Netflix’s One Piece renewed for season two as creator teases arrival of fan-favourite character
One Piece has officially been renewed for season two. (Netflix)
Two weeks after One Piece hit Netflix, the popular fantasy pirate series has already been renewed for season two.
The eight-episode Netflix series – based on Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling manga (and long-running anime-adapted) series – follows the adventures of aspiring Pirate King “Straw Hat” Luffy (played by Iñaki Godoy) as he goes on a treasure hunt across the Blue Sea, collecting some underdog crew members along the way.
The series has already been praised by LGBTQ+ fans for casting Evil Dead Rise trans star Morgan Davies in the fan-favourite supporting role of Koby. The main cast also stars Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji.
On Thursday (14 September), Netflix released a heartfelt message from creator and executive producer Oda himself (delivered via a telepathic snail phone known as Den Den Mushi) confirming season two.
The renewal comes as no surprise given the shows is surpassing the popularity of hit Netflix shows Stranger Things and Wednesday by trending number one in 84 countries.
In the near-two minute video, Oda said: “To everyone who’s been a fan of one piece for years and to those who have experience one piece for the first time, thank you. Thank you so much.
“The adventures of Inaki and the live action straw hats will continue onward. It’ll still take a while to get the scripts ready so please be patient.”
He then teased the arrival of a beloved character from the long-running manga series, the on-board doctor Tony Tony Chopper.
“From here on it seems to me the straw hats will need a great doctor… we will see,” he concluded, as a sketch of Chopper’s character appears.
In the original series, Chopper is the Straw Hat Pirates’ doctor and a reindeer who can transform into a human hybrid thanks to some nifty Devil Fruit powers.
Despite Oda’s request for patience, co-executive producers Mary Adelstein and Becky Clements (Tomorrow Studios) previously told Variety the season two scripts are ready to go and filming can begin as soon as the current Hollywood strikes are over.
“Realistically, hopefully, a year away, if we move very quickly, and that is a possibility,” Clements told the publication. “Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air.”
For now, fans are sharing their joy at the speedy renewal.
“Woooooooo!! The team deserve this. Everyone involved did such incredible work,” one person wrote.
And many are sharing their excitement at the thought of a live-action Chopper.
One Piece season one is now streaming on Netflix.
