Beware, ye who enter here. Those who sail forward will find themselves in the presence of One Piece season two spoilers, including a deep dive into a surprise cameo that introduces an unexpected and important character from the anime/manga. If that doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in, head back to calmer waters and take a look at our spoiler-free One Piece season two review.
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Surprise One Piece Season 2 Cameo Scene Introduces Live-Action Sabo
As expected, in the first episode of One Piece season two, the Straw Hat Pirates visit the bustling port of Loguetown. There, they run into some danger, as former foes Alvida and Buggy the Clown team up to try to kill Luffy once and for all. A freak bolt of lightning, which may not be so accidental, and an assist by a mysterious character called Dragon, help Luffy escape his fate. But as Dragon, who is actually Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy’s father, (you can learn more about that in our explainer) watches Luffy sail off into the sunset, the camera pans out to reveal an unexpected figure. Yes, a door opens, and there, in his suit, top hat, and goggles, is a familiar One Piece character, Sabo. Much to the SHOCK of fans everywhere, live-action Sabo has arrived on One Piece season two, much earlier than we ever expected to see him.
Who Is One Piece‘s Sabo?
But just who is One Piece‘s Sabo, and why is he hanging out in Loguetown with Luffy’s father in live-action season two’s first episode? Well, interestingly enough, on One Piece, Sabo is both an adoptive brother to Luffy and Ace (also an adopted brother to Luffy), and the protoge of Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon. But these two facts about Sabo happen separately. Luffy and Ace befriended Sabo a long time before Monkey D. Dragon saved his life. And by the time Monkey D. Dragon was in the picture for Sabo, Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had gone their separate ways. Talk about convoluted family ties, let’s break it all down.
Sabo, Ace, and Luffy Became Brothers as Children
Luffy, Ace (who has not yet appeared in live-action One Piece season two, but will arrive in season three), and Sabo were childhood friends. When they met, Monkey D. Dragon was not in the picture of Luffy’s life, having given him to Garp immediately after birth. Garp raised both Luffy and Ace (whose father is a different, important pirate) as his adoptive children, and they eventually saw one another as brothers. But when they met Sabo, they bonded with him as well. Unlike Luffy and Ace, Sabo knew his real family, who were wealthy nobles, but hated them. When the trio met and connected, Sabo was living as a vagabond in a junkyard called Gray Terminals in the Goa Kingdom. For a time, the three of them were taken in by Ace and Luffy’s guardian Curly Dandan, who kept watch over them at the request of Garp. And they had a wonderful time bonding and becoming brothers; they promised one another to become pirates together.
But unfortunately, a combination of Sabo’s terrible parents and the nobility’s overall evil separated them. In short, Sabo’s parents tried to force him to return home, and during this period, he learned that the nobles of the Goa Kingdom were planning to set fire to the Gray Terminals, which included burning everyone who lived there. Ultimately, Sabo tried to escape and warn his friends, but the fire had already started.
Monkey D. Dragon Saves Sabo’s Life
In the fray of the fire, Sabo encounters Monkey D. Dragon, a Marine, and accuses him and the nobility of being more rotten than the trash of the Gray Terminals, words that have an impact on Dragon. Sabo then tries to escape his past and the city on a fishing boat, but the Marines brutally attack it. Luffy and Ace believe that Sabo is dead, but in truth, Monkey D. Dragon saves his life. Sabo loses his memories in the attack.
Sabo Becomes Monkey D. Dragon’s Right-Hand Man
A combination of the events surrounding the Grey Terminals and another Marine-led genocide, the God Valley Incident, turns Monkey D. Dragon away from the Marines. And he builds One Piece‘s Revolutionary Army. Sabo, now with amnesia and without any memories of his past, becomes committed to the cause and rises through its ranks. He does not remember Luffy or Ace. Sabo eventually becomes the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, or No. 2 of the entire organization, second only to Monkey D. Dragon. And so, the pair are obviously close, training and working together.
And so, although Ace was originally Luffy’s adopted brother on One Piece, he becomes, in a sense, Luffy’s father’s adopted son, but the two aspects of him remain unconnected. Not even Monkey D. Dragon knows about Sabo and Luffy’s deep bond.
Sabo’s Live-Action Appearance in Loguetown Confirms a Long-Time Fan Theory
All this makes the missed connection between Luffy and Sabo in One Piece season two, episode one, all the more intense. It’s a moment that never happened in the anime and manga, but makes a TON of sense. One Piece fans have long speculated that Sabo might have come with Monkey D. Dragon to Loguetown during these events. After all, in the anime/manga, Dragon actually tells Sabo that he is heading for Loguetown, and asks him who is in charge of the area. It seems like a natural transition for Sabo to come with him.
Indeed, fans have long theorized that Sabo may have actually been in Loguetown with Monkey D. Dragon all along. They point to a couple of panels in chapter 98 of the One Piece manga, which seem to feature a figure that looks a lot like Sabo, as evidence of Sabo’s possible presence in Loguetown at that time. And indeed, the tall hat and suit do seem very Sabo-esque. And now, live-action One Piece season two seems to have gone ahead and canonized this Sabo theory. We love how much the series pays attention to its fans and their thoughts.
Will Luffy and Sabo Meet in One Piece Season 3?
At this time, Sabo has no memory of Luffy. So even though he likely saw Monkey D. Dragon save his brother, he had no recollection of him at all. Does Sabo’s cameo in live-action One Piece season two mean that Sabo and Luffy will reunite earlier than the manga and anime? Probably not; we can’t imagine the story shifting that much. But that’s the true beauty of this cameo. It wasn’t done for some major reason or just for fan service; it was included simply because it makes sense given everything we know about the story as a whole and adds additional nuance to the arc for fans of the anime and manga.
Who Plays Live-Action Sabo on One Piece Season 2?
We still don’t know who plays live-action Sabo in One Piece season two. He is not credited in the credits. Perhaps this is because live-action One Piece hasn’t officially cast the role yet, instead using an extra for the quick cameo.
One Piece season two is now streaming on Netflix.