Netflix Unveils New One Piece Live-Action Featurette, Exploring the Production and Set Design

Netflix has unveiled a new featurette for the One Piece live-action, showcasing the behind-the-scenes set and production design of the many locations in the show.

In the new featurette, Netflix revealed a look at the behind-the-scenes of the live-action adaption of One Piece, featuring interviews with the filmmakers as they talk about the set design for the show.

From the crews’ unique vessels, the Going Merry, to the hidden details of Buggy’s tent and Kaya’s mansion, the filmmakers explained how they brought Eiichiro Oda’s iconic visuals to live-action with details.

“I think a word that’s typically used for adaptations like this is ‘grounded,’ but One Piece is not a grounded world. It’s what makes it so wonderful,” said Matt Owens, the co-showrunner.

“I prefer ‘tangible.’ You want to be able to feel that these things, these places, these people can exist.”

“That idea drove a lot of the crafts. It’s why we built so many sets practically. It’s why we leaned into prosthetics for the fish men over CGI, because you want everything to feel tangible.”

“You want them to feel real.”

The Vessels 

Netflix also revealed that Production Designer Richard Bridgland adhered to an overall ethos of grounded fantasy throughout all his sets, ensuring to pay homage to the way certain ships and houses look in Eiichiro Oda’s manga.

“It was important that every ship and set have a backstory and sense of history,” said Richard Bridgland.

“Even if the audience never learns about the backstory, it was important to me that it existed nonetheless so that there was a sense of belonging for all of these disparate places and
things you see.”

“It was important to have a sense of history to connect everything.”

While most of the ship interiors were filmed on sound stages, it was revealed that Captain Alvida’s vessel and Miss Love Duck were mostly repurposed from ships that were initially built for the production of Black Sails.

The filmmakers also revealed that both the Straw Hats’ vessel, The Going Merry as well as the Spanish Galleon Hull-inspired Baratie were built entirely from scratch.

Kaya’s Mansion & Other Locations

In a similar vein, Netflix unveiled that the various assortments of paintings and items seen inside Kaya’s Mansion were sourced intentionally.

“Kaya’s family were shipbuilders, so we figured that they basically made ships for everybody –
including pirates who might not always have money…but might have a whole load of fine porcelain that they robbed off someone.”

“And so, in exchange for a ship, they’d give Kaya’s family the stolen porcelain instead.”

On the other hand, the production crew designed Buggy’s tent to look like a mobile headquarters for the clown pirate with panels stitched together in an anarchic way.

Meanwhile, the pagoda and various facets of Arlong Park were made to resemble what a traditional temple would look like if it was overtaken by a party animal and transformed into a fun fair.

As an overall reference, Bridgland used Oda’s Rurubu, a compendium of the world of One Piece, and many places were inspired directly by real-world places including Balinese pagodas, Florence storefronts, the Belton House in the United Kingdom, and more.

These are some of the behind-the-scene reveals of the set design in One Piece live-action by Netflix and as of 31 August 2023, the series is available to watch exclusively on Netflix.

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