Netflix’s One Piece: Why the Cast Really Wants John Cena to Join In

Netflix’s One Piece has started production on its second season and there are plenty of new faces that will be joining the Straw Hat Pirates as Luffy continues his quest to become the king of the pirates. So far, the likes of Smoker, Wapol, Mr. Three, and Tashigi have been confirmed to hit the live-action series but there are still quite a few characters that are still up in the air. In a shocking new interview, two of the live-action Straw Hats have confirmed that one of the actors they are hoping to see join the cast is none other than John Cena.

It wouldn’t be hard to guess which character the WWE superstar would play amongst the Straw Hat Pirates, though it would take some time before we saw Cena join the cast if the series continues to follow the source material. Debuting in the “Water 7 Arc”, Franky makes his first appearance in the shonen franchise, which means he won’t be making an appearance in the upcoming live-action second season. On top of being quite the ship maker, Franky is a cyborg and has a build that would be perfect for John Cena should the professional wrestler-turned-actor join the cast. 

You Can’t See Franky

Attending Galaxy Con, both Emily Rudd and Jacob Romero Gibson discussed actors that they wouldn’t mind seeing in join the Grand Line in the future. As they’ve stated in the past, the pair wouldn’t mind seeing It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia’s Danny Devito join the cast, with an audience member stating that the actor could be Tony Tony Chopper. On top of stating that Dave Bautista would make for a good Jinbei, Emily Rudd suggests John Cena should be Franky as Jacob jokes that it would be impossible to see him. 

While production has begun on One Piece’s second season, there has been no word as of yet from Netflix regarding a release date for the Straw Hat Pirates’ return. It seems like a safe bet that Netflix will bring the series back in 2025, though again, nothing has been set in stone. When Luffy and his crew do return, they will be hitting locales including Loguetown, Little Garden, Drum Island, and Alabasta to name a few.

Want to see if John Cena does join the Straw Hat Pirates in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on the Grand Line.