Mr. 3 was more of a joke character than a serious villain in theOne Pieceanime, but David Dastmalchian’s live-action version will come across as a far more severe threat to Monkey D. Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates. Netflix’s adaptation teasedBaroque Worksduring its first season, and the criminal organization is now set to play a major role inOne Pieceseason 2. Led byJoe Manganiello’s Crocodile, the show’s contingent of Baroque Works villains will also include lower-ranking members like Mr. 9 (Daniel Lasker), Miss Valentine (Jazzara Jaslyn), Mr. 5 (Camrus Johnson), and of course, Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3.
In theOne Pieceanime and manga series by Eiichiro Oda, Mr. 3 was never more than a minor antagonist. He briefly caused the Straw Hats some trouble on the island of Little Garden, but was soon beaten by Luffy without putting up much of a fight. Moreover, Mr. 3 was consistently portrayed as a comedy character, not a boss-level villain like Crocodile or Arlong. A ridiculous hairstyle and wax-based Devil Fruit powers made Mr. 3 hard to take seriously, andOne Pieceleaned into that by having Luffy use the villain’s own hair against him, among other amusing moments.
Mr. 3 Defeating Brogy Will Look More Impressive After One Piece’s Recent Manga Developments
Mr. 3 Didn’t Get Enough Credit At The Time
David Dastmalchian’s version of Mr. 3 may not be played for laughs quite so overtly, and his fight against Brogy is the biggest reason why. Oda’s originalOne Piecestory saw Mr. 3 subdue the giant Brogy - not necessarily in a fair fight, but the Baroque Works operative still managed to bring down his mammoth opponent. At the time, this feat seemed reasonably impressive, but not a victory that would change the order ofOne Piece’s strongest characters. Brogy was evidently strong, butOne Piece’s Little Garden arc gave no suggestion that Mr. 3’s victory over the giant was astoundingor unexpected.
David Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3 will come across as a veritable monster instead of just a wacky candle enthusiast with silly hair.
More recent developments in theOne Piecemanga have completely altered the context around Mr. 3 defeating Brogy at Little Garden. In the Egghead Island arc, Dorry and Brogy help the Straw Hats escape from the Gorosei - some of the strongest villains in the entire franchise. The giants go head-to-head against vice admiral-level marines, and receive super-sized bounties of 1.8 billion berries as a result.
One Piece’s next arc, set in the giants' home of Elbaph, then accentuates how much stronger the giants are compared to other races. The island’s usurper prince, Loki, reveals that Elbaph contains the so-called strongest country on the entireOne Piecemap, Warland. Since Dorry and Brogy are captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, they must be elites even among their own kind.
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All of which is to say thatDorry and Brogy are actually far more powerful thanOne Piecelet onwhen they first appeared. The fact that Mr. 3 was able to take Brogy down, therefore, is much more amazing in hindsight than it was at the time. When that moment happens in Netflix’s live-actionOne Pieceadaptation,David Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3will come across as a veritable monster instead of just a wacky candle enthusiast with silly hair.
Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece Looks Set To Make Mr. 3 A Bigger Deal
Could Mr. 3 Be One Piece Season 2’s Main Villain?
One Pieceseason 2 portraying Mr. 3 as significantly stronger than his anime counterpart actually makes sense in the wider context of Netflix’s live-action show. For starters, David Dastmalchian is one of the most recognizable names to feature inNetflix’sOne Piececastthus far, especially after starring in 2024 horror hitLate Night with the Devil.It seems unlikely that an actor of Dastmalchian’s renown would play a bit-part rolelike Mr. 3 does in theOne Pieceanime and manga, suggesting his feud with the Straw Hats will rumble on beyond Little Garden alone.
While Mr. 3 does return after Little Garden in the originalOne Piecemanga, he does so as either an outright source of comedy, or an ally to Luffy.
Turning Mr. 3 into a more prominent villain also makes sense when looking at how much of the source materialOne Pieceseason 2 will adapt. According to Oda himself,One Piece’s upcoming episodes will stop just before the Arabasta arc. While Joe Manganiello’s Crocodile will appear in season 2, therefore, he is unlikely to become the show’s main threat untilOne Pieceseason 3. With Crocodile restricted to a backseat role,Mr. 3 could step up as a more prominent enemy, allowing the adaptation to take full advantage of casting a big name like David Dastmalchian.
In order for Mr. 3 to work as a big boss inOne Pieceseason 2, however, he would need a sizable power-up compared to the anime character, which is why the Brogy fight becomes so important. If Netflix’sOne Piececan sell how seismic Mr. 3’s victory against a giant truly is - something the anime and manga never did - Dastmalchian can evolve into a believably terrifying villain and a worthy stand-in until Crocodile arrives on the scene properly.
One Piece
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
