Netflix's second season of One Piece is currently in production, and on the heels of disappointing news that Jamie Lee Curtis will not be in the season, we have another exciting rumor to follow. There's chatter claiming the star of a major show available with a Netflix subscription is going to play Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, and I'm desperately hoping it pans out.
Amidst exciting castings like David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, we allegedly have a member of the Cobra Kai family coming in to play one of the most powerful pirates in One Piece. Here's what we're hearing so far and why it would be so cool if this ends up being the person who plays Luffy's fire-throwing sibling.
Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña Has Allegedly Been Tapped To Play Portgas D. Ace
There's a rumor that Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña is playing the significant One Piece role of Portgas D. Ace, otherwise known as Ace. News about the casting first came via the web series OUKE, who was speaking to actor Mario Cortijo about struggles people face when playing different ethnicities in projects (via Comicbook.com). The actor used his friend Maridueña as an example of this when talking about it, but he might've said too much:
This is to prevent people who think that just because I look like a character or I'm from the same place that I should be cast. Like in One Piece, season two is coming out. They're [the actor] Lucas Amorim who fans are obsessed with saying he should be Ace because he's Brazilian who's actually played by Xolo Maridueña who is Mexican. He's going to play a Brazilian character.
When the hosts brought up that it was not known Maridueña was in One Piece, the actor apologized and said he shouldn't have said that. Mario Cortijo may get an email from Netflix if this rumor pans out, but it is worth noting we've heard nothing official about this casting happening.
So, it is possible Cortijo is mistaken, but just like the actor who claimed Season 3 was being filmed after Season 2, I think some information might've slipped out that fans weren't supposed to hear.
Why Xolo Maridueña Is Perfect To Play Ace
Xolo Maridueña is currently starring in Season 6 of Cobra Kai. The first batch of episodes dropped on the 2024 TV schedule recently, and the next two parts will be released on November 28 and sometime in 2025.
For those who haven't seen him in Cobra Kai or slept on his starring role in Blue Beetle, Xolo Maridueña is a great choice for One Piece. To start, he's a big name that will add even more star power to the popular series, and I would wager there's some solid crossover between the Cobra Kai and One Piece fandom. I know that I have watched both and know a few others, so I could believe that factored into the alleged casting.
Both those roles have shown the young actor's physical abilities, and he has the right energy to fit in perfectly with Iñaki Godoy and the One Piece cast.
Now, some people may worry about Xolo Maridueña's blossoming Hollywood career now that Cobra Kai is ending, but that's not really a factor here. While Ace is a huge part of the story of One Piece, he rarely appears in the anime. Of course, one of the big differences between the OP live-action and anime was how much screen time Kobe and Helmeppo got in Season 1, so it's possible Ace could be a greater part of the story.
As a reminder, all of this is speculative. I think there's good odds we'll see Ace pop up in Season 2 of One Piece, but whether or not Xolo Maridueña will play him remains pure speculation at this point. With that said, I'm very excited by this latest rumor and will be counting the days until the premiere if it gets confirmed.
That said, I'm pretty eager to see One Piece Season 2 whenever it is set to arrive on Netflix. They'll have to finish production first but keep an eye out for more updates on the series with each passing month.
