Netflix unveiled the highly anticipated second season of its live-action adaptation of the iconic anime, One Piece. Much of the filming took place at Cape Town Film Studios in South Africa.
Data from Flix Patrol indicates that the new season has quickly gained traction, topping global charts for Netflix shows. Within just 48 hours of its release, One Piece soared to the pinnacle of Netflix’s worldwide rankings of most-watched TV series, amassing an impressive 897 points.
Flix Patrol calculates rankings from daily top 10 lists across 85 markets where each operates, with the number one spot, nine for second place, and so forth down to one point for the 10th position.
As of March 12, 2026, the second-most-popular show on Netflix was The Dinosaurs, with a score of 724 points, closely followed by Bridgerton, which recently premiered its fourth season. Despite its global success, One Piece has not yet reached the top spot in 19 countries, including South Africa, where Blue Therapy—a reality series centred on couples navigating their relationship issues—leads.
The second season, titled Into the Grand Line, follows Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew as they embark on adventures into the treacherous Grand Line. This season features a total of eight episodes, chronicling their journey to Alabasta as they encounter agents of Baroque Works and visit unusual islands. Key stops on their adventure include Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Little Garden, and Drum Island.
New characters introduced this season include Rico Sanchez as Dragon, Yonda Thomas as Igaram, James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu, and Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek. Additionally, returning cast members include Mark Penwill as Chess, Anton David Jeftha as K.M., Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra, and Katey Sagal as Dr Kureha. Other notable newcomers to the cast are Mark Harelik as Dr Hiriluk, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Clive Russell as Crocus, Callum Kerr as Smoker, and Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday. The show also features numerous South African actors, including Yonda Thomas, Anton David Jeftha, and Jazzara Jaslyn.
Ahead of the season’s release, Netflix confirmed that the One Piece live-action series would return for a third season, a move anticipated by fans given its strong performance in 2023, when it ranked as Netflix’s most-watched series globally for two consecutive weeks. The production heavily utilised specialised facilities at eMedia-owned Cape Town Film Studios and showcased a wealth of local talent, including actors, stunt performers, and crew.
The filming for the second season concluded on December 15, 2024, with total production finishing on February 4, 2025. Meanwhile, production for the third season kicked off on November 24, 2025.
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is recognised as Japan’s best-selling graphic novel (manga), with over 500 million copies sold since its debut in 1997. The anime adaptation has also enjoyed remarkable success, running for 21 seasons since 1999, with the current season consisting of its 65th episode, which aired on December 28, 2025, and totalling 1,155 episodes.
Many fans attribute the success of Netflix’s live-action adaptation to Oda’s significant involvement, with Netflix executives noting the close collaboration between their US and Japanese teams. Oda’s oversight of the characters and narratives ensured fidelity to the original story, while the US team focused on storytelling elements. Interestingly, Oda chose to produce the series in English.
