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Netflix made some big promises ahead of One Piece Day 2025 and, thankfully, they didn’t disappoint. Not only did we get our first trailer for season two of their live-action series, but we also finally got confirmation that One Piece season three is in the cards. Of course, we already knew that thanks to several actors letting it slip in various interviews, but just how long will we have to wait for One Piece season three’s release date? We have a couple of thoughts.

For comparison, season one of One Piece was released in August 2023. Season two was confirmed shortly after, which is set to release sometime in 2026. However, we don’t think we’ll be waiting three years for One Piece season three, thanks to a small detail that Zoro actor Mackenyu revealed earlier this year.

While promoting his role in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Mackenyu said that he would be filming One Piece season three later in 2025. Filming for season two officially wrapped in February 2025, so there is likely to be around a year between filming and streaming on the new season.

One thing we should mention is that season two of One Piece had around seven months of filming, which officially began production in June/July 2024. Assuming that Mackenyu is right and the cast is back in Cape Town late in 2025, we can expect production on One Piece season three to wrap in late Spring 2026, which would give us a mid-to-late 2027 release date.

There are a few wrinkles to mention here, though. First, I’m firmly of the mind that One Piece season two will be ready to release before the end of 2025, but Netflix doesn’t want to put it against something as big as Stranger Things, which is going to occupy most of November and December for the streamer, so they pushed it back to early 2026. Also, season three of One Piece is probably going to be much more focused than seasons one and two. It will probably only cover the Alabasta arc, which, while it is certainly long enough in the manga to justify a full season, will have fewer sets and could have a more streamlined production.

So, One Piece season three could have a shorter production period and a shorter post-production period. While we still expect it to come out in 2027, it could be closer to July/August 2027 than we’d expect.

This is all speculation, of course, and things can quickly change in television. However, all signs are currently pointing to a much shorter wait for season three of One Piece than we had for season two.

THE ONE PIECE IS REAL...ly important to Popverse! That's why we've put together the key articles to keep your fandom of the manga-turned-anime-turned-live-action-show alive:

• How to watch One Piece One Piece in chronological and release order (All 1,100+ episodes plus the movies!)
• When the next episode of One Piece is coming
• Netflix almost missed casting Superman star Mikaela Hoover as Tony Tony Chopper because the audition materials were too vague
• Netflix enlists a Bridgerton star to show off the first big set piece of One Piece season 2, with a Loguetown that is full of easter eggs from the manga
• Why One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy is the perfect hero for the dark times ahead
• Every difference between the live-action One Piece and the original manga
• One Piece Gear 5 Form: Everything we know about Luffy's latest transformation
• Ranking the One Piece anime's arcs, from best to worst
• Why is One Piece more popular now that the anime is 25 years old? We asked around and found out
• The English cast of One Piece explain what they love about Eiichiro Oda's storytelling - "He's a genius!"