Based on the 1997 manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, Netflix’s One Piece became a soaring sensation for fans both old and new. Originally made popular by the anime of the same name that began in 1999, the story has continued for more than two decades, and word of a new live-action series had led to many diehard fans feeling hesitant. As a surprise to many, the show did exceptionally well for all audiences and reached the number one spot of most watched Netflix series within two weeks of its release. Now that Season 2 is underway, audiences are looking everywhere for clues as to how the next saga will be successfully brought to life. 

What Was Changed 

One Piece as a whole tells the story of Luffy (portrayed by Iñaki Godoy) and the rest of his Straw Hat Pirates crew as they search for the legendary treasure called the One Piece. Season 1 of the live action adaptation followed the East Blue Saga (the first 61 episodes of the anime) almost to its entirety. The last episode consisted of Luffy realizing he has the highest bounty in all of the East Blue and the reactions of his foes who wish to take it back. Fans got to experience the villainy of Buggy the Clown (portrayed by Jeff Ward) and Arlong (portrayed by McKinley Belcher III), the backstories of the crew, and the eccentric capabilities of the One Piece universe. With the appearance of the iconic villain Smoker (portrayed by Callum Kerr) in the last few frames, fans got the message that the East Blue Saga was coming to an end and the Arabasta Saga would (seemingly) be next. Yet, with a manga and anime over two decades old, there are some things that were unfortunately missed.

Memorable characters missing from Season 1 are Gaimon, Jango, Johnny and Yusaku, Hachi, Momoo, and Richie the Lion (who at least is referenced in episode 2). There were also some key differences made between the source material and the live-action. These differences include Luffy’s familial ties being revealed early, Arlong visiting the Baratie, Nami’s village not knowing what happened to her and welcoming her quickly, and much shorter boss fights. Obviously, a lot of filler is left out and changed for the much shorter live-action seasons, but it leaves fans wondering if they can still expect the plotlines of the original source and whether or not any of the missed characters and scenes will make an appearance in the next season. 

The Arabasta Saga 

As it stands, the live-action is almost done with the first saga, so fans can only assume that the show will continue to follow the original sources chronologically. Beginning with episode 62 out of 1,114 (and ongoing) of the anime, the Arabasta Saga (the name referencing the Arabian peninsula) takes the crew into The Grand Line, where they meet new allies and learn about an upcoming war with the head of Baroque Works, Mr. 0. The race across islands takes them to the city of Alubarna and introduces one of the most popular villains of the series, Sir Crocodile. The Arabasta Saga also introduces popular allies such as Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, and Portgas D. Ace. So far, there has been no word on if these characters are casted; however, showrunner Matt Owens informed Netflix, “Oda told everyone we’ll be meeting Chopper in Season 2. The place that we were talking about all of Season 1, we’re in it now.” He also claimed that a prominent Arabasta villain will be making their debut: “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.”