One Piece season 2 newcomer Joe Manganiello opens up about his experience portraying Crocodile and exploring new elements of the manga character. The live-action Netflix adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s beloved fantasy manga followed Inaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy, as he set out to find the treasure of a lifetime and become “King of the Pirates.” A major antagonist who challenges Luffy in new ways, Manganiello’s Crocodile is the powerful head of the criminal syndicate Baroque Works, and he’ll make his debut in One Piece season 2.
Manganiello shed some light on his experience working on the series when speaking to Parade, teasing that the series will take Crocodile into unexplored territories. According to the actor, a key element that he discussed with Oda was Crocodile’s missing hand, and how his many injuries shaped him. That helped the actor dedicate himself to crafting a performance that will pay respect to what came before. Check out Manganiello’s full explanation below:
What I love is that there are so many different spices put into the jambalaya mix. You know, I am missing an arm. And other characters in the canon are missing limbs, and they have things in common with why they are missing those limbs. And so it made me think about, ‘How did I lose this?’ Because there are things that have never been explained about the character in either the manga or the anime, and I had the opportunity to talk to Oda about my thoughts on where his scar came from, how the lost limb happened and the hook was replaced, his new choice of profession as casino owner and mob boss rather than pirate, the devil fruit.
All of these things have appeared in two dimensions up until now, and I have to breathe life into a three-dimensional character where all of these things have back stories, and there is a weight of that that the character carries around.
So, while also tipping my hat to the existing fan base and paying respect to the 1300+ episodes of the cartoon that Japanese fans and fans around the world love. So, I am paying my respects to them through my performance also. It has been a blast. It’s been a blast.
What Crocodile’s New Backstory Details Mean For One Piece Season 2
Season 1 Already Successfully Expanded Other Characters
While Manganiello’s response may hint towards an expansion of the world of One Piece, season 1 has already undertaken a similar development to much success. While Koby (Morgan Davies) is one of the first faces Luffy meets in the manga and anime, his role is considerably smaller in both mediums, and the pair part ways at the end of the initial “Romance Dawn” arc. Koby and Helmeppo’s (Aidan Scott) initiation into the marines is in the Diary of Koby-Meppo spin-off manga, before he reunites with Luffy much later on in the “Post-Enies-Lobby” arc.
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Live Action One Piece Confirms The Anime & Manga Needed More Koby
Koby’s prominent role in One Piece’s live action confirms that the manga and anime made a big mistake in not focusing more on him.
Instead, Netflix’s take on the character is placed under the command of Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Reagan), as he pursues Luffy and the growing Straw Hat Pirate crew alongside Helmeppo. Alongside expanding the character’s role, Koby’s live-action story is a welcome glimpse into the role of the Marines within the series, adding greater depth to the world of One Piece for newcomers. As such, Koby’s tale shows how new additions to the live-action series can add new layers to a familiar tale.
Our Take On One Piece Season 2’s Potential Crocodile Expansion
Great Care Is Being Taken In Adapting One Of Luffy’s Greatest Foes
While Manganiello’s comments only hint towards a potential new development for Crocodile, it is clear that both the actor and Oda have been careful when determining how best to bring the character to the screen. The actor has put a lot of thought into how the character fits into the wider world while capturing what audiences love about him. Though One Piece season 2 may add new layers to the character, it is clear that all creatives involved have done their best to ensure that Crocodile remains the intimidating threat that will test Luffy more than ever before.
Source: Parade
One Piece (Live-Action)
7/10
- Release Date
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August 31, 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Matt Owens
- Directors
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Tim Southam, Marc Jobst, Josef Kubota Wladyka
- Writers
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Tiffany Greshler, Diego Gutierrez, Allison Weintraub, Lindsay Gelfand
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Iñaki Godoy
Monkey D. Luffy
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