Netflix’s One Piece: How Mackenyu Nailed Zoro’s Live-Action Debut

One Piece had quite the run last year, and now 2024 is gearing up for even more goodies. If you did not know, the hit series hit major milestones with its manga and anime. As the fall came in, Netflix’s One Piece debut to high praise, and now the live-action adaptation is a bonafide hit. The show’s cast became quick faves, and now, the star behind Roronoa Zoro is opening up about his approach with the role.

The information comes straight from Mackenyu as the actor did an interview with August. It was there the Japanese star was asked about One Piece’s impact on his life. As many fans know already, Mackenyu has loved One Piece for ages, so his approach with Zoro was rooted in Eiichiro Oda’s vision.

“I am a huge fan of One Piece. I love the series, and I love Zoro. I did not want to change anything about his character. I wanted to be loyal to how he is like in the manga, but film scripts were different. So what I did was try bringing the manga Zoro to life, just in a live-action setting,” Mackenyu shared.

“I took the time to process and embody what manga Zoro is like before setting off to do what I do. I did my best to deliver that to the audience, and thankfully, they seemed to like him. I had a really good time being Zoro.”

As you can tell, One Piece means a great deal to Mackenyu. The actor grew up between Japan and America, but in all of that transition was One Piece. You can imagine how much the role of Zoro means to Mackenyu, and the actor nailed his take on the character in season one. Now, Netflix’s One Piece is eyeing the future, and its second season will give Mackenyu even more time to explore the Straw Hat pirate.

If you are not caught up with One Piece, no sweat! You can find the live-action series on Netflix now while the One Piece anime streams on Hulu. So for more info on Oda’s series, you can read its official synopsis below:

“As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer “Red-Haired” Shanks. But Luffy’s life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure…one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…”

What do you think about Mackenyu’s take on Zoro? Are you excited to check out One Piece? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!