Warning: SPOILERS for the One Piece manga and anime are ahead, as well as a plot point from the Netflix subscription-exclusive live-action series’ second season. Tread cautiously!
Something big from One Piece Season 2 has been revealed ahead of its premiere on the 2026 TV schedule. Fans who got to see the first two episodes early shared online that in Episode 1 of Season 2, there’s a flashback scene showing Gold Roger telling Vice Admiral Garp that he has a child. Not only does this scene happen much later in the manga and anime, it also has huge implications for Monkey D. Luffy’s brother, Portgas D. Ace, who will be played by Xolo Maridueña in Season 3.
And yet, the mere revelation of this Roger/Garp scene being moved up for Netflix’s One Piece now has me worried that this adaptation is going to make some drastic changes to Ace’s character arc as a result. I’ll issue another SPOILER WARNING for the Netflix One Piece viewers who don’t want to know anything else about what happens later on in the manga and anime. Better safe than sorry.
Why This Reveal Is A Big Deal For Portgas D. Ace
For those of you still reading, let’s get this out of the way: Portgas D. Ace is Gold Roger’s son. That’s a big deal enough on its own, as are the events that led to Ace ending up in Garp’s care following Roger’s execution and becoming Luffy’s adoptive brother. But that’s a discussion for another time. Rather, I’m here to talk about when it was originally revealed that Roger, the late King of the Pirates, was Ace’s father.
This shocking twist happens during the Marineford arc, i.e. the final storyline before the manga/anime jumped forward two years. The world learns of Ace’s origins shortly before he’s about to be executed by the Marines not just for his crimes as a pirate (including being the 2nd division commander of the Whiteboard Pirates) but merely because he’s Roger’s son. Fortunately, this execution was prevented when Luffy and his allies from Impel Down joined forces with Whitebeard and his crew. Unfortunately, Ace was killed by Admiral Akainu, a.k.a. Sakazuki, while protecting Luffy.
Why I’m Now Worried About Ace On Netflix’s One Piece
Ace’s death is one of the biggest turning points in One Piece. Not only does it emotionally devastate Luffy, it’s the final push that leads him to postpone his and the Straw Hats’ journey into the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. So now, because Netflix’s One Piece is revealing that Gold Roger has a child so much earlier, I’m concerned this means that Ace’s death will also happen way sooner, perhaps even during Season 3’s take on the Alabasta arc.
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Logistically, I can understand why this would happen. There’s no way that the live-action series will ever cover everything shown in the manga and anime. Frankly, we’ll be lucky if all of the pre-timeskip material is explored. So if we operate under the assumption that the Marineford arc won’t be reached, expediting Ace’s death would make sense. Plus, Xolo Maridueña’s popularity keeps growing, so there’s no guarantee he could commit to continuing to play Ace for a long period of time.
But if Ace’s death is moved to the Alabasta arc, or even sometime in Season 4 if that gets greenlighted, it won’t hit nearly as hard. Having the Marineford backdrop is a key reason why the death is so painful to watch. Ace narrowly escapes being executed and sees just how many people care about him despite his parentage, only to die soon after so that his brother can live. Sure, the Gold Roger twist and sacrifice element can be retained, but almost everything else would need to be changed to fit within the framework of the live-action show.
The chances of Ace’s death having anywhere near the same kind of emotional impact if that happens are slim to none. So, while I am looking forward to seeing “Fire Fist Ace” in action during One Piece Season 3, I can’t help but worry that the Netflix show will drop the ball on his death. But hey, when you decide to adapt a property as long-running and beloved as One Piece, these are the kind of problems you’ll run into.
