The wacky, swashbuckling series One Piece returns this week, and not only does it continue to be a joy, but it remains one of the best representations of the power of radical acceptance to hit our screens in ages.
For those unfamiliar, the series follows a group of outcasts and weirdos who band together in a quest for the ultimate pirate treasure (and various other personal missions) and, with one another, find not only wild adventure but a beautiful chosen family. This live-action adaptation of the manga-turned-anime has long been beloved by queer readers and audiences because, at its core — its heart — is how its lead character, Monkey D. Luffy, models absolute radical acceptance.
Are you a pirate hunter with a haunted past? Welcome aboard. Are you a thief consumed with a plot for revenge? You are welcome here. Are you a compulsive fabulist with a killer aim and a heart of gold? On the Going Merry, you’re family. But this extends beyond his closest friends to every person or creature they meet. Over time, this openhearted approach begins to be adopted by his crew, showing just how powerful it is, as it wins them friends and allies who frequently come in clutch, because radical acceptance is contagious.
It’s a welcome narrative in a time when the opposite feels oppressively true. That’s a fact not lost on the actors bringing this story to life.
Taz Skylar, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero, Mackenyu, and Iñaki Godoy.Netflix
“Luffy is someone that just almost holds no judgment about the people that he meets,” Jacob Romero, who stars as Usopp — the aforementioned fabulist — tells PRIDE. “You are welcome in his presence and you are deserving of that protection and having a champion, and that's a beautiful thing.”
If anything, One Piece celebrates Taz Skylar’s outcast crew’s chef, Sanji, the actor tells PRIDE. “Being an outcast is so underrated in the sense that nobody ever did anything great that wasn't an outcast at some point,” he adds.
That these themes strike a chord with queer audiences is a source of pride for Emily Rudd, who plays the show’s thieving cartographer, Nami. “This is a story about freedom. This is a story about pursuing your dreams. And I think it's really beautiful that we're able to be a part of that and share that idea with people who watch us,” she says.
Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday.Netflix
This season sees the introduction of several new, and very memorable, characters. Chief among them is Miss Wednesday (Charithra Chandran), a Baroque Works (a group of gifted assassins hot on Luffy’s trail) agent, who crosses paths with his Straw Hat crew and becomes a central figure this season. She, too, recognizes why the show is meaningful to queer audiences.
“It's about people knowing that there’s a group of people out there that get them, that love them unconditionally for who they are, and they don't need to impress, they don't need to mold themselves [for them] because their authentic self is loved,” she tells PRIDE. “But then I think for other people, it's ‘Hey, you know the beauty and the power of being open to people that seem different to you? You may actually find common ground and the opportunities that arise if you're open-minded and loving and welcoming.’”
It’s these attitudes that Chandran credits for the success of the One Piece story in all its mediums. “[It’s] such a universal message, which is just be good to your friends, be loving, and be kind, and, especially right now, I think that message is sort of the most important thing.”
For sapphic fans of the show, her arrival also marks a moment they’ve been waiting for, as Miss Wednesday and Nami are also one of the show’s most popular queer ‘ships. The question is, do the actors themselves see it?
Emily Rudd as Nami & Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday.Netflix
Rudd plays it close to the vest, “I definitely have my personal view on what the relationship is. Regardless of how I feel internally or how Nami may feel internally, I think it's up to the viewer.”
For her part, Chandran is all for the potential romance between Nami and Miss Wednesday and admits it was on her mind when they filmed together. “Absolutely,” she admits with a laugh. “Initially, we didn't discuss it, and we did our first scene together, which is the scene in episode two, in the galley... and immediately you could see that there was this tension and this chemistry. We were like, ‘yes, we're gonna play into it. We're gonna do what we want, and we're gonna give the fans what they want.’”
Regardless of whether or not the dynamic eventually blooms into romance, Chandran points out how special Nami and Miss Wednesday’s connection is. “In a show that does tend to skew [toward] having more male characters...it's really nice to see my character and Nami interact. It's one of my favorite things of the season, actually, and how their relationship develops.”
Will they? Won't they? We’ll have to wait and see when the show returns on March 10. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer for season two below.
