Netflix’s hit live-action remake of One Piece will finally release its second season in March 2026 after a three-year wait, to the delight of the show’s large fan base. Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is one of the most popular manga and anime properties in history and was adapted as a live-action series by Netflix in 2023.
One Piece’s critical reception was largely superb, standing strong at 86% from critics and 95% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, which only makes the hype surrounding One Piece season 2 even more intense. It will be tough for the live-action cartoon to bring the same anarchic blend of comedy, fantasy, adventure, and horror to life again.
Following the misadventures of the cursed pirate Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece is a one-of-a-kind adventure story that tells the quirky tale of the Straw Hat Pirates. Blending the above genres with aplomb in its unpredictable plot, the show became a cult hit thanks to One Piece’s unique, colorful cast of characters and the show’s original storytelling.
One Piece Season 2 Comes Out March 10, 2026
Since the One Piece manga has been running for over two decades, the live-action Netflix show has a lot of ground left to cover if the series ever wants to catch up with its franchise predecessor. Fortunately, One Piece season 2 will arrive on Netflix on March 20, 2026, almost three years after the August 2023 release of the show’s first season.
Not only was One Piece season 1 one of the most-watched Netflix shows of all time, but the show also managed to win over critics as well as existing fans of the manga and anime. Many reviewers hailed the show as the best live-action adaptation of a manga yet, thanks to its surreal tone and visual style accurately recapturing the source material.
During the show’s lengthy production process, fans of the existing manga were understandably concerned that some of the swashbuckling adventure story’s more fantastical elements would be prohibitively expensive to realize onscreen. The fear was that the show would steer clear of these plot points or, worse, imagine them onscreen poorly via cheap, unconvincing CGI effects.
Netflix’s One Piece Season 1 Was Surprisingly Great
To the surprise and delight of the show’s pre-emptive critics, One Piece season 1 did nothing of the sort. Instead, the story of the Straw Hat Pirates felt true to Luffy’s adventures on the page and in the earlier anime adaptation, with the live-action format adding depth but losing none of the franchise’s surreal appeal.
Since Nami, Monkey, Usopp, Sanji, and Roronoa Zoro were beloved by a massive fan base, it was a tall order for any cast to bring these iconic characters to life onscreen for the first time. However, Emily Rudd, Iñaki Godoy, Jason Gibson, Tax Skylar, and Mackenyu managed this feat, winning over new viewers while simultaneously convincing existing fans.
Impressed critics claimed that the show was Netflix’s answer to Pirates of the Caribbean and its perfect Stranger Things replacement at the same time, which just goes to show its cross-genre appeal. Of course, season 2 of the series still has plenty of source material to realize onscreen, and the arrival of One Piece’s new villains Baroque Works promises more mayhem.
One Piece Season 2 Is Expected To Be Even Better
Season 1 pitted the Straw Hat Pirates against the Marines, but season 2 sees the shady, inscrutable Baroque Works come to the fore as a major villain. Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran is set to join the cast of season 2 as Miss Wednesday, a member of Baroque Works who plays a major role in the outing’s complex plot.
Since the syndicate is diffuse and shadowy, many of the show’s lesser villains are not even major players in the world of Baroque Works. However, one antagonist who does have a big role in the organization is Joe Manganiello’s Sir Crocodile. Also known as the Desert King and Mr O, Manganiello’s villain has yet to be revealed in promotional material.
Season 2 will also see the introduction of Lera Abova’s Miss All Sunday, a character who is a lot more than just a disposable villain, as fans of the source material are well aware. While One Piece season 1 was a great introduction to this world, season 2 is where the Netflix series can truly prove itself.
One Piece Season 3 Is Already Confirmed
For anyone who is still worried that One Piece season 2 won’t have enough screen time to do these iconic villains justice, there is more good news. The superb critical reception of the first season, along with its stellar streaming numbers, means that Netflix has already confirmed a third season of the live-action anime adaptation will go ahead.
Before One Piece season 2 even arrives in March 2026, viewers can already rest assured that the show’s future after this outing is secured. As such, the creators of One Piece can now focus all their efforts on continuing to capture the cartoon mayhem of the source material without having to worry about making concessions to mainstream audiences.
- Release Date
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August 31, 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Matt Owens
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Iñaki Godoy
Monkey D. Luffy
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