This article contains spoilers for the One Piece anime, particularly the Arabasta Saga.
Summary
One Pieceseason 2 will have a lot of important moments from the manga to tackle, but three scenes will particularly make or break Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Arabasta. Now that the East Blue is behind them, Luffy and his friends are heading toward the Grand Line. AsOne Pieceseason 2’s castcontinues to grow, thelive-action anime adaptationnow faces different challenges from when it debuted on Netflix in 2023.
WhereasOne Piece’s first season had to prove itself as a worthy live-action rendition of the immensely popular anime, season 2 will have to raise the stakes and show it can cover the manga’s bigger arcs. A lot happens during the Arabasta Saga, from a giant whale guarding the entrance tothe Grand Lineto war for the fate of a kingdom.Netflix’sOne Piecehas shown it is not afraid of embracing the source material, and it will hopefully continue to capture the essence of Eiichiro Oda’s work.
One Piece Season 2 Must Nail Chopper’s Incredible Backstory
Chopper has a very emotional origin story.
Tony Tony Chopper’s introduction is arguably the most anticipated moment going intoOne Pieceseason 2 not only because of how popular the character is but also due to the technical challenges of bringing a humanoid reindeer into live-action. However, in addition to nailing Chopper’s character design and visual effects, Netflix’sOne Piecealso has to get his backstory right.Chopper has one of the saddest origin stories inOne Piece, going from a lonely reindeer whose pack wouldn’t accept him to the assistance of a very peculiar doctor. Everything aboutChopper’s origin storyis enough to make viewers cry.
Chopper’s origin story was the focus ofEpisode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura, a non-canon movie that retold the story of how he joined the crew with several changes to the manga.
One Pieceseason 1 did a great job of establishing the backstories of its main characters, which is one of the reasons why the Netflix show was such a good adaptation of the manga.Oda has given all of the Straw Hats detailed backstories in the source material, and not just for the sake of worldbuilding. The pasts of Luffy and his friends are what define who they are today, meaning their origin stories are always brought up in some way. Naturally, there are characters whose complete origins cannot be revealed right away, such as Sanji or Robin.
Luffy vs. Crocodile’s First Fight Has To Be A Major Moment In Season 2
Crocodile has to feel like a major threat to Luffy.
Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and leader ofthe Baroque Works, is expected to beOne Pieceseason 2’s main villain. AssumingOne Piecewill get to Arabasta already during season 2, there has to be at least two fights between Luffy and Crocodile. Luffy eventually defeats the big bad and helps Princess Vivi save the Kingdom of Arabasta, but their first encounter does not end well for the Straw Hat pirate.Crocodile easily defeats Luffy in their first fightand almost kills the show’s hero.
The final battle of the Arabasta Saga is technically the most important one, but Luffy’s first fight against Crocodile is what sets the tone for the final arc.
In a classic “anime time” trope,Crocodile announces that his fight against Luffy will last three minutes.As soon as the time was up, the villain took down Luffy and let him die. Fortunately for Luffy, Miss All Sunday Nico Robin saved him, a decision that would later grant her a place on the crew. The final battle of the Arabasta Saga is technically the most important one, but Luffy’s first fight against Crocodile is what sets the tone for the final arc. Its live-action counterpart must convey how strong and ruthless Crocodile is.
The Straw Hats’ Farewell To Vivi Must Be An Emotional Scene In Netflix’s One Piece
This classic One Piece scene has to work.
Whether Princess Vivi is a Straw Hat pirate comes down to semantics. From Luffy’s perspective,Vivi is and will always be a Straw Hat.She first meets the group during the Reverse Mountain arc as Miss Wednesday, with the series later revealing she had infiltrated the Baroque Works. Once Vivi tells Luffy of what is happening in Arabasta, they welcome her into the crew and promise to help her. Vivi participates in a couple of adventures with the Straw Hats, including Little Garden and Drum Island, before they head to Arabasta.
New One Piece Season 2 Character Is Way More Important For Luffy’s Endgame Than They Seem
A new character destined to appear in Netflix’s One Piece season 2 will have a major role to play in Luffy’s future - and the story’s overall endgame.
Aware that one of the members of the Baroque Works was a shapeshifter, the Straw Hats came up with a strategy to make sure they would not be fooled – they painted an x-mark on their wrists. More than a code to help them against Mr. 2, the x-mark became a symbol of the Straw Hats’ friendship with Vivi. At the end ofOne Piece’s second saga, Luffy and his friends raise their arms and show off their marks as they bid farewell to Vivi. It’s an emotional moment that only works if Vivi’s relationship with the Straw Hats is properly established.
