Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Star Mackenyu Joins ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Voice Cast (EXCLUSIVE)

“One Piece” actor Mackenyu Maeda, known professionally as simply Mackenyu, has joined the voice cast of Ubisoft‘s upcoming “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.”

Best known for playing Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s smash-hit live-action adaptation of beloved anime “One Piece,” Mackenyu will be playing Gennojo, “a key character who helps the protagonist track and eliminate a crucial target.”

Per Ubisoft’s description for the “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” character, “As part of the Shinobi League, players can recruit him into their ‘brotherhood’ for support. Gennojo is a charming, reckless, and deeply conflicted figure, driven by guilt to dismantle a corrupt system. He’s a flirtatious rogue and a trickster, always walking the line with a mix of wit, deceit, and swagger. Motivated by a deep desire to bring down a corrupt system, Gennojo is willing to risk everything, even his own life, to achieve his goal. Despite his rough exterior, he holds a strong sense of justice, especially when it comes to helping the poor and elderly.”

Following multiple delays, the Feudal-Japan set “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” will finally be released by Ubisoft on March 20. The game, the latest installment in the publisher’s popular “Assassin’s Creed” franchise, was pushed from its original November launch and later from a February release after the weak performance of “Star Wars Outlaws” led Ubisoft to spend more time on quality concerns and final adjustments to the high-profile “Shadows.”

Here, Mackenyu speaks with Variety about joining the video game franchise and what to expect from Season 2 of Netflix’s “One Piece.”

How did the casting process work for your role in “Assassin’s Creed Shadows”?

I got an offer. They told me it was “Assassin’s Creed,” which was the first game I played ever when I was in middle school. I didn’t have a PS3 at the time, or a PS-something, so I had to go to my friend’s house to play “Assassin’s Creed.” And we used to gather at my friend’s house and take turns and play it. So when I heard it was “Assassin’s Creed” and the game would be set in Japan, I thought to myself, “I need to be a part of this project.”

What can you tell us about your character?

My character Gennojo is a key character who helps the main characters to track and eliminate their targets. And he’s a part of the Shinobi League. My character, you can basically recruit him into their team and play along in the game. And you can choose what you want to do with the character, what you don’t want to do with the character. And he has my face on him — Mackenyu’s face, but it’s Gennojo. So that was pretty cool.

Did you do motion capture acting for the role, or strictly voice acting?

We did not do motion cap. We did do a scan, so like I said, he does have my face on him. I wish we did have time to do some motion cap and the body part, too, but I still had fun. I was in Toronto for a few days and we recorded all the dialogue. And it was my first time ever playing a game character, so it was a pretty fun experience, too.

There’s an “Assassin’s Creed” TV series that’s been in the works at Netflix — would you be interested in joining in this role or another?

Please get my name in that.

What can you tell us about “One Piece” Season 2?

I’m trying not to spoil anything, but there’s a lot of new characters coming out. The arc — [“One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda,] Oda-sensei announced it — we’re going to cover till Chopper comes out. And I met Chopper! He was the cutest! Oh, my God, I’m a Chopper fan. So just being able to act beside him is crazy. It was something special to bring home.

See below for first-look photos of Mackenyu’s character Gennojo in “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.”