Netflix’s One Piece Season 2: Everyone Wants More But…
Netflix’s One Piece live-action adaptation has not only made up for the streamer’s lackluster Cowboy Bebop and Death Note shows but has set a new standard. From the day it debuted, the series has been putting up impressive numbers for the service while helping new fans join one of the oldest and largest anime fandoms.
Yet, despite the success, there was concern that the large budget for the series may have set expectations too high. Up until the first episode went live, there were doubts about the quality of the show.
Netflix confirmed One Piece Season 2 mere weeks after the first season debuted on the streamer.
One Piece Season 2 Brings The Arabasta Arc to Life
One Piece Season 2 will likely follow the same pace and trajectory as Season 1, which managed to cram nearly 100 chapters of the manga and 60 episodes of the anime into eight hour-long episodes.
Going by the marks already set, that would mean Season 2 will cover the entire Arabasta Saga, which lasted for 117 volumes in the manga and 74 episodes of the anime.
The first part of the Saga, the “Reverse Mountain” arc, sounds impossible for a live-action series to get right, but One Piece has earned the benefit of the doubt, so we’ll see how it handles Luboon, the giant ship-eating whale.
What’s going to be interesting, given the choice in the very first episode to introduce Baroque Works, is the “Whiskey Peak” arc, which is the first time that the group is mentioned in the manga and anime.
In fact, don’t be surprised if both arcs are part of the same episode, which will then give more time for the Arabasta Arc to develop properly.
The “Arabasta” arc is one of the most important in the overall story of One Piece, representing a turning point for the story with the introduction of Ace, Nico Robin, and Luffy’s battles with Crocodile. The True History and the corruption of the World Government are acknowledged for the first time, both of which elevate the stakes beyond “boy pirate getting into adventures with his friends.
The Returning Cast
One Piece fans nervous about the casting of Season 1 were able to rest easy the moment Inaki Godoy popped out of the barrel as Luffy D. Monkey. The young star has been in mainly Spanish-language productions his entire career, but he brought across the infectious enthusiasm of the next “King of the Pirates” without making it seem corny…well…more corny than the jubilant pirate always is.
Joining Godoy are the Star Hat Pirates of Season 1: Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Taz Skylar as Sanji, and Jacob Romero as Usopp.
In addition to our intrepid heroes, One Piece Season 2 will bring back some of the villains for another go-round, notably Aidan Scott as the obnoxious Helmeppo, Jeff Ward as Buggy the killer clown pirate, and Vincent Regan as Vice Admiral Garp (but in what capacity is unknown, as the series made a huge diversion from the anime with his character).
Koby, played by Morgan Davies with the right amount of earnestness, will also return, again as both a friend and a foe to Luffy.
The New Characters
The new characters appearing in One Piece Season 2 have been cast, with Bridgerton and The Eternals star Charithra Chandran playing Miss Wednesday, Married With Children and Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal is Dr. Kureha, and Mark Harelik is Dr. Hiriluk. Related to this, we know that Chopper will also appear during the season.
The rest of the new cast includes Sendhil Ramamurthy as Neferatari Cobra, the King of Alabasta, Callum Kerr as Smoker, David Dastmalchain as Mr. 3, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, Rob Colletti as Wapol, and Ty Keogh as Dalton.
There has been no mention yet as to who will be playing Ace, leading to speculation that the fan favorite is being held back for Season 3 or will be a surprise drop towards the end of the season.
When To Expect One Piece Season 2
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 slowed down the production of One Piece Season 2 and pushed its release past the expected 2024 date into 2025. Netflix has not made an official statement, but a similar August release to Season 1 can be expected.
One Piece Season 2 started production in July 2024, lending support to the 2025 release date theory.
