One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has shared his reaction to the long-awaited reveal of Tony Tony Chopper in the upcoming second installment of Netflix’s popular live-action series. In December 2024, Oda visited the show’s set in South Africa, where the cast and crew were filming Season 2.

Oda expressed his excitement about Chopper’s live-action debut in a post shared by the Netflix Anime X account. The beloved mangaka also praised the creative team who are responsible for bringing the fan-favorite character to life. “The key to Season 2 is, of course, our weird talking animal,” he wrote. “After extensive trial and refinement by the entire team, the day has come to finally unveil him!! From his form and furs to his expressions and voice, and even lighting and gravity simulation – a world-class team brought their skills together in bringing Tony Tony Chopper to life, and now he’s ready to be introduced to the world!!”

During the recent Netflix Tudumt, it was officially confirmed that The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 actor Mikaela Hoover had been tapped to voice the live-action version of Tony Tony Chopper. Hoover is also attached to star in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie.

In the manga and anime series, Chopper was introduced as the sixth member and official ship doctor of the Straw Hat pirates. Like Luffy, Chopper is also a devil fruit user. After eating the Hito Hito no Mi, Chopper was able to transform into a reindeer/human hybrid.

One Piece Season 2 Sets 2026 Release Date

Netflix’s One Piece series hails from Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, who also serve as executive producers. After wrapping production on Dec. 15, 2024, Season 2 has now been scheduled for a 2026 release. For the next installment, Owens and executive producer Joe Tracz are both stepping in as showrunners. Hoover will be joining Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy.

The rest of the cast includes Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Taz Skylar as Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp. Besides Chopper, Season 2 will also introduce a number of fan-favorite characters, including Miss Wednesday/Princess Vivi, Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday/Nico Robin, Calum Kerr as Captain Smoker, Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha, Rigo Sanchez as Monkey D. Dragon, and Joe Manganiello as Mr. Crocodile.

As the Straw Hat pirates finally enter the treacherous Grand Line, the world will get bigger for Luffy’s crew. In a previous interview, Skylar teased the leveled-up action sequences they were able to do for Season 2. “I obviously can’t say much, but what I can say is that this season is wild,” he said.

“The whole production is really attempting to do something that I don’t think has ever been done on TV before. The scale is immense. The sets are enormous, the action exponentialized, and all of us in the cast are somehow even closer than I think we’ve ever been,” he added.

One Piece Season 2 will hit screens in 2026.

Source: Netflix Anime X account, Netflix Tudum