Do you need to watch the One Piece anime before the Netflix live-action adaptation?

With Netflix about to unveil the long-awaited live-action adaptation of One Piece, fans may be interested in the original source material. But given the anime has been running for over two decades, that may seem too challenging. So, do you truly need to watch the anime to get the live-action adaptation as well?

At its heart, One Piece is a simple tale, as in an ocean-filled world, a group of would-be pirates calling themselves the Straw Hats search for treasure and adventure. The main character is Monkey D. Luffy, a teenager who dreams of becoming a pirate king but often finds himself in over his head. The title refers to the mystical artifact Monkey searches for to lay claim to the title of Pirate King.

Likewise, his fellow pirates are also out to find artifacts that can lead to their own dreams, from Zoro becoming the greatest swordsman to Sanji, a chef providing for the world. They clash with various forces, from other pirates to supernatural threats in their quests.

The anime is packed with a lot of humor, drive, character beats, and more. However, the fact it began in 1999 and currently has 1,072 episodes makes it a daunting show to get into for newbies. So, should you go into the anime and be able to enjoy it before the live-action show?

What episodes of One Piece anime should you watch?

Thankfully, the joy of One Piece is that you don’t need to know scores of backstory or history to enjoy it. Much like other long-running animation shows such as The Simpsons or South Park, you can drop in some story arcs and still get the vibe and the characters on their adventures well.

The “Enies Lobby” (episodes 263-312) and “Marineford” (episodes 457-489) arcs are considered the series at its best, mixing humor and action wonderfully. However, it has to be pointed out there are a lot of “filler” episodes and story arcs mixed in there, so the series doesn’t always shine as well.

Yet when it works, the show does work wonderfully to captivate and demonstrate why it’s run so long.

The verdict on watching the anime first

At the end of the day, the anime is vibrant and fun, yet the new show seems designed for those who haven’t seen the anime first to enjoy. Purists may want to check it out just to compare the two versions and see what’s changed, but while One Piece’s anime is great, it doesn’t seem truly vital to see it before you enjoy a fresh live-action version.

One Piece premieres Friday, August 31 on Netflix.