Netflix’s adaptation of One Piece has surpassed all expectations, quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed anime-to-live-action stories in history. While the plot is far more compressed than either the manga or the anime, One Piece has successfully highlighted all the major turning points for Luffy and the Straw Hats. Season 1’s East Blue Saga culminated in Arlong’s defeat, whereas Season 2 set the stage for the Alabasta Arc.
While it’s unclear how the live-action series could possibly maintain its currently slow release schedule, Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus has nevertheless succeeded where so many other anime have failed. In doing so, One Piece has undeniably surpassed Dragon Ball as the greatest anime franchise of all time — a shift made even easier by the stained legacy of Dragon Ball’s ill-fated live-action movie.
Dragon Ball’s Official Live-Action Film Was a Nonsensical Disaster
Goku and Bulma examines a Dragon Ball in Dragonball Evolution.Image via 20th Century Fox
The most infamous live-action adaptation of an anime ever was 2009’s Dragonball Evolution. This heavily Americanized remake annoyed fans on every level — including a name that ignored one of the franchise’s basic conventions: Dragon Ball has always been two words, not one. And it doesn’t get much better beyond the title fiasco.
Dragonball Evolution is centered on 18-year-old high schooler Goku, whose grandfather presents him with a Dragonball, triggering a quest that leads to Team Goku securing the remaining six. Following a half-handed homage to the World Martial Arts Tournament, an obligatory training session with Chow Yun-fat’s Master Roshi, and the inevitable theft of the collected Dragonballs, Goku transforms into his iconic Great Ape and defeats Piccolo.
Few big-budget movies have been as messy and incoherent as Dragonball Evolution, which stands at a disreputable 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even IMDb, where some movies inexplicably shine brighter than others, gave it a 2.5/10, making it the lowest-rated title on the platform for over a decade. Whether it was the rapidly disintegrating plot or the painfully mediocre performances, Dragonball Evolution was a ludicrous misfire that failed to capture the most basic essence of Akira Toriyama’s vision.
In fact, Toriyama laid the blame on the producers for ignoring his suggestions, stating that the live-action didn’t “capture the world or the characteristics” of Dragon Ball. The mangaka firmly denounced Dragonball Evolution — “a movie I cannot call Dragon Ball” — and maintained that opinion for years after. If that wasn’t damning enough, actors like King Piccolo’s James Marsters and Goku’s Justin Chatwin have since acknowledged the movie’s failings, even offering their personal apologies.
A single movie so terrible that it justifies adding an anime-themed section to the Razzie Awards, Dragonball Evolution is best left forgotten. On the other hand, there are two more live-action adaptations of Dragon Ball technically in circulation. Despite being unlicensed, neither Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins nor Dragon Ball: Son Goku Fights, Son Goku Wins were as lamentable as Dragonball Evolution. Fans described these Korean-language adaptations as campy extrapolations of the original series, citing their nostalgic charm and entertainment value as notable assets.
All things considered, it’s surprising that Dragon Ball didn’t make another attempt after Dragonball Evolution, especially since so many live-action shows have emerged in the 2010s and 2020s. From triumphs like One Piece, Speed Racer, and Rurouni Kenshin to disasters like Bleach and Attack on Titan, the last two decades have been testing the waters and stretching traditional boundaries.
If Avatar: The Last Airbender can try washing off the biggest franchise stain — the horrendous The Last Airbender movie — with a Netflix live-action series, there’s no reason why Dragon Ball cannot. Unfortunately, it might just be too late to make a difference. Not only did One Piece get there first, but Netflix’s adaptation also established many fundamental benchmarks for the pipeline between manga/anime and live-action.
Netflix’s One Piece Has Set a New Bar For Live-Action Anime Adaptations
One Piece has done what was once believed impossible, proving that anime can be transformed into live-action without sacrificing identity. For a long time, the industry struggled with adaptations that overcompensated for realism, squished complex characters into clichés, misunderstood the original tone, and reduced the anime’s imagination to generic blockbuster effects. It has been a long time coming, but Netflix’s One Piecefinally became the turning point that the medium had needed for decades.
The live-action series could have easily stripped One Piece of all its eccentric charm and wild abandon, much like Dragonball Evolution tried to “normalize” its iconically quirky predecessor. Instead, One Piece embraced the exaggerated personalities and stylized action sequences, anchoring them firmly to a foundation of pure adventure that preserves the spirit of the story.
Eiichiro Oda’s direct oversight was another factor, as his opinions exerted the necessary pressure on showrunners to perform certain edits, reshoots, and structural changes. Oda said that Netflix “wouldn’t go out with the show until [he] agreed it was satisfactory,” adding that he “gave notes and acted as a guard dog to ensure that the material was adapted in the correct way.”
Then there’s the casting, with every character brought uniquely to life, a testament to both the actors and the compelling dynamics between them. Iñaki Godoy remains the perfect Monkey D. Luffy, impressing even Oda — who had previously expressed reservations about some of Luffy’s scripted lines until he saw Godoy deliver them. And just like in the manga and the anime, it’s Godoy’s Luffy who keeps the Straw Hats together. There’s no risk of whitewashing, either, and some characters (Nefertari Vivi) look more lore-authentic in the live-action.
The only real problem is the seasonal pacing, which seems too slow considering the medium of live-action has a serious drawback: actors aging out of their characters. However, that is not an immediate issue, and One Piece currently features excellent narrative rhythm.
Unlike YuYu Hakusho, which compressed 112 manga chapters and 66 anime episodes into five painfully mediocre episodes of live-action television, One Piece has been streamlining its sprawling source material into a focused, character-driven narrative that bears the emotional weight of the original.
Dragon Ball Has Lost the Shonen Anime Crown to One Piece
Luffy cheering with Straw Hat Pirates flag behind in Netflix live-action One PieceImage via Netflix
Dragon Ball shouldn’t be judged on the merits of its worst franchise installment — fans still remember One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase. Still, aging visual effects aren’t as cringey as whatever they tried to do with Dragonball Evolution. On a larger note, Dragon Ball‘s iconic status is pretty much the only aspect that keeps it above One Piece — as the glorious harbinger of the shonen era, it will always be remembered fondly and forever.
Meanwhile, Eiichiro Oda is poised to conclude a grand saga on par with Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. As one of the greatest epics of the 21st century, One Piece deserves the shonen anime crown more than any of its peers, predecessors, or successors — and that includes Dragon Ball. The Netflix live-adaptation only furthers that claim, cementing One Piece as a universal benchmark for storytelling.
Dragon Ball‘s legacy feels untouchable, even after taking Dragonball Evolution into account, but influence alone cannot keep it at the top. One Piece has consistently proven that longevity, narrative cohesion, and successful cross-medium exchanges matter the most in today’s landscape. Whether future live-action adaptations surpass the standards set by Netflix remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: Dragon Ball has a long way before it can even consider overtaking One Piece.
Release Date
August 31, 2023
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, Joe Tracz
Iñaki Godoy
Monkey D. Luffy
CBR Exclusive · One Piece Quiz WHICH ONE PIECE LEGEND ARE YOU? Set sail — Quiz sequence initiated ⚓ The Grand Line stretches endlessly before you. Across its treacherous waters, legends are born — forged in Devil Fruit power, unbreakable will, and the fierce loyalty of a crew that would sail into any storm. Twenty questions. One legendary result. Your adventure begins now. 🌊
🍖Luffy
⚔️Zoro
🗺️Nami
📖Robin
🍳Sanji
01
The Going Merry is ready to leave port. What’s your first move? 🚢 How you set sail says everything about who you are at sea.
02
A Marine warship is blocking your route. You: 🏴☠️ Crisis response reveals your true pirate nature.
03
You find a Devil Fruit on the table. What do you hope it is? 🍈 The fruit you crave is the power you were always meant to have.
04
What is your one, unshakeable dream? 🌟 Every great pirate sails for something deeper than treasure.
05
The Thousand Sunny docks at a new island. First stop? 🏝️ What you do first in port reveals your deepest priorities.
06
Your greatest weapon aboard the ship? ✨ Every Straw Hat has one thing that makes them irreplaceable.
07
What’s your natural role when things get tense? 🪝 The pressure moment is where your true function reveals itself.
08
Honest confession — what is actually your biggest flaw? 😬 Even the greatest pirates have one thing they’re still working on.
09
A crewmate is in serious danger. You: 💪 How you protect the people you sail with is who you truly are.
10
Halfway across the Grand Line. What keeps you going? 🌟 Not the crew’s reason. Yours. The private one.
11
You lost the fight. The crew is watching. Now what? 😳 How you rise after falling is what separates legends from passengers.
12
Your bounty poster just went up. What’s on it? 💰 The World Government describes you the way your enemies see you.
13
Free day on a peaceful island. What actually happens? 🌴 How you rest is a window into what drives you when no one’s watching.
14
What does your crew actually say about you behind your back? 📋 The people who sail with you see the version you can’t.
15
Which Haki do you feel most aligned with? 🔮 The Haki you master reflects the deepest truth of who you are.
16
What does it truly mean to you to be a pirate? 🌊 Not Garp’s definition. Not the Marines’. Yours.
17
In a hundred years, what will they say about you? 🎬 The Void Century has room for one more name. What does yours mean?
18
A Warlord of the Sea is blocking the path forward. You: 👀 Warlords don’t intimidate legends. They reveal them.
19
The crew celebrates a big victory. Your contribution? 🎉 How you celebrate says as much as how you fight.
20
You reach Laugh Tale. The One Piece is real. What do you do? 🔥 Twenty questions. One truth. No turning back now.
⚓ The Grand Line has made its judgement ⚓ YOUR ONE PIECE LEGEND
Your scores are revealed below! The character with the highest number is your One Piece counterpart. Read their profile to discover your true pirate destiny. 🌊
🍖 Luffy
⚔️ Zoro
🗺️ Nami
📖 Robin
🍳 Sanji
You don’t understand the word impossible — not because you’re naive, but because you genuinely never accepted that it applied to you. You charge into every situation with the full force of your personality, your body, and your heart, and somehow the universe rearranges itself to accommodate you. You don’t lead through command; you lead through being so completely, recklessly yourself that everyone around you becomes a better version of who they were. You eat too much, feel too loudly, and care too deeply. The world calls it recklessness. Your crew calls it home. 🍖
You have made exactly one promise and you have organised your entire existence around keeping it. Stoic to a fault, terrifying in combat, and somehow always facing the wrong direction — you are the immovable foundation that the whole crew leans against when everything else shakes. You don’t ask for recognition. You don’t need it. The work is its own reward. The sword is the path and the path is the sword. You will lose a thousand times before you reach the top, and you will get back up every single time. That is not stubbornness. That is who you are. ⚔️
You are sharper than anyone in the room and you know it — but you also know exactly when not to show it. Pragmatic, resourceful, and carrying more than you ever show on your face, you are the reason the ship reaches anywhere at all. Every route was planned by you. Every impossible weather reading, every near-catastrophe avoided — that was you. The world tried to take everything from you once, and you built something extraordinary out of the wreckage. You love the people you’ve chosen fiercely, quietly, and without much ceremony. The map isn’t finished. You’ll get there. 🗺️
You spent so long being hunted for what you know that you forgot — briefly, painfully — that you were also worth loving for who you are. You carry the weight of erased history in your memory and the quiet certainty of someone who has survived what should have been unsurvivable. Calm where others panic, perceptive where others miss everything, and in possession of a dark humour that still catches people off guard. You don’t trust easily, and when you do, it is the most complete and devastating loyalty imaginable. You want to know the truth. You deserve to live to read it. 📖
You have principles carved so deep they function like a skeleton — invisible, structural, and the thing holding everything else upright. You cook for people because food is love expressed at its most honest. You fight for the crew because protecting them is the most natural thing in the world. You are elegant, occasionally absurd, capable of extraordinary tenderness and absolutely terrifying combat in the same five-minute span. You came from darkness and chose light so deliberately and so completely that it became your defining act. The sea called and you answered. All Blue is out there. You’ll find it. 🍳
