Here’s a no-duh statement to start off your day. The world of One Piece is MASSIVE. Whether it’s the ongoing 1175 chapter manga, the commensurate number of episodes for the anime, or even the sixteen (!!!) feature films, this is as big of a mega-behemoth franchise you’ll find. So, needless to say, Netflix is definitely in the enviable position of having a lot to work with for its One Piece live-action series.
With season two of the studio’s adaptation set to kick off next week, fans will be curious to see how it compares with the source material. And if you’re one of those fine, illuminated followers of the church of One Piece, we’ve got you covered with exactly which episodes of the anime to watch in preparation for all your comparing and contrasting of season two.
Editor’s Note: This piece contains minor spoilers from the One Piece anime.
One Piece Loguetown Anime Arc Episodes to Watch for Season 2
Episodes: 45, 48-53
The “Enter the Grand Line” tagline with this next season is an appropriate one, because up until this point most of the story has been about Luffy (the future King of the Pirates, don’t you forget it) assembling his crew. Loguetown serves almost as a sort of end of the beginning for that, where the Straw Hats find themselves making one last stop before heading to the Grand Line. And it just so happens to be the place where Gold Roger, the king of the pirates, was born and executed.
The arc introduces some majorly important characters, including Captain Smoker, Zoro’s pseudo-rival Tashigi, and the mysterious revolutionary Dragon. Hilariously disparate names aside, each of them are incredibly noteworthy not just for this arc, but many, many arcs to come. You also get to see Zoro acquire some new swords in the most Zoro way possible, Nami showcasing more of her trademark haggling (including with her own crewmates), new kinds of Devil Fruits, Sanji finding delicious fish, Luffy being a sicko, and a hint to just how meaty of an adventure the Straw Hats are in for and how much deeper things go.
One Piece Reverse Mountain Anime Arc Episodes to Watch for Season 2
Episodes: 61-63
Fresh off high-tailing out of Loguetown, Reverse Mountain sees the Straw Hats waste no time encountering their first dastardly obstacle: a whale. Yeah, you know where this is going…the whale eats their ship, all om-nom-nom like, and the story ends, R.I.P. to the Straw Hats.
Jokes aside, Reverse Mountain is the shortest, but perhaps most wholesome, arc of the bunch, introducing the lovely whale Laboon and its caretaker Crocus, a cranky old man that finds himself quite inspired by Luffy and his crew. The story of Laboon plants the seeds for an incredibly important character down the line.
Yohohoho, indeed.
One Piece Whiskey Peak Anime Arc Episodes to Watch for Season 2
Episodes: 64-67
Okay, now we’re officially, fully in the Grand Line! The Whiskey Peak arc serves as the first major island excursion for the Straw Hats. It is where they find themselves face-to-face with members of the dastardly criminal organization Baroque Works. But not everything is as it seems…
Some highlights include drunken shenanigans from the Straw Hats, Nami being a schemer, Zoro facing off against hundreds of townsfolk that meant to ensnare the crew, and the introduction of a particularly interesting Baroque Works agent, Miss All Sunday, that is a lot more than she seems. Plus, she has some immaculate taste in fashion.
One Piece Little Garden Anime Arc Episodes to Watch for Season 2
Episodes: 70-77
First giant whales, then a night of partying gone wrong, and now….dinosaurs? The next stop on the Straw Hats journey is Little Garden, an island crawling with prehistoric era creatures. They face off against multiple Baroque Works agents including Mr. 3, perhaps the most powerful thus far. But don’t let his power level distract you from being treated to perhaps one of Zoro’s funniest moments of the series.
If dinosaurs and a deadly villain with candle wax powers weren’t enough, the arc also introduces two Giants, Dorry and Brogy, that have been engaged in a century-long fight.
One Piece Drum Island Anime Episodes to Watch for Season 2
Episodes: 78-91
Following the events of Little Garden, Nami finds herself onset with a deadly illness that necessitates an immediate stop at the eponymous island. Unfortunately, it’s a cold winter not-so-wonderland struggling thanks to the tyrannical rule of king Wapol. Luffy and chef Sanji find themselves searching for one of the only remaining doctors on the island, Kureha, who happens to live at the top of a perilous mountain.
But most importantly, the arc introduces the beautiful, innocent, cotton candy-loving, oh-so-good-boy Chopper, a reindeer that dreams of curing every disease in the world. On top of Chopper joining the Straw Hats as their chief doctor after Luffy tells him to shut up (I’m half-joking), the arc also features some more history nuggets on Gold Roger, the reveal of another crucial character in Portgas D. Ace, and maybe one of the more beautiful shots from the early days of One Piece.
Here’s to seeing how, and what, Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation chooses to bring to life.