Netflix’s live action adaptation of . OFMD actually checks a lot of the same boxes that One Piece does: It’s laugh-out-loud funny, incredibly heartfelt, and its protagonist is a pirate captain who no one initially takes seriously. Also, these pirates are gay and entangle themselves in a love story for the ages. (Zoro is also gay in my headcanon, though.)
Our Flag Means Death is streaming on Max.
Crunchyroll
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
When Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood came out in 2009, it was widely hailed as the best anime ever made. It speaks eons to its strength that the same argument can still be made nearly 15 years later. (Be careful to not confuse Brotherhood with the series simply named Fullmetal Alchemist, which was made before author Hiromu Arakawa finished the manga.)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the story of two teenage brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who lost significant chunks of their bodies while committing the taboo of using alchemy to resurrect their dead mother. Heavy start, right? Like One Piece, Fullmetal will make you laugh and cry. It’s also a powerful, heartwarming story about the power of friendship—as corny as that sounds. At 64 episodes, it’s also significantly shorter than One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball (Z), and the like.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Adventure Time and Fionna and Cake
Speaking of shows that are virtuosic explorations of the power of friendship featuring an ensemble cast: Adventure Time! Adventure Time remains beloved for a reason. The series begins as something goofy and delightful. But eventually, storylines spring up and surprise you by stabbing you right in the heart. There are moments in Adventure Time I will never forget, because of the show’s uncanny ability to express profound sentiments with cutting simplicity.
For those who have already dug into Adventure Time’s vast buffet, an excellent new series about the gender-swapped Fionna and Cake premiered on the same day of Netflix’s One Piece.
Adventure Time is streaming on Hulu, Max, Sling TV, and Amazon Prime. Fionna and Cake is streaming on Max.
Chainsaw Man
At first, it doesn’t appear like Chainsaw Man and One Piece have much in common. After all, Chainsaw Man is a much darker, “grittier” show. (One of the main characters is even inspired by Eric Cartman.) But the two series connect in a very subtle, important way: They both explore how important and difficult it is to connect with other people in times of hardship and trauma. In Chainsaw Man, which takes place in a version of 1990s Tokyo imperiled by demons who gain power through fear, that conscientiousness is much harder. It’s also blisteringly funny, as exemplified by the best scene of boob fondling in media history.
Chainsaw Man is also significantly gorier than the One Piece anime and manga. But you’re coming from the version where Zoro chops a guy in half. You’ll be fine.
Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Alice in Borderland
Netflix
Alice in Borderland
Astonishingly enough, One Piece was not Netflix’s first live action adaptation of a manga to get Rotten Tomato scores with approval ratings in the 80s and 90s. That honor goes to sci-fi thriller Alice in Borderland, which is kind of like Ready Player One gone to hell. It’s tonally quite different from One Piece, but it’s an enthralling and addictive show. Alice in Borderland also has the peculiar standing of being more well-known than its anime counterpart, a mid-2010s ordeal which condensed the then-unfinished series into only three episodes.
Streaming on Netflix
The Umbrella Academy
Netflix has yet another successful comic adaptation among its offerings: The Umbrella Academy. Instead of coming from a Japanese manga, however, The Umbrella Academy’s run of Dark Horse comics were created and written by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. It also stars Elliot Page, whose character comes out as trans to mirror the actor’s own journey. The Umbrella Academy is part superhero story, part murder mystery—but most importantly, it’s an enjoyable watch.
Streaming on Netflix
Muppet Treasure Island
Buena Vista Pictures
Muppet Treasure Island
We all know that when Americans think “pirate movie,” we think Pirates of the Caribbean. The live action One Piece seems aware of this, too. So instead of starting on a journey you already know will end in disappointment, I instead offer you the myriad delights of Muppet Treasure Island. Look me in the eye and tell me you do not want to see Tim Curry as Long John Silver, singing about being a “professional pirate” while starring opposite Kermit the Frog in a tricorn hat. I dare you.
Streaming on Disney+, purchasable on YouTube, Vudu, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
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