As in the manga of the same name and its anime adaptation, the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, who eventually becomes a privateer himself, dreams of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman in the live-action “One Piece” series. But even in season 1, he’s damn good at wielding the knife (or rather his three knives), as he shows time and time again in fights.
The fact that these sequences are so exciting is not least thanks to Zorro actor Mackenyu, who did most of his stunts and action scenes himself. The talent for martial arts was practically born in his cradle. Mackenyu is the son of the Japanese actor and martial arts guru Sonja Chiba.
Tarantino is also a fan: This is Sonny Chiba
Over the course of his career spanning six decades and more than 200 film and series productions, Sonny Chiba became one of THE defining faces of Asian martial arts cinema. With films like “The Streetfighter” (also known in Germany as “Sonny Chiba – The Wildest of All”) and series like “Kage no Gundan” he fought his way into the hearts of countless fans – even outside his home country of Japan.
One of his biggest celebrity admirers is undoubtedly cult director Quentin Tarantino, who paid tribute to Sonny Chiba in his 1993 script for the crime classic ‘True Romance’, bringing him to the attention of a wider Western audience. Ten years later, Tarantino went one step further and cast Chiba in his “Kill Bill” films as the legendary sword master Hattori Hanzo (based on the historical samurai and ninja of the same name, whom Chiba had portrayed in the aforementioned “Kage no Gundan”) . “). .
In keeping with his Tarantino connection, the actor was part of the ensemble cast of ‘Sushi Girl’ in 2012, which was very reminiscent of Tarantino’s masterpiece ‘Reservoir Dogs’. Blockbuster fans may also know him as the Yakuza boss from the PS action game “The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift”.
Unfortunately, Sonny Chiba passed away in August 2021 at the age of 82 as a result of the corona disease. Mackenyu dedicated an emotional farewell message to his father on Instagram after this loss:
Unfortunately, he and his son never had the opportunity to appear in a film together until Sonny Chiba’s death. A gifted martial artist, sword artist and actor, Mackenyu will continue his father’s work in some way, in a second season of “One Piece” and certainly in many other projects.