Sanji Actor Learned Kickboxing for Netflix's One Piece, is Black Belt Now

Though most fans of the original Japanese manga were strictly against Netflix's live-action remake when it was announced in 2021, the moment One Piece premiered, the discourse changed completely, as people were able to see that the series' producers and cast actually did a wonderful job with the adaptation. The show felt magical and true to its source material, and even some of the controversial casting choices began to make sense as the first season progressed.

And while Iñaki Godoy proved to be great as Luffy, it was actually another actor who stole the spotlight from him — Taz Skylar, who was initially ridiculed for being cast as Sanji, a cook and powerful pirate known for his insanely deadly kicks. Despite the fact that One Piece fans hated him as Sanji when he was cast, Skylar was able to prove his naysayers wrong with his remarkable performance.

Dedication to the Craft

Instead of just riding the success of being cast in the blockbuster project and doing nothing extra to flesh out his character, Taz Skylar decided to give Sanji his all and began training as a kickboxer and chef before the show even began production. Yes, the actor was determined to do all the stunts on his own, including chopping with a knife and dropping people with his kicks.

In addition, Taz took the idea further than anyone expected, earning a real reputation among professional fighters and even reportedly qualifying for a black belt. And that's not all — while filming the show, Skylar often cooked for his colleagues, sometimes in full Sanji costume.

'During production/filming, his Instagram stories had him cooking and also training his kicks. He's an awesome human being. Other cast members and crew have similar pictures and videos of him cooking, he's really good,' a fan said on Reddit.

All in all, it seems that Skylar's performance as Sanji managed to convince fans that Netflix's One Piece was worth watching, as his respectful approach to the original manga character made people respect and love him.

'It shows in his action sequences. Plus, the way he holds his knife and does kitchen work is perfect. To be honest, all the actors in this series nailed it, and I really loved this show. Had super low expectations after The Witcher,' another fan wrote.

Source: Reddit.