Netflix may have just announced that One Piece Season 3 has not only been greenlit but is also set to begin production in Cape Town, South Africa, this year, and now, we have our Portugas D Ace. Yes, this is real, and yes, it’s time to get excited.
With One Piece Season 2 set to debut in March 2026, we’re getting even more casting news, and this time, it’s for Ace, my personal Straw Hat crush.
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Learn more about the characters in One Piece Season 2 here.
Who is playing Portugas D Ace in One Piece Season 3?
Netflix announced today that Xolo Maridueña has been cast to star as “Portgas D. Ace” in the One Piece live-action series PIECE. He will appear in One Piece Season 3, with the series set to go back into production later this year in Cape Town, South Africa.
Maridueña is the second announcement for Season 3’s cast and joins Cole Escola, who will bring “Bon Clay” to life on Netflix. Additional cast members are to be announced at a later date, but with two already set, it’s easy to assume we’ll be getting the rest quickly.
Where to watch Xolo Maridueña before Season 3:
Maridueña’s previous roles include the focal point of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid sequel series. But while Netflix audiences will now know him from the six-season series, superhero fans will know Xolo Maridueña as DC Comics’ Blue Beetle.
Who is Portugas D Ace?
Portgas D. Ace was born as Gol D. Ace and nicknamed “Fire Fist” Ace is Monkey D. Luffy’s older brother. But there is some extra context there. The biological son of the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge, Ace was put in the care of Monkey D. Garp and Curly Dadan after Roger’s death, which is how he became Luffy’s older brother.
Due to Roger’s absence from his life, Ace disowned his father and took his mother’s surname, ultimately declaring that his captain, Whitebeard, was his true father. So, while he isn’t Luffy’s biological brother, Eichiro Oda once again highlights that it’s all about the family you make, not what you’re born into.
And that is driven home by the fact that while Ace was much more intelligent, polite, and generally more bearable than Luffy, he also has a few things in common with his brother, showing that it’s always nurture over nature. The brothers are both as reckless as pirates, and despite not having the gum-gum fruit, Ace shares the same near-bottomless stomach as Luffy.
Ace was the captain of the Spade Pirates before being recruited into the Whitebeard Pirates and becoming its 2nd division commander. He has the power of the Mera Mera no Mi Devil Fruit (Flame-Flame Fruit) that allows him to create and command fire at will, which includes making his entire body fire.
In the original manga and anime series, during the Alabasta Arc, Ace briefly crosses paths with Luffy and the Straw Hats, which puts Season 3 as the perfect entry point, though it’s easy to assume that we will see a glimpse of him in One Piece Season 2.
Netflix’s One Piece is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partner) and Netflix.
One Piece Seasons 2 and 3 are co-produced by co-showrunners, writers, and executive producers Joe Tracz & Ian Stokes, alongside the manga’s creator, Eiichiro Oda, and executive producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements through Tomorrow Studios. Additionally, Tetsu Fujimura, Chris Symes, Christoph Schrewe, and Steven Maeda serve as Executive Producers.
One Piece: Into the Grand Line premieres March 10, 2026, only on Netflix.
Should I watch the One Piece live-action?
Our answer is a resounding yes. Our critic called the series the best of 2023, saying:
“In essence, One Piece not only emerges as the pinnacle of anime adaptations and a top entertainment choice for the year but also unequivocally deserves the title of Show of the Year. The series’s exceptional ability to harmonize faithful storytelling, stellar casting, and high production values while boldly exploring uncharted creative territories sets it apart as a cultural phenomenon.
One Piece’s innovative narrative approach not only respects its source material but, more importantly, showcases that, with unwavering dedication and boundless creativity, storytelling has no limits across any medium.”
