One Piece’s Live-Action Zoro is in Love With The Anime’s Card Game (And It’s Almost Unbelievable)

On March 10th of next year, the live-action Straw Hat Pirates are preparing to make their long-awaited return on Netflix. One Piece’s second season is going to give each member of the Going Merry some unique challenges to overcome, with each of the actors bringing their A-game to the ordeal. Over the years, the likes of Inaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Taz Skyler, and Jacob Romero Gibson have worn their love of the shonen franchise on their sleeve. However, they all might have a long way to go to hit the same heights as Roronoa Zoro’s actor, Mackenyu, thanks to his love of the One Piece Card Game.

The One Piece Card Game first arrived on the scene in 2022, taking the heroes and villains of the Grand Line and placing them onto individual cards that create a unique competition. Not only has Mackenyu fallen in love with the game, but the Zoro actor has gotten really good at it to boot. In the past, Usopp’s live-action actor, Jacob Romero Gibson, even shared a story regarding how Mackenyu would routinely play the game with the assistants of One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda. At the latest One Piece Card Game event, Mackenyu ranked eighth in a sea of three hundred and sixty-six players, showing that the actor puts his money where his mouth is regarding the shonen franchise. Mackenyu himself took to social media to share the good news.

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What Will Zoro Do In Season 2?

One Piece’s live-action second season might not be diving right into the Alabasta Arc, but it will be covering plenty of territory in the Grand Line all the same. In March of next year, Netflix will be bringing live-action renditions of familiar shonen locales such as Whiskey Peak, Reverse Mountain, Drum Island, Loguetown, and Little Garden. Following the source material almost to the letter, One Piece fans have a good idea of what is coming for the Straw Hats’ green-haired swordsman.

The live-action second season will have Zoro squaring off against the likes of Wapol, Buggy, Mr. 3, and even Monkey D. Luffy himself. Following the thrashing that Roronoa took from Mihawk in the first season, the Straw Hat will have plenty to prove in the upcoming season. Luckily, with the third season already in production, we’ll have plenty more opportunities to see Mackenyu as Zoro, especially considering that the upcoming season will fully translate the Alabasta Arc.

As for the One Piece manga and anime, Zoro has remained a stalwart part of Monkey D. Luffy’s crew as the end approaches for the legendary shonen series. For the anime, the television show is making a drastic change in 2026, as One Piece is foregoing its long-term weekly release schedule for a bi-weekly one. With the Straw Hats preparing to enter the land of the giants known as Elbaph in the anime adaptation, the wait for the next chapter will be well worth it in 2026.

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