Following the news that Netflix has renewed the live action One Piece for another season, fans have begun speculating on just what season two of the pirate manga adaptation will involve.
With only 100 chapters of the 1000+ manga covered in season one, it will be interesting to see how much of the action showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda can squeeze into season two.
One Piece live action producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements have said they are ultimately aiming for to have between 6 to 12 seasons of the show, which is extremely ambitious in this current streaming climate. Depending on how well the second season does, it will likely be confirmed on a season-to-season basis, or just die in the water.
As ScreenHub’s resident One Piece expert (not my actual title but we persist anyway), here are my predictions for season two.
One Piece season 2 top predictions:
Baroque Works
Baroque Works are sort of a collective of guns-for-hire, though ‘guns’ is interchangeable for swords and devil fruit powers such as stealing people’s faces. This gang were already teased in season one alongside the appearance of Mr 7 (that guy who gets his head chopped off by Zoro after failing to recruit him to Baroque Works). I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see the remained of Baroque Works, especially aforementioned face-stealer Bon Clay, in season two of the live action One Piece.
Smoker and Tashigi
Smoker is a key antagonist and Marine figurehead in One Piece. He has a surprise devil fruit ability (but you might be able to guess what it is) which he puts to good use against the Straw Hats. Tashigi is his second-in-command; a brilliant swordswoman and tactician who is often played for comedic relief. Spoiler alert! At the very end of season one, we actually get a glimpse of Smoker. You can see his white hair, and trademark two cigars in one hand, as he looks at Luffy’s wanted poster. It’s pretty much guaranteed we’ll see him in season two.
Tony Tony Chopper
As the Straw Hats traverse the high seas, they quickly realise that their penchant for bashing bad guys means they are in desperate need of a doctor to keep their blood where it usually should be – inside their bodies. Enter Dr. Chopper – Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer so nice they named him twice. Yep, that’s a reindeer in a hat. Who is also a competent medical doctor. And can transform in seven different ways. Look, it makes sense if you’ve read the manga! Since Chopper quickly becomes a part of the core team, it is absolutely crucial to position his arc at the centre of season two. Plus, his appearance was more or less confirmed by manga author Eiichiro Oda himself in his Twitter message:
Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr Kureha?
Dr Kureha is Chopper’s mentor. She taught him everything there is to know about medicine, and is something of a mother figure to him, so she’s pretty important to his storyline. Before we even had a Netflix live action series, One Piece fans have been calling for Jamie Lee Curtis to play Kureha. But why?? Well, Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter are huge One Piece fans, and Curtis has said she’d love to play Nico Robin (I talk about Robin below) in a live-action One Piece – though she admits that due to her age she’d be better off playing ‘that old wisened woman in the bell bottoms’, i.e. Dr Kureha.
Alabasta
If the narrative is fast paced enough, the Straw Hats will likely travel from Logue Town (where they first meet Smoker), to Drum Island (where Tony Tony Chopper lives), all the way to Alabasta, where they’ll find themselves caught up in an attempted coup and climate conspiracy. The ‘Alabasta Arc’ is a fan favourite among One Piece readers and watchers, not least because it contains some of the most interesting heroes and villains in the series as a whole. Alabasta is likely based on ancient Arab countries, with its sprawling deserts and impressive architecture. The abundance of sand proves tricky for our intrepid pirates who much prefer being at sea. It will be seriously impressive to see this realised in the live-action.
Princess Vivi
Princess Vivi is a key figure, both in the Baroque Works story and in the Alabasta Arc. She travels with the Straw Hats to Drum Island, and afterwards takes them to Alabasta where she implores them to help her and her family. She’s clever and can hold her own in a fight – and she also has an adorable giant duck that she rides around on. I think we will definitely see Vivi in season two … but I really hope they do a better job on the coloured wigs this time.
Nico Robin
Nico Robin is a mysterious devil-fruit user whose intentions – at least when she’s first introduced – are unclear. She’s incredibly smart and powerful, and if you get on her bad side she’s a serious threat. She too is a key player in Alabasta. Definitely a femme-fatale, the role of Robin will be one that’s coveted by many actresses. We will have to see if Netflix goes with a well-known face or a fresh one.
Crocodile
My last bet for season 2 is the appearance of Crocodile. Similar to Arlong in season one, he’s a pirate with big ambitions – but unlike Arlong, he’s a devil-fruit user, and significantly harder to defeat. With a nation at his feet, a rogues gallery in his pocket, and a tank full of deadly bananagators, he will prove a formidable foe for Luffy and the Straw Hats. But, given they’ve already got a lot to cover in what will presumably be another eight episodes, it may very well end up that season two ends on a cliffhanger before Crocodile is properly introduced.
Stay tuned for updates on One Piece season two release dates, cast details, trailers and more.
