Netflix’s live-action One Piece is a mostly faithful adaptation of the original manga, but that does not mean it is without its changes. As far as Netflix’s live-action anime adaptations go, One Piece is undoubtedly the best. Its faithfulness to the overall spirit and world of the manga is perhaps the biggest reason why, but changes from medium to medium were necessary.
For example, by the time of One Piece season 1’s ending, it was clear just how much Netflix’s version was speeding up the pacing, given the manga is currently ongoing with over 1000 chapters. This led to some elements from the manga being missing entirely, condensed, or added to.
One Piece season 2 is finally here, three years later, with those changes still being part of the story’s framework. Again, the live-action show is incredibly faithful to the character arcs, spirit, and lore of One Piece‘s manga, but changes are unavoidable, thanks to the sheer scope of the source material.
With that in mind, here are the biggest changes that season 2 of Netflix’s One Piece makes to the manga on which it is based.
15
Bartolomeo’s Introduction
The first episode of One Piece season 2 takes the Straw Hat Pirates to Loguetown, an iconic location from the manga that serves as a last stop of sorts before venturing into the Grand Line. A lot from the One Piece manga happens in Netflix’s Loguetown story, but an element is also introduced that was not initially present in the source material.
The element in question is Bartolomeo, a petty thief who tries to rob Nami to no avail. Bartolomeo then runs into Luffy, becoming inspired by the Straw Hat captain. In the manga, Bartolomeo is Luffy’s number one fan, who is introduced a lot later in the story and retconned into Loguetown as a witness to Luffy’s near-execution at the hands of Buggy.
One Piece season 2’s inclusion of Bartolomeo changes this using knowledge from the manga by having him interact with the Straw Hats and witness Luffy’s escape. If Netflix’s show had followed the manga one-to-one, Bartolomeo would not have interacted with Luffy, and his presence at Loguetown would have gone unrevealed for many more seasons.
14
Sabo’s Presence At Loguetown
In the final moments of One Piece season 2, episode 1, a mysterious man saves Luffy from Smoker and later watches the Straw Hats sail away. In the latter moment, a man in a tall hat steps out from behind Luffy’s savior. As manga readers will know, the savior is Dragon, Luffy’s father and the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
The man who steps out behind Dragon in Netflix’s One Piece season 2 is Sabo, the second-in-command of the organization. In the manga, Sabo is not present at Loguetown, marking a much earlier introduction to the character than is found in the manga.
13
Garp & Smoker
A regular character in One Piece season 1 was Monkey D. Garp, Luffy’s grandfather and vice admiral of the Marines. For the most part, One Piece season 2 does not include Garp, Koby, or Helmeppo, despite their many appearances in season 1. Were it not for another manga change, they would not appear in season 2 at all.
In One Piece season 2, episode 2, Garp and his mentees appear at Loguetown to check in on Smoker. Smoker and Garp have several conversations about the state of the world, setting up the kingdom of Alabasta, the Revolutionary Army, Dragon’s links to all of this, and Baroque Works.
These conversations never happen in One Piece‘s manga; Netflix’s One Piece likely included them as a way to have Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo in a season that would not feature them otherwise, as well as a vehicle to set up vital information for the major story arcs and factions of seasons 2 and 3.
12
Luffy Placating Laboon
The Straw Hats’ main quest in One Piece season 2, episode 2 involves Laboon, a giant whale. This whale is searching for his old friends, a crew of pirates he followed due to his love of music. However, this causes Laboon pain, who thinks his friends are on the other side of a giant mountain, leading him to repeatedly smash his head into it.
This comes after he inadvertently swallows the Going Merry, with Luffy escaping to learn Laboon’s story from Crocus, a lighthouse keeper. Eventually, Luffy placates Laboon by singing the song the latter’s friends used to sing, as the former had heard it before. This is much different from the manga, in which Luffy simply jams the Going Merry’s mast into the whale’s head.
This change was likely made to better fit Luffy’s heartwarming nature, also giving Laboon a more friendly connection to the Straw Hats.
11
Brook’s Introduction
A character introduced late in the One Piece manga is Brook, one of the pirates who once sang to Laboon. This is revealed in the Thriller Bark arc, around 300 chapters after the Reverse Mountain arc. Netflix’s One Piece season 2, as it did with Bartolomeo, shows the backstory manga fans now know in a different order.
Brook appears in Netflix’s One Piece season 2, singing his songs to Laboon in flashbacks. This sets up Brook’s later introduction as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates rather than revealing his backstory with Laboon to be retroactively explored later, as the manga does.
10
Crocus’ Living Arrangements
In the One Piece manga, Crocus actually lives inside Laboon’s stomach, explaining how he meets the Straw Hats. One Piece season 2 changes this by having Crocus live in a lighthouse overlooking Laboon and the Reverse Mountain. This change was likely made to make Luffy’s role in saving his friends from Laboon’s stomach more urgent.
One Piece season 2, episode 2 has a reference to the original manga, though. Usopp fixes the door of Crocus’ lighthouse after the Straw Hats escape Laboon, stating that, if Crocus ever gets bored, there is a lot of room inside the whale. Crocus retorts, “If things ever truly go to s***, I’ll keep that in mind.”
9
Miss All Sunday’s Pursuit
Miss All Sunday is one of the core villains in Netflix’s One Piece season 2, and will reprise that role in season 3. Throughout the former, she is shown chasing the Straw Hats across the Grand Line, appearing in several locations. This does not happen in the manga and was likely included in Netflix’s adaptation to include Lera Abova as the villain more before she becomes a series regular.
8
Zoro’s Visions Of Mihawk
In One Piece season 2, episode 3, Zoro continuously imagines the pirate Dracule Mihawk taunting him. Mihawk defeated Zoro in One Piece season 1, with the former becoming the benchmark that the latter must overcome to fulfill his dream of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
These hallucinations are not part of the manga and were included in Netflix’s One Piece to remind viewers of Zoro’s defeat and ultimate goal. Moreover, they set up Zoro’s mini arc in Whiskey Peak, culminating in his defeat of 100 Baroque Works agents to prove he can one day best Mihawk.
7
Luffy vs. Zoro
In the manga, Luffy and Zoro briefly fight when the former thinks the latter is attacking Whiskey Peak’s civilians. At that point, Luffy was not aware that the civilians were Baroque Works agents secretly, thus attacking Zoro to stop him from killing “innocents.” This brief fight was not in Netflix’s One Piece season 2, likely given its overall inconsequentiality to the plot.
6
The Mention Of Nika
One Piece season 2, episodes 4 and 5 include Dorry and Brogy, the giants of Elbaph, stranded on Little Garden. Elbaph is a kingdom of warriors who worship a Sun God named Nika. Nika is mentioned by name in Netflix’s One Piece season 2, which is not the case in the original manga.