The journey of the Straw Hat Pirates continues in One Piece Season 2 – and here is what we know so far about it.
If you were online from the end of August 2023 to the beginning of September, you would have heard about One Piece. While some fans were excited about the One Piece live-action adaptation of the same-named famous manga, the show premiered on Netflix and became a huge hit. Not that long after its premiere, it earned a Season 2 renewal.
But when might this Season 2 release? And who might come back? That's what we're here to go over about One Piece Season 2 and more.
What Is The One Piece Season 2 Release Date?
As of November 2023, there has yet to be a set release date for One Piece Season 2, which I expected since it was only renewed in September 2023. The creator of the manga, Eiichiro Oda, shared a message with Netflix Tudum, saying how excited he was for the show to continue and that Season 2 is confirmed:
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!
Obviously, at this time, we don’t have a confirmed date, and since the first season was a part of the 2023 TV schedule, I doubt that it will be a part of the 2024 TV schedule. However, there was a report from Variety in September 2023 that the producers said that ‘scripts’ are ready for Season 2, and that new episodes could air between 12-18 months, so who knows? We might get it sooner rather than later.
The Main Cast Is Expected To Be Back
Nothing at this time has been confirmed in terms of casting, but considering One Piece is all about the Straw Hat Pirates and their adventures together, we expect the One Piece cast will likely be back, or at least the main characters.
We need to talk about how awesome Netflix's One Piece truly was.
This would include Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Taz Skylar and Jacob Gibson as the main Straw Hat Pirates: Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp.
Several other supporting characters could also come back, including Jeff Ward’s portrayal of Buggy, an instant fan-favorite, or Peter Gadiot as Shanks. There are so many characters in this series that it’s almost hard to stay on track, but hopefully we’ll get some confirmation soon on who exactly will return.
There's also the fact that several other characters from the manga might be appearing in Season 2 as well. In the mid-credits sequence for the Netflix live-action, it was teased that Smoker could appear in Season 2, who is a pretty famous villain from the story, according to Variety.
It was also teased that another fan-favorite, Chopper, could appear in the second season. In the announcement video from Eiichiro Oda posted on Twitter for Season 2, it ended with a drawing of Chopper, the reindeer doctor who is a part of the Straw Hat Pirates. Keep in mind these are just teases right now, but it's still exciting to think of the possibilities on who might show up!
It’s Rumored Jaime Lee Curtis Could Play A Character In Season 2
Something that’s been rumored for One Piece Season 2 is that Jamie Lee Curtis could be joining the series – and it’s looking more likely by the day that this will happen.
In an interview with Deadline in October 2023, Matt Owens, the co-showrunner of One Piece, confirmed that Curtis is a One Piece fan and that they have been reaching out to her about the possibility of portraying Doctor Kureha for months, and that as soon as the SAG strike was over, he would be willing to “talk” with her for the role to happen:
Yes, as of right now, SAG is still striking, so there have not been real conversations. But as soon as there can be, I’m ready. I will take her out to dinner, we’ll talk about it. We’ll do all of it because at this point we’re writing for her — we really, really want her to come and play with us in Season 2.
What’s even more significant is that Curtis openly posted on her Instagram back in September 2023 that once the strike was over, she would campaign to play the character:
Jamie Lee Curtis’ best movies are already plentiful, but if she added One Piece as one of her best shows now, I think I would freak out.
Season 2 Might Focus On The Consequences Of Luffy Becoming A Wanted Man
While details of the plot of One Piece Season 2 are relatively unknown, Owens commented on what the story could bring next in that Deadline interview from October 2023. The co-showrunner said that now that Luffy is a wanted man, Season 2 could deal with the repercussions of that, and that not every Marine is like Garp, who will let him go:
While Garp may have been the Marine who was testing Luffy, not every Marine is going to give him any leeway because of who his grandfather might be. And so we’re going to see this very powerful, very driven marine as a major antagonist moving forward in the story.
Something tells me this story is about to get intense, just like the manga.
Scripts Are In The Works For Season 2
Something else we know about One Piece Season 2 is that the scripts are currently in the works. While there was a Variety report above from early September 2023 that scripts were “ready,” Owens also commented on the writing room in that Deadline interview from October 2023, saying that the writer’s room was “up and running” and scripts were in the works:
The writers room is up and running, yes, getting scripts done so that we can get into design work, scheduling and pre-production, all of that kind of stuff.
This just makes me want to watch the One Piece anime again – but then again, with 1000+ episodes, maybe I’ll just stick to some other great anime out there for now.
The Series Could Go On For Years
The last thing we know is a big one: One Piece could go on for many years, at least according to two One Piece producers in a Deadline interview from September 2023. Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements spoke about the possibility of the show running for many years and that right now, they have at least “six seasons” planned – but the manga could outrun them:
We’re over 1,080 chapters at this point in the manga.. 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.
So, is anyone else just as excited about this, or is it just me?
While it’s undoubtedly going to take some time for One Piece Season 2 to drop, I’m going to be counting down the days until we see the next adventure with the Straw Hat Pirates again. Until then, I suppose I’ll rewatch the first season and spot all the big differences from the anime – or check out the best anime of 2022 before 2023 is up.
