The Shocking Private Life of the Hottest Male Star in One Piece: Had a Child at 14, Involved in a Series of Scandals About “Young Man Dating Older Women”

The private life of this One Piece heartthrob who is currently taking the world by storm is even more dramatic than a movie.

One Piece Season 2 officially premiered on March 10 and immediately became a global phenomenon. Among the cast appearing in the live-action version, Arata Mackenyu, the actor portraying pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, who embarks on a thrilling adventure on the Grand Line with the Straw Hat Pirates, is receiving massive attention.

Images of Zoro with green hair, sharp handsome features, and a muscular, powerful physique portrayed by Mackenyu are being widely shared and going viral across social media. Many people praise him as looking like he “stepped straight out of the manga,” with a statue-like appearance and captivating aura.

Besides his charming and romantic looks that attract everyone, Mackenyu’s complicated and scandal-filled private life, even more dramatic than fiction, has also drawn public attention. The most shocking controversy involves the claim that he secretly had a child at the age of 14 with his mother’s close friend, a woman 30 years older than him.

A “visual treasure” with a prestigious background in J-showbiz

Arata Mackenyu was born in 1996 and is the son of the late martial arts legend and famous Japanese action star Sonny Chiba.

When entering showbiz, in order to avoid being accused of relying on his father’s famous career across Asia, he dropped the surname Maeda and adopted the stage name Arata.

Compared to many actors of the same generation, Mackenyu entered the industry quite early. He learned karate and wrestling, and began acting as a child actor at the age of 9 in order to follow in his father’s footsteps.

By 2015, Mackenyu began gaining wider recognition after appearing in the film Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future and Taidama. After that, his fame exploded across Asia thanks to the huge box-office success of Chihayafuru, as well as his impressive performance as the pilot of the giant robot Saber Athena in the Hollywood blockbuster Pacific Rim: Uprising, which grossed 288 million USD worldwide.

In 2021, Mackenyu’s career entered a new chapter when he not only impressed audiences with his appearance and acting skills but also his outstanding martial arts abilities in the role of the villain Yukishiro Enishi in the film series Rurouni Kenshin: The Final.

After that project, Mackenyu became a new generation action star in Japan and successfully stepped out from the shadow of his father Sonny Chiba. He is also considered one of the rare Japanese actors who has succeeded domestically while also possessing strong potential in Hollywood.

Not only are his acting abilities recognized, Mackenyu’s looks are also considered a national visual treasure of Japanese showbiz. He has topped many rankings of the most handsome men in Japan thanks to his sharp masculine features that combine gentleness with cold determination, along with a well-defined muscular physique.

The shocking controversy of becoming a father at 14 and a series of scandals

“Talented but troublesome” is a phrase that many believe fits Arata Mackenyu. His private life has often been described as more dramatic than a movie plot.

In 2016, a well-known Japanese magazine revealed that the actor had secretly fathered a child in the United States. According to the report, he had a relationship with his mother’s close friend, a woman 30 years older than him who was already married. At the time he reportedly became a father, Mackenyu was only 14 years old.

After the child was born, Mackenyu’s family filed a lawsuit against the woman, accusing her of seducing a minor. However, the case was later dropped after Mackenyu denied that he had been coerced into the relationship.

Currently, the child reportedly lives in the United States with the biological mother. Meanwhile, Mackenyu has never publicly spoken about the child nor been seen visiting them.

When the incident gradually faded from public attention, Mackenyu again caused controversy in 2018 when he was rumored to be romantically involved with a married woman in her 30s, actress Natsuki Okamoto. Sources said that because she was deeply infatuated with Mackenyu, Okamoto eventually filed for divorce from her husband.

Four years later, Mackenyu was accused of pursuing an underage girl, reportedly trying to date Yoda Yuki while the idol was still underage.

Not stopping there, Mackenyu was also once investigated in connection with a drug case because of his association with actress Erika Sawajiri, who is ten years older than him. The two reportedly had a one-night stand before the top actress was arrested for using illegal substances.

Marriage and a new family

At the beginning of 2023, Mackenyu surprised the public when he announced his marriage to a woman outside the entertainment industry.

It was later revealed that his wife is former actress and model Natsuki Okamoto, born in 1989, seven years older than him, and previously divorced.

Information about Okamoto is quite scarce in the media because she left showbiz a long time ago. However, when people saw photos of her from her younger years, many praised the couple as well-matched and equally attractive.

Okamoto possesses a beautiful and pure appearance, with large captivating eyes and harmonious facial features.

According to Japanese media, the star couple welcomed their first child in September 2023, though they have kept the news private and did not publicly announce it.