Picture Credit: Netflix
One Piece season 2 was a season full of surprises, both for newcomers and longtime fans. The season included scenes and characters that don’t appear in either the original anime or manga until much later. This is a treat for fans who get to see these characters, and for newcomers, it means the world of the show gets bigger and more fleshed out.
Arguably, the biggest surprise of the season was the appearance of Brook and the Rumbar Pirates in episode 2. They are musically inclined, quite stylish and jolly, and they are accompanied by the most adorable little whale ever, Laboon. Among the crew is a gentleman with an afro and a top hat who plays the violin. This is Brook, played by Martian T. Batchamen. Brook is a fan favorite character from Eiichiro Oda’s manga and the anime, an important character to the story, and a future member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Batchamen brings Brook to life in a way that feels inevitable, like the character was always flesh and blood. His appearance in the season is short, yet it packs an emotional punch, and a tremendous joy to the character.
We spoke with Batchamen about playing such a cartoonish character in a way that felt real yet authentic, donning Brook’s iconic look, and nailing the character’s distinct laugh.
Editor’s Note: The following interview has been edited for clarity.
How familiar were you with One Piece before being cast in the show, and what did you know about the role?
The show itself was given a code name, but there were rumpus around it. I myself have been a very big fan of the anime since my college days, so I didn’t know for sure but I had a bit of a hunch that I was auditioning for Brook. Even now it’s all a bit surreal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d one day play this character.
After the initial overjoy of being cast I had a moment of, “wait a minute.” This isn’t a character that you can just do anything you want with. This character, specifically, relates to so many people. There’s a massive fan base. You have to do it justice.
Being familiar with the anime, what sort of preparation did you do to play the role? Did you rewatch episodes for inspiration or did you try to keep your performance as fresh as possible?
When I look at Brook, I’m more interested in his essence, in the soul of the Soul King himself. If you were to put this essence into someone else, you must be able to see Brook in there. That essence was that of the gentleman. He’s one who has this joy of life. He’s been to battle, he’s seen suffering, but he’s choosing to see the joy in all of these things.
Picture Credit: Netflix
Now, all of the characters in One Piece are quite cartoonish and fantastical. The first time we meet Brook in the anime he’s literally a skeleton. How do you find the balance between real and cartoonish in your performance?
I think the secret for me is finding the humanity, even in the cartoonish side of things. In the anime, they go overboard and there’s a certain grandeur in everything, but still it’s very relatable when you look at the humanity of these characters. That’s the important thing for me. Who is Brook, and if he was a human being, how would he act? How would he be grand without it being too much? For instance, there’s his smile. It’s not just a smile, it’s the smile of a genuine happy guy, you can’t just fake it. You can’t appear to be joyful, you have to embody it.
Many characters in One Piece have distinct laughs, and Brook’s is one of the most unique ones. How did you find your take on that laugh?
If there’s one thing I can say that has to be as, well, not really as accurate, but as closely accurate to the anime as possible, it’s the laugh. The performance itself, you can kind of like the humanity in it, but the laugh itself, you can’t really humanize it, because it’s just over the top. So that took practice and repetition to find that frequency of the laugh. Once I had the frequency of the laugh, then I can bring it to the character that I’m manifesting.
You also get to sing and perform “Bink’s Brew,” the most popular song in the anime. How was that for you as a fan?
That was fantastic, man. That’s one for the history books. I had a musical teacher who gave me singing lessons in order to really maximize the voice and bring the performance out. Also, the majority of the Rumbar Pirates were actual musicians just doing their thing, so it made it easy to just be engrossed in the moment while playing the song. Everything just flows and it makes the acting effortless.
I’m curious. Did you have something to act against on set when you’re performing for Laboon?
There’s the eyeline that they give you that is meant to be where Laboon will be, but other than that it is all the imagination. Thankfully I am familiar with the anime so it was easier to see Laboon and know the impact of the scene.
One Piece. Laboon in season 2 of One Piece. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
How does the costuming and the wig help your performance as Brook?
The wardrobe departments and the costume departments, pay such an attention to detail that is amazing. The hair, the hat, the suit, the cravat, the shoes. It is all really good quality, in a way that it kind of shapes you. So the costuming made it easier to become the character simply because the fit was actually good. It allowed me to become Brook, to become that gentleman pirate.
Being a fan of the anime, did you have a moment where you tried to jokingly ask around about whether you’ll be back in a few years to play the character in Thriller Bark?
As much as I wanted to do that and to be like, “Is there something you can tell me about this character?” I think for my own sanity, it’s best that I didn’t do it. I love Brook like I love this character. When you get attached to such things, it’s very easy to be disappointed. So for me, I just focused on this performance, this moment and whatever comes from it, let it be, it’s in the hands of the universe. And if it does happen, it happens. If it doesn’t happen, at least I still have this moment that I will treasure forever.
Picture Credit: Martial T. Batchamen / Instagram
Lastly, if you are to return as Brook in the future, is there a particular moment from the anime or manga you’d be particularly excited to bring to live-action?
It would definitely be the moment that Brook loses his crew and he’s playing on the piano. That moment for me is crucial to the character and I’d very much like to see it. And then the moment where he pledges his life to Luffy. When you are a gentleman and you’re a man of character, a moment like that means so much for the character. So those are the moments I’d like to see come and manifest into the live action. That’s if it gets there.
