Who Plays Brook In Live-Action One Piece

Warning! This article contains some spoilers for Netflix’s One Piece season 2, as well as the original One Piece manga.

Netflix’s live-action One Piece introduces a big character from the manga named Brook, but who brings him to life? The ending of One Piece season 1 teed up Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to finally venture into the Grand Line in search of their various dreams. One Piece season 2 capitalizes on that tease, increasing the show’s size and scale.

After a stop in Loguetown, a location filled with many teases for One Piece season 3, the Grand Line becomes the main setting for season 2. As has become customary for One Piece, the show wastes no time exploring the fascinating locations and characters that inhabit the giant stretch of ocean, each with emotionally resonant, narratively compelling backstories.

The first of these that One Piece‘s cast of characters encounters is a giant whale named Laboon, who awaits the return of his pirate friends who left to explore the Grand Line. In flashbacks, this story is told, complete with Laboon’s love for the music sung by the Rumbar Pirates.

Interestingly, this tale links to a now-iconic One Piece character from the manga and original anime: Brook. Despite not being officially introduced until much later in the story, Brook appears in One Piece season 2’s flashbacks, raising the question of who brings the character to life in Netflix’s live-action version of the beloved story.

One Piece’s Live-Action Brook Is Played By Martial T. Batchamen

Brook playing his music to Laboon in One Piece season 2

In One Piece season 2, Brook is played by Martial T. Batchamen, an actor born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, before finding success in Cape Town, South Africa. Batchamen’s primary body of work before One Piece came in various international movies and shows, such as Lootere, The Morning After, and Tali’s Joburg Diary. Batchamen also appeared in D.J Caruso’s Redeeming Love.

What makes Batchamen’s casting as Brook in Netflix’s One Piece all the more exciting, though, is the actor’s penchant for voice-acting. Batchamen’s personal Instagram account highlights this at length, showing the actor lending his voice to scenes from The Lion King, The Dark Knight Rises, Venom, and other movies renowned for their voice-acting talents.

What links this to One Piece is where Brook’s character arc goes after his brief appearance in season 2’s flashbacks. In the manga, Brook is introduced a lot later in the story than he is in Netflix’s One Piece as a skeleton, though one that retains the soul of the pirate himself. This is thanks to a Devil Fruit, with Brook eventually joining the Straw Hat Pirates.

As a walking, talking skeleton, the live-action One Piece show will primarily need to portray Brook using a motion-capture and voiceover performance, should the story progress long enough to introduce him. This renders Batchamen’s casting as a choice that makes perfect sense, given the actor’s evident passion and talent for voice-acting.

When Brook Could Return To Netflix’s One Piece

Nami, Luffy, and Usopp in One Piece season 2

Naturally, this all raises the question of when Brook could reappear in Netflix’s One Piece. As alluded to, Brook’s original introduction in the manga came much later, with that story retroactively fitting him into Laboon’s backstory. Netflix’s One Piece took that known piece of information and included Brook earlier, setting up his eventual role.

In the manga, around 300 chapters separate Laboon’s story and Brook’s introduction, meaning it will be a while yet before the skeletal Straw Hat makes his debut. If the Netflix adaptation continues at the same pace it has shown thus far, and, indeed, runs for long enough without being canceled, Brook’s return can be expected in around season 5 or 6 of the live-action One Piece.

This estimation stems from what is known of the original manga. Season 3 of Netflix’s One Piece is expected to close out the Arabasta Saga of the original story, meaning it will likely end at the same point as chapter 217 of the manga. Brook’s introduction came around 200 chapters beyond that.

Therefore, if Netflix’s One Piece continues adapting between 60 and 100 chapters of the manga per season, Brook’s debut can be estimated for season 5 or 6. While this sounds far away, One Piece season 3 is already in production at Netflix. If the show continues its quick pace, Brook’s return could come sooner rather than later.