Set sail for grand treasure with "One Piece" season 2. It's picking up speed and heading to the Grand Line faster than you might think.
Netflix's live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's mega-popular anime and manga series has been a massive success by all counts. After its debut last August, the show skyrocketed to the top of the streamer's charts in 84 countries, surpassing records set by Netflix original series "Stranger Things" and "Wednesday". It's been more than apparent since its colorful debut that it's a live-action anime series people wanted to see succeed, and it certainly has.
The colorful high-seas adventure follows rubber boy Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), aspiring King of the Pirates, as he seeks the legendary pirate Gold Roger's treasure: the One Piece. But a pirate is nothing without his crew, so Luffy invites the kind but shrewd thief Nami (Emily Rudd) and pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu) to journey by his side as the Straw Hat Pirates.
With the Straw Hat crew's first adventure in the can, fans naturally wondered whether this series' maiden voyage would be its only trip. Since Netflix confirmed there will be a second season of Monkey D. Luffy's fantastic adventure, it's time to look ahead to what's coming next. While there are still plenty of details still swimming around underwater (no, we still don't know who's playing Nico Robin), we've still got plenty to share right now. Check out everything we know below.
One Piece season 2 release date speculation
In a special video message last September, "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda addressed fans around the world, thanking them for their support and for being a fan of the series in its various incarnations over the years. He also added that he had received "some great news two weeks after the series had launched.
"Netflix has decided to renew the show!" Oda said in the short clip. "The adventures of Iñaki and the live-action Straw Hats will continue onward!"
However, since Netflix officially greenlit "One Piece" season 2, we haven't had an announcement just yet regarding when to expect it. "One Piece" hit the streaming platform in August 2023 and filming finally began on July 1, 2024 with a special video of the "One Piece" cast heading to Cape Town to film on location.
Previously, studio president Becky Clements attested that new episodes could appear on the streamer as soon as "a year away" if things move quickly: "Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air."
Now, we're heading full steam ahead for a 2025 release. However, there's still no concrete release date just yet. Since there have been a host of new additions to the cast, it seems that we're very close, though. Keep watching this space for updates on when you can expect to go on your own adventure with the Straw Hats.
A renewal for "One Piece" is a much different beast than what happened previously with Netflix and its other live-action anime adaptations. The streamer whiffed with its live-action versions of "Cowboy Bebop" and "Death Note." "Cowboy Bebop" attracted major fan backlash and the series was summarily canceled after just one season. "Death Note", on the other hand, was a movie, but it left much to be desired in terms of adapting the anime and manga in a way that felt authentic to the narrative. Netflix didn't exactly inspire hope in anime fans after these two releases.
"One Piece" has taken a much more nuanced approach to bringing the story to the real world. It isn't perfect, but fans and critics alike agree that it's the best anime adaptation Netflix has released thus far. The numbers don't lie either, with the record-breaking "One Piece" usurping positions once held by some of Netflix's top performers.
Thanks to positive reactions and reviews, "One Piece" managed to garner enough support all around to sway Netflix into investing in another season. And there's plenty of story left to work through, so the sky — or the ocean in this case — really is the limit.
One Piece season 2 cast
Netflix has opened up a bit about who we can expect to see continuing the quest for the Grand Line. Since the show is coming back for Season 2, however, we'll likely see the same cast setting sail with some new additions.
In fact, there have been a slew of new cast announcements since Season 2 began filming, and while Jamie Lee Curtis, a fan-favorite pick for the series, won't be joining due to scheduling conflicts per Deadline, there are plenty of new faces who will be.
"Sons of Anarchy" and "Futurama's" Katey Segal will be taking on the role of Dr. Kureha, while Mark Harelik will be stepping into the role of Dr. Hiriluk.
Additionally, in late August, Sendhil Ramamurthy was confirmed as the Desert Kingdom of Alabasta's Nefertari Cobra, while "Bridgerton" star Charithra Chandran was brought aboard as Miss Wednesday, also known as Nefertari Vivi. There's also been confirmation from Oda himself that actor reveals for both Nico Robin and Tony Tony Chopper are on their way. Fans got their first look at the live-action Chopper himself in a recent teaser, though his voice actor has not been revealed.
In September, Netflix revealed an additional series of stars joining the show's cast, with Joe Manganiello announced to be taking on the role of Mr. 0 and Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday during Netflix Geeked Week.
They joined the rest of the newly-added stars, including Clive Russell as Crocus, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, Callum Kerr as Smoker, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Julie Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Ty Keogh as Dalton and Werner Coetser as Dorry.
The Straw Hat Pirates will likely return with most or all of these actors:
- Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D Luffy
- Emily Rudd as Nami
- Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
- Jacob Romero as Usopp
- Taz Skylar as Sanji
- Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Captain Alvida
- Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown
- Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore/Kuro
- McKinley Belcher III as Arlong
- Vincent Regan as Vice Admiral Garp
- Langley Kirkwood as Captain "Axe Hand" Morgan
- Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore
- Steven Ward as Dracule Mihawk
- Colton Osorio as Young Luffy
- Maximilian Lee Piazza as Young Zoro
- Lily Fisher as Young Nami
- Kevin Saula as Young Usopp
- Christian Convery as Young Sanji
- Morgan Davies as Koby
- Aidan Scott as Helmeppo
- Peter Gadiot as Shanks
- Craig Fairbass as Chef Zeff
- Milton Schorr as Krieg
- Tamer Burjaq as Higuma
- Stevel Marc as Yasopp
- Rory Acton Burnell as Nezumi
- Katey Segal as Dr. Kureha
- Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk
- Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra
- Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday (Nefertari Vivi)
- Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0
- David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3
- Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5
- Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9
- Lera Abova as Miss All-Sunday
- Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy
- Callum Kerr as Smoker
- Clive Russell as Crocus
- Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine
- Julie Rehwald as Tashigi
- Rob Colletti as Wapol
- Ty Keogh as Dalton
- Werner Coetser as Dorry
One Piece season 2 plot and storylines
Warning: Spoilers for One Piece season 2 lie ahead.
The first season of One Piece sped through plenty of material in just eight hour-long episodes. This breakneck pace allowed the show to explore a variety of story beats even with its limited runtime. The live action narrative concluded somewhere around the manga's Chapter 218. One Piece moves the plot along at what feels like a mile a minute, so it's admirable that so much ground has already been covered.
The season finale found Luffy making a series of "most wanted" posters with the mad clown Buggy vowing to kill the rubber pirate. We also had our first look at the nefarious Smoker, a character known by his penchant for holding two cigars in one hand. We first saw him burning a hole through Luffy's most wanted poster — looking ominous with some killer intent. Though he wasn't mentioned by name, it's almost a certainty that's one of the next faces we'll be seeing.
We'll probably pick up there and watch the crew continue to grow, but there's no confirmation as to where the new episodes would go just yet. There are still plenty of new faces to greet too, like fan-favorite characters Nico Robin and the adorable Tony Tony Chopper. And there's a lot to look forward to, at least if the series is able to fully explore the "One PIece" universe.
"We’re over 1,080 chapters at this point in the manga," said Clements in an interview with Deadline. "We have plans with Matt Owens for how we would break multiple seasons, and I think even if we did six seasons, we would probably only use up half of the chapters of the manga. It really could go on and on and on."
Producer Marty Adelstein added: "We have hopes for 12 seasons, there’s so much material."
It's all conjecture at this point, but unless Netflix decides to go off the rails and introduce a completely new narrative, we can expect similar beats from the source material to come down the line with season 2.
UPDATE (June 14): As of May 5, star Iñaki Godoy, who plays Luffy, took to TikTok to celebrate the character's birthday. He showed off a cake shaped like a large candle with a wick in the shape of the number three at the end of the video. The camera lingered quite a while around the number, indicating there could be a third season in the works or potentially the introduction of the character Mr. 3 for season 2. Mr. 3 is another side character who ate the Wax Wax Fruit, like Luffy scarfed up the Gum Gum Fruit and received an elastic body. As a result, Mr. 3 can create candle wax and manipulate it to his liking. It's possible he could be a central focus of the new season.
UPDATE (August 28): On August 20, series creator Eiichiro Oda confirmed that the arc we'll see adapted into live-action stories will include "Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island" in a letter shared to the Netflix "One Piece" Instagram account.
"Just as with last season, they've gone out of their way to promise that they won't put the show out until I'm satisfied. This isn't in the contract, you know. It's a verbal pledge. I hope you can appreciate how amazing and determined they are for keeping their word," Oda wrote of the project.
The first episode of season 2, which Netflix revealed in a photo of the new set of scripts, is called "The Beginning of the End" and reveals both Usopp's sniper goggles and a new katana for Zoro. These happenings both took place during the Loguetown Arc, which Oda confirmed would be covered.
UPDATE (September 23): Netflix shared an official video teasing the debut of the adorable reindeer boy, Tony Tony Chopper, "studying his lines" for Season 2. Luffy actor Godoy showed the furry little guy from behind, giving fans their first glimpse at the character after much fanfare and questioning about who might end up playing the CG-animated character.
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