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One Piece season 3 is on the way... and we already have a release window! One Piece season 2 was recently released to another round of rave reviews from both critics and fans alike. And it introduced us to the extremely adorable Tony Tony Chopper, of course.
What's next? Luffy and co. are headed to Alabasta, following the events of season 2 (and if you're confused, you can read all about it in our One Piece season 2 ending explained guide). We've also got a title and release window for season 3, in addition to new cast announcements and some details on the story.
One Piece season 3 release window
One Piece season 3, officially The Battle of Alabasta, is slated for a 2027 release. Netflix made the announcement less than one month after the release of One Piece season 2.
Given that there was a three-year-long gap between seasons 1 and 2, we're pretty surprised at how quickly the new season is coming. It makes sense though given that Production on the season began back in November 2025 after it was officially renewed in August.
One Piece season 3 story: Which chapters are being adapted?
One Piece season 3's story will largely be focused on the Alabasta Arc, and we know that for a fact, given how the One Piece season 2 ending sets this up, and wraps up the arc that is just before it, the Drum Island Arc. That means we'll be seeing chapters 155 to at least 217 on our small screens, folks.
The Alabasta Arc centres around the Straw Hats finally reaching the Kingdom of Alabasta to try and stop civil war, as well as defeat Baroque Works's leader, Mr. Crocodile (aka Mr. 0). The Marines get involved once again, the Straw Hats will meet someone from Luffy's past (Ace fans rejoice), and Mr. Crocodile's true motives for targeting Alabasta get revealed. Basically, a lot happens. In fact, the Alabasta Arc is one of One Piece's more chonky entries, as it covers 63 chapters of the manga and 39 episodes. For comparison, The Drum Island Arc, which took four episodes to cover in Netflix's adaptation in season 2, was only 25 chapters and 14 episodes.
With this in mind, it's possible that Season 3 will cover only the Alabasta Arc, assuming it only consists of eight episodes like previous seasons. If we do get another arc at all, it will likely be the very quick Jaya arc (chapters 218-236), which basically lets us get to know the Straw Hats' future new crew member (no spoilers here), and also includes some set-up for Blackbeard being the next big villain after Mr. Crocodile's time in the sun. It would be a great cliff hanger to end season 3 on, and signal the start of the Sky Island Saga for season 4 as well.
Co-showrunner Joe Tracz told The Wrap in March 2026 the next season is going to be "epic," adding: “It’s why we split the story over two seasons. We’re currently filming Season 3, which is the second part of the Alabasta story. We knew that arc is so beloved, it’s so important, it’s so complicated, that to try to compress it into one eight-episode season was always going to leave out some of the heart of it."
He added: "The chance to split that up and to let the story really be about meeting Miss Wednesday, who turns out to be Vivi, we’re learning about Baroque Works and this bigger plan this criminal organization has, and setting up a third season, where we’re going to get to Alabasta and fight this war. It was always a two-season plan. We’re lucky enough that we’re getting to wrap up that story."
"There are moments in season three that I feel in my heart would never have been possible on any other kind of TV show," Sanji actor Taz Skylar told The National after the release of season 2. "I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of it. We definitely had a moment together where we were like, ‘Holy cow, dude, I can’t believe this is happening.’"
We'll keep you posted as more formal updates head our way. In the meantime, if you want to get a head start by watching the anime, you can check out our guide on how to watch all of One Piece in order.
One Piece season 3 cast
Right now, the One Piece season 3 cast is looking pretty stacked with the series main stars, but we've also already had some cast announcements for new faces as well.
New additions to the One Piece cast include Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace (aka the best character of all time) and Cole Escola as Bon Clay. We expect to hear even more cast additions soon since the Alabasta arc has even more Baroque agents for us to meet.
We'll keep you posted as and when new characters get confirmed, but for now, here is the One Piece season 3 cast list so far (note that some character inclusions are based on what we know from the anime; we are still waiting for firm confirmations, though).
- Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
- Charithra Chandran as Princess Vivi
- Emily Rudd as Nami
- Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
- Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
- Taz Skylar as Sanji
- Mikaela Hoover as Chopper
- Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday (aka Nico Robin)
- Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra
- Joe Manganiello as Mr. Crocodile (aka Mr. 0)
- Rigo Sanchez as Dragon
- Callum Kerr as Smoker
- Julia Rehwald as Tashigi
- David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3
- Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace
- Awdo Awdo as Mr. 1
- Daisy Head as Miss Doublefinger
- Cole Escola as Bon Clay
When can we expect the One Piece season 3 trailer?
In terms of trailers, taking into account past release patterns, we are likely in for a long wait, I'm afraid. We expect to get our first teaser for One Piece season 3 sometime in late 2027 if our 2028 release window speculation turns out to be correct.
One Piece season 2 got a teaser in August 2025 and then got its trailer in February 2026 - only a few weeks ahead of its release. We'll have a better idea of when the trailer will drop once we get a release date, but for now, we can at least say that it's highly unlikely to drop anytime this year.
Is One Piece on Netflix worth watching as an anime fan?
While art is subjective, as an anime fan myself and long-time One Piece enjoyer, I definitely say that Netflix's live-action One Piece series is worth your time. One Piece season 1, in my opinion, struggled to fully embrace the anime's wild and larger-than-life tone, but One Piece season 2 finally perfected it. Netflix has stayed true to the anime, and from costumes to set design, seeing One Piece's world in real life is not only very impressive but is also something I'm dying to see more of.
One Piece shows that anime can be adapted well into live-action when done right. It isn't a perfect recreation of Oda's work, but it's highly enjoyable and also a pretty decent alternative if you don't have the time to watch hundreds of anime episodes in one sitting as well.
For more on One Piece, check out our guide on all the One Piece filler. Or for anime, you can head over to our round-ups of all the new anime on the way.
