We all know that the straw hats journey through the Grand Line is heavily
dominated by violence. This violence is enacted by the various antagonists and
by the crews battles against them. Being a shounen manga, fighting is a central
element in the story of one piece and yet out of all the established straw
hats, there is only one that actually embraces this need for battle and makes
it a part of his ambitions and philosophy. Zoro is a fascinating
character in many ways but it is undeniable that at his core he is a
warrior. As a true swordsman inside the straw hat crew he therefore rightfully holds
the position of 'the fighter'. And yet I think that this position alone does not
satisfy the potential of this man's unique and complex character. Much rather
it seems that Zoro has been introduced as the counterpart of his captain that is
necessary in order to successfully reach the top of the pirate world. I would
argue that right from the start Zoro has been Luffy's right-hand man
making him much more than just a simple fighter on the crew: Zoro is the straw
hat´s first mate. Now before we look at the actions and the characteristics of
Zoro that qualify him for this position, let's first establish what the roles of
'fighter' and 'first mate' really mean and what sets them apart. There is a
difference between being a fighter and just being an aggressor. It is easy to
push around those who are weaker and enjoy imposing your power over someone.
As you might realize, there are many aggressors in one piece and it is easy to
see why we detest them so much. A fighter is different.
Fighting is when it's hard. Fighting means going out of your comfort zone. It
means not giving up. It means hating to lose but learning from the experience.
Anyway, fighting doesn't always involve violence.
It simply means giving you all for something by overcoming any obstacle in
the way. Zoro without a doubt is a true fighter.
He identifies himself by becoming stronger, fighting for his dream to
become the greatest swordsman in the world. In any situation he gives it his
all and sometimes even more. Zoro hates nothing more than losing but even in
defeat he learns from his failure and draws motivation and strength from them.
But what sets him apart from for example Luffy who's also a fighter in the very
same sense? Another meaning of fighting is that of
battle. While Luffy wants to get stronger and faces off against ever stronger
opponents, his true ambition is to achieve absolute freedom. Becoming strong
is therefore just a necessary requirement that has to be fulfilled.
At heart Luffy only fights to resolve conflict and to help others. Zoro is
different. His ambition to become the greatest swordsman in the world is built
on a true passion for combat. His mindset and worldview are centered around battle
and strength. We do not know how Zoro came to think that way but we only know
that he already strived for strength at a very young age. While we know that
Zoro's character is much more complex than this, it certainly can be said that
at his core he's a person that has built his life around fighting. In other words
Zoro is a true fighter through and through. What then is the position of the
first mate and why Zoro more than just a great fighter? Usually a first mate is
the top officer onboard a ship after the captain. Famous examples of this are Silvers
Rayleigh, the first mate of the Roger pirates as well as Ben Beckman the first
made of the red hair pirates. First mates can fill a number of roles, from checking
stock to making sure everyone else is doing their job on the ship, leaving
their captain to more important duties. Since they are the second in command
they answer only to the captain of the ship. Essentially the first mate is the
crew member that the captain must put full trust in and pick very carefully.
They are the captain's right-hand man and if the captain's not at hand the
first mate is the next in line to take over the captain's job. Now as you might
be well aware of, the straw hats are no regular pirate crew. The members don't
operate as much on hierarchy and power as they do on trust, loyalty and
friendship towards another. Additionally the crew is ridiculously
small. Especially compared to any other major player in the new world. Based on
this, one could make the argument that the position of a first mate or any type
of officer structure is not really necessary inside the straw hats. This is
also supported by the fact that no kind of officer role has ever been officially
introduced for any of the straw hats in the first place. And yet I think that Oda has
made it very clear that Zoro is supposed to be Luffy's right hand. Since the straw
heads are unconventional in many ways, the same goes for the
position of the first mate. On our hero´s ship
it fulfills another purpose than on other pirate crews. Similar to Shanks or
Roger, Luffy needs someone who has a more realistic and rational view on things
than he does. Someone that tells him a hard truth or
reminds him of what is really important. Based on that some people argue that
Nami might also be a good fit for this role, but the first mate also needs to be
someone that can send next to his captain in battle and invoke a similar
level of respect and authority. Especially in the violent and conflict
rich world of one-piece, fighting strength is an important feature for any
captain's right hand. And as we already have established previously, Zoro is
without a doubt one of the greatest fighters in the story. So, let's look at
the other qualities that Zoro has and why they make him the only true fit for
the position of first mate. What makes him more than just a great swordsman and
a fighter on the crew? Zoro is one of the most loved
characters in the show for a reason. While his characteristic 3 sword style
and his cool design certainly play their part in this, for many people it goes
much deeper than this. On the surface he may seem cold and distant. He's not
someone to show an awful lot of emotion and is rarely seen joking around with
his crew mates. And yet being one of the main characters in the series we have
learned a lot about Zoro over the course of the years, that might not have
been obvious at first sight. So now, let's look at three important personality
traits that qualify Zoro for the position of the first mate. The first
trait that we will look at is Zoro´s strong sense of honor and loyalty. Having
grown up under the strict rules of a dojo, Zoro has without a doubt developed
a mindset that revolves heavily around the honor of a swordsman. He refuses to
take any action that goes against this honor, even if it means putting his own
life on the line. This was established very early on in the story when Zoro
first faced off with Dracule Mihawk. His sense of loyalty towards his captain his
crewmates as well as towards his ideals is repeatedly shown in various instances
as well. The most drastic example of this is his sacrifice for Luffy on Thriller
Bark, when taking on all of his captain's damage to protect him from Kuma. In other
words, Zoro is the most loyal and honorable straw hat, that
has stood beside Luffy from the very beginning. Additionally, he also strives
to uphold these ideals when faced with the other members actions. His appeal
towards Luffy to not take back Usopp without an apology as well as his
criticism of Sanji's decision to leave the crew behind, show how important
respect and loyalty towards his captain are to him. This makes him the only one
in the crew that actively tries to build Luffy's authority ,so that his captain's
orders are respected when a critical situation arises. The second personality
trait that is often overlooked within Zoro is his kindness and empathy.
Despite his cold and harsh appearance, Zoro actually holds strong ideals of
morality and has a very kind heart. While he would do anything for any of his
crewmates that he values very dearly, he has also repeatedly proven to care
about strangers that are in need of help. He carried a man shot by the celestial
dragon Carlos to the hospital to save his life. And just recently, he defended
princess Hiyori and her companion Toko against one of the Shogun's assassins in
Wano, even while fighting another opponent. Not only are kindness and
empathy defining traits of straw hat crew but Zoro also has the power to act
on it and defend his nakami as well as people in need. He knows what the right
thing is to do and always stands close to Luffy to bring down those who bring
injustice to the world. Lastly being a true fighter Zoro has a
certain degree of ruthlessness and realism, that are necessary to survive in
the Grand Line and that his captain lacks. While the straw hats are the heroes of
our story due to the positivity and caring nature, sometimes they can be seen
as naivety. Zoro might very well be the only member that is able to do what is
necessary to ensure his comrades safety and survival. Unlike some of the members
of the crew Zoro does not shrink from the idea of using deadly force against
dangerous enemies and is known to have killed even before joining Luffy.
Additionally, he also has a more realistic and darker view of the world.
While Luffy's optimism and positive leadership style have brought the crew
very far on their journey, it is nonetheless important to have a
perspective in the crew that sees the things as they are. In this sense Zoro
perfectly completes his captain by bringing the necessary seriousness with
him that has saved the straw hats more than once. These three trades: honor and
loyalty, kindness and empathy, as well as ruthlessness and
realism make Zorro the only suitable candidate for the man standing beside
the next Pirate King. Beside these three characteristics, there is also Zoro's
relationship with Luffy. As mentioned before Zoro would do
anything for his captain and respects Luffy really deeply. As the first member
of the crew he is what Rayleigh was to Roger: A partner that stands side by side
with his leader through every situation. When it comes to any critical situation
Luffy and Zoro don't need a lot of communication to know exactly what they
have to do. Additionally, while Zorro might not officially be his first mate
it's very clear that he's seen that way from the outside:
Not only does Bartolomeo name him as such, he was also the only member of
the crew that entered the group of the supernova with Luffy. And of course he's