One Piece Season 2: 7 Major Changes The Live-Action Series Makes From The Anime

The day has finally arrived Straw Hat fans, as One Piece’s live-action second season is now on Netflix. Spanning eight episodes, season two hits quite a few different story arcs from the source material. Reverse Mountain, Loguetown, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island are just a few of the locales that Luffy and his crew visit, meaning that some changes had to be made to fit everything into one season. While some changes needed to be made to make this happen, we’ve catalogued some of the biggest events that did, or did not, take place in the manga and anime adaptation. Let’s start sailing!

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Warning. If you have yet to watch One Piece’s second season on Netflix, be forewarned that we’ll be exploring serious spoiler territory.

7.) Bartolomeo’s Bigger Role

In the premiere episode of One Piece’s second season, Luffy and his crewmates explore the city known as Loguetown. This locale holds special significance for the Grand Line, since it was the place where Gol D. Roger met his end. In the live-action adaptation, none other than fan-favorite character Bartolomeo makes an appearance, and a much larger one than many expected. During the premiere, Bart acts as a tour guide to Luffy, initially seeing the Straw Hat as an easy mark for stealing his possessions. While the green-haired former mob boss didn’t join the Going Merry’s crew for the remainder of the season, the live-action series set the stage for Bartolomeo’s much bigger role in the show’s future. Considering who this side character eventually becomes, we could see him return sooner rather than later.

6.) No Luffy Vs. Zoro

This was an unfortunate battle to miss from the live-action adaptation, but it makes sense as to why Netflix decided to give it the ax from the second season’s third episode. When the Straw Hats arrive on Whiskey Peak in the source material, Luffy believes that Zoro is treating their hosts rather badly, not knowing that Roronoa is simply fighting against members of Baroqueworks. With the island secretly praising pirates to put them at ease before eliminating them, the confrontation between the Straw Hats is a misunderstanding. In the Netflix series, Zoro is still given quite the fight to tackle as he battles one hundred members of the gang, with the “spirit” of Mihawk pushing him forward.

5.) Sabo Appears

Monkey D. Luffy’s older brother wasn’t set to appear this early in One Piece, based on the source material, but Sabo appeared all the same. While Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, did appear to help out the Straw Hats against Smoker, Netflix threw a curveball at audiences by giving us Sabo in the flesh. Netflix has yet to confirm who the actor is that is playing the part, and whether they’ll stick around to keep playing the freedom fighter, but it might be some time before we see him return, considering the source material. Still, Sabo’s appearance in the second season premiere was one of the most unexpected moments of the live-action adaptation, so it’s possible he could return for season three in some form.

4.) Smoker Vs. Baroqueworks

In sticking with the source material, the live-action One Piece can oftentimes find itself running into some problems as various characters, heroes and villains alike, can be out of the picture for years. In the case of Smoker, the second season game gives both him and his underling, Tashigi, more chances to show what they are made of. In creating a completely original storyline for the military members, the pair come upon a government outpost that has been hit by Baroqueworks. Inside, they come face-to-face with two members of the criminal organization and have a wild fight as a result.

3.) Brook’s Early Appearance (And He’s Not a Skeleton)

Much like Sabo appearing long before he was destined to in the source material, One Piece’s live-action adaptation shows Brook doing the same. During a flashback in the second season’s second episode, viewers can see the future skeleton perform for the tragic whale known as Laboon. In the source material, Brook did not appear for quite some time, becoming a part of the Straw Hats during the Thriller Bark Arc when he arrived on the scene as a member of the undead. Martial Batchamen plays live-action Brook, and it will definitely be interesting to see if he returns in the future with an entirely CG look.

2.) Missing Lapan (Aka Snow Rabbits)

During the Straw Hats’ journey through Drum Island, they encounter far more than simply the likes of Tony Tony Chopper, Dr. Kureha, and Wapol. Luffy and Sanji find themselves encountering one of the island’s most dangerous creatures, the Lapan, aka giant killer snow rabbits. Eventually, the pair strikes a peace with the beasts, considering them allies before leaving the island. Ironically, while One Piece’s live-action adaptation didn’t feature this big fight, it did have a rabbit’s head hanging from inside one of Drum’s houses, hinting at the idea that the Lapan still exist within Drum.

1.) Chess & Kuromarimo’s Fusion

Wapol’s top lieutenants, Chess and Kuromarimo, do have a major part to play in One Piece season two, though they don’t perform one of their key techniques in the season finale. During the manga and anime adaptation, the pair are able to fuse into one being thanks to the Munch Munch Fruit, presenting quite the headache against the Straw Hats. In season two’s eighth episode, the villainous duo fight against Sanji and Tony Tony Chopper, but never fuse into one being to do so. This doesn’t stop the pair from being a deadly combination, and they do some serious damage to the Straw Hats before ultimately seeing defeat.

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