Yo-ho-ho, we're all getting another bite of Gum Gum Fruit with "One Piece" season 2.
Netflix's live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's mega-popular anime and manga series has been a massive success. 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. We may not have all the details just yet, but here's everything we know so far about "One Piece" season 2.
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. That means it's a bit difficult to say when we might see it. If things stay on track, it could be as early as next fall. "One Piece" hit the streaming platform in August 2023. If all goes well, we'll likely see a similar release date for a new set of episodes.
According to Variety, scripts for "One Piece" season 2 are ready to go, though production did not begin right away due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Now, production is set to begin in June 2024, which is now less than a month away, so it's almost time for the pirates to get together and bring us something new.
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."
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 remained mum 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. 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
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. With the live action narrative concluding somewhere around the manga's Chapter 218, unless there's a time skip or a push to skip some of the existing content, we'll likely see the next set of episodes exploring the desert nation of Arabasta. 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.
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