With One Piece Season 2 adapting the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden and Drum Island storylines, there are a lot of big moments to look forward to when the Netflix subscription-exclusive show returns (now confirmed to be in 2026). Arguably the biggest, however, is the introduction of Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer who ate the Human-Human Devil Fruit will become the Straw Hat Pirates’ doctor. Although we got a teasing look at Chopper’s human-reindeer hybrid form last September, the first full look has finally arrived. Additionally, it’s been revealed that a Guardians of the Galaxy actor has been tapped to play the character.
Mikaela Hoover, who played both Nova Prime’s assistant in Guardians of the Galaxy and Floor the Rabbit in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, will voice Chopper in the live-action One Piece, as well as did facial capture for him. This news comes to us straight from Netflix’s TUDUM event, as well as the below video of the sixth Straw Hat Pirate:
Well isn’t he just adorable, just like the version voiced by Brian Palencia in the anime’s English dub. The "live-action" Chopper is seen speaking with Iñaki Godoy's Monkey D. Luffy, who's off camera, and to the TUDUM crowd, and I'm really liking Mikaela Hoover's take on the character. It was also a nice touch to show Chopper's frequent habit of hiding the wrong way and getting flustered when he receives praise.
One thing it’s worth noting for those unfamiliar with the source material is that Chopper is also capable of switching back to a regular reindeer or turning into a full human (albeit still with some fur around his neck and retaining his reindeer nose). The latter sees him growing much larger and his strength increasing, but if the live-action One Piece is taking its cue from the anime, then we’ll still hear Mikaela Hoover’s voice coming out of his mouth. I'm looking forward to seeing these other forms, as well further transformations when Chopper swallows one of his trademark Rumble Balls.
Chopper’s introduction will help close out One Piece Season 2, as he comes into play during the Drum Island storyline, where we’ll also meet Katey Sagal’s Dr. Kureha, Mark Harelik’s Dr. Hiruluk and Rob Colletti’s Wapol, among others. But as I said earlier, Chopper will go on to adventure with Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji. With One Piece Season 3 being confirmed by Zoro actor Mackenyu in February, and then by Mr. 0 actor Joe Manganiello to our own Alexandra Ramos earlier this month, we’ll be hearing a lot more of Mikaela Hoover’s Chopper in the coming years.
Other notable characters who will be introduced in One Piece Season 2 include Lera Abova’s Miss All Sunday, David Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3, Callum Kerr’s Smoker, Sendhil Ramamurthy’s Nefertari Cobra and Charithra Chandran’s Miss Wednesday. We’ll let you know once Netflix announces the premiere date, but until then, you can revisit Hoover’s work in the first and third Guardians of the Galaxy movies with a Disney+ subscription. The actress can also be seen playing Cat Grant in Superman, which arrives to the 2025 movies schedule on July 11.
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