Luffy and his motley crew of Straw Hat pirates are at the helm of Netflix’s ambitious, live-action adaptation of hit anime and manga series, One Piece, and the audience is already buckled in for a long ride across the Grand Line. But, after the end of the debut season, what’s next?
As it turns out, the nautical miles stretching between the first and much-anticipated second season might be far longer than anyone would like.
Season 1’s ending teased Captain Smoker, suggesting that Going Merry and the Straw Hats are sailing into the Arabasta Saga in Season 2, but with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes still ongoing, expectations for a 2025 return are now less of a prediction and more of an optimistic outlook.
The lack of a formal announcement about Season 2 isn’t surprising given Netflix’s usual caution in gauging viewership numbers before renewing a series. Nevertheless, it’s hard to believe that One Piece won’t be back. The show is already a substantial investment for Netflix, with sources claiming each episode cost between $17 and $18 million, exceeding even the per-episode budget of the final season of Game of Thrones.
With the physical sets already built, Netflix is on board for at least another swashbuckling season. Plus, with a fanbase anchored in the best-selling manga and immensely popular anime series, One Piece sails in with a guaranteed audience and high expectations – expectations that, according to early reviews, it has mostly met. The live-action adaptation will break the curse often associated with transforming anime into live-action, notably outperforming predecessors like Cowboy Bebop.
The first season of the adaptation was robust, boasting 61 episodes that guided us through the East Blue Saga and into some of the Loguetown Arc. In the process, Luffy recruited key allies like Zoro, Nami, and Sanji. However, there’s still a lot of narrative ground to cover. The original One Piece manga and anime feature an mind-boggingly expansive world, and over its course, the Straw Hat crew grows to include members like Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe, and Nefertari Vivi. The series hints at future high-seas showdowns and new alliances – some born from rivalry and enmity. Characters like Buggy and Captain Alvida are hinted to play more prominent roles, potentially in complicated relationships that could either mean trouble or surprising alliances for Luffy.
If the second season follows the original storyline faithfully, fans can expect Luffy and crew to complete the Loguetown Arc, battling with Captain Smoker and contending with a world now hell-bent on capturing Monkey D. Luffy, who’s now worth 30,000,000 Berries bounty. Following this, the Arabasta Saga beckons, rich in intrigue and characters, from the criminal organization Baroque Works to its nefarious leader, Crocodile.
Given that this saga spans a mammoth 117 chapters in the manga, how much of it will be adapted remains an intriguing question.
The stakes are high, both in the Straw Hat crew’s quest and Netflix’s gamble on this high-budget live-action adaptation.
As Monkey D. Luffy sets his eyes on becoming the King of the Pirates, Netflix aims for a crown of its own in the realm of live-action adaptations. If the first season’s success on Rotten Tomatoes are any indications, Netflix has more than just wind in its sails – it’s riding a full-blown gale. But as we look to the horizon, a swirl of real-world issues like strikes and the enormous financial commitments required could either be bumps in the road or full-fledged storms. The Grand Line is treacherous, both in fiction and in the realities of television production, but One Piece has never been about smooth sailing – it’s about the adventure, the friendships, and the insurmountable odds that make victories worth the fight. And in that spirit, fans eagerly await their next boarding call.
For now, anime fans can look forward to the next live-action TV adaptation that Netflix is working on, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which premieres next year.
