The first season of One Piece’s live-action adaptation broke the anime into a live-action curse, so Will One Piece Live Action Get a Season Two? Netflix’s hit pirate adventure surely will get a second season after how great it’s being received, right? Things are looking good for the Straw Hat Pirates in live-action, and there’s a good wind blowing their way when it comes to season two.
Warning that this article contains spoilers for One Piece Season One on Netflix, and some spoilers for the source anime. The anime itself is also available on Netflix alongside the live-action adaptation.
Will One Piece Live Action Get a Season Two?
There are no confirmations on One Piece season two yet. That’s not necessarily bad news though, because not a whole lot of announcements are happening right now. Currently, the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are both on strike. Unfortunately, until that’s over no contracts can be renewed or filmed if already approved. So, things are pretty much at a total standstill in Hollywood as a whole. There is some glimmer of hope for all the fans of One Piece out there, though.
The showrunner for One Piece live-action, Matt Owens, confirms that the writers have already finished every script for season two. They did all that before the strike even began! All with the hope and dream the show would find love, and the dream is paying off majorly right now. So, while Netflix has not issued an official statement on picking up One Piece live-action for season two, once things are up and running it’s a certainty at this point.
Straw Hats of Season Two
When One Piece live-action does come back, the cast and crew have a lot of work ahead. This season will bring the Straw Hats into the Grand Line, and in turn, give a couple of new crewmates. It probably won’t be until the very end of the season, Nico Robin will join up with the Straw Hats. She’s a mysterious figure with the Straw Hat Pirates, but grows to be one of the most loved members.
The real challenge for season two will be the first new Straw Hat it introduces. Tony Tony Chopper, the blue-nosed reindeer who eats the Human-Human Fruit, will make his debut in Drum Island. Chopper has numerous forms he takes in the source manga, from his adorable smaller form to a hulking monster. So, it’ll be interesting, to see how the crew behind One Piece makes him not look terrifying. The best case scenario is a Chopper that looks more like the Detective Pikachu Pokemon. The worst case is the original live-action Sonic the Hedgehog.
Netflix Renewing One Piece
One thing to temper expectations about is the renewal process at Netflix. The company has earned its reputation as the executioner of fan favorites, even without giving the show a chance to gather fans. Santa Clarita Diet was famously canceled on a season three cliffhanger, while the (not as bad as everyone says) Cowboy Bebop adaptation was canceled after a week. It’s honestly a major wildcard right now during negotiations with the WGA and SAG, because Netflix and other studios aren’t above canceling shows to pressure writers and actors. Still, with the fan popularity that One Piece has earned over the last couple of weeks, Netflix may fear the wrath of weebs more than profit margins.
When Will One Piece Season Two Release?
The good news is that the writers say that Season Two is already completely written, and finished long before the strike hit. With that in mind, a show like this still has a huge amount of production to go into it. The sets are mostly practical, and there are a few that can be recycled like the Merry. Some various ports can too, but the Grand Line is a whole different monster. The climate of this stretch of sea can vary wildly, and if this season goes through the Alabasta Saga then expect to see islands of every type. Blizzard-covered mountains, prehistoric jungles, and vast deserts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to One Piece’s Grand Line.
Everything considered with what needs to be done, the creators have given an optimistic timeframe of season two being out anywhere between twelve to eighteen months after the strikes end. Typically if strikes like this are going at the same time they’ll finish around the same time, so fingers crossed. With the way things are looking, though, there’s not an end in sight. Unless studios pull some of the money lining their walls and actually pay people who make the shows, of course.
One Piece is becoming an international threat in every medium this year. The manga is reaching new heights in the Egghead Island arc, anime finishing the Wano battles, and live-action dominating Netflix. It’s one of the biggest openings the streamer has seen since Stranger Things, so there’s a lot of hope for it. Without a doubt, One Piece will get a season two of the live-action iteration if fans have anything to say about it.
