Netflix’s ONE PIECE Live-Action Series preserves much of the original work’s appeal, making it one of the rare success stories among live-action manga adaptations.
Behind the scenes, however, budget constraints nearly sent the production in a very different direction, with the story gradually drifting away from the source material. It was only after original creator Eiichiro Oda stepped in that the project got back on course and Netflix reconsidered its budget. Steven Maeda, who served as showrunner for Season 1, recently shared the story during an appearance on the YouTube podcast Trash Taste.
Appearing on Trash Taste, Maeda recalled that the scripts for Season 1’s eight episodes took around two years to complete from the start of production and were effectively rewritten nearly three times. One of the biggest reasons was the budget.
According to Maeda, the team initially completed scripts for a full 10-episode season based on the original plan. Then, new leadership at Netflix demanded that the budget be cut in half and the episode count reduced to eight. With little choice, the production team heavily revised the scripts and restructured the entire season. Maeda admitted that the changes left the adaptation drifting further and further away from ONE PIECE’s original storytelling style.
“Oda later read the scripts, and he wasn’t happy. He told us directly, ‘This isn’t what I originally agreed to.’”
After Eiichiro Oda raised his objections, Netflix reevaluated its approach to the production. Maeda said the company later told the team, “We’ll provide the budget you need to make a series that stays closer to the original.” According to Maeda, Netflix ultimately scrapped the proposed budget cuts and even doubled the budget.
One clear example from the lower-budget version of the scripts involved Usopp’s introduction. Maeda explained that the original storyline set in Usopp’s hometown of Syrup Village was considered impossible to produce under the budget restrictions. The team instead planned to substitute it with the Island of Rare Animals storyline, featuring Gaimon, a man whose body is trapped inside a treasure chest.
In this version, the Straw Hat Pirates would become stranded on the island and meet Usopp there. Maeda recalled, “It was a perfectly good story on its own, but it wasn’t ONE PIECE.”
Oda’s feedback also shaped the introduction of “Hawk-Eye” Dracule Mihawk. With the budget limitations in mind, the production team originally planned to have Mihawk defeat a group of pirates before taking a call from Monkey D. Garp on a beach.
Oda, however, wanted Mihawk’s entrance to feel much bigger in scale. Netflix agreed, resulting in the spectacular sequence where Mihawk slices an entire ship in half with a single strike.
These behind-the-scenes details show just how closely Eiichiro Oda was involved with the ONE PIECE Live-Action Series and how significantly his feedback shaped the final production.
Maeda also praised Netflix for listening to the original creator. “Nobody wants the creator to come out and say, ‘I hate the live-action adaptation of my own work.’ So I have to give Netflix credit for responding with, ‘We understand. Let’s take another look.’ That kind of response is actually very rare.”
▼ Watch the full Trash Taste interview on YouTube
Seasons 1 and 2 of Netflix’s ONE PIECE Live-Action Series are now streaming, with Season 3 slated to arrive in 2027.