One Piece season 2: what we know about the hit Netflix show's return
One Piece season 2: key information
- Announced in September 2023
- Scripts still being written
- New showrunner revealed
- No release date, trailer, or plot synopsis revealed
- Principal photography is rumored to begin in mid-2024
- Key cast members expected to return
- Jamie Lee Curtis wants to join the cast
- Fan-favorite characters set to be introduced to live-action adaptation
- Plot details teased by lead star
- Future seasons likely
One Piece season 2 is on the way – and, for anyone who's kept up with the live-action Netflix series' success, that won't be a surprise. A lot was riding on the streamer's adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s best selling manga of the same name. Thankfully, it was a resounding hit, with unwavering support from fans both old and new tuning into the world's best streaming service to get their devil fruit fill.
Given its *ahem* dominance of the high streaming seas, One Piece's second season was greenlit almost instantaneously. So, while we wait for more on when we'll see Luffy and his Straw Hats pirate crew again, here’s everything we know so far about One Piece season 2, including speculation on its release date, likely cast, story rumors, and more. Based on its critical acclaim, too, it was only a matter of time before it found a spot on our best Netflix shows list.
One Piece season 2 release date: what we know so far
It doesn't have a launch date yet, but Netflix announced One Piece season 2 in September 2023. One week before its renewal, producer Marty Adelstein suggested One Piece season 2 was ready to go, but two big Netflix hurdles blocked its path. Thankfully, those issues didn't prove to be detrimental to its second season's cause. Considering One Piece season 1 was king of the TV show high seas weeks after its launch, then, it was only a matter of time before Netflix commissioned a second season.
So, when will filming begin? It’s reportedly due to commence in June (per What’s On Netflix) and that'll shoot for around seven months. If these dates go ahead, at its earliest, One Piece season 2 will wrap early next year, meaning we could see the show return in mid- to late 2025.
One Piece season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored
Full spoilers follow for One Piece season 1.
It’s fair to assume we’ll see all of the Straw Hats Crew back for One Piece season 2:
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
Emily Rudd as Nami
Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
Taz Skylar as Sanji
Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan), who was revealed to be Luffy’s grandad and who had been testing Luffy to see if he was dedicated to his dream, is likely to return as well, as are Buggy the clown (Jeff Ward) – who vowed to kill Luffy – and rival Captain Alvida (Isorelýs Paulino).
As for potential newcomers, beloved actor Jamie Lee Curtis – a massive fan of One Piece – took to Instagram in late 2023 to throw her hat in the ring to play the part of Doctor Kureha, who joins the pirate gang as their official medic (a necessity, given the wild amount of violent skirmishes they find themselves in).
A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis)
A photo posted by on
Responding to Curtis' post, former showrunner Matthew Owens wrote: "Hope to speak to you soon" before later telling Deadline: "At this point we’re writing for her –we really, really want her to come and play with us". The season 2 announcement video appeared to tease this potential star casting, too, with Oda adding: "From here on, it seems to me that the Straw Hats will need a great doctor…we will see."
As well as Doctor Kureha, we can expect other new characters, including fan-favorite talking reindeer Chopper, or even Mr. 3. Although not officially confirmed, there’s speculation about Mr. 3’s arrival after Netflix posted a video celebrating Monkey D. Luffy’s birthday. Per IGN the video shows Godoy being presented with a big number three candle on the cake. Mr. 3 is known for his ability to create and control candle wax, so a big three in candle form seems like a real tease of his likely appearance. There could be plenty more human characters in season 2 as well, including Nico Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe, and Nefertari Vivi.
Lastly, in terms of new antagonists, Smoker was teased at the end of season 1 – he was seen burning his two cigars into Luffy’s 'most wanted' poster – so it’s safe to assume he’ll play a part next time out, too.
One Piece season 2 story speculation
Major spoilers follow for One Piece season 1, as well as potential spoilers for season 2.
Season 1 wrapped up with the stretchy-limbed Luffy turning his back on the marines before having an almighty face-off with Arlong (freeing Nami's people in the process) and his grandfather. However, when Garp relents and reveals he had been testing Luffy this whole time, it seems all is well in Straw Hat land. With Nami officially joining the Straw Hats crew, the group bands together to head to The Grand Line to find the titular One Piece, which Luffy hopes will fulfill his dream of becoming King of the Pirates.
As it happens, all isn't well. Following his humiliation at Luffy's hands, Captain Nezumi placed a bounty of 30 million berries on our protagonist's head, and several of the nightmarish characters who seem intent on capturing him – dead or alive – aren't going to turn down a prize of that magnitude. Expect this manhunt to be a main story thread in One Piece season 2.
Considering season 1 covered around 90 chapters in Oda's sweeping (and seemingly never-ending) manga series, there’s likely to be a similar breadth in the follow up. This means we could see the crew land on an island of giants, as well as the fight against a gang of bounty hunters who want to dominate the nation of Alabasta. The arrival of Smoker, too, means we can expect The Loguetown story to factor into season 2's overarching narrative, with him also popping up in the Little Garden and Alabasta arcs, too.
Speaking of the Alabasta arc, as hinted at by IGN, One Piece season 2 is expected to follow it closely, in-keeping with the One Piece original manga. The Arabasta arc is known for featuring the Baroque Works, a criminal syndicate hell bent on conquering the Arabasta Kingdom, and who’s an officer of Baroque Works? None other than Mr. 3 himself. It’s not the first we’ve heard of Baroque Works either, with Zoro almost getting recruited to the dodgy gang in season 1’s pilot episode.
One Piece season 2 trailer: is there one?
There’s no One Piece season 2 trailer yet. As soon as that changes, we’ll let you know.
The future of One Piece on Netflix
Let's start with the obvious: given the level of success its predecessor enjoyed, it's highly unlikely One Piece season 2 will be the end of the line for the live-action adaptation. Indeed, with over 1,000 chapters (and counting) in Oda's legendary manga series, there's plenty more source material to mine.
The good news is we could see One Piece stretch out for over a decade. Speaking to Deadline, Adelstein and Clements revealed their hopes for the future, with Adelstein saying: "We have hopes for 12 seasons, there’s so much material". Speaking before Owens' departure, Clements added: "We’re over 1,080 chapters at this point in the manga. We have plans with Matt 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."
In June, the rumor mill was set ablaze with speculation around a season three renewal, which came from a ComicBook.com interview with Brashaad Mayweather, who plays Patty in the show. Asked about a third season, Mayweather said: "They [Netflix] are filming two seasons – season two and three – back to back starting soon". Since the interview circulated online, though Mayweather has said he was just speculating on that possibility. Netflix has confirmed reports of season 3 were "not accurate at this time," with What's On Netflix, too. In short: One Piece season 3 hasn't secretly been greenlit, but it feels inevitable at this point.
For more Netflix TV-based coverage, read up on everything worth knowing about Stranger Things season 5, Arcane season 2, and Squid Game season 2. Or, if you're searching for shows of a similar ilk to One Piece, watch one or more of these five great pirate-based shows.
