

It’s interesting to hear how Sarandos’ comments echo those of others, and to think about what the casting for One Piece might have looked like before Godoy. Fans of the show likely agree that the best choice was made, and can look forward to seeing more of Luffy in future seasons now that Netflix is actively working on season 2 following its debut success.