If there was any doubt that Emily Rudd was born to play Nami in the live-action One Piece, the actress has just earned the eternal respect of the entire otaku community. With the recent premiere of the second season on Netflix on March 10, 2026, the details of the production began to come to light, revealing the brutal physical sacrifice that Rudd made in order to keep intact the fanservice and fidelity to Eiichiro Oda's work.
"The
cold is temporary, the fidelity to the manga is eternal"
During the
filming of the Reverse Mountain arc, which marks the dangerous
entrance to the Grand Line, the production team faced freezing
winter weather. Costume designer Kerry Anne Barnard explained
that they had to make some modifications to prevent the actors from dying of
hypothermia on set. Nami had long sleeves added to her vest to protect her a
bit, but when it came time to discuss what to do with her iconic, tiny skirt,
Emily Rudd flatly refused to wear pants.
Barnard
confessed that the actress was determined to suffer the inclement weather in
order to look exactly like the character. "She already had to do
all that action in a tiny skirt. I knew it was going to be cold, but he said,
'This is for the fans. I want it to be as faithful as possible,' and she was a
complete rude about it because it was really very cold," said the
designer.
A Flesh
and Blood Waifu
This
anecdote has made fans lose their minds on social networks, praising the
actress's commitment. In an age where Western adaptations often censor or
"modernize" the outfits of female anime characters to make them
"more practical", the fact that Rudd demanded to keep the miniskirt
so as not to disappoint fans shows that she really understands the essence and
charm of the Straw Hat navigator.
With the
second season now available on Netflix and sweeping critics for its faithful
representation of new settings such as the snowy island of Drum, it is clear
that the team behind the series continues to do things right.
