Netflix’s One Piece Star Unpacks Their Favorite Manga

Netflix’s One Piece is a success, topping the streaming service’s charts for two weeks since its premiere. While the second season of the live-action anime adaptation has yet to be confirmed by Netflix, anime fans, critics, and newcomers to the Grand Line have been digging this new re-telling of Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates’ journey. While the young actors that have taken on the roles of the Straw Hats have shared their love of the original series, the man who plays Roronoa Zoro has shared some other major manga he has affection for.

Mackenyu, the young actor that plays the Straw Hats’ green-haired swordsman, is no stranger to taking on roles for live-action anime characters. Aside from One Piece, Mackenyu played the role of Scar in the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movies, Seiya in the recent live-action Knights of the Zodiac, Souta in Tokyo Ghoul: S, and even Okuyasu Nijimura in the live-action JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1. On top of these roles, Mackenyu played the major villain of the final Rurouni Kenshin live-action films, showing that he is all-in when it comes to bringing some beloved anime characters to life. 

Zoro’s Favorite Manga

In speaking with the outlet, Boys By Girls, Mackenyu shared his love for the not just One Piece, but manga series including Hunter x Hunter, Hajime no Ippo, and Bleach, “Oh yes! I love Hunter x Hunter. I love One Piece. There’s a Japanese manga called Hajime no Ippo that I love. I also like Bleach.”

Mackenyu also took the opportunity to discuss Japan’s current influence on Western entertainment, “Well, there weren’t a lot of Japanese actors in the West in the past and also now, to an extent. But Japanese projects, like anime, are loved by a lot of people all around the world and it’s a great time for us Japanese actors to be on that road together to show the world what we can do.”

What did you think of Mackenyu’s take on Roronoa Zoro? Do you want to see him return along with the other live-action Straw Hats for a second season of the Netflix series? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line. 

Via Boys By Girls