HOLD on to your hats, One Piece fans. Last September 15th, Netflix Geeked officially announced that the live-action series was getting renewed for another season of the epic journey of Luffy and his crew. 

And fans have been nothing short of ecstatic. 

When it was first reported that Netflix was making its own live adaptation of One Piece, fans were skeptical that it was going to be good. Given the company’s past track record with making live adaptations out of anime, the fear of ruining the series seemed justified. 

Its recreation of the beloved anime Death Note for example, which featured stars like Willem Dafoe, Nat Wolff, and LaKeith Stanfield, almost immediately bombed upon release. Fans were quick to show their dislike of the film, as seen in its 36% critic score and 23% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

This is why it’s surprising to many that as soon as the first few trailers for the One Piece series were released, people started to get excited about the show. There was no denying that from the first trailer alone, the series looked like it was actually going to be good. 

Immediately upon release, the success of the new show was evident among both critics and fans. On its first weekend, it broke the records set by Stranger Things and Wednesday, and was the most-watched show in 84 countries.

With an 86% critic rating and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, viewers of the show have stated that One Piece has finally managed to beat the so-called “live-action curse.”

Fans can’t get enough

One Piece is an anime that’s been around for years; it released its first episode on October 20, 1999, and is still airing episodes up until now. At present, it has around 1,077 episodes. 

Given the size of the source material, it was understandable why fans felt that the adaptation might not live up to their expectations. But it looks like Netflix has proven naysayers wrong, coming up with a diverse cast filled with powerful actors and worldbuilding that truly makes viewers feel like they’re a part of Luffy’s crew. 

And it certainly helps that Eiichiro Oda, the original creator of One Piece, served as an executive producer on the show.

Many rejoiced when Netflix announced that a second season would be coming. 

“The adventures of Iñaki and the live-action Straw Hats will continue onward!” the official video statement of the renewal said, as voiced by Oda. 

The video also thanked all fans of One Piece, new and old, for their support of the show and asked them to be patient for the coming season because scripts are still in the preparation stages. 

Fans shared their excitement online and also wondered what’ll be included in the second season. 

One fan said on X that the renewal was well-deserved. 

“All the hard work from the cast and crew really paid off but let’s just hope they all start to get actually paid what they deserve so they can start getting season 2 going ASAP,” the fan added. 

One viewer hopes that the pillow fight scene in the anime will be included, while another wants to see beloved characters like Chopper, Vivi, Nico Robin, and many more to be portrayed in live action. 

The hype has also helped the show to attract viewers, whether old or new fans. 

An X user, for example, wrote: “I honestly thought this adaptation was going to be horrible, but I’ve been hearing a lot of good things. Might have to give it a watch.” 

Even actress Jamie Lee Curtis has joined in on the hype, saying that as soon as the strike is settled, she’d be glad to lobby to become a part of One Piece as Doctor Kureha. 

What to expect

The first season of Netflix’s One Piece ended with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat crew finally confronting Arlong and the Fishermen, which is the battle that’s been brewing since the start of the show. 

Showrunners Steven Maeda and Matt Owens have since stated that there are a number of possibilities and permutations with regard to what they can do with the show, which means that they would be exploring a lot of these in the season to come. 

No such confirmation has been given on who’ll be returning for season two, but definitely, viewers will be seeing the Straw Hat crew together again. And given the anime’s storyline, several other characters are expected to join the cast as well. 

Chopper’s arrival in the show, for example, has been confirmed to be a part of the upcoming season.

There’s been no talk yet of the date of the release of the second season, given the Hollywood writers’ strike that has affected production. Producers estimate that the episodes will be aired around 12 to 18 months after the end of these strikes.

And though Oda has asked for patience from fans, it has since been revealed that there’s already an outline and a bit of written material in the works for season two. 

Becky Clements, a producer of the show, has also been quick to reassure fans that the manga serves as the guiding principle of the show. The stories and the characters that are important to the fans have all been noted, and will all be taken into consideration in the way the show is written, Clements said.