One Piece’s live-action adaptation of the massively successful manga and anime series has been one of the very few success stories.
Even last year’s release, Cowboy Bebop, ultimately failed and was cancelled by the platform. This led to apprehension about the high-profile One Piece release.
However, with creator Oda closely involved in the production, One Piece has managed to win over critics and viewers and fans will be getting a sequel.
The announcement
Using the concept of ‘transponder snails’ from the show, Eiichiro Oda, himself, confirmed that Netflix had given him the green light for a sequel.
He says in the video: “To the Straw Hat Grand Fleet: What did you think of Season 1 of the live-action ONE PIECE? I spent a long time working on it with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios. It seems people around the world have been enjoying the show, which makes the hard work from the production team truly worth it.
“To everyone who’s been a fan of One Piece for years, and to those who experienced One Piece for the first time, thank you so much.
“Two weeks after the launch, I just received some great news. Netflix has decided to renew the show! The adventures of Iñaki and the live-action Straw Hats will continue onward!
“It’ll still take a while to get the scripts ready, so please be patient. From here on, it seems to me the Straw Hats will need a great doctor… We will see!”
When is it coming out?
As Oda said, the second season’s scripts are currently being worked on. It is expected to go into production after the writers and actors’ strikes end.
With all that in mind, a 2025 release could well be on the cards. The episode count and story details are still under wraps.
What will the second season cover?
The first season saw the first five Straw Hats’ journey from meeting each other till the Arlong Park arc. The next season will pick up from the Loguetown arc, after which the crew finally reaches the Grand Line.
The eight episodes of the live-action cover the first 44 episodes of the anime. In the announcement, Oda hinted that the crew would need a doctor next.
This means that the second part will certainly include the addition of Chopper, a reindeer with a Zoan devil fruit that makes him part human.
With this, we can expect the sequel to at least reach the Drum Island arc. However, with the show already proven a success, we could get additional arcs.
Drum Island ends with episode 91, and with the anime already reaching over 1000 episodes, it’s not unthinkable that the show now picks up the pace to make up ground.
The stats
In the first two weeks of release, the live-action has already reached 37.8 million views. It also has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.
With all the buzz, Oda might just have cracked live-action as well, adding another feather to his accomplishments. And One Piece might get the worldwide reach that he always wanted.
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