Eiichiro Oda breaks silence with exciting new message as One Piece Live Action gears up for its big return on Netflix
Even if you don’t believe you’ve seen any anime, you’ve definitely heard the name One Piece — the best-selling manga series in history. Creatively conceived by Japanese artist Eiichiro Oda, this legendary adventure epic centers around a young, free-spirited pirate named Monkey D. Luffy and his quirky, mad-cap crew—the Straw Hat Pirates—as they chase after their world’s mythical boondoggle known as the One Piece.
In 2023, Netflix kicked off the anime-to-live-action tradition with a bang by bringing the highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of One Piece to the world—an incredibly-joyful, action-packed, swashbuckling adventure of a show. Season 2 is on the horizon and per the show’s creator, we could be in for a real surprise.
Eiichiro Oda speaks out: “Check out Chopper !”Production I.G/Netflix One Piece fans were treated to a legendary surprise this weekend, with none other than Tony Tony Chopper—aka the best character from the long-running anime—officially teased for Season 2. You can view that new trailer below! Shortly after that reveal dropped, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda sent out a special direct message to fans around the world, praising the team’s work and urging all of you to take a look at Chopper’s new form.
Here’s what Oda had to say in his farewell message posted on the Nippon.com website.
The live-action ONE PIECE that everyone loves! The heart of Season 2 though, is naturally, our weird, furry, little individualistic mascot. After many, many months of experimentation and celebration with lots of constant drumroll and cheering from the entire engine room, the more time it takes than you thought!! From his anatomical structure and pelt, down to his mouth movements and vocalization, lighting and gravity simulation, an international dream team brought their artistry and innovation to concepting and developing Tony Tony Chopper , and he’s finally poised to introduce himself to the globe! Just look at him though!!” Eiichiro Oda, creator of ONE PIECE
This only serves to illustrate the level of care that was taken bringing Chopper to live-action. From the CGI and character design to realistic movement and lighting, the crew clearly understood they were working on a massive technical challenge and you can sense their pride in the outcome.
Who is Tony Tony Chopper in One Piece?If you’re new to the Chopper Chronicles, Chopper is an unfortunate reindeer who, after munching on a mystical fruit, finds himself able to transform into a human and speak. Surprise surprise, hidden under his childlike wonder and cute appearance is a major reason that makes the Straw Hat Pirates’ doctor so adorable yet deadly.
In the anime and manga, Chopper’s an extremely emotive character with a very tragic backstory, and we were all, as a fandom, super excited to see how the live-action team would translate Chopper into their world. From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like they’ve succeeded, packed with high-flying choreography, CGI, and voice acting that would impress Oda-sensei himself.
When will One Piece live action season 2 be released on Netflix?The show One Piece season 2 is officially in the works. Netflix has already greenlit One Piece Live Action Season 2 for production. It will be given full release until 2026. Trust me, this sad resignation came after I, among other rabid and hopeful fans, held hope for a 2025 premiere, but that extra time is surely not with CGI for characters like Chopper to be perfected.
While there is no official release date announced yet, the 2026 release window is accordingly cast in stone.
One Piece live action: Where to watchIf you missed it the first time around, or want to catch up before season two rolls out, now’s your best chance to listen. One Piece Live Action Season 1 streaming now exclusively on Netflix. The new series, a Netflix produced, live action adaptation of the beloved franchise, consists of eight episodes chronicling Luffy’s journey to form his ragtag band of pirate misfits and go on a whole new adventure across the Grand Line Sea.
Season 2 will broadcast this fall on Netflix internationally, including in the U.S. and U.K.
Why Chopper's reveal is a game-changerChopper isn’t just a new character though, he’s a massive milestone for the series. His arrival heralds that the series is going full bore into the Drum Island Arc, which is perhaps the most emotionally moving and lushly illustrated storyline ever seen in One Piece.
In the 17 th story arc, Alabasta, the Straw Hats arrive in a snow-clad island state ruled by a totalitarian tyrant. It’s in Sid’s that they first encounter Chopper, learning their astromech droid companion’s equally tragic backstory. As they develop this tale for a modern audience, tone and visuals will be the series’ biggest challenge and their best chance at success.
More characters coming in season 2In addition to Chopper, the new characters we’ll be meeting on the arc will be Dr. Kureha, a mysterious doctor who trains Chopper, and Wapol, the arc’s main antagonist. Casting announcements for these seven characters and more haven’t been made public yet. Anticipation could hardly be higher.
According to recent reports, Netflix is spending even more money on Season 2, on visual effects, casting and location shooting.
One Piece live action season 2 has big shoes to fillFresh off the heels of Season 1’s enormous success — It was number one in more than 80 different countries! One Piece Live Action is feeling the heat this go-round. With exciting new additions such as Chopper and arcs such as the Zephyr arc becoming more emotionally impactful and intense, Season 2 has the opportunity to be even greater than the first.
With Eiichiro Oda closely involved still, Netflix tossing a massive production budget at the endeavor, and viewers clamoring to find out what comes next, One Piece Live Action Season 2 is already one of the most highly-anticipated streaming releases of 2026.