Season two of the “One Piece” live action TV series builds upon the solid start of the first season and truly captures the feelings of wonder, excitement and adventure found in the world’s bestselling manga series. These eight episodes continue to follow Luffy and his crew who dream of finding the One Piece and becoming King of the Pirates as they enter the Grand Line where the treasure is allegedly hidden.
“One Piece,” a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, has been in circulation since July 1997. It was the best-selling manga for 11 consecutive years between 2008 to 2018, and in March 2026, it had over 600 million copies in circulation. With its renowned popularity, its live action adaptation has been under much scrutiny as many fans worried that it would fall short of the story that means so much to them.
This season had settings and characters that would be far more difficult to capture in live action than that of the first season, such as a giant whale, giants, a giant gold fish and a talking reindeer named Tony Tony Chopper. The world also contains a magic system called devil fruits, whose fantastical nature was also of concern, but on all fronts this live action adaptation was able to successfully capture these prominent features of the One Piece world.
The story has always been a mix of lighthearted humor and goofy premises and a darker reality of government injustices and oppression, whose balance is captured well in the live action. The pacing is solid, with each episode substantially moving the plot forward.
Like the first season, edits were made to the original story and, except for the final arc, they all greatly strengthen the narrative and the world. Within the credits, the show says it is based on the story by Eiichiro Oda, implying that it is not a one-to-one adaptation, and for live action, that is for the best. Some parts of the manga just do not work in this 3D environment, and rather than making an egregious scene for the sole purpose of remaining faithful, the show does what it needs to do to be good.
The most common type of change is one where characters and ideas are introduced earlier than they were in manga, adding to the narratives complexity, though never being overwhelming. The CGI has improved between seasons and now shows whole islands rather than just ports, enlarging the world.
Episode two contains some of the most substantial changes from the manga, but all of them come together to make it the best episode in both seasons full of meaningful plot and beautiful visuals.
Unfortunately, episode six did not receive the same treatment, and changes made to its story lessen it compared to the manga, though it also felt like budget restrictions were driving many of these choices. Set on Drum Island, the crew is in search of a doctor, which requires Luffy to scale an incredibly tall mountain.
The multiple towns on the island shown in the manga have been reduced to a single set piece, and the mountain felt extremely discounted from the rest of the island, with characters simply teleporting there from the village. Because of this, the struggles Luffy endures reaching the mountains — much less climbing it — felt almost non-existent in the live action. This scene is one of the first times where Luffy must shoulder the role of captain and ignore his impulses to fight or else others will perish, and without the difficulty, it loses its impact entirely.
While budget constraints still influence the last two episodes, the narrative returns to that of the manga and ends the season on an incredible note, leaving fans wanting more.
Some criticism of the show revolves around questioning how the live action will be able to depict an event in future seasons or manage with the long production time between seasons, and while they are valid worries, they are not relevant to the question of whether this season is good or not, and it is excellent.
The strong casting decisions and acting that played a major role in the first season’s success has continued into season two. Each actor is perfect for the role, which feels refreshing in a world of movies and shows dominated by celebrities cast first for their fame and second for the character match. Within this, the costume design constantly sees the cast in new clothes that match their personality while adding visual interest to the repetitive outfits of the manga.
Many of the praises and the few issues with the second season are also present in the first season, which is an excellent introduction to the long run franchise that’s over 1,000 episodes and 1,177 manga chapters and can feel daunting to approach.
For viewers who enjoyed the first season, season two is an improvement on almost all fronts. The release of season two is a great reason to give the show a try as episode two especially might be one of the best television moments of the year.
“One Piece” live action season one and two can be watched on Netflix.
Joshua Reisenfeld can be reached at [email protected]