Portgas D. Ace is one of those rare characters who feels bigger than the show he comes from. One Piece fans never fully let him go, and now Netflix is finally bringing him into the live-action series. Xolo Mariduena is playing Ace, which is less about hype casting and more about what it signals: the story is about to hit a real inflection point. If you know Ace, you know things are about to get hotter. If you don’t, strap in.
Why Ace matters (and why fans still talk about him)
Ace didn’t start as a Whitebeard commander. He launched the Spade Pirates first, then found his home under Whitebeard and rose to Second Division Commander. His Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi, lets him generate and control fire, which is how he earned the very subtle nickname 'Fire Fist Ace.'
The backstory is wild. He was born as Gol D. Ace — yes, that 'Gol D.' — to Pirate King Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge. To keep him hidden from Roger’s enemies, Rouge carried him for twenty months. Not a typo. Twenty. Months. After he was born, he took his mother’s surname to avoid painting a giant target on his back.
Ace’s power and pedigree didn’t make life easier. Being Roger’s son came with baggage, and he spent a lot of time wrestling with what that name meant — and whether he deserved it. That identity crisis runs all through his story.
Then came the capture. The Marines took Ace, and everything exploded into the Summit War at Marineford. Whitebeard’s crew, Luffy, and basically every major player charged in to save him. It ended with Ace dying to protect Luffy from Admiral Akainu. That wasn’t just a big emotional swing; it changed the trajectory of One Piece in a fundamental way.
Live-action update: Xolo Mariduena is Ace in Season 3
Netflix made it official: Xolo Mariduena is playing Portgas D. Ace in One Piece Season 3. The announcement landed just as production gears up in Cape Town, South Africa — a good sign that the next run is moving fast.
The update also tips where the story is headed: into the Alabasta saga, which is where Ace first crosses paths with Luffy in the manga. If you’re tracking arcs, that’s the stretch where their bond really kicks into gear and becomes, frankly, a cultural phenomenon. It sounds like the live-action is lining up Ace’s debut with that material in Season 3, which suggests Season 2 handles the early Grand Line setup and then hands the baton to Alabasta.
Mariduena is coming in hot off two big roles: he was Miguel Diaz across all six seasons of Cobra Kai and suited up as Jaime Reyes in DC’s Blue Beetle on the big screen. Taking on Ace is one of those high-expectation anime roles — the kind you only get one shot at. No pressure.
Also joining the cast: Cole Escola as Bon Clay (Mr. 2), a Baroque Works agent with a very memorable entrance in this part of the story. Filming is set to kick off soon, and the cast is stacked to make this phase of One Piece as chaotic and fun as fans want it to be.
Season 2 is dated, titled, and headed into the Grand Line
Before Ace shows up in Season 3, Season 2 is locked in. Netflix is calling it 'ONE PIECE: Into the Grand Line,' and it picks up right after the East Blue arc — exactly where the Straw Hats need to be for the next wave of fan-favorite characters.
- Release date: Season 2 drops March 10, 2026
- Title: ONE PIECE: Into the Grand Line
- Main cast: Inaki Godoy (Luffy), Mackenyu (Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), Jacob Romero (Usopp), Taz Skylar (Sanji)
- Showrunners: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda
- Based on: Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga
- Where to watch: Netflix
- Where the show stands: 2 seasons total, with Season 3 in production
- Season 1 reception: IMDb 8.3/10; Rotten Tomatoes 85%
Season 1 did big numbers for Netflix, and expectations are even higher now that the story is hitting the Grand Line. Can they keep the pace and stick the landing on the arcs fans have been waiting for? We’ll find out soon enough.