We’re coming up on one full year since the live-action adaptation of One Piece debuted on Netflix, one of the best streaming services. The first season stretched from the Romance Dawn arc to the Arlong Park arc of the original manga/anime, and so many people with a Netflix subscription tuned into the series that the streamer quickly put One Piece Season 2 into development. The latest update on the next batch of episodes has revealed that the Alabasta arc will not be covered in Season 2, a decision that’s both understandable, yet has me worried.
This news comes straight from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who revealed through an amusing statement shared on Netflix’s X (formerly known as Twitter) pages that Season 2 will delve into the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden and Drum Island storylines. This news precedes more cast members being announced over the next three days. A couple months ago, the first round of casting news was unveiled, which included David Dastmalchian playing Baroque Works’ Mr. 3 and Clive Russell playing Crocus.
Why I’m Understanding About Alabasta Not Being Covered In Season 2
Before today, I’d assumed that Alabasta would be the concluding portion of One Piece Season 2, perhaps covering its last two or three episodes. However, now that I think about it, that wouldn’t have been a wise move. So much happens when the Straw Hat Pirates arrive in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, from them running into Luffy’s fire-conjuring brother Ace to a war breaking out between the kingdom’s royal guards and a rebellion movement that’s perpetrated by by Baroque Works’ leader, Mr. 0, a.k.a. Crocodile.
Frankly, it’s better to cover all those events over the course of its own season rather than cram it at the end of a season that’s already going to introduce characters like Smoker, Weapon. Dr. Kureha (who won’t be played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and Tony Tony Chopper, the most notable of the players who’ve been confirmed so far. Throw in folks like Vivi and Ms. All Sunday, a.k.a. Nico Robin, there will be more than enough to keep viewers entertained in One Piece Season 2.
Now, assuming that Season 3 happens, and there’s actually a rumor that it’s being shot back to back with Season 2, plus taking into account that Season 2 won’t air until sometime in 2025, that means we’ll have to wait until 2026 at the earliest for its arrival. I’m ok with waiting that long. There are so many moving pieces in the Alabasta arc that the One Piece team needs to take its time with adapting it into live action. Leaving Alabasta out of Season 2 was the right call, though not without a bit of a downside.
Why I’m Worried About Alabasta Not Being Covered In Season 2
Anyone who keeps up with Netflix original programming is well aware that it’s rare for those kinds of shows to run longer than three seasons, with many more being cancelled after just one or two seasons. Shows like The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things and Cobra Kai are outliers, and even then there’s yet to be a live-action Netflix show that’s run longer than six seasons.
Now, considering the millions upon millions of people who tuned into One Piece Season 1, and assuming that Season 2 can retain similar viewership, there’s a pretty good chance that this series will not only come back for Season 3, but could also run for an additional two seasons afterwards. As a nice bonus, Netflix is also doubling down on One Piece by being the home of The One Piece, an animated series remake, so this franchise will remain a Netflix staple for the foreseeable future.
All this being said, by having Alabasta take place across the not-yet-confirmed Season 3, that leaves less time for other major One Piece arcs to be covered. Given how long this story has been running in manga and anime form, I never believed the Netflix show would ever catch up; that’s just not realistic. That said, I have been hoping that the live-action adaptation could at least cover most, if not all of the pre-timeskip period. Imagine how awesome it would be to see arcs like Impel Down and Marineford as blockbuster-style affairs!
Now, though, assuming One Piece manages to make it to five seasons, I suspect that it won’t come anywhere close to reaching that point. Jaya Island and Skypeia would cover all of Season 4, and maybe the Long Ring Long Island, Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs could be squeezed into Season 5. If One Piece managed to achieve the amazing feat of scoring a sixth season, then that would cover Thriller Bark, but then we’d be done. Even with its massive popularity, I don’t see Netflix being willing to greenlight One Piece Season 7 under any circumstances.
Because I started watching the original One Piece anime after I finished the live-action show’s first season (and I also read some of the manga when I was a teenager), I’ll be kept entertained by this franchise for a long time. And yet, I can’t help but worry how Netflix’s One Piece will be able to be effectively concluded without coming anywhere near where the manga and anime lengthy runs. Since Eiichiro Oda is an executive producer on the series, I hope he offers suggestions on a different ending the cast and crew can use. The live-action One Piece deserves to end without any unresolved plot threads, even if that results in the saga of Monkey D. Luffy and his comrades embarking in a significantly different direction.
There’ll be plenty more One Piece news to talk about soon, so keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more coverage. If you’ve already gone through Season 1 once or multiple times, look over the other best shows on Netflix to watch, or browse through the 2024 TV schedule.
