One Piece Season 2 just announced the start of filming, and we're already getting some exciting reveals about what to expect from these upcoming episodes. We've learned that David Dastmalchian is playing Baroque Works member Mr. 3, as well as the casting for some other important characters. Now the episode title for the Season 2 premiere has been shared, and some subtle reveals that have me even more excited to binge this with a Netflix subscription.
A day after dropping a video about the cast arriving in Cape Town for filming, One Piece dropped a photo showing Season 2's first script. Take a look at the photo, which shows the title of the first new episode:
Look what we found, Straw Hats 👀 pic.twitter.com/ElcvF9vWcpJuly 2, 2024
It's just a boring and standard announcement, right? Wrong! Even the most innocuous photo can contain clues about what's to come in the anime adaptation, and that's true here. Here's what we see in the photo that makes me think we're about to see one character's big meeting with Luffy and another iconic look for one Straw Hat pirate. Unfortunately, there's no word on when Chopper will arrive or if Brook will show up ahead of schedule, but I can be patient on those reveals.
The First Episode Seemingly Confirms Smoker's First Confrontation With Luffy
The episode title "The Beginning and the End" sounds very similar to the One Piece anime episode "The Town At The Beginning And The End - Arrival At Loguetown." If this tracks where the adventure picks up, Loguetown is a big episode for the Straw Hats. It is here where Luffy encounters one of his greatest rivals in the Marines, a Devil Fruit user named Smoker.
The live-action One Piece showed Smoker at the tail-end of the season, though the character was sitting in the shadows. We've since learned that Monarch actor Callum Kerr will play Smoker, and hopefully he'll have a role that grows beyond what we see out of the upcoming season. I'd love to see this series grow enough to explore the nuance in Smoker and Luffy's relationship. For now, I'll settle for being excited about seeing his smokey body fade in and out of a fight.
Usopp's Patented Goggles Are Seen In The Photo
Another exciting reveal from this poster is that Usopp is likely going to look much closer to his anime counterpart going forward. The poster gives us an early glimpse at the patented goggles the Straw Hat member bought in Loguetown, which became a part of his signature look for several arcs. Given the various differences between the One Piece anime and live action, I love seeing a connection like this to further marry the two.
While I remain skeptical that Netflix will continually renew the series until it gets to actor Mackenyu's favorite arc, Dressrosa, One Piece Season 2 continues to do the things fans want to see from the live-action. My experience with live-action anime is that the show often strays apart from the source material in a way fans dislike, but so far, One Piece is everything longtime fans have wanted. Here's hoping this nod to Usopp's signature style is a sign the show is still on the right path, and we continue to be amazed by this series.
One Piece Season 2 is currently filming and is expected to be released at some point in 2025. We have a few fans on staff looking for any and all updates about the season, so be sure to check back for more coverage as production continues!
