The Straw Hat crew returns to Netflix with Season 2 of the anime-inspired series One Piece: Into the Grand Line. The new chapter introduces additional characters, unusual islands and larger challenges as the pirates continue their journey toward the Grand Line.

The series is based on Eiichiro Oda’s 1997 manga One Piece, one of the longest-running franchises in the genre. With more than 1,000 anime episodes and decades of storytelling, the story has developed a large global fan base.

Live-action adaptations of beloved anime and manga often face scrutiny from longtime fans. For the cast of One Piece, however, the involvement of Oda helped provide guidance throughout production.

Eiichiro Oda’s involvement guided the production

“We had Oda from day one,” Emily Rudd, who portrays navigator Nami, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in our recent cast interview. “We didn’t do anything unless he was like, ‘This is fine, awesome.’ So I think that gave me a bit of calm, but there are nerves.”

The reassurance helped the cast approach characters that many viewers have followed for years.

Within the Straw Hat crew, each member contributes a different skill set: Nami serves as the crew’s navigator, Usopp is known for his sharpshooting abilities, Zoro brings his swordsmanship and Sanji combines cooking expertise with combat skills.

Luffy’s leadership relies on instinct

For Iñaki Godoy, who plays Monkey D. Luffy, the character’s leadership style is less about experience and more about personality and determination.

“As a character, Luffy is more about going to a place and just being the person that he always has been, and changing the world around him with his way of being,” Godoy said.

He added, “We get to see just Luffy going to places and taking on these new missions and just changing people’s lives.”

When asked whether Luffy grows as a captain this season, Godoy left the interpretation to viewers.

“I think that’s for the audience to experience and decide,” he said.

The Straw Hats begin building their reputation

Season 2 also marks a shift in how others view the Straw Hat crew. Rather than being dismissed as inexperienced pirates chasing an unrealistic dream, they begin to encounter situations where their skills are taken more seriously.

For Nami, the change represents progress in her personal story.

“I think she felt kind of relegated to one thing,” Rudd explained. “For most of her life, she had one singular focus and wasn’t able to pursue her dream. Now she’s with her crew, and she trusts them, and she’s leaning on them. I think it’s massive for her growth.”

Jacob Gibson’s Usopp also faces a key emotional development this season.

“The lesson around bravery is the acknowledgement of fear and the pushing to overcome that,” Gibson said.

That realization becomes clearer when Usopp encounters the legendary giants Dorry and Brogy.

“I think prior to meeting the Giants, he had this idea that he just always had to act like he wasn’t afraid of death,” Gibson explained. “So the lesson is huge for him as he quests to become a brave warrior. That’s an important realization to start to see Usopp really digest and chew on.”

Charithra Chandran introduces Miss Wednesday

Season 2 also expands the world of One Piece with new characters, including the mysterious Miss Wednesday.

The role is played by Charithra Chandran, who previously appeared as Edwina Sharma in Season 2 of Bridgerton. Chandran described the character as one that allows for a range of performance.

“I loved it. Getting to play such a complex female character feels like every actor’s dream. She has such a duality to her that’s really fun,” she said.

The production also required physical choreography for many scenes, including Miss Wednesday’s hypnotic dance used to distract enemies.

“I think the mistake I made was that I didn’t take into consideration the outfit, which is a corset,” she said with a laugh. “So it’s really restricted movement. On the day, there was a lot of figuring it out. And I got super shy. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”

But once filming began, the nerves faded.

“Everyone was great,” she continued. “And I really got into character as soon as they shout ‘Action’… the shyness goes away.”

Season 2 of One Piece is now streaming on Netflix.