One Piece Casting Rumors Finally Addressed By Cobra Kai Star, But I'm Not Sure I Believe Him

This year is coming to a close, which means we're that much closer to One Piece Season 2's release date. Pretty soon, we'll get to see new Straw Hats like Chopper join the crew, learn about new villains, and maybe even see if one popular rumor surrounding a Cobra Kai star is true. It's been rumored for a while that Xolo Maridueña is playing Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, but the star pretty openly shot that down.

For those who haven't read One Piece's manga or binged the anime series with a Netflix subscription, Luffy's brother Ace plays a pretty meaningful part in the first leg of this long story. While we know Ace is going to pop up in the live-action adaptation, Maridueña is denying that he is involved in that. Here's what he had to say, and why I don't believe him.

Xolo Maridueña Claims He's Not Playing Portgas D. Ace In One Piece

The former Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle star appeared on Get Rec'd with Straw Hat Goofy and was asked about the rumors (started by another actor last year) that he'll be playing Ace in the upcoming episodes of One Piece. Xolo Maridueña deflected, claiming that it's all a rumor that even Netflix had a part in substantiating:

Now, this could be true. Maybe it was just a rumor. However, I can't help but think that Xolo Maridueña might be doing the classic actor's denial, which, to be fair, is about all he can do. If he is in One Piece, he likely signed a contract that prevents him from explicitly confirming or denying anything until it's officially announced. Obviously, he's not going to admit anything even if it is true, but I don't buy it.

As Someone Following This News For A While, I Don't Buy It

As someone who started following this rumor when it was first announced, I fully think that Xolo Maridueña could be playing Ace. Not only does he have a connection to Netflix through Cobra Kai to easily make this role happen, but he went through a bunch of fight training on that show that would make it easier to play Luffy's brawling brother. Netflix even highlighted this when they made a video with Maridueña doing some martial arts training with One Piece's lead Iñaki Godoy.

I should also point out that Jacob Bertrand, whose name the actor mentioned in his response to also being present at Geeked Week, talked about wanting to be a part of the One Piece cast. He's also participated in videos where he toured the set. If Maridueña thought lumping himself in with his former Cobra Kai co-star was going to throw people off the trail he was involved in One Piece, I'm not buying it.

I'll round this all out by confirming that while Xolo Maridueña is a rising star in Hollywood, likely entertaining other offers, playing Ace in One Piece is a pretty low-commitment role. Luffy's powerful brother is only in the Alabasta adventure momentarily, and only appears sporadically throughout the rest of the story. Unless the series changes the character's storyline to where he's heavily entrenched in the Straw Hat crew, and I don't think it would, his scenes will be fleeting and far between. For that reason, I think it's a no-brainer he'd take the gig.

However, that has not been confirmed, and the actor has denied the rumors. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see if Netflix officially announces it.

One Piece Season 2 is coming to Netflix in 2026. I'm hyped to see it finally, and hoping that the wait for the already-confirmed Season 3 won't be as long as we've had to wait for these upcoming episodes.