Review - One Piece Season Two (2026)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. And, our favorite crew of pirates are back in One Piece season two, which Netflix marketed under the subtitle of One Piece: Into the Grand Line. Based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, this season sees the returns of Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero, and Taz Skylar, with Mikaela Hoover joining the cast as the voice of Tony Tony Chopper. Returning supporting players include Jeff Ward, Ilia Paulino, Vincent Regan, Morgan Davies, and Steven John Ward, with new supporting cast members including Lera Abova, Joe Manganiello, Katey Sagal, David Dastmalchian, Clive Russell, Callum Turner, Rigo Sanchez, and several others. 

       So, as the subtitle of the season suggests, this season of One Piece sees Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji set course for the treacherous Grand Line, where Luffy hopes to locate Gol D. Roger's legendary treasure: the One Piece. Along the way, the crew sees many other locations, such as Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island, while also encountering new foes such as Marine Captain Smoker and the dangerous and powerful agents of the criminal syndicate known as Baroque Works. And, they gain a new member of the crew in the form of a talking reindeer named Tony Tony Chopper, who becomes the Straw Hat Pirates' official doctor. 

       So, in many ways, the second season of One Piece takes everything that worked in the first season and improves on those things. One noted example for me is the interactions between the Straw Hats. The first season focused on assembling the crew, which leaves room for further interactions between them throughout this season. And, all five of them showcase fantastic chemistry that is even stronger than what we saw in the first season. Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Mackenyu as Zoro, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji are all fantastic together, and I look forward to seeing more from all five of them. 

        Another new key player this season is Nefertari Vivi/Miss Wednesday, as portrayed by Charithra Chandran. Vivi starts off the season as an agent of Baroque Works, but is later revealed to be the Princess of a kingdom known as Alabasta, and she travels with the Straw Hats to return to her home to prevent a major conflict in Alabasta, which is likely to be the handiwork of Baroque Works' leader Mr. 0. And, finally, we have Tony Tony Chopper, who is voiced by Mikaela Hoover. Chopper is easily one of the more anticipated additions to the list of characters this season, and I genuinely teared up when they showed his backstory involving a former pirate named Dr. Hiruluk, played by Mark Harelik. But, of course, when we meet Chopper, we find him under the watchful eye of Dr. Kureha, played brilliantly by the legendary Katey Sagal. 

        When it comes to the Marines this season, we do see the returns of Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo, but only in a smaller capacity compared to the first season. But, our two focus Marines this time around are Smoker and Tashigi, portrayed respectively by Callum Kerr and Julia Rehwald. Smoker and Tashigi meet the Straw Hats for n Loguetown, and are sent to the Grand Lime to go after Baroque Works. And, I will say that both of them were fantastic, and I look forward to seeing more from them in the upcoming third season. 

       The locations featured this season were terrific by comparison to those in the first season. While I enjoyed locations like Shells Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Coco Village, and Arlong Park in season one, the locations in season two were more unique in nature. Loguetown is a massive city, while we see that the lighthouse island near Reverse Mountain was pretty simple in look. All the while, both Little Garden and Drum Island stand apart from each other, as the former is a jungle while the latter is more frigid and mountainous. And ,the people that Luffy and the Straw Hats meet in each of these places are quite colorful, with my personal favorites being both Dalton, played by Ty Keogh, and Dr. Kureha on Drum Island. 

       But, of course the chief draw in this season is its overarching threat of Baroque Works. These guys are a criminal syndicate made up of dangerous assassins with Devil Fruit powers. For instance, Mr. 3, portrayed by David Dastmalchian, has the power of the Wax Wax fruit, which allows him to create waxworks of a form of wax that hardens to a point that it's stronger than steel. On another hand, Miss Valentine, played by Jazzara Jaslyn, has the power of the Kilo Kilo fruit, which makes her strong and indomitable. But the two key members of Baroque Works are Mr. 0/Sir Crocodile, played by Joe Manganiello, and Miss All Sunday/Nico Robin, played by Lera Abova. Both fit their roles roles perfectly, and both will have a greater role in the upcoming third season, which I am looking forward to. 

        The action in season two is also terrific. The battles in Loguetown, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island were well handled, and definitely feel like a step up to some of the fights in the first season. While I think it's going to take something special to top the fight at Arlong Park, seeing Zoro take on multiple Baroque Works agents in Whiskey Peak, or seeing the Straw Hats work to put and end to King Wapol and his metal soldiers to protect Drum Island, or even watching Luffy and co. take on Mr. 3, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine at Little Garden were all still pretty awesome. 

        But, what this season of One Piece did well is building what's next. Yeah, the introduction of Baroque Works, Princess Vivi and her father King Cobra, it's all pointing to one place: the harsh desert of the Kingdom of Alabasta, which will be the main story focus of season three of One Piece, which is filming now. And, with the added bonus of the casting of Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace, season three looks to be really awesome, and combined with just how much fun seasons one and two were, I think it's safe to say that Netflix has a genuine hit on their hands with the live-action version of One Piece. So, if you loved the first season of One Piece , definitely check out the second season. But, of you haven't seen either season yet, then definitely check out both. It's absolutely worth it. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you in the next review.