One Piece live-action narrator revealed

One Piece’s upcoming live-action series has already got a full cast, but now a Narrator has been added to the bunch, and you’ll never guess who it is.

Get ready to sail the four seas, because Netflix’s One Piece is almost here! For those who don’t know what One Piece is, One Piece was originally a manga – the highest-selling manga of all time, in fact – written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was then adapted into an anime by Toei Animation in 1999, and is still going strong 1,000 episodes later.

But the One Piece train – or boat in this case – isn’t stopping, because a live-action series has been in the works for a few years now. Ever since Netflix announced a One Piece live-action adaptation in 2020, fans have been waiting excitedly to hear any information about the show.

This includes casting. While the live-action cast is already pretty stacked – if you’re wanting to read more about these new actors, and who their characters are, click here – there is now a new addition in the form of the Narrator. And funnily enough, their actor may be the biggest name of the bunch.

Who is the Narrator in One Piece?

According to the One Piece Wiki, “The narrator of One Piece is an unspecified voice that does not participate in the story. The narrator is omniscient and describes events in third person [but simultaneously] the narration is subjective as it often describes the feeling and thoughts of characters.”

The Narrator is present throughout the whole manga, though he only really appears in Episode 1 of the anime, which begins with a narration of Gold Roger and the Great Pirate Era.

Said Narrator is voiced in the anime by Mahito Ohba and Bill Jenkins for the English Funimation dub. And as for who is voicing him in the live-action Netflix series, well that would be Ian Mcshane.

Where have I seen Ian McShane before?

Netflix’s recent One Piece live-action press release included a new casting surprise, through the mention of Ian McShane voicing the role of the Narrator.

McShane is a very experienced actor, through his roles in the John Wick franchise and Deadwood. Not only that, but he has plenty of experience in pirate roles, having played Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stanger Tides.

Now, whether or not he will play a big role depends on whether or not the live-action show will follow the pattern of the manga or the anime. We’ll have to see how the upcoming series takes advantage of this great actor, when it finally premieres on Netflix later this month.

The One Piece live-action series will officially drop on Netflix on August 31, 2023. Click here to find out more.

The One Piece anime can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll, and be sure to check out our other anime hubs below:

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