One Piece season 2: everything we know so far about the hit Netflix show's return

It's official! One Piece season 2 will arrive on Netflix in 2026. And while we don't know exactly when, it's great news for everyone waiting for official confirmation of its arrival. The live-action Netflix series sees Eiichiro Oda's best-selling manga transform into a high seas adventure full of high-octane fun on one of the best streaming services. And it appears One Piece: Into the Grand Line, now season 2's official title, has a dangerous journey for Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hats crew to embark on next.

On his quest to become the Pirate King, you may be wondering what's next for Luffy? Well, an impressive cast list, plot synopsis and rumors, as well as future seasons are just some of the things I've got the lowdown on. It's one of the best Netflix shows for good reason and while I'm ready for the next instalment of sea-faring combat, compelling characters and extensive world-building, there's still plenty to discuss. Who knew eating a devil fruit could cause such a ruckus?

One Piece season 2 release date prediction

While One Piece season 2 doesn't have an official launch date just yet, it does have a release window and that's 2026. It's happening, Nakama!

With principal photography confirmed to have finished on February 4 — that means we're one step closer to setting sail for the next high seas adventure.

Netflix officially announced One Piece season 2 in September 2023, but one week before its renewal, producer Marty Adelstein suggested One Piece season 2 was ready to go, but two big Netflix hurdles blocked its path.

Clearly, those issues haven't proven to be detrimental to its second season's cause. Considering One Piece season 1 was king of the TV show high seas weeks after its launch, it was only a matter of time before Netflix commissioned a second season.

Previously, Netflix teased One Piece season 2's next high-seas adventure by confirming on July 1 that filming had begun with a teaser trailer with some behind-the-scenes footage of the main cast heading to Cape Town. And we'll see them all in 2026!

One Piece season 2 trailer: is there one?

ONE PIECE: Season 2 | First Look | Netflix - YouTube

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Potentially a little earlier than expected, I'm pleased to reveal there is a One Piece season 2 official teaser trailer.

Released to great fanfare at the annual One Piece Day celebration in Tokyo on August 10th, it's the first official look of the new season and it's action-packed.

Luffy and his Straw Hats crew can be seen embarking on their next adventure, an incredibly dangerous one, sailing into the Grand Line.

And amongst giants, big waves and even bigger monsters, there's also a first look at Smoker, Nico Robin, Miss Wednesday and Miss All-Sunday amongst others. But, no sign of Chopper yet.

So, when might we see a full trailer? Well, season 1's teaser dropped in June 2023 and the full trailer followed in July. But, season 1 also premiered in August. It's more likely we'll get a full trailer nearer the release date, which we now know will be in 2026.

One Piece season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored

Full spoilers follow for One Piece season 1.

Thanks to the One Piece season 2 teaser, we know that all of the Straw Hats Crew will be back:

• Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
• Emily Rudd as Nami
• Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
• Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
• Taz Skylar as Sanji

Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan), who was revealed to be Luffy’s grandad and was testing Luffy to see if he was dedicated to his dream, is likely to return as well, as are Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward) – who vowed to kill Luffy – and rival Captain Alvida (Isorelýs Paulino).

As for potential newcomers, beloved actor Jamie Lee Curtis – a massive fan of One Piece – took to Instagram in late 2023 to throw her hat in the ring to play the part of Doctor Kureha, who joins the pirate gang as their official medic (a necessity, given the wild amount of violent skirmishes they find themselves in). Although, as of a cast reveal in August (discussed below), we know that role is no longer up for grabs.

But, there's still plenty of other roles to play in One Piece. Responding to Curtis's post, co-showrunner Matthew Owens wrote: "Hope to speak to you soon" before later telling Deadline: "At this point we’re writing for her – we really, really want her to come and play with us". The season 2 announcement video appeared to tease this potential star casting, too, with Oda adding: "From here on, it seems to me that the Straw Hats will need a great doctor…we will see."

Though while there's plenty of new cast to speak about, it's also important to note that after One Piece season 2, Owens will be stepping down for his mental health.

In an official Instagram post on March 21, he wrote: "The last 6 years working on the live action One Piece have been a life changing journey. A dream come true. It's also been A LOT. So I'm stepping off the Going Merry to take a break and focus on myself and my mental health."

He goes on to thank the cast and crew before adding: "For now I'm gonna take a breath, do some therapy, try and rank up in Marvel Rivals, and come back refreshed for the new adventures that await." So, while he's taking a break, it seems he may well return.

When it comes to new cast members joining One Piece season 2, Netflix has been drip-feeding us new cast announcements over the past few months. Here's a brief rundown of who's joining the crew for season 2:

• Mikaela Hoover as Tony Tony Chopper
• David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3
• Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine
• Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5
• Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9
• Clive Russell as Crocus
• Werner Coetser as Dorry
• Brendan Murray as Brogy
• Callum Kerr as Smoker
• Julia Rehwald as Tashigi
• Rob Colletti as Wapol
• Ty Keogh as Dalton
• Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk
• Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha
• Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra
• Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday
• Joe Manganiello as Mr. O/Crocodile
• Lera Abova as Miss All-Sunday
• Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek
• Anton David Jeftha as K.M.
• Mark Penwill as Chess
• Rigo Sanchez as Dragon
• Yonda Thomas as Igaram
• James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu

Those cast reveals began last June, with the first four newcomers announced (via X/Twitter) on June 25. That were followed by another X/Twitter post revealing three more cast members a day later, before a final drop on X/Twitter announced four other cast additions on June 27.

Three more cast reveals for One Piece season 2 were made in August 2024 with this X/Twitter post confirming Katey Sagal (Futurama, Disenchantment) as Dr. Kureha, another X/Twitter post for Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever) as Nefertari Cobra, and this final X/Twitter post for Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) as Miss Wednesday.

Then, during Geeked Week Live 2024, One Piece got some serious season 2 cast upgrades adding Joe Manganiello as Mr. O/Crocodile and Lera Abova as Miss All-Sunday to the impressive list.

And in January, this X/Twitter post revealed Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek, Anton David Jeftha as K.M., and Mark Penwill as Chess. And another X/Twitter post confirmed Rigo Sanchez as Dragon, Yonda Thomas as Igaram, and James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu not long after.

Last but by no means least, even though we expected him to appear, based on season 2's plot being based on the Arabasta Saga (read more below), Tony Tony Chopper's debuted at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event, voiced by Mikaela Hopper, who also performed facial capture for the character.

One Piece season 2 story speculation

Major spoilers follow for One Piece season 1. Potential season 2 spoilers are also discussed.

As season 2 has been officially named, One Piece: Into the Grand Line, it's clear, especially from the teaser trailer, where the gang are heading next.

And, thanks to Tudum, we also have an official synopsis. It says: "Season 2 will unleash fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet. Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line – a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn.

"As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world's greatest treasure, they'll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies."

We've also been teased with a post on X/Twitter (seen above) revealing the first episode's title, "The Beginning and the End", which hints at a potential story arc from episode 48 of the original manga, "The Town of the Beginning and the End - Arrival at Loguetown."

New cast addition, Smoker (Callum Kerr) is considered the main antagonist of the Loguetown arc, so this could potentially hint at where the One Piece story sails to next.

Season 1 wrapped up with the stretchy-limbed Luffy turning his back on the marines before having an almighty face-off with Arlong (freeing Nami's people in the process) and his grandfather.

However, when Garp relents and reveals he had been testing Luffy this whole time, it seems all is well in Straw Hat land. With Nami officially joining the Straw Hats crew, the group bands together to head to The Grand Line to find the titular One Piece, which Luffy hopes will fulfill his dream of becoming King of the Pirates.

As it happens, all isn't well. Following his humiliation at Luffy's hands, Captain Nezumi placed a bounty of 30 million berries on our protagonist's head, and several of the nightmarish characters who seem intent on capturing him – dead or alive – aren't going to turn down a prize of that magnitude. Expect this manhunt to be a main story thread in One Piece season 2.

Considering season 1 covered around 90 chapters in Oda's sweeping (and seemingly never-ending) manga series, there’s likely to be a similar breadth in the follow up.

This means we could see the crew land on an island of giants, as well as the fight against a gang of bounty hunters who want to dominate the nation of Arabasta. The arrival of Smoker, too, will see him also popping up in the Little Garden and Arabasta arcs, as well as the Loguetown arc we previously mentioned.

Speaking of the Arabasta arc, as hinted at by IGN, season 2 is expected to follow it closely, in-keeping with the One Piece original manga. The Arabasta arc is known for featuring the Baroque Works, a criminal syndicate hell bent on conquering the Arabasta Kingdom, and who’s an officer of Baroque Works? None other than Mr. 3 himself.

It’s not the first we’ve heard of Baroque Works either, with Zoro almost getting recruited to the dodgy gang in season 1’s pilot episode. Plus, during Regan's interview at Vienna's Comic-Con in November 2024, he seemingly confirmed the Arabasta arc's presence, in more than one season: "And I guess they’ll start filming season 3 pretty soon, and I think they are doing- I think it’s called the Arabasta story arc. I think it’s going to take two seasons. What I’ve seen of the designs, drawings, and when I was there there was some really fun stuff being shot there at the moment."

From the new cast additions, there's some other story threads that could potentially occur in One Piece season 2. While we have speculated over Smoker's place in season 2, he'll also be joined by his crewmate Tashigi, who, despite rivalry with Luffy, ally with him during the Arabasta arc.

There's also Crocus from the Reverse Mountain arc, Dorry and Brogy, the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, who ally with the Straw Hats during the Little Garden and Egghead arcs. And finally, Dalton and Wapol from the Drum Island arc - Dalton an ally, Wapol very much not. Either way, there's potential for lots of team ups and rivalries on the cards.

Plus, when it comes to the casting of Dr. Kureha (Katey Sagal), co-showrunner Matt Owens told Tudum: "When the Season 2 writers' room got together, we knew how far we were going to get and that this character Dr. Kureha was going to be a big part of the season."

The future of One Piece on Netflix

One Piece season 3 is happening. As part of the teaser trailer, there was also the big reveal that season 3 "sets sail soon".

But, how soon? Well, Tudum confirmed as part of the reveal that "Production on the third season will begin in Cape Town, South Africa later this year, with Ian Stokes set to join Joe Tracz as co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer."

So, it's definitely happening. And it should come as no surprise, given there was chat about filming for season 3 back in February.

As reported by What's On Netflix, Mackenyu (Zoro) revealed in an interview with Crunchyroll: "We do have projects lined up for this year before we shoot season 3 of One Piece, but I can't tell you anything about that, so it's not going to be fun for y'all." Though it appears that comment has since been removed.

Plus, the Writer's Guild of America had listed One Piece season 3 and its staff on their site, which only adds to the speculation.

Beyond season 3? With over 1,000 chapters (and counting) in Oda's legendary manga series, there's plenty more source material to mine.

And the good news is we could see One Piece stretch out for over a decade. Speaking to Deadline, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements revealed their hopes for the future, with Adelstein saying: "We have hopes for 12 seasons, there’s so much material".

Speaking before Owens' departure, Clements added: "We’re over 1,080 chapters at this point in the manga. We have plans with Matt for how we would break multiple seasons, and I think even if we did six seasons, we would probably only use up half of the chapters of the manga. It really could go on and on and on."

For more Netflix TV-based coverage, read everything we know about Stranger Things season 5, 3 Body Problem season 2, and Wednesday season 3. Or, if you're searching for shows like One Piece, watch one or more of these five great pirate-based shows.