One Piece Season 2 Must Avoid A Major Nico Robin Mistake That Would Ruin Netflix’s Season 4

One Piece Season 2 Must Avoid A Major Nico Robin Mistake That Would Ruin Netflix’s Season 4

One Piece’s live-action Nico Robin should be introduced in season 2, but the Netflix series must be careful not to make a huge mistake with the character that would ruin a future adaptation of Water 7. While Netflix’s One Piece season 1 covered a lot of arcs in just eight episodes, the series has barely scratched the surface of what Eiichiro Oda’s manga is. Countless One Piece characters and locations have to appear in live-action, including important Straw Hat pirates that only join the crew afte the show enters the Grand Line.

By far Netflix’s best live-action anime adaptation, One Piece’s first season covered the East Blue saga. Now, the series is set to bring the Arabasta saga to live-action, meaning viewers will get to see new interpretations of characters like Smoker and Crocodile. One of the most important additions to the world of One Piece in season 2, however, is Nico Robin. A core member of Luffy’s crew to this day, Robin begins the series as a villain with a mysterious past. There are aspects of the character that One Piece season 2 needs to nail.

One Piece Season 2 Must Not Reveal Nico Robin’s Backstory

Robin’s backstory should only be revealed during Water 7

Nico Robin will be in One Piece season 2 based on what happens in the source material, but the live-action series should not reveal her backstory just yet. Robin is an antagonist during the Arabasta saga, appearing as a member of the Baroque Works working under Crocodile. Miss All Sunday quickly proves to be a formidable adversary for Luffy and his crew and makes a strong first impression, later returning in the Arabasta Saga’s final arc. It is safe to say there will be a lot of Nico Robin in season 2, but revealing her backstory too early would be a massive mistake.

Even though Nico Robin was part of One Piece‘s Baroque Works, she was never evil. Quite the contrary, joining the Baroque Works is what helped Robin survive in a world that was against the world, which is something viewers only learn much later. Robin’s redemption happens at the end of the Arabasta Saga when she is left behind by Crocodile and is brought into the Going Merry by Luffy. She becomes a Straw Hat pirate before her backstory is revealed, a symbolic way of showing that Luffy didn’t care about her past and previous mistakes.

By the end of the Arabasta Saga, which will presumably make for most of One Piece season 2, the only thing audiences need to know about Nico Robin is that she has chosen to follow Luffy. Offering any context whatsoever on Robin’s past or why she was part of the Baroque Works would remove an important element of the character’s introduction, even more so if the Straw Hats were to learn about it too. Netflix’s One Piece has an extensive lore to explore, but season 2 should avoid referencing the secrets of Robin’s past.

Revealing Nico Robin’s Backstory Would Ruin Water 7

One Piece would need a few more seasons to get to Water 7

One Piece Season 2 Must Avoid A Major Nico Robin Mistake That Would Ruin Netflix’s Season 4

Revealing Nico Robin’s origin story too early would ruin not only her introduction but also Water 7, one of One Piece’s best arcs. Assuming every season of One Piece live-action will cover at least one saga from the manga, it can be assumed that Water 7 and Enies Lobby will be saved for season 4 of the Netflix adaptation. Of all the great characters and storylines that are introduced during Water 7, the most interesting one is the reveal of Robin’s backstory. After Robin betrays the group and helps the CP9, One Piece finally explains what she is hiding.

One Piece’s Current Straw Hat Pirates

Actor

Monkey D. Luffy

Inãki Godoy

Roronoa Zoro

Mackenyu

Nami

Emily Rudd

Usopp

Jacob Gibson

Sanji

Taz Skylar

As Luffy and his friends try to understand why Robin betrayed them, One Piece establishes through a series of flashbacks that Robin had been on the run since she was a child. With one of the biggest bounties ever on her head, Robin spent most of her life running away and hiding simply because she had acquired knowledge that the World Government considered a threat. Robin was the last survivor of her island, Ohara, which was destroyed by the Marines after a Buster Call. With no family or friends, Robin was alone until she met the Straw Hats.

One Piece’s Flashbacks Were Great (But Can’t Be Used For Robin Just Yet)

One Piece season 1 used a lot of flashbacks

Custom image of young Luffy and Sanji in Netflix One Piece

Part of what makes Water 7 and Enies Lobby so special is to learn more about Nico Robin as the story progresses. At first, Robin betraying Luffy does not make sense and raises a lot of questions about her character. However, once her origin story is revealed, it becomes clear that she only did so to protect her friends. If One Piece season 2 reveals Robin’s backstory shortly after introducing the character, moments like “I want to live” during the show’s version of Enies Lobby will not have the same impact as they did in the anime.

Luffy touches the front of the Going Merry for the first time in Netflix's One Piece

Related

One Piece Season 2 Is Already Different From Netflix’s First Season In 3 Major Ways

One Piece season 2 will be decidedly different from its first season given the stakes, characters, and locations the Straw Hat Pirates will encounter.

Netflix’s One Piece used a lot of flashbacks to introduce the Straw Hats and their goals. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Nami all got at least one flashback sequence that connected to their present-day adventures and established what their dreams were and why they wanted to achieve them. This narrative trick worked perfectly for One Piece season 1, even more so because the Straw Hats’ origin stories were identical to the ones in the manga. However, this strategy would not work for Robin, whose story only makes sense if her origins are a mystery.

One Piece Season 2 Needs To Nail Nico Robin’s Character

Robin is one of One Piece’s most important characters

The live-action Straw Hat pirates and Nico Robin in One Piece

One Piece season 1 did a great job of bringing Luffy, the Straw Hats, the villains, and other key players of that world to life in what was one of the best live-action anime adaptations ever made. Hopefully, season 2 will deliver the same level of accuracy and quality. One Piece only gets better with each arc, and the manga’s best moments are yet to happen in the live-action show. Likewise, some of One Piece’s most powerful characters are only introduced after East Blue, and that includes Nico Robin.

Even though the original Straw Hats will always be iconic, Luffy’s crew continues to expand after they enter the Grand Line. Characters like Robin have been fan favorites for decades and deserve a worthy live-action adaptation that honors their stories and their importance to the broader One Piece narrative. Nico Robin’s backstory ties into the origins of the One Piece world and has led to questions that the manga has yet to answer, which is Netflix’s One Piece needs to nail the character. A solid Nico Robin introduction would set the stage for the highly emotional, game-changing Water 7 arc.

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One Piece Netflix Teaser Poster

One Piece (Live-Action)

Action
Adventure
Comedy
Fantasy

Based on the popular manga/anime series, One Piece is a live-action Netflix adaptation of the story from Eiichiro Oda. The show follows the exploits of a band of pirates, the Straw Hats, led by the energetic and adventure-loving Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy is a young man cursed with strange powers after accidentally eating a mysterious fruit. With his friends Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji, Luffy will head across the vast ocean to find the legendary treasure, the One Piece.

Cast

Iñaki Godoy
, Mackenyu
, Emily Rudd
, Jacob Romero Gibson
, Taz Skylar

Release Date

August 31, 2023

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix