It turns out One Piece live-action star Mackenyu Arata is just as dangerous with a deck of cards as he is with a katana. The Roronoa Zoro actor recently dominated the tables at a major trading card game (TCG) championship in Yokohama.
Mackenyu battled through a massive field of 366 One Piece Card Game (OPCG) players at Hacchi Expo 2025 from December 27 to 28, 2025. After two days of intense strategic play, he finished in a remarkable 8th place.
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The event, held at the Pacifico Yokohama North in Kanagawa, showcased some of the most skilled players in the community, making his Top 10 finish a significant achievement.
Following the tournament, Mackenyu gave fans a glimpse into his winning strategy on social media. He piloted a deck centered around the character Imu, featuring cards from OP13: Carrying On His Will set that includes some of the most elusive and valuable cards available in the game.
Perhaps most impressive was the actor’s personal gear. Mackenyu competed on a custom playmat featuring a hand-drawn illustration of his character, Zoro, sketched and autographed by the One Piece mangaka himself, Eiichiro Oda.
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Zoro actor Mackenyu Arata is a legend in the One Piece Card Game community
Mackenyu’s success at Hacchi Expo 2025 is far from a stroke of beginner’s luck. The actor was a dedicated One Piece Card Game enthusiast long before he ever stepped into Zoro’s boots for the Netflix adaptation.
During a press interview at MegaCon 2024 in Orlando, Florida, co-star Jacob Romero (who plays Usopp) described Mackenyu as “obsessed” with the game. He is known to frequent Eiichiro Oda’s home to train and play matches against the mangaka himself.
Even with a demanding Hollywood filming schedule, he remains close to the competitive scene. Beyond local tournaments, he previously appeared as a special guest at the OPCG Championship 2024 World Final, the most prestigious event in the card game’s global circuit.
As the son of the legendary martial arts actor Sonny Chiba, Mackenyu spent his early years in Los Angeles before moving to Japan to pursue acting full-time. His background in Kyokushin Karate made him a natural fit for physically demanding roles, but it was his breakout performance as Arata Wataya in the Chihayafuru trilogy that earned him the Newcomer of the Year award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize in 2017.
Since then, he has become the “King of Adaptations,” starring in major titles like Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Knights of the Zodiac.
His portrayal of Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece live-action series in 2023 catapulted him to global superstardom, earning praise for his physical dedication and authentic stunt work.
The One Piece live-action series is a high-seas adventure based on the 1997 manga series by Eiichiro Oda, which also inspired a long-running anime with over 1,000 episodes. The story follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with the ability to stretch like rubber after eating a mystical “Devil Fruit.”
His goal is to assemble a loyal crew called the Straw Hat Pirates to find the “One Piece,” a fabled treasure hidden by the late Pirate King that will grant him the same title.
At the time of writing, the live-action only has one season available to stream, comprising eight episodes that cover the East Blue Saga. The series has already been renewed for a second season, releasing on March 10, 2026 while a third season is in production.
