Worlds collided recently when fans waiting for the final episodes of Cobra Kai were able enjoy a video alongside those waiting for One Piece Season 2. Iñaki Godoy dropped by the set of the The Karate Kid tie-in series to hang out with Xolo Maridueña and learn the ropes of what all goes into the intense fight scenes the show pulled off. It's a great video, but if Netflix is trying to throw people off the rumor that Maridueña is joining the cast of One Piece in Season 2, this isn't helping.
You can feel Iñaki Godoy's Luffy energy coming out as he walks through set of some of Cobra Kai's biggest scenes. What's even better to see is that Xolo Maridueña is matching Godoy's energy quite well, and if people didn't know any better, they might mistake them for brothers. Check out the sibling vibes between these two and how it may further factor into the big rumor surrounding Maridueña joining One Piece:
It feels like this video was specifically created to make people think, "Wow, it would be great to see these two fight alongside each other in an actual series," and it turns out that might happen. A friend of Xolo Maridueña was on a podcast not long ago, and while it's still not confirmed, he might've leaked the Cobra Kai star will be playing Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace.
Xolo Maridueña joining the show and playing the role of Ace would be another A+ casting for One Piece, which has already knocked it out of the park for Season 2. It brought in Marvel actor David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3 and Katey Sagal to play Dr. Kureha after plans fell through with Jamie Lee Curtis. While Ace doesn't have nearly as much screen time in this portion of One Piece as the other Straw Hat Pirates, he's ultimately vital to the story and will play a larger role in future seasons should Netflix continue making the series.
The only reasons that could justify Netflix continuing to hide Xolo Maridueña's involvement are that it's waiting to make the big reveal for a future convention appearance or they'd rather wait until Season 2 is out. If these upcoming episodes play out like the anime, Ace is not a major character throughout most of the story and only briefly appears before striking off on his own. As such, I could see Netflix not wanting to reveal his appearance now, knowing that some might think he'll be in the season much more than he is.
As someone who has binged both shows with my Netflix subscription, I hope we get confirmation of this casting before too long. I also wouldn't mind if we learned Hawk actor Jacob Bertrand will also join, seeing as he recently gushed about what a huge fan he was of One Piece. In fact, let's get the entire cast of Cobra Kai involved considering their show is ending soon anyway.
We're still waiting for new One Piece episodes, which will presumably be available on Netflix in 2025. Cobra Kai fans can expect to see the next batch of episodes drop in November. To stay more on top of these types of things, our new and upcoming Netflix list is a great resource for those looking for shows.
