One Piece is one of the longest-running and most popular Shonen anime around with thousands of chapters, hundreds of characters, and enough story arcs to cover multiple seasons in the live-action Netflix adaptation. One Piece‘s first season successfully portrayed the key events of the East Blue Saga – covering important moments from the Romance Dawn arc to the Loguetown arc. However, with reports of One Piece‘s showrunners wanting to cover the entirety of the anime/manga across 12 seasons, the potential to cover some of the most significant moments from the source material is huge.
Considering One Piece has been in publication since 1999, there’s definitely enough material to cover. However, it’s also completely understandable if the showrunners decide to skip past certain events due to time and budgetary constraints. While there is currently no confirmation whether One Piece will indeed receive 12 seasons, one can only imagine which arcs Netflix’s One Piece could adapt should they be given the green light. While the live-action series can easily switch up arcs depending on need, the following is an idea of how it could work by season.
Spoiler Warning: This article may contain spoilers for key events in the various arcs covered in One Piece.
12 One Piece Season 2 Can Cover The Arabasta Arc
With rumors of fan-favorite Tony Tony Chopper appearing in One Piece season 2 and Smoker making a post-credits cameo at the end of the first season, it would appear as though Netflix already has plans to adapt the Arabasta Arc. The Arabasta Arc is special to longtime fans because it introduces its audience to future fan favorites like the aforementioned Chopper, Nico Robin, Portgas D. Ace (Luffy’s older brother), and the fearsome Crocodile – the founder of the notorious criminal organization Baroque Works. Additionally, the conflicts and stakes are taken to the next level in this arc as marines, deadly members of Baroque Works, and the concept of Ancient Weapons are all introduced to the characters.
11 One Piece Season 3 Can Cover The Little Garden Arc
Netflix’s adaptation of the Little Garden Arc would be a joy to see as it introduced Oda’s take on giants and dinosaurs to an already wacky and unique series. Additionally, the arc also exchanges the usual hectic pacing of the series in favor of a more laid-back pace, thus giving the audience more time to empathize with the Straw Hat Pirates’ internal conflicts. Naturally, seeing dinosaurs and giants duke it out on the small screen would be fun to watch, but it would also be interesting to see how the show’s writers handle each character’s inner thoughts and insecurities.
10 One Piece Season 4 Can Cover The Drum Island Arc
The Drum Island Arc is one of the most beloved among the base because it changes the setting from the typical deep blue seas and bright sunny skies to perpetually snowy and gloomy weather. More importantly, Tony Tony Chopper becomes an official member of the Straw Hat Pirates, and an important concept known as the Will of D. (a mystery surrounding those with the initial “D.” in their name) is introduced. While fans would have to wait until much later to get answers regarding D.’s true meaning in One Piece, it established that there was greater significance to it and gave audiences something new to look forward to. If handled properly, this revelation could sustain audience attention in Netflix’s adaptation, and its meaning could even be changed to subvert audience expectations.
9 One Piece Season 5 Can Cover The Jaya Arc
The Straw Hat Pirates’ archaeologist Nico Robin officially joins the crew in the Jaya Arc, and the Five Elders (powerful celestial dragons who govern the World Government) are also introduced. Additionally, Marshall D. Teach, Whitebeard, Bartholomew Kuma, and Donquixote Doflamingo – all fan-favorites, are also introduced to the series. Moreover, the Jaya Arc perfectly sets up the well-received Skypiea arc by introducing the concepts of gods and angels here, and it also teases the introduction of some of the Straw Hats’ strongest moves through cleverly written fight sequences.
8 One Piece Season 6 Can Cover The Skypiea Arc
Skypiea Arc is recognized for two important reasons: it teases both Haki’s and Joy Boy’s existence. Haki is a powerful force consisting of a person’s spiritual energy, and Joy Boy is a powerful being; essentially being able to turn anyone who wields its power into a god. Although it would be a while before either of these concepts were explored to their full potential, the legend and mystery surrounding them were enough to keep fans thinking about them for seasons to come. Additionally, Skypiea is set primarily in the White Sea – an ocean in the sky, and it would be great to see how Netflix would bring this unique setting to life.
7 One Piece Season 7 Can Cover The Post-Enies Lobby Arc
The Post-Ennies Lobby Arc is among one of One Piece‘s most significant and memorable. It introduces Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates’ new ship, solidifies Franky’s position within the Straw Hat Pirates, and introduces some interesting twists and turns regarding Usopp and Shanks. Additionally, Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy’s father, is properly introduced to the series after spending the majority of this previous appearances in a cameo capacity. The Post-Enies Lobby Arc is also where some of One Piece‘s best sword fights occur, and with the great reception of Netflix’s live-action adaptation already breaking the stigma of live-action anime adaptations, Netflix would likely push the envelope even further in future seasons to cement their progress.
6 One Piece Season 8 Can Cover The Punk Hazard Arc
The Punk Hazard Arc should receive an adaptation at some point in One Piece‘s future because it introduces audiences to more unique and well-written characters in the series. Standouts of this claim include Trafalgar Law and Buggy, two men who join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and it shows the alliance between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates. Furthermore, the “Worst Generation,” a group of top rookie pirates, is set up during this arc. The relationship between the two pirate factions was a pleasure to experience in the source material, so it would be interesting to see how a live-action adaptation would do it justice.
5 One Piece Season 9 Can Cover The Marineford Arc
Perhaps the most tear-jerking arc in One Piece, the Marineford Arc is particularly significant because it confirms that One Piece is real despite strong speculation previously, Ace and Whitebeard meet their end, and Blackbeard steals Whitebeard’s Devil fruit, thus significantly strengthening his forces. All of these moments carried serious weight to them because prior to them occurring, the Straw Hat Pirates were experiencing inner turmoil and already at a weakened state. Blackbeard’s forces growing stronger while the Straw Hats weaken would be an excellent cliffhanger to end One Piece season 9. This arc firmly establishes the severity of the stakes, and it shows that the beloved Straw Hats will have to overcome a lot of internal conflicts before resuming their journey.
4 One Piece Season 10 Can Cover The Zou Arc
The Zou Arc was memorable for introducing Road Poneglyphs and also showing the Straw Hats working together to obtain their first one. Additionally, it lit the fuse that would be the Whole Cake Island Arc by showing the Straw Hats working ardently to rescue Sanji from the Big Mom Pirates. Big Mom is one of Oda’s best characters as she’s deceptively strong and funny, and her actions inadvertently helped the Straw Hats realize how far they’ve come as a team and how much they’ve grown as individuals.
3 One Piece Season 11 Can Cover The Whole Cake Island Arc
Whole Cake Island Arc is among the most fun arcs in One Piece. The setting is a twisted Candy Land meets Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the characters introduced here are hilarious, and Luffy’s fourth gear, the fourth installment in his five power-ups, is introduced. Additionally, fan-favorite Sanji gets a lot of attention as he’s caught up in an uncomfortable political war between two warring families. Everyone loves Sanji due to his simple yet memorable design, unique voice, and adeptness with Taekwondo, so seeing One Piece‘s writers give his live-action counterpart more depth and screen time would be a joy.
2 One Piece Season 12 Can Cover The Wano Country Arc
A lot of key moments occur during the Wano County Arc thus providing Netflix with plenty of source material to adapt. Some standouts include Zoro losing Shusui and obtaining Enma, Jinbe officially joining the Straw Hat Pirates, and Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Law each unlocking new abilities. Moreover, Luffy and Buggy replace Big Mom and Kaidou as emperors after Luffy discovers the true origin of his Devil Fruit. Although this arc is far and away from any previous arc discovered, it would be an ideal situation for a penultimate season as many storylines are tied up and new revelations are explored.
1 One Piece Can Close The Series With The Egghead Arc
As of this writing, the Egghead Arc is the most recent and even falls under the official categorization of the “Final Saga,” thus implying it could be the end of the long-running and wildly successful franchise. While there isn’t much to report on at the moment, this arc naturally seems like the right spot to end the live-action’s adaptation if it does conclude the manga’s run. While there are plenty of ways to speculate on how it will end, One Piece‘s record-breaking Netflix popularity guarantees that there will be plenty of time for the writers’ room to figure out One Piece‘s future.
