One Piece co-showrunner says he was "most excited" about introducing the manga's "Tarantino-style Kill Bill" villains in season 2: "They don't just do bad, they look good"

Lera Abova posing menacingly as Miss All Sunday/Nico Robin in One Piece season 2 — (Image credit: Netflix)

One of the most striking aspects of beloved long-running manga/anime One Piece is its horde of wild, eccentric, and unpredictable villains. And according to co-showrunner Joe Tracz, Netflix's live action One Piece season 2 will be all about the bad guys.

"I think you're only as good as your villain, so Baroque Works is the thing I was most excited about this season because they’re like Tarantino-style Kill Bill assassins with crazy superpowers. They don't just do bad; they look good,"Tracz tells SFX Magazine. "Their style is so much a part of it, and it was so fun to get to establish them."

"What we really loved about them is the way they function as a dark mirror of our heroes," he continues. "We've seen the Straw Hats come together, and they're all supporting each other's dreams. But now you have this group of agents who, to get ahead in Baroque Works, someone in front of you has to die, and that's how you get promoted. We have a lot of fun with the idea that our Straw Hats are trying to work together, and you have these villains who are quick to turn on each other and sometimes work at cross purposes. It's fun to watch, but it also reflects on what makes the Straw Hats special."