One Piece Season 2 Finale Verdict: Chopper Steals the Show as Wapol's Monstrous Devil Fruit Powers Wreck Drum Kingdom

The season 2 finale of One Piece, titled "Deer and Loathing in Drum Kingdom," is the strongest stretch of the season for me. "These final two episodes are fantastic," and I said the show "really got you in the fields" and "really get you connected with these characters to see their growth." This is, as I put it, "my favorite like live action adaptation," and I was clear that is separate from having read the source material, since I did not enjoy the live action versions of Cowboy Bebop or Death Note either way.

Chopper's shapeshifting and his exit from Drum Island were the highlight

I did not expect Chopper to be able to shift between so many forms, from a tiny reindeer to a toe shaped mini human to a big muscular humanoid, and I admitted the biggest form "can be a little frightening." Beyond that I called him "such a cute little guy" who just wants to be a doctor like the man who took care of him. Watching Dr. Kureha snap at him as he left to become the crew's ship doctor, only to discover she had quietly packed his backpack onto the sleigh, got to me. "I love him," I said, and by the end I was saying "I want so much more of Chopper" and hoping he becomes "the main focus of the next season."

Wapol's Munch Munch Fruit turned the villain into body horror

King Wapol eating his own devil fruit and gaining the ability to consume, transform and combine anything he eats got an immediate comparison out of me to a video game character, then a correction: "It really is Kirby, but it's like body horror type." Watching him reveal he had eaten his own soldiers rather than let them mutiny drew a blunt reaction: "What the heck? Okay, that's messed up. What the hell? What just happened?"

Sanji and Nami's sick mother backstory hit hard

Sanji cooking for a sick Nami, tied back to memories of cooking for his own mother when she was ill and eventually died, was one of the more emotional beats of the episode for me. "What's with the emotional damage for these last two episodes? My god," sums up my reaction to that thread alongside the finale's other losses.

The Crocodile reveal has me looking ahead to Alabasta

Realizing that Mr. 0 was Crocodile, played by an actor I recognized from his voice and stature before the camera even fully showed his face, was a genuine payoff moment. I am now curious whether Miss All Sunday will show up next and I am looking forward to seeing how much of Alabasta season 3 covers, given how heavily this finale set it up.

Will Chopper's crew debut end up being your favorite moment of the season too, or did another beat from this finale land harder for you?