All 8 Villains In Netflix’s One Piece Season 1 Explained

Several One Piece villains have already been confirmed for Netflix’s Piece season 1, the live-action version of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga. Almost 26 years after One Piece #1 was published, the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy will get the live-action treatment in Netflix’s One Piece. The first season of the upcoming live-action One Piece show will consist of eight episodes and is expected to cover most of the East Blue Saga, which refers to the first few story arcs of the One Piece manga. Between trailers and promotional images, Netflix’s One Piece has confirmed the live-action debuts of some well-known villains.

One classic shonen manga trope is how each arc will have a specific antagonist or group of antagonists, with each new villain usually being stronger than the last one. It is no different for One Piece, which stars with low-level pirates and incompetent Marine officers and evolves into epic-sale fights involving superpowered individuals. With many iconic One Piece scenes confirmed for the live-action show, those who are familiar with the story will get the chance of revisiting classic characters and locations. Here is a breakdown of every One Piece villain set to appear in season 1, who plays them in live-action, and what their role in the series could be.

8 Alvida

Alvida, captain of the Alvida Pirates, is the first antagonist Luffy encounters in One Piece. Alvida’s role in One Piece’s first arc is very short, although her story resumes toward the end of the East Blue Saga. Aside from Luffy’s origin story, which in the anime was adapted as a flashback, Luffy’s proper introduction happens in Alvida’s ship, the Miss Love Duck. Koby discovering this boy in a straw hat inside a barrel in the Miss Love Duck set the events of One Piece in motion, with Alvida serving as the first of many adversaries Luffy would still find. Avida is played by Ilia Isorelýs Paulino in Netflix’s One Piece.

7 “Axe Hand” Morgan

“Axe Hand” Morgan, the Marine captain in charge of Shells Town, will be in Netflix’s live-action One Piece show. “Axe Hand” Morgan is one of the first antagonists in One Piece, mainly because his son was responsible for arresting Roronoa Zoro and sentencing the bounty hunter to spend days without food or water. It is through Morgan that One Piece introduces its Marine lore, one of the pillars of this universe. Luffy’s decision to free Zoro makes him an enemy in the eyes of Morgan, which leads to one of the first significant One Piece battles. “Axe Hand” Morgan is played by Langley Kirkwood in Netflix’s One Piece.

6 Helmeppo

Helmeppo, son of “Axe Hand” Morgan, is a Marine officer who did not really do anything to deserve his position. Portrayed as a coward yet overly-confident character, Helmeppo believed no one could say no to him in Shells Town due to his father’s influence. While Zoro’s arrest is not shown right away in either the manga or the anime, it is later established that Helmeppo was the one who had the bounty hunter arrested and left him without food or water. Helmeppo doesn’t pose a threat to Luffy or Zoro, and the character is originally more of a comic relief than a villain. Aidan Scott plays Helmeppo in Netflix’s One Piece.

5 Buggy The Clown

Buggy the Clown, introduced in One Piece as captain of the Buggy Pirates, is the first major antagonist Luffy’s yet-to-be-completed crew runs into. Buggy, who was originally part of Red Hair Shank’s crew, has special abilities that can be compared to those of Luffy. Like Luffy, Buggy also ate a Devil Fruit – a mysterious type of fruit that grants whoever ate it special, sometimes bizarre powers that come with a price. Buggy’s clash with Luffy, Zoro, and Nami comes to be in the manga after the clown-looking pirate discovers that a map of the Grand Line has been stolen.

An excentric and skillful pirate, Buggy made for one of the most formidable villains in One Piece’s first few arcs. Buggy’s ability to get parts of his body removed – including the head – and still control them makes any fighting scene featuring the clown unique. Another interesting thing about Buggy is his crew, with each member having a unique design and also serving as an antagonist during the Orange Town arc. The second live-action One Piece trailer revealed Buggy’s powers in motion, teasing an accurate depiction of this popular One Piece villain. Buggy is played by Jeff Ward in Netflix’s One Piece.

4 Don Krieg

Don Krieg is the main villain of One Piece’s Baratie Arc. A feared, well-known pirate who once led his crew into the Grand Line, Don Krieg had a 17,000,000 Bellies bounty on his head upon his introduction in One Piece. After Sanji, who readers were still getting to know, cooked a meal for a starving pirate, Don Krieg’s crew attacked the Baratie restaurant. Don Krieg’s attack allowed One Piece to reveal more about the Baratie’s history and the backstories of Zeff and Sanji. Milton Schorr reportedly plays Don Krieg in Netflix’s One Piece, but the character has not appeared in any of the trailers.

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Interestingly, Arlong appears in the Baratie restaurant in the second One Piece live-action trailer, not Don Krieg. This suggests a significant change from the source material, as Arlong is not involved in the Baratie Arc at al. Don Krieg and Luffy have an intense fighting sequence at the end of the Baratie Arc, with the former laughing at how the latter wants to become Pirate King. Before his encounter with Luffy, Krieg’s greatest failure was the defeat against Dracule Mihawk, who is also introduced during the Baratie Arc. What will Don Krieg’s role in One Piece season 1 be remains to be seen.

3 Dracule Mihawk

Dracule Mihawk, the mysterious swordsman introduced as the fight in the Baratie restaurant unfolded, is confirmed for Netflix’s live-action One Piece. The character, who appears in the second One Piece trailer, will be played by Steven John Ward. During his introduction in One Piece, Mihawk was not particularly interested in Luffy or his crew – he was targeting Don Krieg and his pirates. However, Zoro’s wish to duel against the man known as the world’s strongest swordsman set up a conflict between the two characters. Mihawk’s role in One Piece’s Baratie Arc comes down to his duel against Zoro, but the character’s story continues in future chapters.

2 Captain Kuro

Captain of the Black Cat pirates, Kuro is introduced in One Piece as a secret villain posing as a harmless caretaker working for Kaya in the Syrup Village. The events of the Syrup Village Arc, of which Kuro is the main antagonist, see the addition of Usopp into Luffy’s crew as well as the introduction of the straw hats’ first ship. Kuro’s actual form, as well as his plan to kill Kaya and claim her family’s wealth, were secrets that he was willing to kill for. Kuro is played by Alexander Maniatis in the live-action One Piece show.

1 Arlong

Arlong is by far the strongest opponent Luffy encounters within One Piece’s first five arcs. Introduced as part of the Arlong Park Arc, Arlong is a fish-man who leads the Arlong Pirates, a feared crew of fish-men responsible for destroying and taking over villages. Arlong and his fish-men would invade villages and charge people a fee for their protection, threatening to come back and kill everyone in case someone would not play. Arlong, whose body is far stronger and more resistant than that of a real human, only thinks about money. A ruthless villain, Arlong made the Conomi Islands into his home and founded Arlong Park.

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While Arlong is only introduced in One Piece’s fifth arc, his role in the story ties into previous events. Interestingly, Arlong will be involved in Netflix’s live-action One Piece version of the Baratie Arc, which is a curious change from the source material. Most of Arlong’s scenes in both the manga and the anime happen in Arlong Park and its surroundings, so it will be interesting to see how the character will tie into the Baratie restaurant. McKinley Belcher plays Arlong in One Piece season 1, and the character was crafted through practical effects rather than CGI.