Five stitches and zero complaints — Riley Green finished his Australia show after a fan threw a phone.
Netflix’s live-action One Piece is returning for a third season with production already underway, a stacked new cast including Xolo Maridueña and Joe Manganiello, and a promise from the show’s stars that the tone is taking a dramatic turn.
Netflix confirmed the Season 3 renewal in August 2025 during One Piece Day. Production began in November 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa, the same location where the show has previously filmed.
No official release date has been announced. Given the show’s scale — elaborate sets, visual effects and action sequences — production timelines tend to stretch, but filming is now actively underway.
The New Cast
Maridueña, who starred as the title character in DC’s Blue Beetle, has been cast as Portgas D. Ace. Ace is a significant character tied directly to Luffy, and his introduction is one of the moments fans of the original story have been eagerly anticipating.
Manganiello, known for his roles in Magic Mike and True Blood, is also joining the cast. Manganiello, along with Lera Abova and Sendhil Ramamurthy, has been promoted to series regular status for Season 3 after appearing in Season 2.
Tony Award–winning Oh Mary! creator Cole Escola will play a character named Bon Clay. Daisy Head has been cast as Miss Doublefinger and Awdo Awdo as Mr. 1.
The returning members of the Straw Hat pirates will be back. Charithra Chandran and Mikaela Hoover are also returning from Season 2.
A More Serious Season
Chandran, who plays Princess Vivi, offered a revealing look at the second season’s direction in an interview with Teen Vogue.
“It is a very dramatic turn,” Chandran said. “I think it’s the most serious season so far, and you see a more mature side to both [Vivi and Luffy]. It still has all of the classic things of One Piece, but I think that you see Vivi and Luffy really discussing and engaging with very important, serious matters. Season two is so fun and joyful; it’s nice to see that contrast in season three. [There’s] a lot of allegories for what’s happening around the world in different places.”
Series star Iñaki Godoy, who plays Luffy, echoed that evolving tone, particularly when it comes to the action. “There’s so much storytelling in fighting,” he said, referencing the fight between Luffy and Wapol in the Season 2 finale and teasing that upcoming battles will feel different in the next season.
Where Season 2 Left Off
Season 2 ended with the Straw Hat pirates realizing the scale of the Baroque Works organization — the shadowy group pulling strings throughout the season — and setting their course toward Arabasta Island. That destination is where Season 3 is expected to pick up.
The next season is expected to explore the Arabasta storyline, described as a major arc in the original manga. The Straw Hats will arrive in the kingdom of Arabasta to help Princess Vivi confront the Baroque Works organization and its leader, Sir Crocodile.
The arc also includes the introduction of Bon Clay, the reunion between Luffy and his brother Portgas D. Ace, and a showdown with Crocodile. No official plot synopsis has been released for the new season, so exactly how the show will adapt these story beats remains to be seen.
Plenty of Story Left
The One Piece live-action adaptation is based on a long-running manga and anime franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. According to reporting by What’s On Netflix, about 154 of the manga’s 1,174 chapters have been adapted into the live-action series so far.
That means the story still has many major arcs left to cover. If Netflix continues renewing the show, there is a long road of adventure ahead.
