5 Reasons Why the Actor Mackenyu Was Destined to Play One Piece’s Zoro
While live-action adaptations of manga and anime sometimes fail to meet the expectations of fans, Netflix’s new TV series One Piece which premiered on 31 August has been tapped as one of the best live-action anime adaptations.
Amongst the main cast, American-born Japanese actor Mackenyu Arata, who takes on the role of the green-haired Roronoa Zoro, an accomplished master swordsman and bounty hunter naturally captured the hearts of many after his performance.
Fans have touted him as the perfect Zoro with his impressive physique and striking good looks. We can’t get enough of the swoon-worthy 26-year-old either and we definitely agree we can’t imagine anyone in the role. Here’s why Mackenyu Was Destined to Play One Piece’s Zoro:
1. He’s the son of legendary Japanese actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba
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Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience through movies such as Kill Bill: Volume 1 and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He’s such an icon that he’s considered one of the most famous martial arts actors of all time, alongside Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Jet Li. He’s also left an everlasting mark on pop culture that has influenced action movies, science fiction, and even video games.
Naturally, Mackenyu followed in his father footsteps and is a trained martial artist, having practised Kyokushin Karate since he was eight years old. In middle school, he placed third at the US Kyokushin Karate Nationals. He also did his own stunts in One Piece including Zoro’s Three Sword Style as the character is known for being a swordsman.
Speaking to Gamesradar, Mackenyu said, “I have experience using two swords simultaneously and have done live-action shows using swords in the past, but when it comes to three, that’s a different story. The training I did for One Piece was specific for Zoro and the skills needed to really be him. My jaw had on-the-job training!”
2. He’s used to the bromance trope
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Watching TikTok clips of Mackenyu in the 2018 Japanese sports drama film ‘Over Drive’ is when he first caught our eye. It is a story about brotherly love as fearless driver Naozumi (Mackenyu) has to win the Series and beat his cool-headed rival Akira (Takumi Kitamura) of the Sigma team in order to progress to the World Rally Championship.
In One Piece, Luffy and Zoro have been together almost since the former started his pirate journey. It's hard to imagine Luffy without Zoro as they are comrades and best friends, and Mackenyu has great chemistry with Iñaki Godoy (the Mexican actor who plays Luffy).
Check out this clip for some shirtless Mackenyu which will definitely convince you to check out the movie.
@wwiivy เเล้วเรื่องนี้พ่อก็เเบดซะด้วย ที่นี้ก็ว้าวุ่นเลย? #mackenyu #overdrive #movie ♬ Shinunoga E-Wa - Fujii Kaze
3. He has been working his way up the anime & manga flag pole through the years
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Mackenyu is no stranger to anime and manga adaptations as he first rose to fame after portraying Arata Wataya in the Chihayafuru live-action trilogy in 2016, which earned him the 40th Japan Academy Newcomers of the Year Award in 2017.
He has since portrayed characters in a string of adaptations including JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I, Peach Girl, Tokyo Ghoul S, Kaiji: Final Game, Rurouni Kenshin: The Final Brave: Gunjyo Senki, Full Metal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar, and the Knights of the Zodiac.
4. He is of Japanese descent but was actually born in Los Angeles
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As previously mentioned, Mackenyu is the son of Sonny Chiba and former Japanese actress Tamami Chiba. English is actually his first language and he learned Japanese from speaking it at home. He was born in LA and attended Beverly Hills High School in their Advanced Placement Program.
Even though One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, the Netflix TV series is in English which makes Mackenyu the right person for the role.
Watch this video of him reading thirst tweets in English here:
5. He’s no stranger to rocking weird hairstyles
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One thing about Mackenyu is that although he has cookie-cutter pop idol looks, he isn’t afraid to transform himself completely for any role. Zoro’s green hair is far from being his most outrageous look as he’s dyed his locks various shades to suit his character such as silver in Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar.
In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (2017), Mackenyu put on 8kg and even shaved his eyebrows to play the role and take on Okuyasu’s bizarre hairstyle. In an interview, he said, “The sides were bleached so much that it started moulting and I was having cold sweat.”
According to an article by Netflix’s Tudum, Mackenyu had his ears pierced for the show as Zoro has three earrings in his left ear. “They were painful,” he said, with a laugh. “But for Zoro, I’d do anything.” Talk about dedication to his craft!
Image credit: Netflix, @mackenyu, imdb.com