Summary
One Pieceis growing bigger and better at Netflix, as the live-action adaptation announces yet another slate of new talent joining its already stacked cast only days after the last set of stars signed on for new season two roles.
One Piecehas been shunned for a proper live-action adaptation for years despite reaching arguably the highest possible levels of success for its native Japanese medium and seeing just as much success internationally. This hesitation was fuelled by a plethora of reasons, including the sheer scale of the cast, crew, and locales needed, as well as the length of the (still ongoing) series, which has exceeded the thousand-chapter milestone by a wide margin now. Fortunately for fans, Netflix would take on the risk and greenlight a live-action adaptation, with that gamble paying off in a big way with a successful season one. The show is now in production for another installment, withOne Piecefranchise creator Oda Eiichiro closely involved.
Despite theOne Piecelive-action show revealing three new cast membersfor the second season just a few days ago, even more additions to the cast have already been put forth. An exclusive report fromVarietyhas confirmed that stars Rigo Sanchez, Yonda Thomas, and James Hiroyuki Liao are all set to join the cast for the second season of the Netflix show. Thomas will be taking on the role of Igaram, the captain of the Arabasta Royal Guard and a double agent for the crown, and Liao will play the role of Ipponmatsu, a weapons store owner who plays a brief but very important role in Zoro’s development as a swordsman. Most notably, Sanchez is set to portray Dragon, the head of the show’s Revolutionary faction and a very important character for a plethora of reasons.
These three names are the latest in a slew of additions to the cast ahead of the show’s second seasons, and this drive has seen more than a dozen new faces sign on for more adventures in Oda’s world of piracy and rebellion. This is in addition to a cast that already dwarfs many other similar productions from the first season, including leads Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar, who play all the currently revealed members of the Straw Hat crew. Thelive-action NetflixOne Pieceshow has also found its Nico Robinin Lera Abova as part of this recent casting spree, bringing the group of principal characters one step closer to completion. As shown by a tease from Oda himself last year, fans can also look forward to the addition of Chopper in the upcoming season, albeit with special effects.
Thomas’ role as Igaram will see him play a major role in the Arabasta arc, the show’s next major story beat, and a personal favorite of many fans. As previously mentioned, Liao’s role is one that won’t be with viewers for very long but will undoubtedly leave an impression. As for Sanchez, the role he’s taken up is easily the biggest and one that’s certainly going to be relevant for years to come. While some fans have argued thatDragon has been largely useless as a character inOne Pieceso far, that’s arguably because he’s such an important figure in the world of One Piece and can’t be used lightly. As things stand, Sanchez is sure to make several appearances across future seasons and could even take on a much larger role down the line, as Dragon and his faction must eventually make their big gambit on the world stage.
While the stream of new cast members is great for the show and proves the production team’s dedication to working in as much of the world and characters as possible, the importance of the core cast in the show’s current and future success cannot be understated. However, considering recentbold claims from one of the live-actionOne Pieceshow’s most integral playersand the general positive vibe surrounding the cast, fans likely won’t have to worry about any of the key players departing anytime soon and can look forward to even more adventures and new faces down the line.
