Netflix’s One Piece introduced a character Eiichiro Oda forgot about

As Netflix’s One Piece live-action neglected a few minor characters, it also introduced someone Eiichiro Oda had completely forgotten to create. Here’s what we know about it.

Netflix’s One Piece is one of the most successful live-action adaptations in history. The series premiered on August 31 and gained massive global popularity. As such, Netflix renewed a second season just two weeks after the debut.

A live-action adaptation is bound to have some differences from the original source. Therefore, one of these changes was the introduction of a character that Eiichiro Oda forgot to draw – the former Mr. 7 from Baroque Works.

Since Mr. 7 is a title, the One Piece anime introduced his successor, but not the one that Zoro defeated. It was an off-screen fight, and Eiichiro Oda never even drew the character design. Luckily, one of the writers, Matt Owens, brought up the idea, and Oda happily accepted. 

Matt Owens and Eiichiro Oda decided to include Mr. 7 in Netflix’s One Piece

Netflix

Mr. 7 (former) was briefly mentioned as someone who attempted to recruit Roronoa Zoro in Baroque Works. At that time, Zoro was gaining popularity as “Pirate Hunter Zoro.” Being an organization of bounty hunters, it’s no wonder Baroque Works wanted him to join. Therefore, One Piece live-action introduced Zoro during his fight with Mr. 7.

Matt Owens pitched the idea of the fight with Mr. 7 during his first meeting for the One Piece Live Action, and Oda was really impressed as he had forgotten ever making this character pic.twitter.com/llV2vsKZMJ

— Artur – Library of Ohara (@newworldartur) October 3, 2023

In the anime and manga, the former Mr. 7 was never introduced. However, the series does reveal his successor in the Arabasta Saga. Matt Owens shared a post on Instagram reminiscing about the character concept of Mr. 7 in Netflix’s One Piece.

He wrote: “I pitched a lot of ideas to Oda in our first meeting. One was about how to introduce Zoro in an action-based scene to show off what he can do before we meet him in Shells Town. In an old SBS (fan Q&A) Oda mentioned that Zoro was previously recruited by Mr. 7 of Baroque Works and killed him in combat.”

“This was exactly what I was looking for: something within canon while never actually shown in the manga itself. Oda turned to one of his editors and said: ‘Did I say that?’ The next day I was presented with this drawing. The only time Mr. 7 has been fully drawn by Oda.”

“He said he was impressed by my knowledge of his world and he liked the idea. Holding onto this felt like I was carrying the Holy Grail. The first of many great conversations and interactions with the man himself. Someone I’m honored to call a collaborator and a friend.”

One Piece live-action is currently streaming on Netflix, and the anime is available on Crunchyroll.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.

If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:

1. Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world.
2.  Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica.
3.  Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched.

Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference; for example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.

See our other One Piece coverage below, and you can check out our other anime coverage here.

• One Piece live-action showrunner breaks silence on Chopper’s design
• One Piece chapter 1094 spoilers: Most shocking devil fruit awakening
• One Piece: Is there a break after chapter 1094?

• One Piece showrunner wants to create a Spy X Family live-action

Please note that if you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.