WARNING: Spoilers ahead for the One Piece manga.
After a strong first season, One Piece season 2 has high expectations to meet, especially regarding fight scenes. One Piece season 1 was as faithful to the source material as a live-action anime adaptation can be, getting not only the characters but also the world right. One aspect that could be even better in season 2 is the fight scenes, even more so because One Piece’s villains and battles only get more impressive as the story goes on.
The best fights in One Piece season 1 combined practical and visual effects in a way that suited the style of Eiichiro Oda’s manga perfectly. For example, whereas Sanji’s fighting style involves a lot of wire work and moves performed on camera, most of Luffy’s abilities can only be portrayed through VFX. It’s important to note that One Piece season 2 will not cover the Arabasta arc, meaning that the fights against Crocodile and Baroque Works’ strongest members won’t happen until season 3.
8 Buggy & Alvida Vs. Luffy
The Villains Should Get A Rematch
Buggy searching for Luffy in Loguetown is one of the most hilarious moments in all of One Piece. After teaming up with Alvida, who now has Devil Fruit powers, and putting his body back together, Buggy tracks down Luffy in Loguetown and eventually manages to capture the Straw Hat pirate. The fact that Luffy does not remember who Buggy is makes their interaction even more hilarious. There isn’t much of a fight between Luffy and Buggy in this part of the story, but the live-action show could slightly change how Luffy gets captured.
Alvida ate the Sube Sube no Mi, or Smooth-Smooth fruit, sometime after getting her ship destroyed by Luffy.
It would be interesting to see a proper rematch between Luffy and two of season 1’s villains, even if it plays for laughs. Buggy and Alvida’s plan works initially, and they actually get very close to executing Luffy in Loguetown. Given how One Piece season 1 didn’t include Loguetown, I’m assuming there will be at least one episode entirely dedicated to this arc, in which case there would be enough time for at least one brief fight involving Luffy, Buggy, and Alvida. A more comical fight could set the stage for Smoker to be a more serious threat.
7 Luffy Vs. Smoker
Smoker Almost Gets Luffy
Captain Smoker is set to be one of the main antagonists in One Piece season 2. Unlike Garp, who really just wanted to test Luffy and find out if his grandson had what it takes to sail to the Grand Line, Smoker will be on a mission to capture the Straw Hat pirates no matter what. Smoker ate the the Moku Moku no Mi, or Plume-Plume fruit, which gives him smoke powers and allows him to transform his body into fog at will. Smoker is one of the toughest opponents Luffy meets in the earlier One Piece arcs.
One Piece Season 2’s Main Cast | Characters |
|---|---|
Inãki Godoy | Monkey D. Luffy |
Emily Rudd | Nami |
Mackenyu | Roronoa Zoro |
Jacob Romero Gibson | Usopp |
Taz Skylar | Sanji |
Jeff Ward | Buggy the Clown |
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino | Alvida |
Callum Kerr | Smoker |
Charithra Chandran | Miss Wednesday |
David Dastmalchian | Mr. 3 |
Joe Manganiello | Mr. O |
Lera Abova | Miss All Sunda |
Although there is a level of comedy to Smoker – especially in his relationship with Tashigi – he represents a serious threat to the Straw Hat pirates. Soon after Luffy escapes from the execution ceremony set up by Buggy and Alvida, he and Sanji run into Smoker. The White Hunter gets close to capturing two of the Straw Hats but is stopped by Dragon, an important figure whose story ties into Luffy’s. While Smoker and Luffy don’t interact much in Loguetown, there is room for One Piece season 2 to give them a great fight scene, even if a brief one.
6 Zoro Vs. Baroque Works
One Of Zoro’s Most Impressive Feats
Despite often finding himself lost, Roronoa Zoro is the first of the Straw Hat pirates to realize that Whisky Peak is a threat. Shortly after they enter the Grand Line and pass through the Reverse Mountain, the Straw Hats are welcomed by Whisky Peak locals who, while pirates, threaten them very well. Luffy and his friends are given food, drinks, and a place to stay, but it is all a trap. The pirates in question were members of Baroque Works, a crime syndicate created by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea at that time.
Baroque Works should be the overarching threat of One Piece season 2, with the ultimate showdown against Crocodile only happening at Arabasta during a potential third season. Still, before the Straw Hats take down the most powerful members of the organizations in fights that should only happen in season 3, Zoro beats a few dozen of them in one of his coolest moments in the entire series. Zoro takes on countless Baroque Works pirates at Whisky Peak relatively easily, a moment that I cannot wait to see in live-action.
5 Luffy Vs. Zoro
A Misunderstanding Leads Into A Hilarious Fight
Zoro fighting dozens of Baroque Works members is incredible, yet it is followed by an even cooler fight that should look great in live-action – Zoro vs. Luffy. While it doesn’t last too long and happens due to a misunderstanding, Luffy vs. Zoro is a highlight of the Arabasta Saga and establishes how powerful the green-haired pirate hunter is despite not being a Devil Fruit-eater like Luffy. Power scaling One Piece characters can be difficult for those not familiar with the source material, which is why this fight will be so important.
As the protagonist of the show who has a cool superpower, it’s easy to assume that Luffy is far more powerful than his crewmates. However, the outcome of Luffy vs. Zoro shows that, while a seemingly regular human, Zoro has prepared his body to such an extent that he is ready to fight someone like Luffy. Luffy fighting Zoro in live-action can be very intense despite the comedic nature of the fight, which starts only because Luffy thought Zoro had beaten up their hosts for no reason. During this fight, they also end up saving “Miss Wednesday.”
4 Miss All Sunday Vs. The Straw Hats
Robin Fighting The Crew Could Be Interesting
Robin doesn’t fight the Straw Hats upon their first encounter, but this is a change that would be welcomed in Netflix’s One Piece season 2. With Arabasta being saved for season 3, there may not be enough moments from the manga for Miss All Sunday to shine in season 2. Additionally, with Crocodile likely only meeting Luffy in season 3, most of season 2’s battles risk feeling smaller and of lower stakes compared to what is to come. This is why it would be cool to have Miss All Sunday briefly take on the Straw Hats.
Nico Robin makes quite the first impression in One Piece, effortlessly infiltrating the Going Merry and threatening Luffy’s crew. The casting of Nico Robin for One Piece season 2 was treated by Netflix as major news and was revealed live during the Geeked Week event, suggesting Miss All Sunday will have a bigger role in the live-action adaptation than she had in the manga before Arabasta. Robin fighting Luffy and the others would also make the moment she joins the crew later on even more special.
3 Dorry Vs. Broggy
A Clash Of Giants
After learning about Baroque Works in Whisky Peak, the Straw Hat pirates continue their journey and eventually arrive at the island of Little Garden. They soon learn that Little Garden has that name because, while most things there are of regular size, some of its inhabitants are not. The crew meets two giants, Dorry and Broggy, who have been fighting for years despite not remembering why. Two giants fighting each other over something they forgot is one of the things that perfectly encapsulates how strangely fascinating the world of One Piece is.
I’m interested to see how Broggy and Dorry will look in live-action. One Piece season 1 was likely very demanding in terms of visual effects, but future seasons can be even more challenging in that regard. A fight between giants is not something easy to pull off in live-action and may not last too long. Still, Broggy and Dorry’s dynamic is a key part of Little Garden and even ties into future One Piece stories.
2 Luffy Vs. Mr. 3
Luffy Takes Down One Of The Main Baroque Works
Mr. 3’s wax powers are set to be a lot of fun in live-action, even more so with David Dastmalchian playing the One Piece villain. While some One Piece fans aren’t very fond of the Little Garden arc, it is a very important part of the Arabasta saga and properly establishes Baroque Works as a major threat. Even though Luffy had already learned about them at Whisky Peak, it’s only during Little Garden that we get a proper glimpse of how dangerous the members of Baroque Works can be.
Mr. 3’s Devil Fruit abilities can be a mixture of visual and practical effects since he can create anything, including clones of himself, out of wax. Although Luffy is the one to take down Mr. 3, the battle also involves the other Straw Hats, some of whom are captured by Mr. 3 and almost become wax figures themselves. It’s a very creative, visually interesting battle that could work very well in live-action.
1 Luffy Vs. Wapol
Luffy Frees Drum Island
Given that both fights between Luffy and Crocodile might only happen in season 3, Luffy vs. Wapol should be the final major battle in One Piece season 2. Although the events of Drum Island don’t have major connections to what happens next, it is still a very emotional arc that introduces Chopper and highlights the power of dreams and friendship. Chopper’s tragic backstory is deeply tied to the history of Drum Island, whose former king, Wapol, wanted to rule again.
I would not be surprised if Wapol had some connection to Baroque Works in Netflix’s One Piece, similar to how Arlong met Buggy and was at the Baratie in season 1. Compared to Crocodile and even Mr. 3, Wapol was not a very powerful villain. His fight against Luffy ends relatively quickly, meaning that One Piece season 2 might have something else upon their sleeves to end on a high note ahead of the rest of the Arabasta saga.
