Roronoa Zoro

Appearance Further information: Roronoa Zoro/Gallery Zoro is a tall, muscular young man with lightly tanned skin. He occupies his three swords along with him, bundled up with a green haramaki over his right hip, allowing him to easily draw them with his left hand. Of the three swords he has on his person, he has always been seen carrying the Wado Ichimonji, while his other two swords have varied over time due to them being destroyed and subsequently replaced with progressively better ones. Although his right hand is usually seen resting over them, he can also use this hand to pull his swords out before sitting down. He has three identical gold earrings on his left earlobe. Zoro normally keeps a black bandana tied around his left bicep and ties it around his head when he fights seriously against an opponent.

Zoro's body is covered with scars from his many battles, most notably the massive scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip that he acquired during his loss against the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, at Baratie. His other visible scars are the scars he inflicted upon his ankles in a desperate attempt to free himself from Mr. 3's Tokudai Candle Service Set by trying to cut his feet off at Little Garden. After the timeskip, he gained another scar over his left eye, obtained through unknown means.

Zoro's other remarkable feature is his cropped green hair, which Sanji often teases him about by calling him "marimo" (moss-ball, moss-head in the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations) due to its similitude to one.

Before the Timeskip Similar to most of his male crewmates, Zoro has the same outfit throughout most of the series. Before the timeskip, he would consistently wear a white short-sleeved henley shirt, a green haramaki, black pants, and black boots, both of which are sometimes depicted as dark green. However, only Zoro's shirt varies from time to time in the arcs.

During the Arlong Park Arc, after he disembarked Sanji's fishing ship, he neglected to put on a shirt. After beating up most of Arlong's crew, he wore an opened, navy bblueshort-sleeved collared shirt decorated with light blue whirlpools that he stole from one of the fishmen. Since Zoro received his scar from Mihawk during the Baratie Arc before the Arlong Park Arc, Zoro wore bandages that were visible underneath his shirt.

During the Loguetown Arc, Zoro acquired Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri to replace the two unnamed katanas that Mihawk broke during the Baratie Arc.

During the Drum Island Arc, Zoro was bundled up for the winter island but later stripped down after a foolish choice to swim in the frigid water on the island. He remained shirtless and barefoot at the beginning of the arc after getting lost from the Going Merry and left unable to redress himself until he stole a coat from a man in Wapol's army, which was a double-breasted forest green parka with a light green sash, an off-white segment for the buttons, and white fur on the cuffs, hood, and hem, as well as muted brown gloves and black boots.

During the Arabasta Arc, he wore an orange keffiyeh with a gold chain on his head, a white robe with a pattern of black dots and diamonds, and the bottom of his black trousers were torn above his ankles. At the end of the arc, he wore a dark gray dress with a henley collar.

During the Skypiea Arc, he wore his usual outfit at the beginning of the arc until he took it off after fighting a sky shark to save Chopper from being eaten. Afterward, he wore a dark blue tank top and goggles strapped either on his head or around his neck, which were later broken and discarded.

During the Water 7 Arc, he wore his usual outfit until near the end, where he wore a yellow short-sleeved button up shirt with a metal zipper and a closed pocket flap on each side. He continued wearing this outfit throughout the Enies Lobby Arc.

During the Post-Enies Lobby Arc, he wore a black shirt with the Galley-La Company emblem on it in white.

At the end of the Thriller Bark Arc, he wore an open, gray shirt. He also replaced Yubashiri, which was rusted away by Shu in the Enies Lobby Arc, with Shusui, which was entrusted to him by the zombie of Ryuma brought to life by Brook's shadow.

During the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, he wore an open white short-sleeved button-up shirt with vertical red stripes.

During his time at Kuraigana Island, shortly after being sent there by Bartholomew Kuma, he wore an open, dark blue shirt. Since Zoro was critically injured when he arrived at the island, Perona patched him up, so bandages were all over his body.

Personality Zoro usually maintains a very stern, serious, and distanced personality but often loses his temper in a goofy and exaggerated comical style. It would seem, however, that this anger is the only emotion that Zoro often feels comfortable showing. Outside of situations where he feels confident in battle, he tends to smile or laugh the least out of the Straw Hats and rarely fools around with the rest of the crew and likes to distance himself more to sleep or train. In fact, his defeat at the hands of Dracule Mihawk and subsequent vow to Monkey D. Luffy is the only time since his friend Shimotsuki Kuina passed that Zoro has been seen crying in the series.

Even in moments that are particularly tough on the crew and would warrant sadness, Zoro chooses to maintain a quiet solemnity rather than outwardly express his emotions. He has been shown to believe, to a degree, that these emotions can hinder his judgment as a swordsman: when Ohm asked him if he was out for revenge upon discovering Tony Tony Chopper wounded and unconscious, he replied that he does not like to fight for reasons like that. Despite this assertion, though, he cares deeply for his crewmates and wishes to protect them at all costs, telling Ohm that in spite of his preference for fighting without motivation, he can feel one coming on.

Although Zoro cares for his crew, he can also come off as a very blunt and cold person, especially when he is trying to get his point across. During the Davy Back Fight, when Chopper was forced to join Foxy's crew after losing an event, Chopper cried and complained, which prompted Zoro to yell at him and state he was disgraceful. He reprimanded Chopper, reminding him it was his choice to join the Straw Hats and compete in the fight, and told him to man up and have faith in the crew to win him back. As with the ordeal when Usopp left the crew, Zoro refused to let him come back and even yelled at Nami to shut up when she tried to say otherwise. Zoro lectured the entire crew, reminding them Usopp was the one who picked the fight with Luffy and left of his own free will, and they cannot let him come back unless he accepts responsibility for his actions and apologizes for his behavior. Zoro also often reminds others of the harsh facts, which often shocks some of the other crew members, although they usually decide he is right in the end. This is especially true in regards to strangers, as Zoro rarely shows much trust in others. This was made apparent when Nico Robin joined, and he was the only one to keep his guard up around her due to her being a former enemy. However, over time, he seems to have learned to place his trust in others more, as he agreed with the alliance with Law and believed Hiyori when she revealed her identity to him.

Zoro is also very perceptive, something he demonstrates by providing important and logical decisions at critical times and by evaluating the situation from an objective point of view, as he did in Water 7 by evaluating the best way to handle what seemed like Robin's betrayal. And later again, when the crew wanted to bring Usopp back after he challenged Luffy to a duel over the Going Merry and lost, saying that they shouldn't pity Usopp. Zoro was the one who noted that Usopp was at fault for leaving the crew of his own accord.

Like Nico Robin, Zoro is also really sensitive when put into embarrassing situations, to where he prefers to object vocally while usually blushing from embarrassment (though Robin usually ignores and lets go of these situations most of the time because of her patience), rather than respond violently like Nami or Sanji. Examples are during the Thriller Bark Arc, Zoro refused to do something stupid like address Franky as "Bro", or Franky's later joke technique "Pirates Docking 6: "Big Emperor" where after they disassembled, Zoro felt stupid for agreeing to do it in the first place. In the Dressrosa Arc, Zoro was embarrassed when he had Wicca with him when traveling through town, as trying to communicate with her made the people around them think Zoro was "talking to himself" since they couldn't see Wicca due to her small size (though it was revealed at the end of that arc that Dressrosa's citizens were secretly aware of the dwarves' existence). Also, during anime-only events of the Post-Enies Lobby Arc, when Zoro was forced to help take care of children, he intended to make sure that the crew or any of the town's residents that knew him personally did not find out about this embarrassing situation, though it was later found out by Robin. Zoro does have rare moments of responding violently in these situations, such as choking Chopper during Aqua Laguna for mentioning to Luffy and Nami the embarrassing story of how Zoro got stuck in the chimney of a house, which Luffy laughed about (though Luffy was also in a similar situation earlier).[20]

He also seems to be partially irreverent, but not seriously so, simply choosing to focus more on his training and what is clearly in front of him than on worrying about spiritual matters as well as questions about its mysteries that he cannot truly answer.

While he is quite indifferent to the gender and/or age of his opponents, many of his adversaries (like Tashigi and Monet) seem to believe he does not take women seriously when, in fact, it is only because Tashigi reminded him too much of Kuina and he considered Monet to merely be a distraction. When the latter tried to take advantage of this belief, he cut her down without hesitation, only refraining from killing her because she was too weak to even be considered a proper opponent, using a non-Haki strike in lieu of a blunt attack.[21] During his fight with Miss Monday, Zoro did not hesitate to crush her skull with his bare hands to knock her out. It should be noted that he does disagree to a certain extent about using excessive force against women. For example, when Nico Robin was violently electrocuted by Enel, Zoro was extremely ferocious at him, reminding the Birkan that his target is a woman.

Like Luffy, Zoro shows little interest or attraction to women. He was not enticed or won over by the beauty or charms of Nami or Robin when they joined; he did not peep at the women's bath when Nami and Vivi were bathing, nor did he show interest in overwhelming beauties such as the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi or Boa Hancock. Zoro seems to rather focus on whatever task is at hand and his own training. Despite this, Zoro has acted flustered around some women, though not in romantic ways. During his childhood, Zoro was seen blushing when Kuina mentioned her figure was beginning to develop. When he first met Tashigi, he was visibly shocked by her strong resemblance to Kuina, and whenever he encountered her, he would constantly try to run away, unable to face her. This is no longer the case after the timeskip, as he lost his uncomfortable behavior around her and treated her coldly during their fight with Monet and was more irritated when she complained about him carrying her after she passed out. During his interactions with Kouzuki Hiyori, Zoro was very startled to wake up seeing her sleeping on top of his chest and tried to explain to Brook that nothing happened, and even more so when she playfully asked if he enjoyed it.

Though he rarely uses it, Zoro knows various phases of the traditional warrior's battle cry of "Sunacchi"; something that he recounts hearing and learning from Shimotsuki Kouzaburou in Shimotsuki Village. He's never used it personally, however, but has told Momonosuke about it to energize the latter in his sword training, saying that it would strengthen his heart when his courage falters.

Relationships Family Although a descendant of the Shimotsuki Family,[3] Zoro seems to be completely unaware of his connection to it and its members that he has met in his life. It is unknown what his relationship was like, if any, with his father and mother.

Shimotsuki Koushirou Shimotsuki Koushirou is Roronoa Zoro's teacher and Kuina's father, as well as his distant relative. On the day after Zoro and Kuina made their vow, Kuina had fallen down the stairs and died. On Zoro's request, Koushirou handed him one of the Shimotsuki Family's Famous Blade, Wado Ichimonji.

Zoro is grateful to Koushirou for teaching him the sword and giving him the Famous Blade Wado Ichimonji. He states that he cannot lose this sword no matter what. In addition, he remembers his words while he is fighting a tough opponent or while he is on the verge of death. Although he did not understand it at the time, Koushirou taught Zoro that there is much more to being a swordsman than the ability to cut through anything. A sword that can simply harm anything is not a real sword, and there is no sword mightier than the one that protects what it wants to protect. Zoro later remembers Koushirou's teachings during his battle with Daz Bonez and overcomes his inability to cut steel.

Crew Though not as much with strangers, Zoro is always ready to protect and save his comrades whenever they are in danger, even at the cost of his own life. For example, in Skypiea, when he noticed the Going Merry being dragged away, he told everyone to leave the ship, saying he would stay back alone and protect it. Furthermore, he was willing to trade his life for Luffy's when Kuma first attacked the Straw Hats and he knocked Sanji unconscious when the latter tried to intervene. Another example is when Usopp was trying to escape from a Pacifista while dragging an injured Zoro; during which, despite the severity of his injuries, he told Usopp to escape and let him fight, which the latter objected against. Zoro is usually distant with the crew, as he frequently trains in the lookout or sleeps. Only coming out to tell Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper to quiet down or when the crew gathers together, the two crewmates Zoro interacts the most with is Nami and Sanji (by way of arguing).

Zoro trusts Luffy implicitly and always follows his decisions whatever the consequences, acknowledging it as a captain's decision, which a crew must carry out without question. When Zoro first joined Luffy, he made it clear that he would turn on or even kill his captain if he ever stepped between him and his dream. However, by the time of the Thriller Bark Arc, Zoro had completely changed his mind about Luffy. He said that he cannot fulfill his dream if he does not help his captain fulfill his.

Zoro seems to have the most respect and loyalty for Luffy, not only as a captain but due to their mutual understanding of each other. This deep respect has been demonstrated on various occasions. For instance, he was willing to throw away his dreams and ambitions for Luffy's during the appearance of Kuma at Thriller Bark without the slightest hesitation. When he was almost on the verge of death from his wound from "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk at the Baratie, he tearfully vowed to Luffy that he would never lose again, asking if it was alright with him as Pirate King. He even went as far as to repeat Luffy's earlier sentiment that as Pirate King, he would be in a "real dilemma" if Zoro did not become the best swordsman. Despite his respect for Luffy, he was willing to fight his captain at Whisky Peak when Luffy gave him no choice though things were cleared up.

During the Long Ring Long Land Arc, after winning the Davy Back Fight contest against the Foxy Pirates, Zoro implied that he would never have become a pirate if it were not for Luffy and commented that he would have no point of being one if he ever left the ship. This respect is not only for Luffy as a person, but also because of his position as captain. When Luffy learned that Usopp was planning on returning to the crew during their time in Water 7 and was immediately ready to welcome him back, Zoro made it clear that a crew member who fought against their captain should not be forgiven so easily. Zoro explained to the others that one should respect their captain unconditionally and he would quit as well if Luffy allowed someone to walk all over him like Usopp, who wanted to rejoin without even apologizing for his actions. When Luffy was distraught after having to defeat Usopp, Zoro reminded him that those hard decisions are part of being captain and that he cannot lose himself. He reminds Luffy that if he wavers, the crew has no one else they can trust.

After the death of Luffy's brother, Zoro tried to get back to his captain as he was aware of the pain Luffy was going through. During Luffy's second appearance at Marineford, Zoro begged Dracule Mihawk to train him (despite it not being honorable) in order to become stronger for Luffy's sake.

Nami Nami and Zoro are often seen bickering about the smallest and pettiest of things to provide comic relief, though it can also manifest in serious situations, such as Sanji's sudden disappearance in Zou. As Zoro has known Nami for the longest time, being the first two crewmates of the Straw Hats, he is seen interacting with her often, especially before the timeskip, though most of their conversations are disagreements. He is also one of the two, the other one being Usopp, who always reprimands Nami whenever it comes to her shady money-making schemes. The two are also the main two Straw Hats to engage in excessive heavy drinking, as shown in Whisky Peak.

Usopp Zoro has been good friends with Usopp since the start of their journey. In fact, Zoro was the one to tell Usopp to get on board the Going Merry. Zoro finds Usopp's cowardly nature disgusting and will always refuse Usopp's requests to be his bodyguard. Zoro also gets easily annoyed when Usopp hides behind him, and even more so when he tries to lie his way out of a fight, finding it shameful. Zoro is aware of Usopp's braver attributes after seeing how hard he fought to protect Syrup Village and Kaya and views his sniping skills as dependable. However, he still openly displays his desire for Usopp to act less like a coward. Despite his views on Usopp's cowardice, Zoro has displayed a strong amount of loyalty and care for Usopp, and has saved and stood up for him on more than one occasion. The best example of this is during the Arlong Park Arc when Zoro attempts to slash Nami when she lied that she had killed Usopp, before being stopped by the recently joined Sanji. Another example is during the Water 7 Arc when he and the other members of the crew find a beaten and bloodied Usopp. Zoro and the rest of the crew became furious and attacked the Franky Family in retaliation and destroyed their base in the process.

Zoro and Usopp occasionally make idiotic decisions during a serious situation such as when they were fighting CP9 and got handcuffed together, causing the swordsman and sniper to run around in a panic. Zoro suggested he cut off one of their arms to which Usopp strongly disagreed, which caused Zoro to come up with a plan to use Usopp as his sword. This plan failed, though they worked better together in the future. Zoro would not forgive Usopp's desertion from the crew and disrespect towards Luffy and would accept Usopp back only if he bowed his head and apologized. When Usopp finally did this, Zoro was pleased to have him back.[31]

After two years, their dynamic has slightly improved, with Usopp now being less cowardly in battles, which Zoro first took note of during the battle against the New Fish-Man Pirates. Zoro has also seemed to have become more tolerant of Usopp's behavior, but still gets annoyed by it from time to time.

Sanji

Zoro is always shown to compete with Sanji, getting into fights with each other over petty matters, often at inopportune moments. They had some early disagreements with each other during the Arlong Park Arc on how to deal with Nami's alleged betrayal, but their back-and-forth relationship officially began on Little Garden when the two competed in a hunting expedition. Their rivalry extends to Sanji's cooking, as Zoro rarely acknowledges its quality, usually just calling it "okay".

Zoro also has a habit of insulting Sanji when he is flirting with Nami or Robin. Both have common insulting nicknames they call each other. Zoro never calls Sanji by his name, usually calling Sanji "dartboard brow", "ero-cook", or "dumbass cook" while Sanji often calls Zoro "marimo" (mosshead), "shitty marimo", or "shitty swordsman". This has gotten to the point where Zoro has never actually referred to Sanji by his name.[32] After their return to Sabaody Archipelago after training for two years, Zoro mocked Sanji arriving later to him by referring to him as "Number 7" and himself as "Number 1". Additionally, after the nose bleeding problem Sanji went through, particularly during their adventures in Fish-Man Island, Zoro invented a new insulting nickname for Sanji "Mr. Nosebleed" which he first used when the battle against the New Fish-Man Pirates began. In Wano Country, Zoro called Sanji "Browgoro" while Sanji called Zoro "Mossjuro". After the events of Raid on Onigashima, Zoro invented a new nickname "Fourth Placer" to mock Sanji, as Sanji's bounty now stands at fourth position among the crew.

Despite their comical fights and rivalry, they have an unspoken trust and care between them they would never admit to. In fact, the two warriors understand each other better than other crewmates. Zoro's trust in Sanji's strength and character can be seen multiple times. He smiled when Sanji returned to fight Jabra. When Usopp and Franky were worried about the Sunny crew after arriving at Zou, Zoro stated that they would be okay since Sanji was with them. Despite saying he did not care what happened to Sanji, Luffy caught Zoro listening intently to Pekoms from outside the door showing he still cares for Sanji's safety. When Luffy pointed this out, Zoro got annoyed. When the pair are forced to fight together against a common foe, they are nearly an unstoppable team, such as their fight against Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan.

Zoro and Sanji are often paired up together during arcs and they are usually presented, visually and narratively, as Luffy's biggest support. They have also been referred to as the Pirates King's Wings (海賊王の両翼, Kaizoku-ō no ryōyoku?)[33][34][35] Despite their differences, they know they can rely on each other to have their captain's back as well as each other's. When Sanji decided to call Zoro after his genetic modifcations had awakened, asking Zoro to kill him if he started to become an emotionless monster like his brothers. A request that Zoro accepted, before asking Sanji not to die until then, showcasing the deep trust and respect between the two men, despite their constant bickering.

Whenever new bounties were distributed, Zoro would always be smugly proud that his bounty remained higher than Sanji's. However, after Sanji's bounty became higher than his after the events at Totto Land,[37] Zoro became irritated and threatened to fight Sanji over it. When his bounty became higher than Sanji's once more after the Raid on Onigashima, Zoro did not hesitate to mock Sanji about his lower bounty by referring to Sanji as "Number 4" and himself "Crew's 2nd", causing Sanji to fight with Zoro.[38]

Nefertari Vivi He got along well with Vivi, who nicknamed him "Mr. Bushido". However, he was the least sad of his crewmates to see her leave. Following the Wano Country Arc, when most of the crew were frantic over Vivi's disappearance after reading the recent news regarding the Levely, Zoro was able to help them calm down, by reminding them that Vivi is strong enough to protect herself, and they shouldn't worry about her unless if she truly needed their help.

Tony Tony Chopper

Chopper is in total awe of Zoro's strength and "tough guy" attitude. Zoro also appears to have a close relationship with Chopper, seeing as the youngest crewmember runs to him when he is scared or in danger, and the swordsman is the first one to jump into action whenever Chopper falls in the water. During the Arabasta Arc, Zoro carried Chopper on a barrow or on his head when they were crossing the desert and rivers. Zoro also washed Chopper's back in the large bath in the castle. But the strongest display of Zoro's care for Chopper was displayed in Skypiea, when he found him seriously injured from Ohm's Ordeal of Iron and grew angry enough to the point that he fought Ohm for revenge, a concept he normally does not support. This is probably because Chopper seems to care a lot about Zoro as he is usually the one taking the most damage after battle, so Chopper is usually the one healing him. During the Davy Back Fight with the Foxy Pirates, Zoro told Chopper to stop crying when he was claimed by Foxy and to act like a man, which he then does, earning a great amount of respect from the swordsman.

Nico Robin When Robin had just joined the Straw Hats after the Arabasta Arc, Zoro, Usopp, and Nami (who eventually got bought with money for her cooperation) were the only ones not to trust her. Just like her, he did not initially use her name, referring to her on multiple occasions as simply "that woman." Zoro also bluntly mentioned to Robin that he still did not trust her and believed that she was hiding her true intentions. Nonetheless, despite his personal opinion, Zoro still saw her as a member of the crew. He also immediately came to respect her intelligence like the others did and did not hesitate to ask her about something he needed to have explained to him.

Despite his doubts, Zoro's protective nature extended to include her, as later on, he shows willingness to protect her if she is in any danger, such as jumping to her aid along with the Monster Trio when she was threatened by Aokiji, implying that despite his lack of trust towards Robin, he will still save her just like the more trusting ones, Luffy and Sanji. When Enel brutally attacked her, he got angrier than he ever had during that point in the story and attacked the self-proclaimed god to avenge her.

He still remained wary of trusting her during the Water 7 Arc. Upon hearing of her alleged assassination attempt on Iceburg, Zoro appeared to be somewhat indifferent, claiming that he had no opinion on whether Robin really betrayed them. Nevertheless, in reality, he wanted to know the truth as much as the others, as he becomes more active than he usually is outside of fighting, basically orchestrating the 'Catch Robin' mission while leaving all final decisions to his captain. It is Zoro who reminds everyone that if they failed, they would probably never get a second chance to find Robin. Regardless of promising Nami and Chopper to use the back of his blades against the shipwrights guarding the mayor's mansion, he still injured them because he was more focused on catching Robin. During the confrontation in Iceburg's room, Zoro looks noticeably angry when Robin says she was done and would never see them again. Later on, Zoro and all the other Straw Hats became fully dedicated to saving her when they learned of her intention to sacrifice herself for the crew. After defeating marine captain T Bone, Zoro told him that saving Robin was more important than his justice. At Enies Lobby, it was Zoro who ultimately acquired the key to unlock Robin's handcuffs by defeating Kaku using a new sword style. He was visibly glad to hear from Franky that Robin had been freed.

After the Enies Lobby Arc, Zoro has built a complete trust in Robin and accepted her as a friend. Like the rest of the crew, Zoro would risk his life to protect her. Robin herself is willing to protect him, such as when she caught him after he was knocked into the air by Oars, trying to save him from Kizaru, and stopping him from being killed by the water pressure when he tried to exit the ship on the way towards Fish-Man Island. After Zoro gets severely injured after sacrificing himself at the end of Thriller Bark, Robin eavesdrops on a conversation between Sanji and the Risky Brothers to find out what happened and afterward decides to keep Zoro’s secret to herself just like Sanji decided. At one point during the party later on, she watches over the injured swordsman, commenting to him how nostalgic "Binks' Sake" was to her.

Intelligence Tactical Skills Zoro typically does not plan out actions and strategies ahead of time. Still, Zoro is shrewd and observant, which greatly aid him in his battles against fearsome enemies on multiple occasions, allowing him to learn all the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy in a short time, and use it to his advantage[35][36] and can formulate plans that give his friends and allies a fighting chance.[37]

He is also a capable leader, being able to take the lead when Luffy is otherwise preoccupied and able to adapt to just about any situation. During his fight with the bounty hunters of Whisky Peak, Zoro utilized his environment to his advantage by shielding himself with a table and cutting a hole in the floor right at the spot where several hunters attempted to strike from above.[38] Zoro's on-the-spot tactical abilities were also shown to a significant degree when he fought Pica on Dressrosa. When Pica inhabited a giant stone golem and moved several kilometers in minutes to attack Zoro's allies, the swordsman quickly came up with five potential strategies to stop him, and as he was on the move, he easily deduced the strengths and weaknesses of each approach until settling on one that worked. During the Raid on Onigashima, it was perhaps shown most in his battle against King, as he struggled to break through his exceptional durability, paying attention to the flames on his back and noting that his Devil Fruit powers did not appear to be the cause of it while ruling out him being a fish-man or having giant blood.[39] After numerous clashes, Zoro managed to figure out and exploit the main weakness of the lunarian - his reliance on his back flames to increase durability or speed, which became a crucial factor in defeating him.[40]

Luck Given that Zoro still has a rash attitude in almost all situations, he has also heavily relied on and frequently benefited from luck and fortune. This was demonstrated in a most extreme fashion at Ipponmatsu's shop in Loguetown, where Zoro decided to test Sandai Kitetsu's "curse" on himself by throwing the blade up in a vertical spinning motion and holding his arm in the path of its descent. Miraculously, Sandai Kitetsu spun perfectly around his arm, missing it entirely; Ipponmatsu was left speechless at Zoro's incredible fortune.[41]

Lack of Orientation One of Zoro's most prominent weaknesses is his utter inability to follow directions, resulting in him frequently getting lost. He only became a bounty hunter after leaving Shimotsuki Village because he lost his way while out at sea looking for Mihawk.[42] He has no knowledge of how to identify cardinal directions and frequently misinterprets them as either right or left; when traveling alone, he tends to frequently change direction without realizing and follow arbitrary indicators of direction like animals.[43] In Arabasta, he even confused the cardinal directions with vertical ones, causing him to scale up Alubarna's clock tower when told to head north.[44]

Generally, the only way to get Zoro to reach a destination is for another person to lead him there; if he is left unattended even briefly, he is extremely likely to wander off regardless of how obvious his path is.[45] In Enies Lobby, Zoro could not even understand directions when going to the courthouse roof; even when Nami guided him and the others up a set of stairs, Zoro ended up going up a different set instead. He was eventually able to make it to the roof by simply moving upwards and cutting through the floors above him, rather than traversing the building's hallways.[46] While traveling to Oden Castle in Wano, Zoro only had to sit and ride on the steed Komachiyo to get there but still somehow ended up wandering off on his own.

Physical Abilities Strength

Zoro possesses immense physical strength[48] and frequently spends his time at sea lifting incredibly large and heavy weights to keep growing stronger.[49] Zoro's strength plays a large role in his abilities as a swordsman, as his strikes possess a great amount of power and range in their cutting ability. Thanks to his strength, Zoro is capable of clashing equally with superhumanly large and powerful opponents and can send normal-sized opponents flying away with ease.[50] Although he initially had trouble cutting Mr. 1's skin due to the latter's Devil Fruit, Zoro's strikes had enough power to knock the powerful martial artist to the ground.[51] Zoro could clash with the likes of Kaku, a superhuman assassin whose strength and weight were both dramatically increased by his Zoan powers, and even managed to overpower him after flexing his biceps and performing his Nigori-Zake attack.[52]

Zoro's strength is such that he has picked up, carried, and thrown people and objects that rival him in size multiple times with relative ease, with such instances including carrying a large stone cage on his shoulder with Luffy inside it,[53] throwing Hatchan, a Fish-Man over his shoulder while heavily wounded,[54] and lifting Usopp off the ground with one hand and wielding him like a sword.[55] In Whisky Peak, Zoro easily overpowered Miss Monday, a fighter with considerably above-average physical power, in a match of strength,[38] and when he was tied up by Mr. 9's iron rope, he was able to use the rope to pull Mr. 9 into the path of his other opponents and their attacks.[56] During the Davy Back Fight, Zoro picked up the very large Pickles by his ankles and spun him around before launching him a great distance forward,[57] and later he was able to flip Big Pan backwards in midair by grabbing the wotan's upper jaw.[58] One of his most notable displays of raw strength was in Arabasta, when he picked up an entire collapsed building and held it over his head while injured before throwing it toward Mr. 1.[51]

When Zoro attempts to use non-lethal force against opponents, he will attack with the backs of his swords instead, though his strength makes these blows extremely powerful regardless.[45] In Orange Town, he used two of his sheathed swords to simultaneously hit the Acrobatic Fuwas and keep them away from Nami.[59] In Arabasta, he positioned two of his swords backwards under Chopper and Vivi while they were in midair and used them to successfully propel the duo up all the way to the clocktower many meters above him.[60] Zoro also used his sword blades in an unusual manner on Thriller Bark, when he used them to lift the Heavy Nunchaku in order to use them against Oars.[61] Zoro rarely engages in hand-to-hand combat, but his strength makes him quite capable at it, as shown when he easily knocked one of Wapol's guards to the ground with a punch.[43] simultaneously launched Luffy, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine into a faraway building with a single kick,[62] and redirected Pickles' sword swing and body with his No Sword Style.[63] During the Davy Back Fight before going against the Groggy Monsters, Zoro has shown he is skilled enough to fight against Sanji, relying on kicks and blocks.[64]

Zoro also clashed evenly with Hatchan, who as a Fish-Man is ten times stronger than a normal Human, even while being severely injured,[65] and also equally dueled with Neptune and Pica, two gigantic and mighty warriors whose weapons even dwarf him in size.[66][67] At Whisky Peak, Zoro was able to equally match the blows of his captain Luffy, who himself is extremely strong, with their clashes causing considerable collateral damage.[62] When he first clashed with Marine Admiral Fujitora on Dressrosa, he resisted Fujitora's overwhelming gravitational force just enough to unleash a flying slash toward the Admiral to disrupt the force from underground.

Even more notably, Zoro demonstrated enough power to redirect a punch from Oars capable of causing massive structural damage,[69] and two years later could use his swords to withstand the teeth of Dragon Number Thirteen, a giant dragon with extreme physical might.[70] Perhaps his most notable feat of strength yet was when Zoro used his swords to block a combined attack from Kaidou and Big Mom, two Emperors who are among the strongest people in the world, long enough to allow his allies to dodge the attack's otherwise inescapable attack radius.[71] Despite sustaining heavy injuries from that attack, Zoro mustered enough strength to momentarily clash with and cut deeply into Kaidou's nigh-indestructible body, to the point of leaving a scar, becoming the second swordsman after Kouzuki Oden to do so, earning the Emperor's respect.[33] Having recovered because of Miyagi's healing medicine, Zoro could momentarily knock down King immediately after recovering and then proceeded to fight him, transformed or not, for an extended period. However, he could not bypass the lunarian's inhuman resilience until he figured out King's biology.

Later, during the Egghead Arc, he blocked Kaku's Rankyaku "Amane Dachi" using just one sword,[72] immediately after waking up from a nap, despite him having gotten much stronger since their last fight and becoming a CP0 Agent. He then fought Kaku in his Awakened Form, even knocking him down without much effort, irritated from fighting Zoan users with irregular transformations.[73] Zoro could clash evenly with S-Hawk, a Seraphim modeled after a young Dracule Mihawk, having abilities similar to the genetic source, with King's Lunarian abilities and Daz Bonez's Devil Fruit powers, without backing down or flinching while clashing. Despite the constant battles, he proved more than capable of matching Rob Lucci in his Awakened Form, toying with him for an extended period of time, before using his King of Hell Three Sword Style to defeat him remarkably easily. Another feat came when he managed to knock back Nusjuro of the Five Elders in his Awakened Human-Beast Form in an equal clash, despite being weakened from his previous fight, with Nusjuro being leagues stronger than Lucci, toppling Giants and Pacifistas with ease.

No Sword Style

When he lacked his swords during the Groggy Ring event in the Davy Back Fight, Zoro used an ability known as No Sword Style in which he was able to use his body's physical power to emit shockwaves resembling his sword slashes. By throwing his arms forward, he created a whirlwind force sending Pickles spinning into his teammate Big Pan. Since Pickles was wielding swords, the attack caused him to cut Big Pan numerous times.[63]

Speed and Agility Zoro has demonstrated tremendous speed and agility to pursue opponents and avoid their attacks. Similar to his crewmate Brook, he can cut opponents in the blink of an eye and even unsheathe and re-sheathe the sword before opponents can react.[75][76] In his duel with the zombie master swordsman Ryuma, the two of them were able to parry the other's attacks before the onlookers even registered that they had performed attacks, only noticing once the strikes took effect on their surroundings.[77] At Whisky Peak, he overwhelmed a hundred bounty hunters at once with his speed and was capable of dodging the many bullets they fired at him.[78]

Zoro has excellent jumping and climbing power, notably leaping a great distance from one roof to another using a falling ladder as a steppingstone in Whisky Peak.[38] While fighting Braham on Upper Yard, Zoro ran up the trunk of a large tree before propelling himself into the air with his legs to attack his opponent.[79] On Thriller Bark, Zoro escaped from a collapsing tower and quickly adapted to dueling Ryuma on the steep side of said tower.[80] In the Enies Lobby Courthouse, he got up to the roof by cutting through the ceilings and jumping from level to level,[46] while on Dressrosa he was able to keep up with and eventually catch up to the dwarf Wicca despite having to run across and jump between multiple roofs;[81] later, after being sent plummeting into a deep hole by Fujitora's gravity, Zoro easily jumped out of it once the gravity stopped.[68]

Zoro possesses extraordinarily quick reflexes, as shown in Whisky Peak when he dodged a large variety of attacks used against him by the Baroque Works agents, including gunfire, melee weapons, blinding gas, and even a bazooka, despite numerous attempts by the agents to surround and trap him.[38] In his fight with Braham, Zoro dodged much of the warrior's shots despite Braham using Flash Dials to obstruct his vision with flashing light,[79] and when he encountered Saint Charlos on Sabaody, Zoro easily dodged the World Noble's attempt to quickly draw his gun and shoot him.[82] Zoro showed the ability to keep up with Mr. 1, a martial arts master whose Devil Fruit allowed him to turn any part of his body into a blade, parrying and dodging the majority of his highly varied techniques.[51] Even without Observation Haki, Zoro was able to quickly recognize what the CP9 agents' Rankyaku attacks would do right as they were performing them and shout at Nami and Chopper to get down to avoid them.[83] Later, Zoro was able to counter Kaku's attempted strike without issue despite the agent using Soru to move at blinding speed.[84] After the timeskip, with the aid of his Haki, Zoro was quick enough to intercept Batman's sudden arrow shot with his sword mere centimeters away from the face of Batman's target Tsurujo.

Durability and Endurance Zoro possesses immense levels of durability and endurance, having survived numerous serious injuries and oftentimes continuing to fight and move around while afflicted with them. One of his greatest assets as a warrior is his inexplicable pain tolerance.[89] This was first shown in Orange Town when he kept fighting after being stabbed in the torso by Buggy, even lifting and carrying a large and heavy cage with Luffy in it. After briefly resting, he fought and defeated Buggy's top henchman, Cabaji; despite Cabaji deliberately trying to target his wound, Zoro one-upped him by cutting his wound open more and remaining steadfast despite the blood loss.[90] During his battle against Mr. 1, Zoro received a rapid series of cuts so powerful that they tore apart the pillar behind him and caused it to collapse. Although Zoro lost a tremendous amount of blood from these strikes, he was not only able to quickly get back up and defeat Mr. 1 but also maintained enough mental clarity to predict where the debris from the destroyed pillar would not fall. Following this battle, Zoro was able to continue fighting against the Baroque Works forces without receiving medical attention.[75]

Although Mihawk deliberately left him alive during their duel, Zoro still sustained wounds so severe that they put him on the brink of death, with Johnny noting that such wounds should normally disable a typical man for half a year, if not kill him,[54] and the doctor Nako stating that it would normally take someone two years to fully recover from them.[91] In spite of this, Zoro began walking around very quickly afterwards with only rudimentary treatment and fought and easily defeated several members of the Arlong Pirates.[92] When fighting the powerful six-sword-wielding Hatchan, Zoro was in constant pain and on the brink of fainting, but despite even taking a headbutt to his wounded area, he was able to muster enough strength to counter Hatchan's six-sword barrage and defeat the fish-man.[65] After receiving proper treatment in Cocoyasi Village, Zoro was not shown to be affected by Mihawk's wounds.

Zoro's most extreme display of endurance came on Thriller Bark, which began when he was able to get up after being struck by the attacks of Oars, an ancient giant zombie with the power to destroy entire buildings; this caused Lola to compare him to a zombie.[94] Following the fights against Oars and Gecko Moria, Zoro suffered multiple powerful blows from the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, including a Pacifista laser blast and a massive shockwave, the latter of which knocked out everyone except him, Sanji, and Brook.

Zoro remained conscious following this and continued attacking Kuma but then proceeded to make a deal with the Warlord to receive the pain and suffering Luffy had endured in exchange for Kuma letting the rest of his crew live. At that point, Luffy had taxed his body while fighting Oars and Moria to the point that he had fallen unconscious, and both Kuma and Zoro believed that Zoro receiving Luffy's fatigue in addition to his own would undoubtedly kill him. Upon receiving Luffy's suffering, Zoro bled profusely to the point where his entire body and many of the rocks around him became covered in his blood. However, Zoro not only barely survived this but also managed to remain conscious until his crewmates came to, where he claimed to them that nothing had happened.[95] Zoro managed to recover after being in a comatose state for three days and receiving medical treatment from Chopper,[96] although it took him a while longer before returning to full strength, as shown during the fight against the Flying Fish Riders and later against the Pacifista on Sabaody.

Swordsmanship Zoro is an extremely skilled and talented swordsman; training at the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village from childhood, he was able to consistently defeat adult swordsmen in duels, while Kuina being the one person he could not beat. After reaching adulthood, he became a great master swordsman famous for wielding three swords in battle.[107] Since Zoro's goal is to become the World's Strongest Swordsman,[108] he devoted himself to swordsmanship, becoming known across the East Blue. When confronting Dracule Mihawk, the current World's Strongest Swordsman, he was utterly outclassed by the Warlord even just using his Kogatana.[109] However, Mihawk was impressed by Zoro's conviction and let him live, believing he could reach the top and challenge him.[23] Several months later, Zoro would train under Mihawk for two years and further increased his abilities exponentially.[110]

Zoro has managed to fight off and defeat large groups of skilled opponents on his own, with his most notable accomplishment in this field being when he singlehandedly defeated a group of 100 bounty hunters from Baroque Works, a powerful criminal organization.[56] Weeks later on Kuraigana Island, he managed to fight and eventually defeat a large horde of Humandrills, giant monkeys with advanced combat skills, adaptive learning, and inhuman durability, despite sustaining severe wounds prior to arriving there. Even Dracule Mihawk himself was stunned to learn that the Humandrills had been defeated.[111][112] Despite being adept at dealing with attacks from multiple opponents simultaneously, Zoro has limits, most so if said opponents are skilled in their own right. This was shown in Wano, when Gyukimaru's sudden attack distracted Zoro enough to allow Kamazo to strike him, though he still defeated Kamazo.