Anime

Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 Is About to Shake Up the Canon

The Netflix live-action series is looking to explore some non-canon territory in Hand Island.
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One Piece’s live-action adaptation on Netflix had some big news for fans as a part of this year’s Geeked Week. On top of giving anime fans a brief look at Tony Tony Chopper in the second season, One Piece also confirmed that Joe Manganiello and Lera Abova would be taking on the roles of Crocodile and Nico Robin respectively. In a recent video, the streaming service was more than willing to share a behind-the-scenes look at the production for season two. One keen-eyed fan was able to spot a locale that is a part of One Piece history but had never made its way to the manga.

Videos by ComicBook.com

While Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series is quite massive on its own, the anime still had to create several original stories in order to let new chapters be forged. Often referred to as “filler”, One Piece wasn’t the only shonen series that created unique characters and locations that never appeared in their preliminary manga series. Some of the best examples of this include Dragon Ball, Demon Slayer, Naruto, Bleach, and many more as the anime stories would create never-before-seen adventures for its starring characters. 

Hand Island Becomes Netflix Canon

If this is your first time hearing of Hand Island before, this locale arrived as a part of a special made for television episode, “One Piece: Episode of Luffy – Adventure on Hand Island“. Arriving following the release of episode 576, and on the same day as One Piece: Film Z, the special presented a story that worked as a build-up to the movie but wasn’t originally a part of the manga series. Most recently, we saw a similar situation to this with the original One Piece episodes that explored the past friendship of Luffy and Uta to help build up to One Piece: Film Red. Spotting a map of Hand Island during a behind-the-scenes video, One Piece fans are now left wondering if this island will appear in season two.

One Piece Season 2’s Locations

Hand Island might have appeared in the recent One Piece set visit but that doesn’t mean it will make an appearance in the live-action Straw Hats’ comeback. None other than creator Eiichiro Oda himself confirmed where Inaki Godoy and the other young actors would be visiting in the Netflix series, stating that environments like Drum Island, Loguetown, Little Garden, and Whiskey Peak to name a few.

While showrunner Matt Owens stated that production has begun in Cape Town, South Africa, the creator was remiss to share a date as to when Netflix viewers can expect season two to arrive. One Piece’s live-action series definitely won’t be making a comeback in 2024 but it is possible that the Straw Hats might return next year. Since the series has become one of the biggest hits for the streaming service, we’ll be sure to let readers know when Luffy and company are given a return date.

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Where’s Alabasta?

Even though the next season of the live-action One Piece will feature the likes of Crocodile, Nico Robin, Princess Vivi, and other Baroqueworks members, Alabasta seemingly won’t be taking the main focus of season two. The desert island creates a massive arc for the Straw Hats and cramming it in with the other arcs might be a lot for one season to handle. Luckily, the success of the series means that a third season for the live-action One Piece appears inevitable. 

Want to see what other locales make their way to One Piece’s live-action series? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Grand Line.