Why One Piece Needs to Address Nico Robin's Age in Season 2

Nico Robin's Vital Role in One Piece

Netflix's live-action adaptation of One Piece was a major success due to how closely it followed the source material, but the series should make one important change to Nico Robin's character. Robin's casting in One Piece season 2 is among the show's most anticipated news due to how important the character is. One Piece follows the Straw Hat Pirates as they embark on a quest to reach the Grand Line, a mythical treasure location to determine who will become king of the pirates. Although Robin joined the Straw Hat Pirates later compared to the original characters, she immediately resonated with audiences because of her powers and personality.

Robin's stunned while bubbles float around her inside a lush green forest

As the Straw Hat Pirates' archaeologist, Robin proves her worth early as she has a vested interest in the many bizarre locations, artifacts, etc. that the Straw Hat Pirates encounter. Her meticulously detailed notes about said items and locations' origins aid Robin and the remaining Straw Hat Pirates significantly in remaining steps ahead of other pirates and the World Government. Furthermore, Robin is depicted as one of the most complex characters in the One Piece source material, as she initially starts as a villain before eventually joining the Straw Hats. With One Piece season 2 confirmed, Netflix will have to address one major Robin element to make her work in live-action.

Nico Robin looks determined in a scene from One Piece.

Nico Robin's Age Could Throw Off One Piece's Dynamic In Live-Action

Robin is roughly a decade older than the majority of the Straw Hat Pirates. By the time Robin is introduced to viewers as well as the Straw Hat Pirates, she's twenty-eight years old, thus effectively making her nearly a decade older than everyone else aboard the Going Merry. Additionally, Robin is still a member of the notoriously evil Baroque Works under the assumed alias Miss All Sunday. After Luffy helps Robin overcome some of her issues, she joins the Straw Hat Pirates and immediately puts her archaeological expertise to work. While Robin's inclusion will make One Piece season 2 better than the first season by default, the age gap between her and the rest of the crew might create a challenge in terms of how to write their dynamic more realistically.

Robin's older age often forces her to take on a maternal role aboard the Going Merry as Luffy's child-like sensibilities and Nami's selfishness cause her to treat the younger crew like her younger siblings rather than her equals. However, the same maternal instincts typically fare much better when addressing Tony Tony Chopper's timidness and Roronoa Zoro's loner personality. In the case of the live-action One Piece, the actors are generally much closer in age, thus making the dynamics between them feel balanced and fun. An older Robin could negatively impact the chemistry already established, but a younger Robin could as well.

Casting A Younger Nico Robin Creates Its Own Problem

A younger Robin might not convincingly command the respect of her equally young crewmates. Although a younger Robin would justify the standpoint of the live-action One Piece's cast appearing more like a balanced and cohesive unit, the decision runs the risk of erasing the much-needed context intrinsic to an older Robin. As seen in the source material, Robin attained her Devil Fruit at an early age, thus aiding her in her ability to read and decipher Poneglyphs successfully. While Robin is one of two people capable of such a feat, it took her years to develop the skill, thus acting as one of the reasons that justifies her age being that different from the other Straw Hats. Another reason an older Robin is necessary is because of the time she spent traveling the world.

During Robin's time with Baroque Works, Robin learned how to hone her Poneglyph reading skills even further, thus making her a crucial player in the world of One Piece. However, Robin only allied herself with the group because she was capable of reading Poneglyphs, a skill punishable by death by the World Government, thus using them as a means of protecting herself. While an older version of Robin is more believable in the Baroque Works scenario, a younger version would lack the world-weariness required to pull off Robin's manipulation tactics. One Piece season 2 will include many new characters, but getting Nico Robin right might be the show's most important challenge.