Season 2 of ‘One Piece‘ live-action is bringing back the Straw Hat crew with bigger adventures, new locations, and plenty of character moments that fans have been waiting to see on screen.
But behind one of Nami’s outfits lies a surprising behind-the-scenes story. Actress Emily Rudd reportedly pushed hard to keep a key detail from the anime version of the character intact, even though filming took place in freezing winter conditions.
Emily Rudd Insisted On Staying Close To Nami’s Original Reverse Mountain Design
Netflix’s adaptation continues to follow several key story arcs from the original ‘One Piece‘ manga in Season 2, including Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whisky Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island. Because these arcs feature different environments and story developments, several characters appear in multiple new outfits throughout the season, including Nami and Zoro.
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For the Reverse Mountain arc, Nami’s outfit in the manga features a sleeveless baby-blue shirt with a light heart symbol in the center, a dark-blue mini skirt, and her signature light-brown high-heeled sandals. The live-action version stayed largely faithful to this look, but the production team had to make one practical adjustment during filming.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette, Season 2 costume designer Kerry Anne Barnard explained that the sleeveless vest seen in the manga had to be slightly modified. Because filming took place during the dead of winter and involved plenty of action scenes, the team added long sleeves to the shirt while keeping the original design. Barnard explained that they had to blur the line between practicality and the manga’s original design since they couldn’t risk Rudd falling sick during filming.
Rudd Chose The Mini Skirt Anyway
While the production team adjusted the top for weather reasons, Emily Rudd made it clear that she still wanted to keep another major element of Nami’s outfit exactly as it appeared in the manga: the mini skirt. Despite the freezing conditions, the actress chose to wear the short skirt to maintain the character’s iconic look.
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Barnard revealed that Rudd fully understood how cold it would be on set, yet insisted on keeping the design accurate for fans. Rudd also told the costume designer directly that she wanted the outfit to be pitch-perfect because it was something the audience would notice. “This is for the fans. I want to get this as correct as possible,” Rudd reportedly said when discussing the costume.
The designer also recalled that Rudd performed action scenes in what she described as a “teeny tiny little skirt,” even though the weather made even moving uncomfortable.
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