Mackenyu, a Japanese actor born on November 16, 1996, in Los Angeles, California, is the son of renowned actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba.
Growing up, Mackenyu was an exceptionally talented and well-rounded individual, with a wide range of interests and skills. He was an accomplished horseback rider, Yabusame practitioner, Kyokushin Karate enthusiast (winning third place at the US Kyokushin Karate Nationals),gymnast, water polo player, and wrestler, representing his school in the latter.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Mackenyu was also a talented musician, playing the piano since he was 10 years old, and later joined his high school's brass band, mastering the saxophone and flute.
At the age of 15, Mackenyu discovered his passion for acting after watching a Haruma Miura film, inspiring him to pursue a career in Japanese entertainment. He held onto the dream of co-starring with Miura, which eventually came true in the movie adaptation of Gunjō Senki (2021).
Mackenyu's early film credits include the lead role in Take a Chance (2015) and the critically acclaimed short film Tadaima (2015),for which he won a best supporting actor award at the Asians of Films festival. He moved to Japan in 2015 and quickly gained recognition for his role as Eiji Tomari in Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future (2015).
He made his stage debut in the Japanese musical Boys Over Flower (Hana Yori Dango: The Musical) in 2016, which prepared him for his future major roles in stage-musicals ZEROTOPIA (2018) and Hoshi no Daichi ni Furu Namida (2020).
Mackenyu's breakthrough role came in 2016 with Chihayafuru Part I & II, cementing his status as a prominent actor in Japan. He expanded his acting opportunities in Hollywood with a supporting role in Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) and went on to star as Yukishiro Enishi in the Rurouni Kenshin series (2021).
In 2022, he portrayed Scar in the live-action sequel of Fullmetal Alchemist, and in 2023, he gained global recognition for his role as Roronoa Zoro in the live-action series adaptation of One Piece. Drawing on his martial arts background, Mackenyu performs his own stunts and is highly skilled in sword fighting.
