When adapting the anime series One Piece to a live-action show, Netflix may need to change the character Sanji’s problem with women. As a medium, anime has several well-known tropes, both for its plots and the character types that populate them. These can range from the idealistic hero to the strangely emotionless yet competent right-hand man. In particular, there’s an additional character, usually a man, who provides part of the comedic relief in anime as one who is deeply enamored with love and the opposite sex. This kind of character appears in many types of anime regardless of genre. Even if they have other personality traits and abilities, their love of love is always a defining element.

As far as including a problematically amorous character in its show, Netflix's Once Piece is no exception to the rule. The anime tells the story of a young boy, Monkey D. Luffy (Colleen Clinkenbeard), and his crew of pirates as they search for the fabled treasure "One Piece" so that Luffy can become the pirate king. Among his crew, who are known as the “Straw Hat Pirates,” is his cook, “Black Leg” Sanji (Eric Vale). While Sanji is a very capable and intelligent fighter, he also is excessively amorous and is constantly flirting with any attractive female character in the series, particularly Nami (Luci Christian) and Robin (Stephanie Young), his crewmates. This may present an issue for the live-action adaptation.

Related: One Piece Filler Episodes Explained (& Which Arcs To Skip)

Netflix's Live-Action One Piece Has A Major Sanji Problem

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Unfortunately, although Sanji is one of the main characters of One Piece, his amorous nature is likely to create major problems for Netflix’s live-action adaptation. After all, a fairly significant aspect of Sanji's character is lusting after women, making unwanted advances, and generally being a creep. Although the other characters in the show do view this behavior as unacceptable, the story never really challenges this behavior or forces Sanji to change.

This is especially true as One Piece’s characters, such as Nami and Robin, often have to fend off Sanji’s advances. This situation would be taken seriously in many shows, but is regularly played as comic relief in the original series. Consequently, the live-action version of Sanji could create a tonal issue for the Netflix series.

One Piece Does Need To Reinvent Sanji's Character

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Sanji’s almost predatory character type is not atypical in some anime. While this doesn't necessarily make anime more problematic than other genres, it can be considered off-putting, particularly when translated from animation to live-action. As such, Sanji’s treatment of women and the anime’s indulgence of it, despite One Piece's rejection of his behavior on paper, is not likely to work in the live-action Netflix show. This character trait is likely to translate differently – and potentially more aggressively – in a live-action medium, perhaps alienating the new audience the live-action show will be trying to include.

To avoid putting audiences off in this way who might be new to One Piece, Netflix is going to have to reinvent Sanji’s character. This could be tricky, as his lustful personality is a big part of his character on the show right alongside his intellect, fighting style, and loyalty to his crew. Plus, changing the character too much could draw the ire of long-term fans of One Piece, of which the series has many. But this doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be done and that Sanji couldn’t stay true to the source material and his character arcs while also being less blatantly womanizing.

How One Piece Can Update Sanji's Relationship With Women

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Luckily, there are a couple of options that the One Piece adaptation could explore to update Sanji’s relationship with women to better suit its new audience. Firstly, the live-action show could carry across his womanizing ways, but in a more respectful, consensual way. For instance, Sanji could still be known as being constantly on the hunt for love, but, like Daniel Craig's James Bond, the character could go about his wooing in a more debonair way that is slightly more appealing. That would, of course, mean removing the joke that most women turn Sanji down, but the humor could still work by showing Sanji’s desperation in private.

Alternatively, One Piece's Sanji could be in love with Nami, but only Nami. For better or for worse, a man’s fixation on a single woman has been far more normalized in American media, providing a way for Sanji to keep his openly flirtatious ways but also be less off-putting. Additionally, this method could be spun as a slow-burn romance and make Sanji more relatable in One Piece, as many people have felt the awkwardness of trying to court someone but struggling to do so.