Visual effects studio delivered 240 shots across all 8 episodes, focusing on weapon enhancements and complex transformations on the hit Netflix adventure series.
VFX studio Refuge has shared a breakdown reel and details of its visual effects work on Season 2 of One Piece, the hit Netflix series from Tomorrow Studios in partnership with Shueisha.
Season 2, which premiered March 10, continues the story of Luffy and the Straw Hats as they enter the Grand Line, a legendary and unpredictable stretch of sea that’s home to dangerous new adversaries, and strange islands, and challenges, in pursuit of the world’s greatest treasure. Straw Hats forever!
Refuge delivered 240 shots across the season, with more than half of its work appearing in the final episode. The studio’s work focused heavily on weapon extensions, continuing its contributions from Season 1, where character abilities are closely tied to weapon design and functionality.
Enjoy the reel, then read more about the work:
Among key sequences, Roronoa Zoro’s weapons were expanded, including his Wado Ichimonji katana and the introduction of the Sandai Kitetsu, a cursed blade he took to prove that he is, in fact, the greatest swordsman of all time. In one scene, a practical half-sword used on set was extended into a full weapon in post-production to ensure convincing and accurate motion and visual impact during combat.
Additional effects work included Wapol’s spinning saw blade weapon in Episode 8, which was enhanced from a practical prop into a fully animated rotating blade that gets dangerously close to Luffy as he squirms to break away, and Vivi’s jeweled Peacock Slashers in Episode 2, razor-sharp, blade-tipped weapons used for long-range slicing during combat.
The team also handled transformation effects, including a sequence in the final episode where a Super Soldier’s cannon arm morphs back into a human form. This challenging, unplanned element was developed after shooting finished and required designing the best way to show how a cannon falls apart and turns into a rough hand shape.
Refuge’s production pipeline included Maya, 3ds Max, TyFlow, Nuke, Adobe tools, and EmberGen for its work across the season.
“As with Season 1, Refuge is the master of Zoro’s blades throughout,” said Victor Scalise, VFX Supervisor on the series. “Refuge did an amazing job taking on the very important sequence in the One Piece world when Zoro gets a new sword. They did a phenomenal job on this big moment. Season 2 also introduced a new character, Miss Wednesday, with a Peacock Slasher weapon that Refuge perfected and made readable on screen. In Season 2, Wapol’s arm is transformed into many items, including a spinning blade that Refuge made real and quite harrowing. We can count on Refuge to amp up the realism and the danger in fight scenes with weapons.”
“Hands down, the best thing about Refuge is the quality of the work,” said Scott Ramsey, the show’s VFX Producer. “They take on any challenge and the work always looks amazing. I think they like a challenge, to be honest, and they make it work every single time. For example, when we were thinking about whether adding Wapol’s spinning buzzsaw was going to work, Refuge totally nailed it from the first iteration on through to completion. We thought it would be difficult to achieve but Refuge made it easy.”
“One Piece is filled with fantastical fight sequences and iconic weapons that immediately command the audience’s attention,” said Alex Thiesen, Executive Producer at Refuge. “While production aimed to achieve as much practically as possible with these weapons, we partnered closely with the team to determine where VFX could enhance realism, danger, and on-screen clarity.”
“That often meant refining and extending practical props so they performed convincingly in motion,” Thiesen continued. “With dynamic weapons, actors frequently pantomime elements of the action, so production captures what they believe VFX can support in post. Victor Scalise and Scott Ramsey worked alongside the AD in real time to confirm what they believed would translate effectively.”
Noting Refuge is known for solving complex creative challenges in the moment, Thiesen added, “Our clients come to us when the path forward isn’t obvious. We think through the story logic, the physical behavior of inanimate objects, and the internal rules of the world — especially on a show like One Piece, where movie logic must feel believable. That can be difficult to visualize during production, but our role is to bridge that gap.”
“Working with Victor Scalise and Scott Ramsey is incredibly rewarding,” said Kyle Rottman, VFX Supervisor at Refuge. “They bring a deep understanding of character, tone, and story that directly informs how we approach every shot. Because Victor and I have collaborated for so long, we’re creatively aligned and able to communicate with precision. His notes are clear, actionable, and always rooted in story intent — even when the work itself presents complex technical challenges. Our goal is to remove friction for our clients and offer them creative solutions that best serve the story.”
Refuge also recent delivered 192 VFX shots, including creature work (Radroaches), explosions, and environment enhancements, on Fallout Season 2,
Source: Refuge
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
