Casting Live-Action Smoker For One Piece Season 2: 8 Actors Who Would Be Perfect

Season 2 of Netflix’s One Piece will have a whole slew of iconic characters from the manga and anime to cast for the first time, including the infamous Smoker. A vice admiral in the World Government marines, Smoker the White Hunter is a recurring villain in the original One Piece series, though he sometimes makes temporary alliances with the Straw Hat Pirates in order to fend off greater threats. True to his name, the pirate hunter is known for constantly chomping on at two cigars simultaneously, complementing his powers of smoke manipulation thanks to the consumption of a Devil Fruit.

The actor chosen to play Smoker will need to encompass the villain’s gruffness and fierce moral code, acting as a powerful authority figure that nevertheless is something of a loose cannon who follows his own rules. Familiarity with military or police roles and fantastic over-the-top superpowered action will both be a huge boon in taking on the character. While Smoker was teased in One Piece‘s season finale, his ultimate casting status remains unknown. Like other characters from the show, Netflix is likely to take chances on more unknown actors, not preferring to waste the limited budget on star power.

9

Alan Ritchson

An Imposing Figure With A Great TV Track Record

Constantly on the prowl tracking down the Straw Hat Pirates and other, more nefarious crews, Smoker is something of a high-seas detective. As such, it wouldn’t hurt to look to detective dramas in order to find a suitable face to nurse on Smoker’s iconic cigars. Enter Alan Ritchson, famous for his role in Amazon’s Reacher series. The 6’3″ tower of muscle would feel right at home in the bizarre world of One Piece, standing toe-to-toe with a boatful of larger-than-life characters.

Reacher is the perfect character for Ritchson to translate into playing a convincing Smoker, being a former U.S. Army military police officer with his own personal moral code, very similar to Smoker’s role in the World Government’s marines. In addition to his experience with executive military figures, Ritchson is also no stranger to superpowered combat, playing Aquaman in Smallville and Hawk in Max’s Titans. It goes without saying that Ritchson has a square jaw and intimidating physique that evokes Eiichiro Oda’s original art in the manga, making him perfect for Smoker in both experience and appearance.

8

Joel Kinnaman

Typecast As A High-Stakes Military Police Expert

Established as essentially a super cop patrolling the open seas of One Piece‘s incredible world, any actor with sufficient experience playing military or police roles could throw their hat in the ring for the character. Using this logic, it’s hard to imagine a better pick than Joel Kinnaman. Famously playing Rick Flagg in both Suicide Squad and its more successful spiritual successor, The Suicide Squad, Kinnaman is one of the best faces to possibly embody Smoker. The Swedish-born actor certainly has the look for Smoker, only sans white hair.

Rick Flagg isn’t the only military or police role Kinnaman has embodied which exemplifies his potential for playing Smoker. Kinnaman also plays one of the most iconic super cops of all time in 2014’s RoboCop reboot. The scene in which his Alex Murphy is taken apart piece-by-piece is even proof of his ability to act even while his body is broken apart by special effects, a unique talent that would be needed while using Smoker’s crafty Devil Fruit powers. The only potential issue with Kinnaman is his high rate, likely inflated due to the success of The Suicide Squad.

7

Charlie Hunnam

An Under-The-Radar Action Star

Charlie Hunnam may not be a household name, but has quietly become one of the most prolific actors in the action movie space, particularly in science fiction movies. Best known for carrying the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy for 7 seasons as protagonist Jackson “Jax” Teller, Hunnam’s movie roles have also grown quite impressive since the series’ debut in 2008. His film credits include pop culture behemoths like Pacific Rim, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and, most recently, Kai in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon franchise.

Best known for playing a prolific criminal, Charlie Hunnam may seem like a better fit for one of One Piece‘s many pirate roles rather than the series’ premiere pirate hunter. However, he’s no stranger to authoritative characters either, such as Detective Charlie Waldo in Last Looks. Barring that, the personality that Hunnam was able to craft for Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy is almost a one-to-one reconstruction of Smoker in the manga and anime, a dangerous man with good intentions who constantly bucks tradition in the face of his own moral code.

6

Martin Kove

A Great Choice For An Older, Gruffer Smoker

Considering Smoker is in his mid-30s by the main events of One Piece, Netflix would have to considerably age him up in order to cast the esteemed Martin Kove. But even at nearly 80 years old, Kove has proven that he has what it takes to hold his own in talented casts, still an active actor. Kove is most famous for his role as John Kreese, main antagonist of the Karate Kid franchise, a character he revived years later in Netflix’s Cobra Kai series.

As John Kreese, Kove personifies a lack of mercy that would be right at home with Smoker, famously advising his students to “Sweep the leg.” Being a real-life black belt in Okinawa-te Karate, Kove’s expertise would be sure to come in handy on set in One Piece‘s many fight scenes, even if he himself has aged out of trading blows or doing his own stunts. That’s not to say Kove isn’t spry in his old age, however, performing in Dancing with the Stars in his late 70s with surprising grace. If Netflix took Smoker in an older direction, Kove would be a perfect choice.

5

Cody Rhodes

4

A Professional Wrestler With A History Of Smoke

Not an actor in the traditional sense, Cody Rhodes is the current Undisputed WWE Champion, a professional wrestler just entering the prime of his career. Making the pivot to a beloved live-action series like Netflix’s One Piece could be the perfect career move for the wrestler, with Smoker as the perfect upcoming character for him to inhabit. Rhodes has already done some TV acting, appearing as the superpowered drug dealer Derek Sampson in the CW’s long-running Arrow.

Thematically, Rhodes is strangely appropriate to play Smoker. For a time, his walkout theme song in the WWE was titled “Smoke and Mirrors“, and the wrestling star even owns his own cigar brand, American Rebel Cigars. Clearly, Rhodes is no stranger to chomping on a stogie or two, and his endurance for the high-flying action of the WWE would make the elaborate action sequences of One Piece feel right at home. Though he may be an unconventional pick, Rhodes has the kind of niche star power that would be perfect for the series’ second season to harness.

3

Jason Beghe

A Consistent Authority Figure In TV And Movies

Jason Beghe is a little-known actor with an impressive list of credits in both movies and TV, somewhat typecast as an authority figure or government agent. The American character actor isn’t quite a household name, but is an incredibly experienced actor with a wealth of roles that all point towards a solid Smoker portrayal, typically playing a cop, federal agent, or military officer. Beghe became well-acquainted with police roles during his time as Sergeant Hank Voight in the long-running drama series Chicago P.D.

Beyond Chicago P.D., Jason Beghe has shown up as a military or police character in films like G.I. Jane, Thelma & Louise, and The X-Files, meaning he would fit neatly in the marines of One Piece. These films also do a great job showing off Beghe’s comedy chops, which would be appreciated in the goofy world of One Piece, even if Smoker is far from comic relief. Beghe has dipped his toes into stranger worlds in films like X-Men: First Class and Monkey Shines, meaning that he could acclimate to the incredible fantasy oceans of the series.

2

Jensen Ackles

No Stranger To Supernatural Worlds Or Superpowered Heroes

One of the best in the business when it comes to rough-around-the-edges but handsome archetypal TV heroes, Jensen Ackles needs little introduction. For years, Ackles commanded incredible charisma on the sets of the CW dark drama Supernatural, playing the infallibly cool Dean Winchester. Since then, Ackles’ accolades have grown past network television drama and into the fantastical world of superheroes, voicing Batman in the animated DC Tomorrowverse series of movies and Soldier Boy in Amazon’s The Boys.

With plenty of experience in science fiction and fantasy settings, Jensen Ackles could handle the weirdness of One Piece‘s worldbuilding while not allowing it to distract from his performances, which are typically an equal mixture of cool, deep, and quotable. His build and sharp features would work for Smoker, and his experience as an antagonist on the side of the establishment (at least initially) in The Boys makes a compelling argument for adapting the legendary pirate hunter. The only issue is Ackles’ rising star power, which may have put him out of the reach of the live-action One Piece‘s pockets.

1

Ron White

A Swaggering Comedian That Could Embody Smoker

Much like Cody Rhodes, Ron White is something of an unconventional choice for Smoker, being primarily a comedian rather than an actor. That being said, there’s a fascinating case to be made for White becoming none other than the White Hunter himself. A prolific stand-up comedian, Ron White is known for nursing a highball glass of Scotch as well as a cigar on stage, all the while showing off a kind of droll swagger that makes him easy to picture as Smoker.

White also has a unique experience that could give his comedic skills a true edge to spring forth from for his Smoker portrayal. Before becoming a comedian, White actually served in the U.S. Navy in real life as a young man, giving him tangible experience to draw from as a World Government marine. Between his effortless attitude, actual love for cigars, sense of humor and relevant personal experiences, the comedian Ron White just might be the perfect choice for Smoker in season 2 of One Piece.