One Piece has been well-known across all possible mediums but one: live-action. The story, created by Eiichiro Oda, reached the shelves around Japan in 1997, and since then, it has become an absolute force of nature. As the highest-selling manga of all time, it quickly earned its place as one of the best series hailing from the small island in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in an adaptation in animated format.
After over 26 years of publication, Netflix announced that a live-action adaptation would be available on the streaming giant’s platform. To everyone’s surprise, it actually managed to live up to its name, breaking the so-called ‘live-action curse.’ Supervised by none other than Oda himself, the adaptation finally debuted, attracting fans who were already familiar with the story, along with an array of new viewers hoping to immerse themselves in this epic saga.
Naturally, as the series finally graced the screens, numerous questions arose for all the new fans. In this case, what is the real name of the King of the Pirates?
What is Roger’s name in One Piece?
During the very first episode of the live-action series, we meet the late King of the Pirates. For over twenty years, his death became a symbol of revolution and the start of a new era of piracy. He knowingly left his treasure – the One Piece – behind for anyone daring to seek it. Any One Piece fan knows precisely how iconic Roger is, and despite his tragic death, he lived a full life. But no matter how important he might be, many fans still make the same mistake when spelling out his name, and there is a very specific reason for this.
In reality, Roger’s full name is Gol D. Roger, not Gold Roger, as many may believe. While having ‘Gold’ in his name would undoubtedly make sense for a pirate – likely Oda’s intention – the ‘D’ in his name is deliberately placed. Moreover, numerous characters in the One Piece universe share this exact surname, including none other than Monkey D. Luffy.
It doesn’t necessarily imply a direct kinship between these characters, but there is a prophecy concerning the so-called ‘will of D.’ that pertains to all individuals with the same title. While we still lack exact knowledge about its nature, I’ll refrain from revealing any spoilers regarding the information we do know. Currently, what we can confirm is that the accurate spelling of Roger’s name incorporates the ‘D’ in the middle.
The One Piece live-action adaptation is currently available on Netflix.