The cast of Netflix's live-action One Piece series continues to fill out. The streamer announced today a new addition to the series with Sendhil Ramamurthy bringing Nefertari Cobra to life in Season 2.
It was recently confirmed that Season 2 of One Piece will adapt the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island story arcs. These comprise the majority of the Arabasta Saga, which is where we first meet Nefertari Cobra, the 12th king of the Alabasta (also referred to as Arabasta) Kingdom and the father to the fan-favorite character Vivi.
A casting call posted back in May did mention Vivi for the upcoming season, but Netflix has yet to announce who will be playing her. Now that we know the actor playing Nefertari Cobra, it hopefully shouldn't be long now before we learn who will play his daughter in the live-action series.
For those unfamiliar with Sendhil Ramamurthy's work, the actor is best known for his roles as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC sci-fi drama Heroes and Jai Wilcox in the action spy series Covert Affairs. He also played Gabriel Lowen in The CW series Beauty & The Beast, Mr. 104 in Max's Doom Patrol, and Bloodwork in The CW's The Flash.
Ramamurthy is the latest actor to be revealed for Season 2. Just yesterday Netflix announced that Dr. Kureha will be played by Katey Sagal while Dr. Hiriluk will be played by Mark Harelik. Both characters have important roles in the Drum Island arc.
Season 2 of One Piece is still filming and is expected to last until December. Netflix has yet to announce a release date for the highly anticipated sophomore season, although many believe the series will return in 2025.
For what it's worth, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the One Piece manga, actually offered an update on the production status of the series and briefly touched upon the Season 2 premiere. Unfortunately, he didn't offer any release window, simply stating that he, the showrunners, and Netflix has a "verbal pledge" that the show will not be put out until he is "satisfied."
Season 1 of One Piece premiered on Netflix on August 31, 2023 and was an immediate hit for the streaming service. The first season sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% Audience Score.