This post was written by a community member
Those who are a fan of One Piece (the Netflix live-action adaptation of the manga series) and the newcomer to the show Lera Abova, rejoice! Fans have been waiting and waiting for Season 2 to be announced and to be finished being filmed, the wait is over!
Season 2 is wrapped up and ready for viewing for all the fans that have been following the show up to this point. No date has been given for when the first Episode will drop, but it’s likely to be before 2026.
Now with that out of the way, let’s talk about Nico and Lera, the model/actress that’ll be playing her.
Lera Abova playing Nico Robin: The perfect pairing!
So let’s start with Lera, she is a model and actress from Russia. She has modeled for big name brands like Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Versace. Her acting reseme is decent having played in the movie Anna and the show Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin. She has played in other works, but those 2 mentioned are her most acclaimed. So given all that, she does have the potential to knock this out of the park.
Not just because she has acting chops, but also because of her looks and selling Nico’s beauty. Modeling for brands means you gotta look good and help sell product. No doubt she’ll sell being Nico and bring Nico to life in live-action. Now we can spend hours speaking about Lera, but let us dive into Nico! So Nico is a character known for beauty and mystery and Lera playing her is perfect!
Because not much is known about either at first, until time goes on. Even then you don’t get all the answers. Looks wise, it’s easy to see why Lera was picked to play Nico. Both have features that match up. But more importantly, it’s how she auditioned and treated the opportunity that ultimately helped her. The creator of the anime and the show’s overseer, Eiichiro Oda, chose Lera because she was impressive and showed dedication.
Unfortunately, even tho she had Eiichiro Oda’s blessing, people took issue with her as Nico. Why? Well let’s dive into it in the next section!
From the Web with Hate: Lashing Lera!
The Web, we all know how it is with hate and bad takes. But this was different, this was hate so bad it brought all sides together. Lera was the target of hate because of her background, being Russian. It was linked to what was going on in the world. So, because of Lera being Russian, people on the Web thought it was in bad taste. They acted like it was an endorsement of a side, when in reality it wasn’t.
Her being Russian had nothing to do with anything, other than it just being her homeland. Also, Lera being Russian is a good thing, because Oda had said if Nico was a real person she’s be Russian. That bit of info just makes it all that much better that Lera is playing Nico and Lera’s defenders came out and mentioned that too.
The fans in defense of Lera shot back at the haters, saying that the haters are not real fans . Because they would know that a Russian actress would be in line with the character. Along with that, they aren’t real fans because hate was something very rejected by Oda and the One Piece community.
Luckily tho the hate was a short run and it got cold down fast. Lera herself had no response during or after the hate flare up, showing that she is the better person and above such things. This further shows why she is fit to be in the show and that Oda continues to be a good judge of character.
So, to wrap this all up like the filming, let’s go to the finale!
That’s a Wrap!
So even tho there was wait and hate, the show went on with filming and finally we have our Season 2 ready to be aired! Hopefully sooner rather than later, because given what is known, it just might beat out Season 1. We can only hope, for Lera, the fans and the detractors.
Go check out Lera’s profile and show her some love!
I can’t wait for the second season to come out for viewing! Lera is an awesome class act and the hate she got was stupid. She’ll knock playing Nico right out of the park!