One Piece Returns To Netflix And Immediately Replaces Luffy

Published Oct 14, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT

Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
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One Piece has finally returned to Netflix with a brand-new series, but the franchise's most iconic character is on the sidelines. Beyond the acclaim of being one of the longest-running manga in history, One Piece has seen a surge in popularity thanks to Netflix's live-action anime remake. Since its 2023 premiere, the action adventure has introduced countless new fans to the Straw Hat Pirates and their illustrious life of buccaneering. After a three-year hiatus, the pirate crew returned for high-stakes hijinks in season 2, but One Piece season 3 won't hit screens until sometime in 2027.

Thankfully, Netflix is already offering a perfect alternative: Lego One Piece. The two-part special takes the swashbuckling arcs of the live-action continuity and recontextualizes them with a new look— and, more importantly, a new protagonist. Whether portrayed by Iñaki Godoy or voiced by Mayumi Tanaka, Monkey D. Luffy has irrefutably been the most recognizable One Piece character for decades. Nevertheless, the elastic young leader of the Straw Hats isn't the only interesting voice abroad the Going Merry, as Lego One Piece proves by promoting Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson) to the coveted narrator role.

Netflix's LEGO One Piece Spinoff Makes Usopp The Main Straw Hat

Given it functions as a transition between season 2 and season 3, it makes sense that Netflix's Lego One Piece special isn't necessarily forging new ground. The two episodes basically recount the entirety of the live-action series in the form of Lego characters, meaning fans have seen the actual narrative adapted numerous times before. Regardless, Lego One Piece shifts gears and tells the story from Usopp's perspective rather than Luffy's, adding an exuberant and theatrical edge to the familiar plot points.

In every iteration of One Piece thus far, Usopp has been a fundamental storyteller. Whether that boils down to him lying to get ahead or daydreaming about life on the high seas, the character has a penchant for exaggeration— if not outright fabrication. As such, he's the obvious choice to narrate something as limitless as a Lego special. With the only boundary being the animator's creativity, showing the world through Usopp's eyes is a much more intriguing decision than to simply rehash the exact same beats with the same pirate at the forefront.

Beyond the practicality of having Usopp narrate Lego One Piece, it also highlights the character's delightful detachment from reality. The story he spins throughout the Lego special deviates from the show's canon to paint him as the true hero traversing the Grand Line and blazing the trail to Alabasta. By indulging in Usopp's delusion, Lego One Piece offers the viewer something different, even if they've seen every episode of the live-action series. Yet, the spotlight on Usopp's character feels like it's been a long time coming.

Usopp Has Always Been One Piece's Main Character (In His Head)

Out of the dozens of distinct characters in the One Piece franchise, Usopp has one of the most compelling stories on paper. As the son of a famed pirate, Usopp has internalized expectations for himself to be a legendary marauder in his own right. Consequently, he prefers grandstanding over the authentic love Luffy has for treasure hunting, but that doesn't make him any less of a suitable protagonist. Rather, trying to fill the shoes of his estranged father is a majorly enthralling motivation that makes Usopp's character easily sympathetic to the viewer.

Sure, Usopp hyping himself up as the bravest and strongest member of the Straw Hats is nothing more than a blatant rejection of reality, but that's precisely what cements him as one of the franchise's best characters. Usopp is Luffy's foil in all the best ways, enriching the ship's dynamic at large with his baseless peacocking and deep-seated longing for infamy. As the franchise continues with Netflix's live-action adaptation, the anime, and the ongoing original manga, Usopp will be relegated back to the periphery, but Lego One Piece gave the character his long-awaited and well-earned time in the sun.