The official social media account for Netflix's One Piece live-action series posted a new update today, revealing set photos and sharing a message from the one and only Eiichiro Oda, creator of the One Piece manga. Back in October, Oda announced that the One Piece manga would be going on a short break as he focused his attention on the second season of Netflix's live-action show.
As it turns out, Oda actually visited the show's set in South Africa where it is currently being filmed. The account posted multiple photos of Oda on set, interacting with the cast and crew. But the most exciting part of the update was a message from Oda in which he praised the sets, attention to detail, and "crew's love for the project."
In his message, he also had nothing but praise for the cast of Season 2, including the series newcomers which he described as "absolutely the perfect choice."
One Piece Season 2 will see several new characters introduced as it covers the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island arcs from the manga. Some of the new characters we'll meet include Nico Robin (played by Lera Abova), Mr. 0/Crocodile (Joe Manganiello), Vivi (Charithra Chandran), Dr. Kureha (Katey Sagal) and Dr. Hiriluk (Mark Harelik), among others.
With all that said, Oda left fans with one more exciting promise: that Season 2 "will surpass" Season 1. The first season of the live-action adaptation was met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike. It currently sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% Popcornmeter score. Seeing as how good the first season of the show was, that's some mighty big talk from Oda regarding Season 2's promise.
“I went to South Africa!! Cape Town is where the Netflix live-action show is being filmed!!,” Oda’s message to fans begins. “I got to see first hand the hard work of so many crew members across various fields!! The sets? Huge! The attention to detail? Insane! The crew’s love for the project? Off the charts!! And the food? Amazing!! Now I feel an even greater sense of responsibility given my role.
I also managed to speak with not only the returning cast from Season 1 but also each of the new cast members. My own casting selections were made from Japan over photos and videos, but seeing them all in person convinced me: "They were absolutely the perfect choice!!!"
The vibe on set was just the best, too! Trust me, this is going to surpass Season 1. Stay tuned for Season 2!"
Netflix has still not announced a premiere date for One Piece Season 2, although a recent behind-the-scenes video strongly suggested it will be released in 2025.