"Our Weird Talking Animal": 'One Piece' Creator Teases Tony Tony Chopper's Arrival in Season 2

After a long wait, fans of theOne Piecelive-actionseries finally got some news about the series' highly expected return. Unfortunately, the wait for new episodes will be longer than we anticipated. The good news is, we finally got a glimpse of the new season — and of one character in particular:Tony Tony Chopper, who will be voiced byMikaela Hoover(Superman). On the heels of the announcement, franchise creatorEiichiro Odatook to social media to celebrate the new Straw Hat crew member’s arrival through an excited post.

As you may know, Oda is a close participant in theOne Piecelive-action series — which, as any fan will tell you, made all the difference in the world. The writer and illustrator signed off onall adaptations and changesthat the series made in Season 1, and the same is true for the new episodes. In the post, Oda detailed a bit of the process of bringing Tony Tony Chopper to life, and underscoredthe team’s attention to detail, as newcomer Hoover also provided the motion capture for the character’s facial expressions. He stated:

“The key to Season 2 is, of course, our weird talking animal. 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!!”

Eiichiro Oda Is A Fan Of The ‘One Piece’ Live-Action Series

Last year, Oda paid a visit to theOne Pieceset in Cape Town anddid a rare interview with Luffy himself,Iñaki Godoy. This was another way forNetflixto signal to fans that themangakakeeps close tabs on the adaptation. In Season 1, Oda went as far as admitting that there were some adaptations thathe wished he had thought ofwhen he was creating theOne Piecemangaall the way back in 1999. Oda’s involvement was also fundamental forformer showrunnersSteven MaedaandMatt Owensto hint at several future story arcs a lot earlier than fans expected.

Despite the exciting developments, fans ofOne Piecewill have to continue being patient. The series is currently going through anextensive post-production phase, and Netflix hasn’t even attempted to ballpark arelease window for Season 2. So far, we only know that it is expected to debut in 2026, and Season 3 isalready in production.