6 Years Later, Netflix's Next Stranger Things-Level Mega Franchise Has Never Been More Obvious
Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots.
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In 2016, Netflix debuted Stranger Things, the sci-fi/horror TV series about the town of Hawkins, Indiana being plagued with threats coming from another dimension named The Upside Down in the 1980s. Though initially conceived as a standalone season of storytelling, Stranger Things not only continued four more seasons, but launched a franchise encompassing other TV shows, novels, comic book series, games, and a stage play, among other media. Thanks to the series, actors like Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink also became household names.
The Stranger Things universe continues expanding on Netflix with the animated spinoff Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, and a live-action spinoff show remains in development. However, following the main series’ conclusion at the end of 2025, the franchise is no longer the mega-level draw it once was for the platform. Fortunately for Netflix, One Piece has already achieved that same level of popularity, if not exceeded how big Stranger Things became.
The One Piece Anime Joined The Netflix Library Six Years Ago
The One Piece manga, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, began in 1997, and the anime adaptation started airing two years later. In 2020, the anime was added to Netflix’s library, exposing the story of Monkey D. Luffy’s quest to become the new King of the Pirates to its biggest audience yet. At the time of this writing, Episodes 1 (the beginning of the East Blue saga) through 873 (the tail end of the Whole Cake Island arc) can be viewed in both the subbed and English dubbed formats.
Additionally, starting with the Egghead arc’s launch in January 2024, new episodes of the One Piece anime are released on a weekly basis. They follow one week after their original broadcast in Japan and release on Crunchyroll, but so far all the Egghead and Elbaf episodes are only available in subbed format on Netflix. It’s unclear when the Wano arc will be added to the platform, so those wishing to stream it can do so on Crunchyroll. That aside, it’s now easier than ever for One Piece fans to keep current on Netflix.
The Ultimate · Straw Hat Challenge Set Sail for Trivia “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”
⚕CrewNakama!
🌊SeasEast Blue
🍋Devil FruitsGomu Gomu!
☠VillainsFear the sea
🏆DreamsOne Piece!
01
Monkey D. Luffy accidentally ate a Devil Fruit as a child, giving him rubber-like abilities. What is the name of that fruit?
✓ Correct! The Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu Gomu no Mi) turned Luffy’s body into rubber. He ate it from Shanks’ treasure chest as a kid, gaining stretchy powers but losing the ability to swim forever.
✗ Overboard! The answer is the Gum-Gum Fruit. The Chop-Chop Fruit belongs to Buggy, the Flame-Flame Fruit to Ace, and the Smoke-Smoke Fruit to Captain Smoker — but Luffy’s rubber powers come from the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
02
Luffy’s iconic straw hat was given to him as a child by a famous pirate who inspired his dream. Who gave Luffy the hat?
✓ Correct! Red-Haired Shanks entrusted his straw hat to young Luffy in Foosha Village, telling him to return it when he becomes a great pirate. That promise drives Luffy’s entire journey.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Red-Haired Shanks. While Gold Roger originally wore the hat, it was Shanks who passed it down to Luffy after saving his life from a Sea King — a defining moment in the series.
03
Before joining the Straw Hats, Sanji works as a sous chef at a floating restaurant on the ocean. What is the name of this restaurant?
✓ Correct! The Baratie is the ocean-going restaurant run by Chef Zeff, Sanji’s mentor. In the live-action series, it’s one of the most stunning sets — a fully realized ship-restaurant on the open sea.
✗ Overboard! The answer is The Baratie. Run by the legendary pirate-turned-chef “Red Leg” Zeff, this floating restaurant is where Luffy recruits Sanji as the Straw Hats’ cook.
04
Roronoa Zoro is famous for his unique sword-fighting technique. How many swords does he wield in his signature style?
✓ Correct! Zoro uses Three-Sword Style (Santoryu), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.
✗ Overboard! The answer is three. Zoro’s iconic Three-Sword Style places one blade in each hand and a third clenched between his teeth — a fighting technique unique to him in the One Piece world.
05
Each Straw Hat crew member has a personal dream. What is Nami’s ultimate goal that drives her journey?
✓ Correct! Nami’s dream is to draw a map of the entire world. Her cartography skills and navigation talent make her indispensable to the crew, and her passion for mapmaking was nurtured by her adoptive mother Bell-mère.
✗ Overboard! The answer is to draw a complete map of the world. Nami is a gifted cartographer whose dream goes beyond just sailing — she wants to chart every sea and island so no one is ever lost again.
06
A powerful Marine Vice Admiral is revealed to have a surprising family connection to Luffy. Who is this high-ranking Marine?
✓ Correct! Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather. Known as “Garp the Fist,” he’s a Marine hero who wanted Luffy to become a Marine — not a pirate. Their family dynamic is a major subplot in the live-action series.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Vice Admiral Garp. Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather and one of the most legendary Marines alive. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, their bond runs deep.
07
Usopp is recruited into the Straw Hat crew after the pirates help defend his home village from Captain Kuro’s Black Cat Pirates. What is the name of Usopp’s village?
✓ Correct! Syrup Village is Usopp’s peaceful hometown where he was known for telling tall tales. It’s also where Kaya lives, and where the crew acquires the Going Merry from her estate.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Syrup Village. Foosha Village is Luffy’s hometown, Shells Town is where Zoro was held captive, and Coco Village (Cocoyasi) is Nami’s home — but Usopp hails from Syrup Village.
08
The Netflix live-action adaptation was praised for its casting. Which actor plays Monkey D. Luffy?
✓ Correct! Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy won fans over with his infectious energy and earnest portrayal of Luffy. Mackenyu plays Zoro, Taz Skylar is Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Iñaki Godoy. The young Mexican actor perfectly captured Luffy’s boundless enthusiasm. The other actors all play Straw Hat crew members — but Luffy is all Iñaki.
Voyage Complete Your Pirate Record
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Are you King of the Pirates — or lost at sea?
The Live-Action One Piece Has Been A Huge Hit On Netflix
In summer 2023, Netflix doubled down on One Piece with its live-action TV show adaptation of Oda’s sprawling tale. The main cast includes Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Season 2 followed in spring 2026, and One Piece season 3, subtitled The Battle for Alabasta, is expected to premiere in early 2027.
Along with earning positive critical reception, the live-action One Piece has also been a massive viewership win for Netflix. Season 1 scored 541.9 million hours watched by 71.6 million viewers across its first four months of availability, making it the most-watched Netflix show in the latter half of 2023. Season 2 premiered to 136.2 million hours from 16.8 million viewers in its first four days. Because the live-action One Piece ranks as one of the platform’s most popular programs, that bodes well for more of the manga’s arcs to be explored past season 3.
There Are Other One Piece Projects To Enjoy On Netflix
As if the anime and live-action show wasn’t enough to keep One Piece fans entertained on Netflix, there’s even more content from the franchise available on the platform. Many of the anime’s tie-in movies can be streamed on Netflix, and LEGO One Piece, a kid-friendly adaptation of the live-action show’s first two seasons, recently premiered. Additionally, The One Piece, a new anime adaptation of the manga’s first 50 chapters, premieres on Netflix in February 2027.
One Piece already had a large global fanbase for more than two decades before establishing a foothold on Netflix in 2020. That gave it a major advantage over Stranger Things, which was building a fanbase from scratch. Now One Piece’s popularity has skyrocketed even more over the last six years thanks to both the anime’s availability on Netflix and the live-action show’s success. Because Netflix is invested in One Piece on multiple fronts, it’s clear that it has followed Stranger Things nicely as one of the streaming service’s anchoring franchises.
- Video Game(s)
- One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey
- First Film
- One Piece: The Movie
- First TV Show
- One Piece
- Cast
- Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Created by
- Eiichiro Oda
- Character(s)
- Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.