Status, Cast, Story & Everything We Know

Live-action One Piece is only just getting started. With a mountain of source material still to cover, the Netflix adaptation could potentially run for decades, especially since the pacing has broadly mirrored that of Eiichiro Oda’s manga so far. One Piece season 1 chronicled Luffy’s adventures in East Blue, taking him from Windmill Village to Arlong Park, then One Piece season 2 ended after recruiting Chopper from Drum Kingdom.

That naturally raises the question of One Piece season 3. Given the enormous amount of love Netflix’s series has received from fans and critics alike, not to mention its close relationship with Oda himself, anticipation for the next leg of the Straw Hats’ voyage will undoubtedly be high. And because One Piece‘s weekly manga is ongoing, it’s hard to see interest in the franchise waning any time soon.

Here’s everything we know about One Piece season 3 so far.

One Piece Season 3 Has Been Confirmed At Netflix

First and foremost, One Piece season 3 is happening. Several actors involved with the series had already mentioned upcoming filming on a third season during interviews throughout 2024 (and even discussed potentially shooting back-to-back with season 2), but the official confirmation finally arrived in August 2025.

One Piece season 3 was green-lit almost an entire year before season 2 premiered, which suggests Netflix was left very encouraged by responses to the first season – enough to justify pushing ahead with a further two.

That early renewal may have been dictated in part by One Piece‘s narrative. The Going Merry’s early adventures on the Grand Line – meeting Vivi, the battles against Baroque Works, etc. – all lead toward Alabasta, the first major arc in the One Piece manga. One Piece season 2 is essentially “Alabasta pt. 1,” so to cancel the series at that juncture would have made little sense. One Piece‘s second and third seasons were always likely to come as a pair.

When Could One Piece Season 3 Release?

One Piece season 1 premiered in August 2023 after filming started in early 2022. One Piece season 2 arrived in March 2026 after filming began in July 2024. Production on One Piece season 3 is already underway after kicking off in November 2025, so using the previous timescales as a rough guideline, the next batch of episodes could drop as early as mid-2027. Certainly, you would expect One Piece season 3 to air at some point before 2028.

Given that the battle in Drum Kingdom leads directly into the Alabasta saga in a “part 1/part 2” situation, Netflix will undoubtedly be keen to avoid a long gap between seasons. At the same time, long gaps are increasingly becoming the norm for tent-pole streaming releases, and One Piece‘s heavy reliance on CGI means the show must take its time to ensure those Devil Fruit powers continue looking pristine onscreen.

One Piece Season 3’s Cast Members

Predictably, the core cast of Straw Hat pirates isn’t changing much between One Piece season 2 and season 3. The only slight alteration is that Chopper’s voice actor, Mikaela Hoover has been bumped up to a series regular now that she’s a proper crew member. Charithra Chandran’s Vivi will continue as part of One Piece‘s primary cast alongside the usual suspects of Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Taz Skylar as Sanji, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Emily Rudd as Nami.

There’s a bigger shift for One Piece season 3’s villains, however. Joe Manganiello will be a series regular after debuting as Crocodile in season 2, and Lera Abova’s Nico Robin will receive a larger role too. Awdo Awdo joins as Baroque Works’ Mr. 1, and Daisy Head as his partner, Miss Doublefinger. Cole Escola gets to portray fan-favorite agent Mr. 2, otherwise known as Bon Clay.

Vivi’s father, Nefertari Cobra, briefly appeared during flashback scenes in One Piece season 2, but Sendhil Ramamurthy has also been promoted to the main cast for season 3.

Perhaps the most exciting new addition is Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace. Luffy’s adoptive brother (and Gol D. Roger’s son) won’t have a huge role in One Piece season 3, but will undoubtedly be a highlight nonetheless.

What One Piece Season 3’s Story Will Be

One Piece season 2’s ending leaves no doubt that the Going Merry is heading straight for Alabasta next, and as Luffy reassures Vivi, the Straw Hats’ mission will be kicking Baroque Works off the island.

Even so, One Piece season 3 will represent a massive departure for the Netflix series. Thus far, One Piece‘s 16 live-action episodes have traveled around the East Blue and the Grand Line taking in a variety of unique islands. Every one or two episodes, One Piece has moved to a fresh location.

Given the size of the manga’s Arabasta arc, those days are over. It’s highly likely that all of One Piece‘s third season will be set within Alabasta, focusing entirely upon Vivi and the Straw Hats’ fierce battles against Baroque Works.

As season 2 mentioned, Crocodile has been stirring up a civil war between Vivi’s royal family and the people of Alabasta. The Straw Hats’ job will be to figure out Crocodile’s plan, calm the rising discontent, then defeat the remaining Baroque Works agents. To do that, season 3 will adopt a classic trope from the One Piece manga – each Straw Hat pairing off against a member of the villain crew. Luffy will take on Crocodile, Zoro goes against Mr. 1, Sanji fights Mr. 2, etc.

But One Piece season 3 will also begin setting up one of the story’s big overarching antagonists – Blackbeard. The character is mentioned in season 2 as the pirate who pillaged Drum Kingdom and scared away Wapol, but Ace’s introduction in One Piece season 3 will bring Blackbeard more sharply into focus… and likely show him onscreen for the first time too.

Blackbeard shall remain in the background across One Piece seasons 4 and 5, but if Netflix’s live-action adaptation can somehow reach the end of Oda’s story, Luffy vs. Blackbeard competing over the titular treasure will be one of the very last fights. Before that, however, One Piece has the small matter of saving Alabasta to attend to.