Mackenyu: Age, height and facts about One Piece's Zoro actor

1. Who is Mackenyu? Get to know the One Piece actor here

Wondering who plays the live-action version of Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece… look no further. Mackenyu is the actor who portrays the pirate hunter in the adaptation of Eiichiro Oda iconic manga series. Get to know the actor here, from his age and height to his previous roles and where you may have seen him before. [Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX]

2. How old is Mackenyu? When is his birthday?

Mackenyu is 26 years old, as of August 2023. His birthday is on September 16th and he was born in 1996. And if you’re wondering about his star sign, the actor’s mid-September birthday means he’s a Scorpio. [@mackenyu via Instagram]

3. How tall is Mackenyu?

According to his IMDb profile, Mackenyu is around 5ft 10 inches tall. That’s around 1.78 m. He stands several inches taller than his One Piece co-star Iñaki Godoy. [Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX)]

4. Where is Mackenyu from? Is he Japanese?

Mackenyu is an American-born Japanese actor. He was born in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles to his parents, Sonny and Tamami Shiba. Mackenyu was raised in Los Angeles and attended Beverly Hills High School. [Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images]

5. Who are Mackenyu's parents? His father is legendary actor Sonny Chiba

Mackenyu’s parents are legendary Japanese actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba, and Tamami Chiba. His father Sonny has appeared in countless iconic Japanese movies and TV shows. To Western audiences, Sonny was perhaps most well known for playing Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill Vol. 1, Uncle Kamata in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Takuma Tsurugi in The Street Fighter. Sonny sadly passed away in 2021. [Phillip Faraone/Getty Images, @mackenyu via Instagram]

6. Who are Mackenyu's siblings? His brother Gordon is also an actor

Mackenyu has two siblings; one brother and one half sister. His brother, Gordon Maeda, is three years younger than him and is also an actor. His half-sister, Juri Manase, is older than him. [MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images, Jun Sato/WireImage]

7. Who is Mackenyu's wife? Is he married?

Mackenyu keeps his personal life very private, but he did reveal that he had recently got married to a non-celebrity woman. Her identity is not known publicly. His marriage was announced alongside his younger brother’s marriage, in a statement released on their late father’s birthday. “From now on, we will continue to support each other while spending precious time together,” he wrote in the statement. “It would make me happy if you would watch over us warmly.” [JC Olivera/WireImage]

8. Mackenyu knows martial arts and does his own stunts

Mackenyu followed in his father Sonny Chiba’s footsteps and is a trained martial artist, having practiced Kyokushin Karate since he was eight years old. In middle school, he placed third at the US Kyokushin Karate Nationals. He also does his own stunts in One Piece. [Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images]

9. Mackenyu plays live-action Zoro in Netflix's One Piece

Mackenyu portrays the live-action version of Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece series. The actor did his own stunts for the role, including the sword-fighting. He also pierced his ears so he could sport Zoro’s iconic 3 earrings. In his real life, Mackenyu was also a huge fan of the One Piece manga, having grown up with it. [Netflix]

10. Mackenyu movies and TV shows: Where have you seen him before?

As well as playing Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece, the award-winning Mackenyu has a whole host of other, live-action manga adaptation projects under his belt. From Pegasus Seiya in Knights of the Zodiac to Yukishiro in Rurouni Kenshin and Arata Wataya in Chihayafuru, there’s plenty of Mackenyu projects to dive into, if you’re a new fan. He also played Cadet Ryoichi in 2018’s Pacific Rim Uprising. [Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images]

11. Mackenyu appears in Pacific Rim Uprising as Ryoichi

Mackenyu portrayed Cadet Ryoichi Hatayama in the 2018 film Pacific Rim Uprising. He didn't have much overall screen time in the movie but fans absolutely love him in the role. [Universal Pictures]

12. Mackenyu plays Seiya in the live-action Knights of the Zodiac movie

Mackenyu plays Pegasus Seiya in the live-action adaptation of the Saint Seiya manga. Speaking about the mammoth task of taking on the role to MovieWeb, Mackenyu said: "I did my best and I hope everyone likes it. There were definitely a lot of challenges for me, just to be playing a role in English, because I'm usually filming in Japan. But there was more joy than challenges, actually, and I had so much fun on set." [Sony Pictures Releasing International]