The first two seasons of the live-action One Piece have received praise from both the audience and fans of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga. With the confirmation of a third season, the producers face a significant challenge in tackling the Alabasta arc, a crucial moment for the series’ narrative. The challenge of adapting Alabasta Alabasta is not only a milestone for the Straw Hats but also for the creators of the live-action, who will need to successfully adapt one of the most beloved sagas from the original material. This arc, which features a strong political charge and action […]
The first two seasons of the live-action One Piece have received praise from both the audience and fans of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga. With the confirmation of a third season, the producers face a significant challenge in tackling the Alabasta arc, a crucial moment for the series’ narrative.
The challenge of adapting Alabasta
Alabasta is not only a milestone for the Mugiwara, but also for the creators of the live-action, who will need to successfully adapt one of the most beloved sagas from the original material. This arc, which features a strong political charge and thrilling action, will introduce Crocodile as the main antagonist, and it is expected that we will also see the appearance of Portgas D. Ace, which promises to excite the followers of the story.
During the second season, there were already signs that the plot was heading towards Alabasta, with the revelation that Miss Wednesday is Princess Nefertari Vivi. The narrative will now require a more action-focused approach, highlighting spectacular battles that will surpass those of Arlong, but also incorporating political development that will be vital to the story.
The filming process for the third season has already begun and the release is expected in 2027, reducing the waiting time between seasons compared to the previous two years. However, the project will face challenges, especially after the departure of showrunner Matt Owens, who left the project to prioritize his well-being, but Ian Stokes and Joe Tracz will continue to lead.
The adaptation of the Alabasta arc is essential for the future of the series, and Eiichiro Oda’s involvement as executive producer brings a ray of hope to One Piece fans, who have high expectations for the magic of the anime and manga to be translated to the screen in the upcoming episodes.
Any anime fan knows a sad reality. Practically no anime has had an acceptable live-action version. Not in the West. In Japan, there are quite good adaptations, but those rarely make it to our lands. And when the ones in charge of adapting the animes are Western, the results tend to be terrible. Why? Because what makes anime special is rarely respected. Seen as something childish and silly, there is usually an attempt to turn it around. To give it a more serious, dark, or adult tone. Which has given us disasters like the Dragon Ball movies […]
Any anime fan knows a sad reality. Practically no anime has had an acceptable live-action version. Not in the West. In Japan, there are quite good adaptations, but those rarely reach our lands. And when the ones in charge of adapting the animes are Western, the results tend to be terrible.
Why? Because what makes anime special is rarely respected. Seen as something childish and silly, there is often an attempt to turn it around. To give it a more serious, dark, or adult tone. This has given us disasters like the Dragon Ball movies or Ghost in the Shell, or the series of Mobile Suit Gundam. Because we prefer not to even talk about the Netflix movie of Death Note.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t good live-action adaptations. Even in the West. Because an anime has managed to break that curse and be exactly what, at least part of the fans, expected. Even managing to captivate an audience that hasn’t seen the anime and has found in it an interesting, exciting, and heartfelt series. That is One Piece. A series that seems incapable of missing the mark, no matter what medium it is adapted to.
One Piece has a virtue: it knows how to be ridiculous and passionate
One Piece is a good adaptation because it dares to be everything that this kind of adaptations usually are not: faithful to the original material. It’s a bit silly, a bit absurd, and sometimes its actors seem to be dressed in cosplay. And that’s how it should be. Because the universe of One Piece is not ours, and we cannot pretend that it is.
Understanding the humor of the series, its particular aesthetic codes, and how a touch of strangeness suits it well is why the series has performed well among the audience. Not just those who follow the anime. Because the greatest virtue of the One Piece live action is how it has managed to interest even people who have never seen the anime. This is absolutely normal, given that it is an anime with over a thousand episodes to its name and, at this point, it is difficult to follow for most.
In that sense, that is the other great virtue of the live-action series of One Piece. Being an excellent gateway for the franchise. Something that, it seems, will continue to expand.
A sneak peek coming soon for a season with substance
Although Netflix had not yet announced when we could see more of this live-action series, it had said that there would be a second season. The rumors suggested that we would have to wait until 2026, but we will actually be able to do it much sooner. This 2025. And in fact, before the end of the month. Because at the live event Tadum there will be a preview of the second season on May 31st.
With the new season having started production in July of last year, it is to be expected that it should have finished a long time ago. So we shouldn’t be surprised if it ends up having a full release much sooner than we expect.
Additionally, the second season will not fall short in terms of material it will cover. Although undoubtedly for fans, there could always be more. Starting from the Loguetown arc, it will go up to the Drum Island arc. This amounts to around 33 episodes of the original anime. Fewer than the first season, which covered about 48 episodes (from the Romance Dawn arc to the Arlong Park arc), but still, a more than acceptable amount of episodes.
This does not change the fact that, to adapt the entire original work, they will need to either increase the pace or accept that it will take them many seasons. Assuming that each season adapts six arcs and that they do not adapt the arcs that are not in continuity with the manga, it would still take them another four seasons to catch up to the anime. A figure that is not outrageous, but in an era where series cancellations are rampant, it sounds difficult to achieve.
Nothing to fear here for the future of One Piece
In any case, there are few reasons to fear. The first season performed very well and the series delves into much more intense arcs and with much more defined characters than its first season. Therefore, it should have no problem continuing to maintain its momentum in the future.
Whether One Piece, the live-action series, will catch up to the manga and anime remains to be seen. Especially since Eiichiro Oda himself is already thinking about the conclusion of the story. But what is clear is that One Piece is, against all odds, one of the best live-action adaptations of an anime. And that doesn’t seem to be changing with this second season.
One Piece Odyssey arrives on Nintendo Switch with a Deluxe Edition that includes all the base DLC, proudly showcasing the exquisite art of Eiichiro Oda.
Nintendo has always suffered from being considered the home of its own games. This wouldn’t be bad if it weren’t for the fact that many companies believe that their games won’t perform as well on their consoles. That’s why many great third-party titles never make it to Nintendo consoles. Or they arrive late. Although, to make up for it, when they do arrive, they usually come in their definitive versions to compensate for the delay. Something that has happened now with the adaptation of a popular manga and anime.
One Piece Odyssey: Deluxe Edition will be released on July 26th on Nintendo Switch. The game was originally released on other consoles and computers in January 2023, receiving very good reviews and a great acceptance from the public. Highlighting its solidity as an RPG and the almost perfect recreation of the anime’s aesthetics.
Much of its charm lies precisely in that. The possibility of embodying the members of the Straw Hat Crew. In this case, exploring the island of Waford, where we will have to fight against all kinds of monsters in intense turn-based battles, because the Thousand Sunny is almost sinking. In this way, One Piece Odyssey tells us a completely original story, with monsters designed by Eiichiro Oda, with memories of the past adventures of the world’s favorite manga pirates.
One Piece Odyssey Deluxe will include all the DLC from the original game, including Memories Reunion. A new mode that introduces two new systems and takes place after finishing the main story. An addition that makes this version the definitive one for those who want to enjoy the entirety of the game’s content.
One Piece Odyssey is now available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. And if you are a fan of One Piece, we highly recommend playing it.
