In just a few short weeks, Netflix will release a live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. The series is well known for its absolutely massive cast of characters and a truly unreal running time, with over 1,000 episodes of the anime having aired. The Netflix adaptation of One Piece has generated a fair amount of attention, but both newcomers to the franchise and veterans may be wondering how much of the existing story it will adapt in this first season.
There are several dozen arcs of the series after all, and some of them can go on for what seems like an eternity. How long is the first season even going to be and where may a hypothetical second season start from? Using the information we have, let’s take a look and answer those questions!
How Long Will The First Season of Netflix’s One Piece Be?
The first season of One Piece is slated to last for ten episodes, each lasting approximately an hour if the adaptation of Cowboy Bebop is anything to go by. Based on the cast announcements, as well as moments from the recent trailers, it is fairly safe to assume that the first season will adapt what is known as the East Blue Saga of One Piece or, in other words, the first 12 volumes of the manga.
That being the case, the arcs that the series will cover will be Romance Dawn, Orange Town, Syrup Village, the Baratie, Arlong Park, and Loguetown. Each of those arcs helps to establish the relationships and dynamics between the first five members of the Straw Hat Pirates—Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji—and features fights against minor antagonists that function almost like a villain of the week who, with one major exception, don’t factor significantly into later story arcs.
If this is indeed the pacing that the series is taking, it is very safe to assume that if there is a second season, Netflix will adapt the next major saga in One Piece: the Alabasta Saga. It’s a smart decision to move from one saga to the next for each season, though that is of course assuming that each season gains enough viewership and support from fans for Netflix to justify pumping money into. The streamer has been pretty trigger-happy with canceling shows recently and after the huge failure of the Cowboy Bebop adaptation, only time will tell. But you can rest easy knowing that the first season of the live-action series of One Piece on Netflix should at least tell a complete story that will set up several major plot threads for future seasons to adapt!
