One Piece Season 2 costume designer Kerry Anne Barnard confirmed that Emily Rudd fought for Nami's anime-accurate design in the show's Reverse Mountain arc. Netflix's live-action adaptation focused on five main arcs from the manga: Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whisky Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island. This meant that some characters, like Nami and Zoro, have new outfits in most of these arcs, and One Piece actress Emily Rudd made a compelling case to make her character look as close to her anime counterpart as possible.
In the Reverse Mountain arc, Nami's outfit from the manga consists of a sleeveless baby-blue shirt with a prominent light-heart symbol in the center, a dark-blue miniskirt, and her signature light-brown high-heeled sandals. One Piece's live-action adaptation slightly altered Nami's outfit, changing her top to long sleeves (while keeping the same shirt design from the manga) due to the weather during filming.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette from InStyle, One Piece Season 2 costume designer Kerry Anne Barnard revealed that Emily Rudd wanted to make her look as close to Nami during the Reverse Mountain arc despite filming her scenes in the dead of winter.
Barnard pointed out that they blurred the lines a bit from practicality to manga, with them adding long sleeves to keep Rudd warm during filming:
"So this is Nami's Reverse Mountain look, and this is where we got to blur the lines a wee bit from practicality to manga original. So, in the manga, it is a vest, but because she has a lot of action and we were shooting in the dead of winter and we wanted to keep our dear Emily warm, we were able to add long sleeves to this look."
The costume designer also said that Rudd still chose to wear the little skirt as part of Nami's outfit despite the cold, noting that she told her, "'This is for the fans. I want to get this as correct as possible:'"
"She was really having to do all that action in a teeny tiny little skirt. She knew it was going to be cold, but as she said to me, 'This is for the fans. I want to get this as correct as possible,' and she was really, really badass about it because it really was cold."
This revelation from the One Piece costume designer basically highlighted Emily Rudd's dedication to her role as Nami and cemented her authentic portrayal. It also meant staying true to Nami's character's bold, navigator style rather than relying on comfort.
Other costumes of Nami in One Piece Season 2 include her Loguetown Arc outfit, where she wore a deep blue shirt and black skirt.
Nami also wore a simple, long-sleeved shirt with blue sleeves and a yellow mini-skirt during the Little Garden Arc, while she wore another sleeveless top during the Whisky Peac Arc.
One Piece Season 2 pushed Nami to the forefront by helping the Straw Hat crew navigate the Grand Line while helping them fight off the different assassins of the Baroque Works. The show's sophomore run premiered on Netflix on March 10.
Why Emily Rudd's Dedication as Nami Is Crucial to One Piece's Success
Emily Rudd's commitment to staying true to Nami is commendable, and it paid off in the overwhelmingly positive fan reception of her portrayal.
The fact that she had a consistent and remarkably faithful outfit since One Piece Season 1 proved that she clearly embodied who Nami is in the live-action space. While there were minor tweaks, Rudd and the One Piece production team still managed to find the right balance in respecting the source material and reflecting real-world production complexities.
It was also established that Rudd has had a long-standing passion not only for Nami but also for One Piece. She spent years preparing for the role and ultimately nailing her audition. The fact that Rudd wants to honor the franchise's diehard fans by staying true to the outfit is a testament to her dedication.
All in all, Rudd's level of care for Nami is crucial in future seasons of One Piece, as she has built trust with longtime fans and newcomers by making her character stand out whenever she appears on-screen.
