A little under two weeks ago, the live-action One Piece adaptation premiered to Netflix subscribers, and along with earning critical acclaim, it’s become one of the platform’s most-watched shows, reaching the Top 10 in 93 countries and debuting at #1 in 46 of them. With a performance like that, a renewal seemed inevitable, and sure enough, One Piece Season 2 is indeed happening. However, what has me specially excited about this big news is that a fan-favorite character is confirmed to appear in the next batch of episodes.
Eiichiro Oda, creator and illustrator of the One Piece manga, announced the renewal today over Transponder Snail, that freaky method of communication in this fantastical world. Read the transcription of what he said in the Netflix video below:
To the Straw Hat Grand Fleet: What did you think of Season 1 of the live-action One Piece? I spent a long time working on it with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios. 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! It'll still take a while to get the scripts ready, so please be patient. From here on, it seems to me the Straw Hats will need a great doctor… We will see!
The video ended with Oda drawing a picture of Tony Tony Chopper, the anthropomorphic reindeer who serves as the Straw Hat Pirates’ doctor. So although it sounds like it’ll be a while until we learn any concrete details about what’s in store for One Piece Season 2, fans can at least take comfort knowing he’ll appear. Granted, I’m still concerned about how Season 2 will bring Chopper to life in a cost-effective way, but I’d much rather think about that than go through a version of One Piece where Chopper isn’t present.
In addition to his medical skills, Tony Tony Chopper also ate the Human-Human Fruit and gained the special ability to shift between three forms: a human, a human-reindeer hybrid (which is how me most commonly appears) and his default reindeer appearance. Additionally, he created a drug called the Rumble Ball that gives him access to four other transformations which only last for a few minutes at a time. So Chopper’s packing both brains and brawn, making him a valuable addition to the crew of the Merry Go.
We’ll have to wait and see how Chopper’s introductory arc in the live-action One Piece compares to what unfolded in the anime and manga, but he’ll ultimately end up becoming allies with Iñaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd's Nami, Mackenyu's Roronoa Zoro, Jacob Romero Gibson's Usopp and Taz Skylar's Sanji. Other things fans can look forward in Season 2 include Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, training Koby and Helmeppo to be better Marines, Buggy the Clown teaming up with Alvida to exact revenge on Luffy, and the Marine captain known as Smoker hunting down the Straw Hat Pirates. The renewal follows days after Marty Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios, which produced One Piece, shared that the Season 2 scripts are “ready” to go and speculated that the show could return “somewhere between a year and 18 months.”
CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on how One Piece Season 2 is coming along as more details emerge, but in the meantime, look through the other best shows on Netflix available to watch now, or scan through the Netflix TV schedule to learn what shows the streaming service has left to deliver this year.
