Taika Waititi Is a 'One Piece' Fan

Publish date: 2024-08-30

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It’s always exciting to learn that our favorite actors and directors are into the same content we enjoy. And One Piece fans were pleasantly surprised to find out that Taika Waititi appreciates the long-running anime. The Thor: Love and Thunder director wore a shirt featuring Monkey D. Luffy on the set of the Marvel movie. And although the character was intentionally blurred out, fans quickly identified him.

Taika Waititi wears ‘One Piece’ shirt on set of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

RELATED: More ‘One Piece’ Episodes Are Coming to Netflix in July 2022

That’s right, Taika Waititi was caught wearing a One Piece shirt on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder. After all, blurring out Monkey D. Luffy won’t stop fans of the anime from recognizing the iconic character.

Ina behind-the-scenes photo that’s making the rounds online, Waititi is wearing a shirt with Luffy on it. And although the image is censored, fans on Twitter and Reddit were quick to point out its connection to One Piece.

When IGN’s Matt Mamon posted the photo on Twitter, Taika Waititi responded, confirming that the shirt does, in fact, feature Luffy. He didn’t elaborate on whether or not he’s a One Piece fan. However, if he’s wearing the anime’s merchandise to work, we have to believe he’s seen an episode or two.

Why is Luffy blurred out on Waititi’s shirt?

Despite Taika Waititi’s One Piece shirt being blurred out for Thor: Love and Thunder‘s behind-the-scenes photo, fans figured out what he was wearing. However, some wondered why Monkey D. Luffy’s face was censored in the first place.

Although there’s no definitive answer, the most obvious explanation would be to prevent copyright issues. With Disney and Marvel Studios owning the rights to Thor: Love and Thunder, they likely would have needed permission from Toei Animation to include Luffy in any BTS features. As such, blurring out the shirt was probably the easiest solution.

Of course, Toei Animation’s not the only company involved with One Piece at the moment. Although they’re the studio behind the anime, Netflix is bringing the live-action take on Luffy’s story to life.

Waititi does not have anything to do with Netflix’s live-action ‘One Piece’ series

After seeing Taika Waititi in a One Piece shirt — and surmising that he’s a fan — some Redditors wondered whether the director could be involved with Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the anime.

Currently, that’s not the case. As of this writing, Taika Waititi does not have anything to do with Netflix’s live-action One Piece series. However, fans suggested he’d make a good fit to direct.

“Hold up… can HE direct a live-action One Piece[?]” one Redditor asked. They also added, “His sense of goofiness really matches the series.”

“That would be great,” another Redditor responded, “though realistically, I’m not sure if they can afford him for a whole series. Even a guest-directed episode would be phenomenal.”

Overall, it seems like many One Piece fans would love to see Waititi involved in a live-action project in the future. Whether that’s something the director would take on remains a mystery. Considering his shirt, it’s possible he’ll watch these additions to the franchise — even if he doesn’t have any involvement in them. And Waititi has no shortage of content coming out in the near future, so fans can appreciate his work in other franchises.

Catch Waititi’s latest in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is now playing in theaters worldwide.

RELATED: Jamie Lee Curtis Revealed She’d Love to Play a ‘One Piece’ Character for Netflix

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