Netflix has released a second season One Piece Live Action in 2026 and the show continued to receive praise from fans. The first season was considered one of the most faithful live-action adaptations the manga and anime series had ever seen, and history repeated itself with new Mugiwara adventures.
However, even faithful customization can make interesting changes every now and then. In this list, we'll go over some of the biggest differences you'll notice in Netflix's One Piece LA Season 2 if you've read the manga or watched the original anime series.
Some minor spoilers for the TV show, anime and manga.
1
Flashback of Garp and Gold D. Roger
During the show's first episode, Beginning and End, you'll see a flashback between Naval Vice Admiral Garp and Pirate King Gold D. Roger. Roger has been imprisoned by Garp and is sentenced to be executed for his crimes as a pirate. But before that happens, Roger asks the legendary marine for a favor.
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In the original series, this scene plays out very similarly, but takes place much, much later. FYI, it's in the Marineford arc that starts in manga chapter 550. Loguetown, on the other hand, takes place in chapter 96. We'll have to wait and see what changes this brings to future seasons.
2
Bartolomeo will soon appear
Another rather interesting change in the first episode of season 2 is that Bartolomeo the cannibal has a relevant role. Loguetown features his signature coat, green curly hair, and interesting personality. He toys with Luffy and tries to take advantage of him until Buggy the Clown takes center stage and Bartolomeo is relegated to watching from afar.
If you haven't watched the anime, you won't know that Bartolomeo actually makes his series debut in episode 633, the Dressrosa arc. This is ages and many islands after Loguetown, so it was a pleasant surprise to have met this character before. However, his appearance in the first episode is actually a reference to the source material, as Bartolomeo mentions that he saw Luffy for the first time when the crew was in Loguetown. Nice touch.
3
No Luffy vs Zoro fight
In the Whiskey Peak Arc, a miniseries of the Arabasta saga that takes place between Reverse Mountain and Little Garden, the Mugiwaras fight against members of the Baroque Works. Baroque Works is a criminal organization created by Mr. 0 and has many members who work as spies.
There is a moment in the anime where Luffy doesn't get along with Zoro (the captain thinks his crew is attacking innocent civilians) and because of that Luffy is full of rage against his swordsman. As a result, the two end up fighting for a heated minute until Nami shows up and stops them both in a hilarious moment.
This little battle between crew members is completely missing from the Netflix show. Instead, Luffy and Zoro work together from the very beginning. In our opinion, this is actually a good change, as the reason for the original battle was a bit far-fetched (and just plain stupid) — Luffy never doubts his crew members like that.
4
Sanji's past is already hinted at
No, we're not referring to his tragic past with Zeff, which we already explored in the first episodes of the series involving Baratie, the floating restaurant. There's a lot more to Sanji when it comes to his younger years, and we discover more of that in the anime in the Whole Cake Island Saga (episodes 783-877).
During said arc, we know more about Sanji's identity and bloodline and get to know his family. It kind of comes out of the blue in the manga and anime series, as it's never been explicitly mentioned until this point in the story. However, there is a sweet reference to it in live action when he uses the moniker “Mr. Prince.” We may explore this backstory soon.
Sanji's whole character is also much kinder and more considerate of women in the Netflix show – no small thing when you know how he treats them in the original series.
5
First look at Brook
As you may have realized by now, the Netflix show tends to reveal, or at least hint at, many characters, scenes, and moments that pay off much, much later in the original series. This is also the case for showing more future members of Luffy's crew than we would expect. We're talking about Brook, a musical member of the Rumbar Pirates.
Brook is mentioned in the early arcs of the anime, but actually appears a bit later, in Thriller Bark Island. And he does it with the fact that we will know him for 98 percent of the entire series — a talking skeleton. However, in One Piece Season 2 we get our first look at Brook in his human form in the second episode: Good Whale Hunting.
In this episode, the crew meets Laboon, a giant whale, and Crocus, a doctor and Laboon's nurse, in Reverse Mountain. Brook, who loves Laboon, is not only mentioned (as it happens in the manga), but is also shown in a brand new flashback. A nice detail that makes you feel for him even before his official appearance.
6
Sabo is already here
Back in the first episode of Season 2, after a mysterious figure named Dragon appears and saves Luffy from Smoker, you may have noticed that there was a strange blonde figure with a big hat in the background for a few seconds on the screen. If you didn't read the manga or watch the anime, it wasn't a big deal, but if you did, you'd know it was Sabo.
Sabo is a character who will play a very important role later in the story and has a strong relationship with Luffy. It was surprising to have him make a brief appearance so early on, though, but it was also smart – we've known that Sabo has been working with Dragon for ages, so it was nice to show that in the TV show.
We might add that Smoker and Tashigi are also characters that will get more screen time in the Netflix adaptation, as we can see them doing their duty after the first episode.
7
Ace is not here (yet).
You start watching One Piece Season 2, get to the Drum Island episode and finish it thinking it was great… but something was missing. Wasn't a major character from the series supposed to debut here? Portgas D. Ace, one of Whitebeard's most important pirates and someone with a special relationship with Roger, Garp, and Luffy, was introduced in the series during this arc.
However, this is not the case with live action. Ace is nowhere to be found, and it's a pretty interesting choice considering we've already seen a flashback between Garp and Roger, commented on another post, and another character (Sabo) showed up. Will Ace appear on screen in Season 3?
Karoo, the giant duck who is Princess Vivi's sidekick, also did not appear this season.
Netflix one-episode casts compared to their anime counterparts
Here's a side-by-side look at Netflix's One Piece season 2 live-action characters and their anime counterparts.
