When One Piece live-action took the world by storm last year, the one name that made the most noise was Mackenyu, the actor who played Roronoa Zoro in the series. Although Mackenyu has been part of the industry for quite a long time and has worked on many big projects, his following skyrocketed when he joined the cast of Netflix’s One Piece and took the famous three swords in his hands.
While One Piece gave the actor the recognition he deserved, it was certainly not his first live-action adaptation. From playing Scar in the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action to portraying the role of Pegasus Seiya in Knights of the Zodiac, Mackenyu’s portfolio is quite big for his age. And while Zoro was his biggest role as a swordsman, it was certainly not his first or his favorite one.
The actor recently revealed that he loved his bad boy role in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, where the actor portrayed Yukishiro Enishi, who is also a swordsman. One Piece fans would surely be heartbroken to know that Mackenyu’s favorite role as a swordsman is not Zoro.
Mackenyu’s Favorite Live-Action Swordsman in Not Roronoa Zoro
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, where Mackenyu talked about his experience as Roronoa Zoro and his upcoming projects, the actor also revealed why he is generally asked to play antagonistic, anti-hero, or ‘bad boy’ roles in movies and series. Mackenyu confessed that he finds these roles to be extremely cool.
The actor stated:
Bad boys, they’re cool. You get drawn to them more than lead characters sometimes and they’re fun to play as well. One bad boy I did was this cool character named Enishi from Rurouni Kenshin and he’s a badass swordsman, too. I don’t know, people cast me as bad boys.
Further talking about why he loves playing the bad boy character, Mackenyu explained:
They are opposite from who I am and it’s fun to play characters that are far apart from yourself. I think it’s easier.
Mackenyu had worked hard to master the three-sword style, but he was already a perfectionist in basic swordsmanship. He had played Yukishiro Enishi in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, who was a highly skilled swordsman. Enishi is the main antagonist of the Jinchū Arc, and he is the perfect representation of a bad boy character. This is why Mackenyu loved playing him.
The Diversified Range of Mackenyu’s Roles
Mackenyu has been working in the industry for quite some time now, and he has played some of the most varied roles. From being a knight as Pegasus Seiya to the menacing Souta in Tokyo Ghoul S, Mackenyu has portrayed himself in almost every range. The actor’s portfolio is one of his biggest prides, as he has aced almost every one of these roles.
His contributions to the live-action art form include Fullmetal Alchemist’s Scar, Knights of the Zodiac’s Pegasus Seiya, One Piece’s Roronoa Zoro, Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future’s Eiji Tomari, Chihayafuru’s Arata Wataya, Okuyasu Nijimura in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Part I, and many more.
While all these roles are certainly some big characters in the anime and manga industry, they didn’t always pan out in the live-action world except for One Piece. Zoro might not be his favorite live-action role to play, but it has earned him the fame and recognition he deserves, and it is only going to grow after the release of the second season.
You can watch One Piece live-action on Netflix.
