Roronoa Zoro is one of One Piece’s greatest characters.
Hell, he’s one of manga’s greatest characters.
But why?
Maybe because he has the most unique and badass sword fighting style in all of anime, or because
of that time he earned Mihawks respect with his sense of honor, or the fact that he was
prepared to sacrifice that honor, his dream and even his life for Luffy.
But the love for Zoro goes a lot deeper than just his bad ass feats.
I mean you gotta love his personality
[clip of Zoro with shit personality]
All jokes aside, I’ve talked about why Zoro is such an awesome character a lot on this
channel, but really you can boil it down to just 3 things, that make him one of manga’s
greatest character.
BACKSTORY
(Backstory until he joins Luffy)
As you know, Zoro started out as a strong-willed kid already determined to become the strongest
swordsman in the world, even before ever meeting Kuina and their promise to each other.
We know that Zoro is somehow related to the Shimotsuki clan from Wano, but ironically
grew up in Shimotsuki village, a colony of former Wano citizens in the East Blue.
He trained at the Villages Dojo, where he was able to beat anyone, but the dojo master’s
daughter Kuina.
After their promise to each other that one of them would become the strongest swordsman
in the world, Kuina tragically died under mysterious circumstances.
Her father says she fell down the stairs, but it is strongly implied that she might
have taken her own life, because Kuina felt that women were physically inferior to men
and could never make up for that difference.
This cemented Zoro’s dream even more and he spent his entire youth training.
He became a bounty hunter to pay for his bills.
One day, in a village called shell town, he saved a little girl from the marine captain’s
son helmepo.
In exchange for not being labeld a criminal by the marines, Zoro agreed to be tied to
a pole in front of the marine’s headquarter and not eat for a month.
A deal that the marines never intended to uphold.
So, despite being a lone wolf, Zoro decided to accept Luffy’s offer to join his crew.
And everything after that is history with countless epic fights and moments for the
future strongest swordsman in the world.
PART I
But the love for Zoro goes a lot deeper than just bad ass feats.
It’s the character’s personality that makes him resonate with so many fans and make
him one of the most popular characters in all of One Piece, sometimes even outranking
Luffy himself in that regard.
What are the attributes and values that best define the Straw Hats’ Moss-Headed swordsman?
First and foremost is strength.
There’s no shortage of fans who speculate that Zoro might be even stronger than Luffy
(though it helps that blades are one of Luffy’s weaknesses).
Zoro is driven to become the world’s greatest swordsman - a feat that will take immeasurable
strength.
Second is discipline.
There is no easy path or shortcut to the type of strength that Zoro seeks.
While the rest of the crew “makes merry” on the ship, Zoro is constantly working out,
lifting the biggest weights known to man.
He knows that he can only achieve his dream through diligent training.
Third is honor.
Despite his ferocious power, he is morally upright.
He will always make what he perceives to be the honorable choice.
For instance, he refused to let Mihawk strike his back and instead takes his defeat standing
upright instead of turning tail and running away.
The final value that defines Zoro is altruism.
Even though, he has a singularly focused pursuit of his goal, he is willing to lay down his
life for others.
Even his own dream, to become the world’s greatest swordsman, is not his alone.
He fights for this dream just as much to honor Kuina’s memory.
Our very first introduction to Zoro exemplified these core values.
When Koby first told Luffy about the rumors, we were introduced to a terrifying monster
- a bloodthirsty, superhuman pirate hunter.
But when we saw him in the stocks, he showed great discipline and honor.
He went without food and water for days on end and he did it for the sake of an innocent
family.
He did the honorable thing in allowing himself to be imprisoned in exchange for the family’s
lives.
And when he asks Luffy to feed him the rice balls that Helmeppo smashed on the ground,
it shows another honorable layer to his personality.
The fact that he was so strongly defined as a character right from the beginning shows
how steadfast Zoro truly is in his convictions.
BRIDGE
To look even deeper into Zoro’s character, though, we have to look beyond the values
What motifs and themes does Zoro portray?
And what real-world connections does Oda-Sensei use in developing his character?
PART II
Themes
Religion among swordsmen
Many significant swordsmen in One Piece are actually connected with one religion or another.
For instance, Shanks is connected with Nordic mythology.
He’s the captain of a viking ship and his one arm suggests parallels to the one-armed
Norse deity Tyr.
Dracule Mihawk, the current strongest swordsman in the world, is connected with symbolism
from Christianity - or at least Gothic vampire literature - which itself is linked directly
with Christianity.
His black blade, Yoru, makes his silhouette appear as a giant Christian cross behind him.
Zoro, however, appears to have connections to Buddhism.
This is mostly evident in his attack names, such as his move “Crossing the Six Paths”
and Asura, a type of demigod within Buddhist and Hindu religions.
Both of these religions in turn, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, from which Zoro might even
derive his name.
Swords as a sign of respect
The swordsmen in One Piece seem to follow a code of honor.
Swords themselves can even be seen as a sign of respect.
When Zoro first encounters Mihawk, he jumps at the chance to fulfill his goal.
If he defeats the Warlord, then he’ll become the world’s greatest swordsman.
Mihawk, surely no stranger to such challenges, thinks that Zoro is just another kid who thinks
he has what it takes to survive in the Grand Line.
He doesn’t respect Zoro and therefore doesn’t even use a sword against him.
He uses a tiny knife.
However, once Zoro demonstrates how honorable he truly is by declaring that scars on the
back or a swordsman’s shame, Mihawk recognizes Zoro as a worthy rival with genuine potential.
Out of respect, he uses Yoru to deal the finishing blow of the duel.
During Zoro’s fight with King, we see what a dishonorable swordsman looks like.
King doesn’t follow a similar moral code to Zoro - instead he uses tricks such as his
hooked sword to try and disarm his opponent rather than fight a genuine duel.
Also, any honorable swordsman would hit subscirbe at this point of the video.
Bushido
It should come as no surprise that Zoro is influenced by Samurai.
We’ve learned that he has heritage in Wano.
Shimotsuki Village in East Blue, where Zoro was raised, was founded by samurai from Wano
who fled after Kaidou’s takeover.
Not only that, but Princess Vivi literally calls Zoro “Mr. Bushido.”
For those who don’t know, “Bushido” is another name for the samurai code or “way
of the samurai.”
Throughout the various periods of Japanese history, Bushido has evolved with the time.
However, one popular summation of its tenets comes from Nitobe Inazo of the Meiji Period.
The eight virtues he extolled were: righteousness, courage, compassion, respect, honesty, honor,
loyalty, and self-control.
Obviously, these are all virtues that Roronoa Zoro embodies.
Going by Bushido, he’s even more “samurai” than the samurai of Wano.
BRIDGE
Now we’ll look at Zoro even more closely - more than looking at him as an individual,
how does he fit into the story of One Piece?
What’s his role in the crew and what is his overall story arc?
How does Zoro change throughout the story and what does that teach us about his character?
PART III
Zoro serves two main roles in the Straw Hat crew.
While technically not named as the first mate, he clearly fits the part.
He’s Luffy’s right hand and has been there since the beginning of Luffy’s adventure.
As the first mate, he’s not just a subordinate to Luffy, though.
Instead he acts as Luffy’s counter balance.
He steps in as a leader when Luffy is incapacitated and even holds the crew together in its times
of greatest turmoil.
He’s made such a name for himself as a noteworthy pirate that, like Killer, he’s considered
part of the Supernovas despite not being a captain.
Zoro’s official role on the crew is that of the swordsman.
He’s one of the deadliest and most powerful members of the crew, likely second only to
Luffy.
When there’s a battle to fight, Zoro is the first to volunteer to cut down the opponent.
It’s no coincidence, either, that Zoro uses blades.
One of Luffy’s biggest weaknesses is cutting attacks, since he can resist blunt attacks
and even gunfire.
However, Zoro can go sword-to-sword with anyone who could threaten to cut down his captain.
Zoro’s character arc is the story of an individual overcoming a single central flaw.
And we’re not talk about his being directionally challenged: his other fatal flaw.
Roronoa Zoro is a lone wolf.
In his quest to become the world’s greatest swordsman, he’s all but given up friends
and camaraderie in exchange for an all-encompassing focus on his goal.
He wants to achieve everything on his own.
Think about it - when Zoro gets lost from the crew, this actually serves a crucial writing
purpose for Oda.
It’s not just a gag because often when the crew gets divided into different groups, Zoro
ends up on his own.
In Sabaody, in Dressrosa, and Wano, just to name a few, Zoro ends up in isolation from
the rest of the crew going on a solo adventure.
He perfectly captures the trope of the wandering ronin.
However, Zoro’s greatest character development throughout the series has been overcoming
this lone wolf persona.
He’s grown close to his crew to the point where he’s even willing to sacrifice his
own dream for their sake.
Let’s take a look at Zoro’s growth throughout each arc and show how he has grown as a character.
When Luffy first meets Zoro, his life is literally on the line.
His unwavering sense of honor has put him in danger at the hands of someone as dishonorable
as Helmeppo.
He agrees to go for weeks without food or water strung up on a cross, not knowing that
the spoiled son of Axehand Morgan has no intention of keeping his side of the bargain.
He laughs off Luffy’s request to join him and become a pirate - he is a pirate hunter
after all - but after Luffy saves him from execution he gains a newfound respect for
the captain.
Agreeing to join Luffy on his adventure seems like just as good a path as any: after all,
the two both have impossibly ambitious dreams - to become the pirate king and the world’s
greatest swordsman.
This call to grand adventure parallels when Rayleigh joined Roger - he’s swayed by the
captain’s charisma and free spirit which complements his own stoic and individual nature.
Even though Zoro walked his path alone, if he hadn’t joined up with his captain, he
wouldn’t have survived.
The next monumental step in Zoro’s character growth is on the Baratie, when he goes face
to face with Mihawk.
He’s utterly defeated, but the warlord still sees something important in Zoro.
Even though he lacks power, he has the strength of will to grow and become stronger.
The exchange between the two swordsmen actually foreshadows many of Zoro’s later feats.
Mihawk defeats him with a tiny knife - much like the knife Zoro uses at the beginning
of Wano to escape his captors.
He sees Mihawk slice a ship in half - a feat Zoro is more than capable of after the timeskip.
And Mihawk even refers to Zoro as “a frog in a well” - an idiom with a similar meaning
to the English “small fish in a big pond.”
Later in Fishman Island, Zoro would say the same to Hyouzou, the overly confident greatest
swordsman of Fishman Island.
In Arlong Park and Loguetown, Zoro comes to respect Luffy more.
When he confronts Arlong, he sees how far Luffy is willing to go for someone he considers
his nakama.
In Loguetown, he sees Luffy’s fearlessness in the face of death and how he’s willing
to die if it means he’s working toward achieving his dream.
In Water 7, we really see Zoro step into the role of the first mate.
When Luffy and Usopp fight over the fate of the Going Merry, the rest of the crew are
devastated.
Zoro, however, is the glue that keeps them together.
His coolheaded, stoic demeanor are crucial in a situation like this.
When everyone’s emotions are high, he occupies the difficult position and does what must
be done to maintain the sanctity of the Straw Hats.
He understands how difficult this conflict is for Luffy, but even as Nami urges for compassion,
Zoro understands that the crew must remain loyal to Luffy.
Zoro also refuses to allow Usopp to join while deflecting with humor or antics.
He’ll only allow Luffy to let him board the ship if he issues a genuine apology for
his misdeeds.
Without Zoro’s strength and conviction, the crew may have fractured permanently on
Water 7.
In the next arc, Thriller Bark, we get the single most important Zoro moment in the entire
series.
“Nothing Happened.”
When the entirety of the crew is incapacitated, Kuma strikes a bargain with Zoro.
The warlord will spare Luffy and the rest of the crew, if Zoro agrees to take on all
of the pain that Luffy suffered during the battle - on top of Zoro’s own already severe
strain from fighting Ryuma and Oars.
This is the ultimate instance of Zoro shouldering Luffy’s burdens and acting as a first mate.
And moreover, despite being terribly wounded, he stands with pride as he declares that “nothing
happened.”
Zoro doesn’t do the things he does for credit.
He has complete satisfaction in knowing that he’s done his duty.
It’s just the same with becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
He’s not doing it to gain clout or recognition in the world.
He simply wants to prove his strength to himself and no one else.
During the two year timeskip, Zoro demonstrated just how loyal he really is to Luffy.
In order to become stronger and help fight for Luffy’s dream, he sacrificed his pride
and begged for Dracule Mihawk to take him as a student.
Zoro began as a character who with a single goal.
He wanted to prove his own strength.
But eventually, he found that through dedication and loyalty, he could find an even greater
purpose.
By fighting for not only his goal, but for Luffy’s dream as well, he unlocked true
strength.
Strength enough to become the world’s greatest swordsman.
CLIMAX
This unbridled power, though, isn’t what makes Zoro such a beloved character.
It’s not just his bad ass fights - there are plenty of characters who offer that kind
of action.
Zoro’s real draw is his honor.
His compassion.
His altruism.
When Luffy found him, Zoro hadn’t been crucified as a test of his own will.
He was doing it to save an innocent little girl.
And even though Zoro walked a lonely road in pursuit of his goal, he never truly walked
alone.
His dream was not just his - it was inherited.
Zoro has never really fought only to prove his strength to himself.
He fights to prove his strength to Kuina.
Through discipline, loyalty, honor, we don’t just lift up ourselves, but lift up everyone
around us.
The beauty of Zoro’s character is how he shows that real strength comes from unwavering
dedication to others.
TRANSITION
And there is still so much more detail and nuance with all of Zoro’s character.
Especially for his character arc with Luffy.
I have a whole video breaking it down in even more detail right here.