Mackenyu Arata has become a household name, thanks to the smash hit One Piece live-action adaptation that has taken the world by storm. However, anime fans know his live-action adaptation record well, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his “Intense 4 months of training” might have been for a different live-action adaptation altogether.
Playing the character of Roronoa Zoro, the notorious pirate-hunter, and Monkey D Luffy’s first mate, Mackenyu was probably aware of how physically demanding the role would have been. No doubt, this would have required months of training and rehearsal, and given how the character was received, it all paid off. But Mackenyu has starred in several films that are adaptations of popular anime properties, such as Jojo’s Bizzare Adventures, Rurouni Kenshin, and Tokyo Ghoul, among others.
The ‘intense training’ was not for One Piece
Mackenyu’s training was not for One Piece. Knights of the Zodiac, known in Japan as Saint Seiya: The Beginning, is a 2023 movie that adapts the smash hit Saint Seiya franchise. In an interview with Vogue, he revealed that he was talking about another live-action adaptation of this beloved anime. He said
“There was a scene where I needed to take my shirt off for Knights Of The Zodiac, and leading up to filming we had an intense four months training. I enjoyed it a lot.”
The intense training that it takes to embody the characters in such films just goes to show how dedicated an actor Mackenyu Arata is. Putting in months’ worth of training to prepare for a character is the mark of a talented artist who wants to do their character justice. Apart from entering the mind space of the character, Mackenyu’s commitment to embodying the physicality of his roles is what sets him apart as a talented and dedicated actor.
Who is Mackenyu playing in the film?
Mackenyu Arata is a talented actor with quite a range when it comes to playing characters. His action roles might seem similar, but explore a spectrum along the same character type. In Knights of the Zodiac, there are multiple characters that Mackenyu could embody, but there is one that suits him the best.
The Pegasus Seiya is an iconic character and the protagonist of the Saint Seiya franchise. Being as well-known and famous as the likes of Son Goku from Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon, Mackenyu has quite the character at hand to portray. Not only is Pegasus Seiya brave, but he embodies classic shounen protagonist characteristics that are not unlike the likes of Roronoa Zoro.
Knights of the Zodiac has been released on digital as of July 2023 and is also available on Blu-Ray.
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