Roronoa Zoro/Personality and Relationships

Overview
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. In fact, his defeat at the hands of Mihawk and subsequent vow to Luffy is the only time since his friend 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 judgement 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 doesn't like to fight for reasons like that. Despite this assertion, though, he cares deeply for his crewmates and wishes to protect them at all cost, telling Ohm that in spite of his preference for fighting without a 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 stating he was disgraceful. He reprimanded Chopper, reminding 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. 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 Robin joined and 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, at the time, seemed like Robin's betrayal, and again when the crew wanted to bring Usopp back after he challenged Luffy to a duel over the Going Merry and lost. Zoro is the one who noted that Usopp was at fault for leaving the crew of his own accord.

Like Nico Robin, Zoro is also easily sensitive when put into embarrassing situations to where he prefers to object vocally (though Robin usually ignores 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" 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" as they could not 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 in 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. 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).

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 worry about spiritual matters as well as questions about its mysteries that he cannot truly answer.

While he is quite indifferent to the gender or/and 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 that Monet was merely 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. During his fight with Miss Monday, Zoro didn't 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 God 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, did not peep on the women's bath when Nami and Vivi were bathing, nor does 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. However, Zoro is capable of showing attraction to some women. 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 Kozuki Hiyori, Zoro was very startled to wake up seeing her sleeping on top of his chest and trying to explain to Brook that nothing happened and more so when she playfully asked if he enjoyed it.

During his time in Wano, Zoro began to adopt the mannerism and speech pattern of the samurais such as ending his sentences with Degozaru due to his affinity with Bushido, even employing them when he became a criminal.

Honor and Loyalty
He has a strong sense of leadership and reasoning. Zoro follows the samurai philosophy and doctrine of Bushido, such as the code of honor and integrity where he strictly fight fair and square honestly by consistently refuses to attack an adversary whose back is turned, with the only exception being when his friends are in imminent danger of losing their lives in which Zoro would strike the attacker from behind, and Zoro himself considers a scar on the back to be a swordsman's greatest shame. He is also very loyal as he will stand by Luffy's decisions regardless of whether he personally agrees or not, stepping in only to point out the seriousness of a situation where it has been overlooked by his crewmates most notably when they wanted to bring Usopp back into the crew after Usopp challenged Luffy to a duel over the Going Merry and lost, even willing to quit the crew himself if Luffy just brushed the incident off and treated it as another joke because it betrayed his strong values in loyalty.

Zoro values loyalty highly and will not easily forgive fellow crewmates if they break ties with the crew, first seen when Nami took the Going Merry. Zoro was furious and stated that he never trusted Nami in the first place. When this happened again with Robin and Usopp, Zoro was wary of Robin, questioning whether they should treat Robin as friend or a foe, and after Enies Lobby, Zoro did not accept Usopp wanting to rejoin the crew saying he stepped on Luffy's pride. Furthermore, he wouldn't allow the sniper back unless he got down on knees and apologized for his disrespect to Luffy. This dislike for leaving crewmembers was shown once again in Zou; this time over Zoro's long-standing rival Sanji. Zoro was angry that Sanji had gone without an apology or a "thank you for everything", calling Sanji an "idiot" for messing around with Big Mom when they were already facing Kaido. This cold attitude towards crewmates received negative attention from the crew and will provoke certain crewmembers (mainly Nami) to yell at him.

Kindness and Morality


Zoro has a very kind heart, as he was willing to risk his life for the sake of a little girl he did not know shortly after his introduction. When Rika made him some food, Zoro kindly accepted it and thanked her for the meal. When Charlos shot an innocent man, Zoro carried the victim to a hospital despite being total strangers. Even though Hiyori and Toko were strangers at first, he did not hesitate to protect them from Kamazo. When fighting weaker or innocent people, he does try to hold back when fighting and use the dull side of his swords in order not to seriously injure them though as pointed out by Nami, his monstrous strength still manage to cause great damage.

A rarely seen aspect of his kindness is that he strongly detests evil individuals with extreme cruelty towards the innocent, as shown when Charlos shot Hatchan, Zoro was silently wrathful, as he fully intended to cut down the World Noble if it weren't for Luffy. He also held strong fury towards Pica for attacking the injured as well as attempting to kill Riku Doldo III. When Shimotsuki Yasuie was executed by Orochi and seeing the citizens of Ebisu Town laughing along with his daughter Toko, Zoro was furious and only calmed down after Hiyori explained they laugh due to the SMILE fruits having robbed them of their emotions. When Zoro learned how Orochi fed them faulty SMILE fruits to rob them of their ability to express sorrow over the suffering and misery he caused them, Zoro is silently angered and stood up against Orochi when the latter tried to kill Toko.

Zoro is also very humble when it comes to receiving gratitude from others whenever he saves people, as when he saved Tsuru, he chose not to receive any compensation other than sake. This was shown again when he saved Hiyori and Toko from Kamazo and merely desired food and alcohol for protecting them. When in the poverty town Ebisu, Zoro was given a small portion of water despite what little resources they could offer. Seeing their suffering, Zoro politely turned down their offer, knowing how hard it is for them to get by.

Zoro also has a soft spot for children and women. At Punk Hazard, he did not object to helping save the children Caesar Clown was experimenting on and later agreed to help Kin'emon look for Momonosuke. While in Wano, he did not hesitate to protect Tsuru when she was being attacked by Kaido's men and later defended a wounded Hiyori from Kamazo's attacks despite being attacked by Gyukimaru. Even though he knew that taking down Kamazo would cause problems for him, he still chose to fight him to protect Hiyori and Toko despite not knowing them or their situation.

Recklessness
Zoro has been absurdly reckless in the face of major battles, often at the cost of his own well-being. Many times, he has suffered injuries which would kill a normal person and muscled through them through sheer willpower, such as when he was given his gaping scar, which he allowed to be inflicted on himself deliberately, and when he absorbed all of Luffy's pain from his fight with Gecko Moria after Bartholomew Kuma pushed it out of him and made Zoro take it upon himself in return for sparing his captain's life, which was so traumatic that his eyes temporarily became bloodshot. As a result, he has often been left very heavily bloodied and bandaged, as well as gained scars more times than anyone else in the Straw Hat Pirates crew, all of which were notably inflicted after joining Luffy on his travels. Despite this, he has a habit of ignoring these dire injuries and continuing to fight, sometimes before he is fully healed. This has threatened his life by causing unhealed wounds to reopen or be strained, leaving him in crippling agony. His recklessness extends to the point of self-mutilation, willingly risking a limb by throwing the Sandai Kitetsu in the air while holding out his arm and allowing it to land and see if he could overcome its curse (a successful risk), and slicing up his ankles to escape a deathtrap, which not only failed, but made him lose a lot of blood and gain more scars. Furthermore, Zoro tends to face death in a defiant manner and show no fear of dying even when he is in a gravely injured state. This has threatened his life by causing unhealed wounds to reopen or be strained, leaving him in crippling agony.

He can also allow his temper to get the better of him, as after Orochi murdered Yasuie in cold blood and tried to kill his daughter over a trivial matter, Zoro was so furious, he attacked the shogun in a rash fit of rage, completely ignoring the consequences of his actions.

He also regularly resorts to drastic measures to solve simple problems, suggesting solutions that others would normally consider to be their last possible, worst-case-scenario choices. When he and Usopp were accidentally handcuffed together, Zoro's first suggested solution was to cut off one of their hands. In addition, when he, Vivi and Nami were stuck on Mr. 3's candle set, he actually tried to cut his own feet off in an attempt to escape, and when that failed, decided he would strike a cool pose for his dying moments upon being encased in wax.

Ruthlessness
Kaku: I see you've already drawn your sword. Zoro: It has been growling; it craves blood. When Zoro has the intention to fight seriously, he ties his bandana (normally kept tied around his left arm) around his head. Zoro lives for the thrill of combat. Scratchmen Apoo commented on his "insane killing intent", acknowledging that Zoro was a "real beast". Indeed, when an average human has the intention of fighting Zoro, his glare alone is usually enough to make them back off. He also has a habit of smiling in satisfaction whenever he faces a particularly skilled opponent, which often unnerves both friend and foe alike.

However, Zoro will still maintain his stern demeanor during the thrill of combat if the stakes are high enough. In his battle with Ohm, the priest stood in the way of him rescuing Nami and Gan Fall from Nola's stomach. Against Kaku, the ability to save his crewmate hinged on him defeating the CP9 agent in a timely fashion. He instantly lost his cocky attitude against Shu after the latter destroyed Yubashiri, as his katanas were in serious danger. This seems to suit Zoro perfectly as any given moment where Zoro is not in battle, he's typically sleeping, lost, yelling at/being yelled at by someone, or training.

Unlike some of the members of the crew, Zoro does not shrink from the idea of using deadly force against dangerous enemies and has been noted by several of his fellow Supernovas to be capable of exuding a tremendous amount of murderous intent.

He can be extremely intimidating, easily frightening weaker opponents with just his glare. It has been stated that he has a monstrous killing intent evident from the fact where he almost drew his sword on one of the World Nobles. Furthermore, it has also been stated that Zoro is a born killer capable of showing absolutely no mercy during combat. It has been mentioned that Zoro has killed before joining the crew.

Belief in Fate
Zoro: Leave it... Nami, Sanji and Chopper: Whoa... Zoro: ...to luck. However, while on some occasions he can be the voice of reason, most of the time Zoro rushes into things and leaves it to fate to decide the details, much to the horror of crew members as he fails to see his own fault. He seems to have a very strong belief in fate and destiny in general. He is even known to resort to methods like drawing sticks or casting lots whenever the Straw Hats need to choose someone to do a particular task. One of the most obvious instances of this is when he took an interest in the cursed blade, Sandai Kitetsu, and left it up to fate to decide if he would wield it by testing his luck against the sword's curse; he tossed the sword spinning into the air and extended his left arm into its falling path, to see if it would cut him, fully aware that the sword was sharp enough to easily sever his arm.

This is later shown again after the two-year timeskip when he tells the pirates of the ship he had just destroyed to blame fate for him ending up on their ship.

When Enel posed as God, Zoro was asked by Sanji if he believed in God, but Zoro did not show any devotion toward the idea of one, and did not care one way or the other. Also, there have been several instances where Zoro has bluntly stated that he does not believe in God and does not pray. Despite claiming to be an atheist, Zoro showed belief in a paradise after death, though Usopp joked that Zoro's behavior in his life was not likely to get him into heaven, with Zoro becoming offended because Usopp implied that he would go to hell. Zoro has also prayed at least once, which occurred at the end of the Thriller Bark Arc when laying his sword Yubashiri to rest at the burial site of the Rumbar Pirates.

Running Gags
A running gag throughout the series is that while he is very perceptive during battle (as well as out), his sense of direction is extremely poor, to the point of getting lost on a straight path. This often results in Zoro not understanding directions. In the Alabasta Arc, he mistakes going north for going up. In the Drum Island Arc, he believes that he can keep the ship on course by heading toward a large cloud (which can move and change shape). He is unaware of his lack of direction. (For instance, in the Enies Lobby arc, when Nami said to go up the staircase, Zoro went to the opposite side, and then said that Nami has misguided him) Often when he gets lost, he mutters "the others are lost again". However, after the timeskip, Zoro is the first Straw Hat to arrive back at Sabaody Archipelago days before the others, shocking Sanji, though it was Perona who helped Zoro reach Sabaody early. He seems to make up for this, though, by confusing a gigantic pirate galleon for a fisherman's small boat when it is pointed out to him. Even while sitting down on a moving animal, Zoro still got lost while believing everyone else got lost along the way.

Another running gag of the series is Zoro's ability to effortlessly deliver perfectly timed lines in passing or even during battle that are deemed "cool" by other characters, leading him to be borderline worshiped and idolized especially by crewmates Usopp, Chopper, and Brook. Another running gag is how Zoro keeps untying bandages when he is not fully healed, claiming that they make it hard to move, only to be scolded by Chopper, who tells him that they are there so that he does not move.

A fourth running gag are the situations Luffy puts Zoro in. While in midair or far away Luffy tends to grab Zoro with stretched arms and make him fly through the air, crashing with force that would kill any normal person. Zoro´s usual response to this is that he is one day going to kill Luffy, while Luffy responds only with apologizing to Zoro.

Pride
Zoro is very proud of the reputation he has built for himself both as a swordsman and as "The Pirate Hunter", starting with his 60,000,000 bounty which has quintupled since then. He also enjoys the fact that he has a higher bounty than Sanji. During the assault on Enies Lobby, one of the Marines referred to Zoro as "Luffy's underling" much to the delight of Sanji, who quickly became infuriated when Zoro pointed out that Sanji's lack of notoriety puts him below Zoro in status. Since then, once in a while to anger Sanji, Zoro will refer to him as "Pirate A". More recently he has been calling Sanji "#7", referring to his order of arrival at Sabaody.

However, in spite of his personal pride and self-respect, Zoro has shown to be willing to lower himself to the ground in complete humility for the sake of his friends, as was seen when he begged Bartholomew Kuma to spare Luffy's life in exchange for his own (Zoro's). And then again when he shamelessly bowed before Dracule Mihawk, begging the Shichibukai who is his enemy, to train him in the ways of the sword. This shows that despite Zoro not being completely humble, he is not overly arrogant.

Zoro can also be very vigorous when he is determined to achieve a goal or defeat an enemy. The risks that he will often take to pursue his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman often leave others wondering if he is crazy. As far as Zoro is concerned though, only he has the right to call himself "crazy". However, he is able to accept defeat when he perceives it to be inevitable.

Love for Alcohol
Zoro loves to drink different types of alcohol, and is particularly fond of sake almost to the degree that Luffy loves meat and Nami loves money. When travelling around, Zoro frequently carried around bottles of wine or rum and drink straight from the bottle. In Wano, Zoro attacked some members of the Beasts Pirates simply because he wanted to steal their gourd bottle of sake. Due to his love for drinking, Zoro loathes being deprived of alcohol, evident when Mihawk imposed temperance on him until he mastered coating his swords in Haki as an incentive.

Usual Activities
While the crew sails from one island to another, he normally spends time lifting weights, practicing meditation or napping, only to be regularly awakened in a rather violent way by Nami, Sanji, or (accidentally) Luffy. He cares greatly for his swords and often holds them close while napping and was considerably upset when his Yubashiri was destroyed. While in his spare time, Zoro takes up hobbies such as fishing, drinking, and training.

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).

Monkey D. Luffy


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 for Luffy and 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'd be in a "real dilemma" if Zoro didn't 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 of never becoming a pirate if it weren't for Luffy and commented that he'd have no point of being one if he had 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 can not 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.

After the timeskip, Zoro and Luffy still get along though he remains annoyed with Luffy's stupidity and will not tolerate Luffy calling him out on being stupid. However, he will without hesitation follow the latter's orders in his serious moments. After knowing Luffy for a long time, Zoro has come to accept Luffy charging stupidly into battle without a plan and is surprised when Luffy actually sticks around. Zoro also happens to be one of the only two (the other being Sanji) that does not worry about Luffy when he is in battle, often telling the other crew mates to believe in their captain.

During the battle against the New Fish-Man Pirates, Zoro was impressed that Luffy was capable of using Haoshoku Haki while jokingly stating that if Luffy was not capable of that much, he would have to step down as captain. In the Punk Hazard Arc, it was Zoro who reminded Luffy that being reckless would cost his life since the crew has made it to the New World. Upon meeting Luffy at Wano Country, Zoro was overjoyed at the reunion and smiled at which Luffy gave him a big hug.

Zoro will get annoyed at Luffy disrespecting katanas as he was shocked that Luffy threw away the Nidai Kitetsu's scabbard and was futher outraged when Luffy did not even use the katana during the fight with Hawkins and instead used punches while holding the katana.

Nami
Nami and Zoro are often seen bickering about the smallest and pettiest of things and often provide comic relief to 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, 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. Of all the Straw Hats, Nami and Zoro tend to be more skeptical and are often highly perceptive and doubtful about situations that seem too good to be true.



Zoro also says he hates to be ordered around by Nami but eventually listens to and does her bidding, just like the times in Whisky Peak and in Punk Hazard when Nami who was in Franky's body ordered him to go after Sanji who was in Nami's body and Brook to stop the two from doing anything to her body.

In matters of navigation, Zoro has complete trust in Nami that she would be able to get the Straw Hats to safety. On the other hand, Nami trusts Zoro's fighting prowess and acknowledges his outstanding swordmanship just like the time when Nami reminded Luffy in the Whole Cake Island Arc that they weren't there to wage war with Big Mom and her crew and if they were, they would've brought Zoro and the others along. Nami also knows Zoro well, as she was the first one who pointed out that he could not go alone in Punk Hazard. Zoro is also prone to saving Nami, other times, none too gently when the situation calls for it, out of harm's way, and this rough treatment puts Zoro at further odds with Sanji.

Due to Zoro's simple, direct nature, he is often exploited by the more cunning Nami, particularly in financial matters as seen in the Whisky Peak Arc when Nami insisted that Zoro still owed her 3 times the interest from the 100,000 he had returned her on the same day. Nami also got Zoro into carrying her on piggy-back in Alabasta after their fights with Daz Bonez and Miss Doublefinger, pretending that she was injured when in actuality she could still stand, though Zoro was fully aware of Nami's state. However, while Nami's manipulative and scheming nature always victimizes Zoro, just like it does for the rest of the crew, he still cares for her and will risk his life to protect her without hesitation as he has saved and protected Nami the most times out of anyone.

Zoro often speaks of how he does not care about Nami, but his actions show the complete opposite and worries about her. An instance would be when Nami fell ill after getting bitten in Little Garden, Zoro is seen standing beside Nami's bedside and even offers to navigate for the Straw Hats in Nami's place to help her out despite his bad sense of direction but pouts when Nami told him the ship was heading for the opposite direction instead. Another instance would be before the Straw Hats entered the Upper-Yard in Skypiea, when he discovered that Nami was swallowed by Nola, he said to himself 'Nami, just hold on a little longer' and 'Nami, you better be alive' indicative of his desire of Nami's survival and rescuing her after he was done fighting. After the Time skip, he still acts as Nami's bodyguard when Monet went after Nami who was going on ahead to save the children in Punk Hazard, only this time, Nami also fought back after hearing from Monet that her strategy was to take out the weaker ones first. Nami too cares deeply for Zoro, as while he was recovering after his encounter with Kuma, Nami was one of the two Straw Hats (the other one being Chopper) who stayed at his bedside during the party and even called him 'the toughest' in the Straw Hats and getting angry at Luffy who was about to make Zoro drink booze thinking that it would make him better, another instance was when Zoro was still extremely wounded and Kizaru was about to kill him while he was lying on the ground unable to escape due to his severe injuries, Nami was in tears along with Chopper, terrified that Kizaru was about to kill Zoro.

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 merry. Zoro finds Usopp's cowardly nature disgusting and will always refuse Usopp's requests to be his bodyguard. Zoro and Usopp occasionally make idiotic decisions during a serious situation such as when they were fighting CP9 and got handcuffed together, causing the swordsmen and sniper to run around in 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. He would accept Usopp back only if he bowed his head and apologized. When Usopp finally did this, Zoro was pleased to have him back.

Sanji


Zoro is always shown to compete with Sanji and 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. During this disagreement, Sanji mocked Zoro's defeat at the hands of Mihawk to which Zoro threatened to slice off Sanji's head but their back-and-forth relationship officially began on Little Garden. Sanji asked Zoro to hunt since they were short on food, and Zoro replied that he would since Sanji was incapable of doing so, thus triggering their rivalry. This extends to Sanji's cooking, as Zoro rarely acknowledges its quality usually just calling it "okay". However, when the pair fight together against a common foe, they are nearly an unstoppable team. Despite their comical fights and rivalry, they have a brotherly trust and care between them they would never admit to, in fact, the two warriors understand each other better than other crewmates.

Zoro was seen grinning and chuckling when Sanji finished off Kuroobi and smiled when Sanji returned to fight Jabra. 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 usually calls Sanji "dartboard brow", "ero-cook", or "dumbass cook" while Sanji often calls Zoro "marimo" (moss head), "shitty marimo", or "shitty swordsman". This has gotten to the point where Zoro has never actually referred to Sanji by his name. During the Little Garden Arc, Sanji and Zoro unknowingly took on a similar challenge of dinosaur meat hunting, similar to the one of the two legendary giants, Dorry and Brogy, that started 100 years ago before the timeskip (the giants were competing to see who could catch the larger Sea King). From that, and the inhuman amount of power the two possess, their rivalry is similar to legendary status. After the timeskip, Zoro still argues with Sanji and has referred to him as "Number 7" and himself as "Number 1", referring to the order in which they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. 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.

Zoro trusts that Sanji will protect the weaker members of the crew. When Usopp and Franky were worried about the Sunny crew after arriving at Zou, Zoro stated that Sanji was with them. Despite Sanji and Zoro's rivalry, it can be noted that they work well together as a team, as emphasized by their fight against Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan. Zoro was angry when he heard that Sanji had got involved with Big Mom when they already had the threat of Kaido looming over their heads, calling Sanji an "idiot" for messing around with the Yonko causing Chopper and Nami to be angry with him. Despite saying he didn't 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.

Sanji was delighted when his bounty went higher than Zoro's after the events at Totto Land.

Upon reuniting with each other in Rasetsu Town, Sanji and Zoro displayed their usual annoyance towards each other with Zoro ignoring Sanji's protests at the former for trying to spoil Yasuie's sacrifice by attacking Orochi in revenge. However, Zoro did immediately trust Sanji to look after Toko.

Tony Tony Chopper
Chopper is in total awe of his strength and "tough-guy" attitude. He 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 Alabasta 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 Alabasta 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.

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 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.

He still remained wary of trusting her during the Water 7 Arc. Upon hearing of her alleged assassination attempt on Iceburg, he was somewhat indifferent, claiming that he had no opinion on whether Robin really betrayed them. However later on, Zoro and all the other Strawhats became fully dedicated to saving her when they learned of her intention to sacrifice herself for the crew. At Enies Lobby, Zoro acquired the key to unlock Robin's seastone handcuffs and 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 how 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. During the Zou Arc, Zoro could be seen wearing a proud smile on his face when Robin said she is not afraid of being kidnapped because she knew her friends would protect her.

Franky
Zoro like the others (except Robin) was hostile towards Franky from the outset due to the cyborg beating up Usopp and stealing their money but after the events of Enies Lobby and Franky building the Thousand Sunny for the crew Zoro grew to like the cyborg, though Franky's tendency to cry a lot gets on his nerves. On one occasion at Thriller Bark, when the two traveled to help Brook against Ryuma, after feeling angry for having been caught so easily earlier, Zoro is further enraged by Franky's suggestion of addressing him as "Bro" since he helped save him earlier. Zoro makes it clear that he will never call him that.

Zoro was also moved when Franky built the Mini Merry saying it was the kind thing to do. Franky, though super strong himself, acknowledges that Zoro is superior battle-wise and even claimed to Brook that he is the strongest swordsman.

Brook
Zoro was at first disturbed and confused by Brook's skeletal appearance, but later on, they get along very well. Brook is in awe of Zoro's sword skills, despite the fact that Brooke is 69 years older than him.

After hearing about Brook's connection to Laboon and saving him from Ryuma, Zoro began to enjoy the skeleton's company. Brook is indebted to Zoro for defeating the undead samurai, which gave Brook back his shadow. Brook was further amazed when Zoro along with Sanji offered their own lives instead of Luffy's to Kuma.

After the time-skip, they still get along though Brook did argue with Zoro on Punk Hazard when the latter called him "grandpa".

Jinbe
Zoro met Jinbe during the Straw Hats' visit to Fish-Man Island. Zoro found Jinbe to be a trustworthy ally and offered his aid to help free Fish-Man Island. Jinbe and Zoro fought well together, and Zoro had no objections to Luffy offering Jinbe a place on the crew.

Koushirou
Koushirou is Roronoa Zoro's teacher and Kuina's father. One day, a young Zoro came to his dojo for a challenge. Koushirou pitted Zoro against his daughter Kuina and stated that if Zoro loses, he would become a student of the dojo. Zoro accepted the challenge and lost and became Koushirou's student as agreed. On the day after Zoro and Kuina made their vow, Kuina had fallen down the stairs while trying to get a sharpening block and died. On Zoro's request, Koushirou handed him the family's Meito Wadō Ichimonji.

After the Enies Lobby incident, Koushirou was seen again in his dojo when his students were asking him about Zoro. He wished Zoro to go on ahead and fulfill his dream. Koushirou also stated that as long as Zoro treasures his sword, it will not matter what person he becomes. Zoro is grateful to Koushirou for teaching him the sword and giving him the Meito Wadō Ichimonji. He states that he can not 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 didn't 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 isn't 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.

Kuina
Zoro was also childhood rivals and friends with Kuina. He never managed to beat her (losing 2001 straight matches), and aspired to be just as strong as she was. After their 2001st duel, Kuina admitted that, because she was a girl, she believed that as their bodies matured she would one day inevitably lose to Zoro in strength, even though she, like Zoro, dearly wanted to become the world's best. Zoro was annoyed that if he one day surpassed her, she would believe that it was because of her body and not his strength. He made a promise with her that someday one of them would become the world's greatest swordsman. She died soon after in an accident.

Zoro holds his vow to Kuina dearly and, whenever he comes close to death (such as during the events with Morgan and Dracule Mihawk), he recalls his memory of her to spur him on. He currently wields her sword, Wado Ichimonji, and intends to achieve their dream to fulfill his promise to her.

Rika
At Shells Town, Zoro saved Rika from Helmeppo's pet wolf, who attempted to attack her. Because of this, Zoro agreed to be tied to a pole for a month. After 9 days, Rika snuck into the Marine base where Zoro was imprisoned to offer him some onigiri since he had not eaten in several days. However, Zoro refused her offer and told her to go away. After Helmeppo forced Rika out of the base and Zoro ate the onigiri, Zoro told Luffy to tell Rika that he ate them all and that they were tasty. Rika was very happy to hear that, and then she explained to Luffy that Zoro is not evil as people say and that he was arrested for killing the wolf while defending her from him. Before leaving Shells Town, Zoro, Luffy, and Koby had lunch at Rika's home.

Johnny and Yosaku
Before the storyline, Zoro had traveled around with two training partners, Johnny and Yosaku. They had a habit of calling him "Aniki" (older brother) ever since Zoro saved them from a particularly dangerous pirate that they were trying to defeat, making them look to Zoro as a kind of hero. He seemed to share a good relationship with them as a group of traveling bounty hunters, and they traveled with and assisted the Straw Hats from Baratie to the Konomi Islands. When they last saw each other, Zoro parted with them on good terms. However, they acknowledge that they cannot be seen with him, as he is now a criminal.

Koby
Zoro met Koby while he was imprisoned in Captain Morgan’s base. At first Koby was afraid of Zoro’s bad reputation. However after finding out Zoro’s kind personality Koby started to admire him. Both of them were glad to see each other at Water 7.

Ipponmatsu
Although he initially tried to rip Zoro off by trying to get him to sell his Wado Ichimonji for far less than it was worth, Ipponmatsu grew to respect the young swordsman upon witnessing him test out the cursed sword Sandai Kitetsu (by tossing it into the air and putting his hand out, risking the chance of losing his arm). Matsu's respect for Zoro was so strong that he gave him his family heirloom, the Yubashiri, free of charge, as well as the Kitetsu, saying that Zoro was one of the best swordsmen he saw in a long time. Two years later, Matsu placed an image of Zoro on his bathroom wall, signifying his admiration for Zoro.

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.

Perona
He also seems to be in some form of alliance with Perona but it is unknown if this extends to friendship. Kuma has honored on his promise, having sent Perona to Kuraigana Island, an island filled with dark and spooky ruins, in addition to the malicious castle. Although she has taken up residence in the castle, Perona is not happy because she has no servants or cute animals. As she laments her situation, wishing she was back on Thriller Bark, Roronoa Zoro then lands nearby her. Since Zoro is the only person there, she decides to save him. She brings him to the castle and treats his wounds, but bandages him in a ridiculous manner due to her insufficient medical skills. Later, she helps an apparently injured Zoro read the article about Luffy going to Marineford again by holding it up for him to read. She was complaining that he was taking a long time and that her hands were getting tired. After accepting Zoro's request for training, Mihawk tells Perona to tend to Zoro's wounds. Perona tells Mihawk not to order her around. Zoro later explains to her about Luffy's message. Two years later, Perona helps Zoro return to Sabaody Archipelago and then help him and his crew escape the Marines.

Kin'emon
The Straw Hats met a samurai named Kin'emon at Punk Hazard. Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, and Robin first found his legs, his body having been divided up by Trafalgar Law. They soon met up with the other Straw Hats who had his head, and Sanji later helped retrieve his torso from the lake. Kin'emon then demonstrated his swordsmanship on Smiley. By attacking with and cutting fire, he was able to clear the way of the slime and even cut through the subsequent explosion caused by their detonation after being ignited. Zoro developed a respect towards the samurai, as both are warriors of honor, and for his skills and way of fighting. His respect for the samurai is great enough for Zoro to offer to help find Kin'emon's master, Momonosuke, and wishes to learn about his fighting style, Kitsunebi-ryu (狐火流).. Kin'emon later became hostile towards Zoro upon discovering that he has the legendary sword Shusui on him, accusing the latter of being the person who stole his country's prized possession despite Zoro trying to explain the entire situation. In Dressrosa, when Zoro had Shusui stolen from him, Kin'emon made it clear that once they find the blade he intends to battle Zoro for the sword to return it back to his country. However, Kin'emon remained on friendly terms with Zoro and they did cooperate in slowing down the Birdcage to buy Luffy time to defeat Doflamingo.

Bartolomeo
Because Zoro is a member of the Straw Hats, Bartolomeo greatly admires him for his strength and sees him as vice captain of the crew.

Zoro first met the rookie at Dressrosa and was put off by the latter's excitement to meet him. However, he did appreciate him relaying his message to Luffy for an autograph. They met again when Bartolomeo was flying in the air with Robin and Rebecca, while Zoro was battling Pica and the rookie requested for the autograph again. Zoro protected the trio from the Donquixote executive's stone statue, much to Bartolomeo's amazement. Bartolomeo was also later excited to see Zoro destroy the statue and defeat Pica, foaming at the mouth when seeing the display.

Bartolomeo even gave the Straw Hats a ride to Zou, while it is shown that Zoro gave him the signature that he requested as Bartolomeo framed it.

Kozuki Hiyori
Because Zoro risked his life to save Kozuki Hiyori and Toko from Orochi's assassin Kamazo, Zoro has earned Hiyori's respect and gratitude for his actions. He was later shocked to learn that Hiyori is Momonosuke's younger sister, but after hearing her story about what happened 20 years ago, Zoro was sympathetic with her plight and believed what she said. He has shown to care for her well being, protecting her from Kamazo despite already in a fight with Gyukimaru and followed her out of concern when Toko ran off to save her father.

Hiyori is also shown to be very comfortable around Zoro, going as far as to sleep on his chest during the cold night, and cried in his chest when Yasuie was executed as she held him back from making a scene. She did not object in him carrying her when the Orochi Oniwanbanshu were chasing them.

Toko
Because Zoro saved her from Kamazo's attempts to kill her, Toko became very grateful towards him and helped Hiyori treat his wounds. She was notably upset when he did not laugh at her jokes like the other crew members did. After she ran off to save her father from his execution, Zoro followed her out of concern. When Orochi attempted to kill Toko, Zoro did not hesitate to step in to protect her from harm and later handed her over to his crew for protection.

Shimotsuki Yasuie


Before Yasuie’s identity as the daimyo of Hakumai was revealed, he and Zoro became friends after he saved him from a group of thugs and he in turn paid for Zoro’s sushi meal. When they were in Ebisu Town, Yasuie told him the many benefits of always smiling and not to let things get him down. He even provided his allies shelter in Ebisu Town, just because he was friends with him. After Yasuie died, Zoro attempted to stop the people of Ebisu Town from laughing at his death, only to be told by Hiyori that they were actually crying for him. He also took it upon himself to protect his daughter from harm, and going after Orochi for revenge. After escaping, Zoro promised that he would avenge Yasuie's death.

Sham and Buchi
Jango called both Sham and Buchi to fight. While they, at first, acted like cowards, it turned out to be a trick, as Sham took two of Zoro's swords, giving the cats the upper hand; Kuro, wondering what was keeping them, began to insult the new Black Cat Pirates. Sham and Buchi, thinking that Kuro had grown weak, tried to attack, but Kuro quickly got behind them and threatened them with his cat claws. Kuro then gave the order to kill Zoro, Nami and Usopp in three minutes or die. After Zoro swiftly dealt a powerful blow to the two brothers with his (regained) three swords, Buchi, barely having survived, was hypnotized by Jango into gaining super-human strength and recovery to duel against Zoro a second time; the swordsman quickly defeated Buchi once again.

Daz Bonez
Having a steel body thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, Mr. 1 was able to withstand all of Zoro's attacks. Despite this advantage, Zoro was also able to withstand Daz's attacks. As the battle continued, Mr. 1 attacked Zoro progressively more brutally with each attack. Much to Mr. 1's surprise, no matter what he did, Zoro would not fall regardless of the wounds inflicted upon him. In the apex of the battle with his opponent completely covered with blood and wounds, Mr. 1 decided to finish Zoro once and for all. However at that very moment, Zoro was finally able to slash through Mr. 1's steel body. At the end of the fight, Mr. 1 has a short respectful dialogue with Zoro before falling unconscious.

Ohm
He is defeated by Zoro whom he chases through the Shandia ruins. Despite Ohm using Mantra to predict his attack, Zoro waits for him to attack to give away his position. He then cuts through Ohm's shape-shifting sword using the 108 Pound Cannon attack which hits Ohm in the process, defeating him.

Kaku
During the Enies Lobby Arc, Zoro was matched against CP9's best swordsman, Kaku, who he met and fought previously in the Water 7 Arc. Throughout their heated battle, Zoro and Kaku continually hurled insults at each other, the latter underestimating him until the very end of their fight. When Zoro defeated Kaku, they shared a joke and Kaku, injured but honorable, laughed and handed Zoro his key. Before he passed out, Zoro mused an apology for the fellow swordsman.

Ryuma
Set aflame, Ryuma accepted defeat and decided to give Zoro his sword, heavily believing that the soul of the sword would be most satisfied to serve under the man who defeated its preceding owner. Zoro then replied that it was alright that the zombie lost as long as he was ashamed. Zoro stated he would've liked to have known Ryuma while he was still alive and accepted the samurai's sword as a gift of honorable defeat. Zoro however praised the zombie. Even while it was dying, it still retained the honorable spirit of a swordsman. Zoro stated that he will just pretend the fight he had with the samurai's desecrated corpse never happened.

Hyouzou
At Fish-Man Island, Zoro also made Hyouzou his enemy. When Hyouzou goes on a rampage after consuming the Energy Steroids and tries to attack Robin, Zoro intercepts the octopus merman before he reaches her. Zoro comments that Hyouzou will be a good warm-up for the New World, but the octopus swordsman was not a match for Zoro who defeated him effortlessly.

Pica
Zoro first confronted Pica inside the Dressrosa Royal Palace and battled him to allow Luffy and Viola to proceed further. However, Pica abandoned their battle to return to Doflamingo. Later, Pica indiscriminately blew Zoro away when he tried to punch Luffy for making fun of his voice. Zoro again battled Pica soon afterwards in order to get Luffy and Law back to the palace. Zoro openly mocked Pica's high-pitched voice, causing the Donquixote executive to become enraged at him. However, Pica once again left their battle, this time to attack the wounded Colosseum gladiators, angering Zoro, who yelled at the executive's cowardice. However, Pica revealed that his true target was Riku Doldo III, and headed to the King's Plateau to kill the former king. Zoro chased Pica down and cut apart his stone covering, intent on finding Pica's true body. Pica eventually emerged and prepared to kill Zoro using his Haki, but Zoro's Haki was stronger, and Pica was cut down. Zoro told his fallen opponent to never mess with his friends again.

Kurozumi Orochi


As an ally of the Kozuki Family, Zoro is an enemy of Orochi. After Orochi executed Yasuie whom he was friendly with, Zoro also learned from Hiyori about how Orochi fed the citizens of Ebisu Town faulty SMILE fruits to prevent them from expressing sadness over their suffering from his tyranny. Zoro developed an intense hatred towards the shogun and stood up against him when he tried to kill Toko. In a rash fit of rage, Zoro tried to attack Orochi. He then went after the shogun until Kyoshiro interfered. Afterwards, Zoro stated that he will never forgive him, and he would definitely go after him to avenge Yasuie’s death.

Marines
Zoro is considered the largest threat and most dangerous member in the crew after Luffy. Thus, the Marines consider him as a powerful villain.

Tashigi
Zoro has a unique relationship with Tashigi of the Marines. Tashigi and Zoro met in Loguetown, where she helped him search for a new katana. Zoro defeated her once when she attacked him after finding out that he was a pirate, but refused to fight her again in later confrontations due to her uncanny resemblance to his childhood friend, Kuina. Before the timeskip, whenever he saw her, he would run away claiming that she is the one person he cannot fight. However, after the timeskip, Zoro now seems to have gotten used to her appearance and when they clashed during the Punk Hazard Arc, Zoro did not seem uncomfortable anymore and even commented how she has no will to fight. Due to her resemblance to Kuina, however, he seems to have a soft spot for Tashigi as he saved her from Monet and later again after Tashigi has passed out and poison gas is entering the room by carrying her on his shoulder. Tashigi seems to now see that he will fight women after he injured Monet to intervene. She also seems to have developed a form of respect towards him for his new strength.

Trafalgar Law
Zoro and Law both share the title of Supernova, given by the Marines to them. They first met at Sabaody Archipelago and both sides helped one another fight off the Marines that were attacking them. They met again two years later where Law offered an alliance with them. Zoro trusted Luffy's judgement enough to go along with this and worked closely with Law in their shared efforts. In the aftermath of the Dressrosa incident and the declaration of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, Zoro can be seen forcing Law to partake in the festivities. In Wano Country, Law and Zoro's relationship is slightly similar to the relationship Zoro has with Sanji. Law was annoyed with Zoro not keeping a low profile and not sticking to the original plan along with him wreaking havoc with Luffy in Bakura Town. Aside from this, Law respects Zoro as a fellow swordsman.

Jewelry Bonney
Jewelry Bonney first encountered Zoro when he stumbled into town and casually addressed Saint Charlos, prompting the latter to shoot. Being unaware of what was happening, Zoro almost killed him in retaliation. Fortunately, Bonney was able to restrain him and diffuse the situation by faking his death. While exasperated at how clueless Zoro could be for not knowing who Charlos was and the repercussions of killing him would be, she became even more confused when he picked up a man who had previously been shot by Charlos and carried him to a nearby hospital.

Buggy
Buggy was the very first pirate Luffy and Zoro dealt with on the road together. Zoro never held any respect or signs of worth towards the pirate clown. The two have fought briefly, with Buggy being little more than a irritation for the swordsman.

Dracule Mihawk
Let me tell you something, squidy! I've made a promise that one day, I would meet a man. Until then, even the God of Death can't take my life away!

There is only one swordsman who Zoro aims to defeat in order to become the world's best swordsman and that is none other than Dracule Mihawk. Even though Zoro was outmatched during their battle at the Baratie, Mihawk comes to respect Zoro and allows him to live so he can grow stronger.

After the Battle of Marineford, Zoro is willing to put aside his pride and begged Mihawk to train him in order to become stronger for his crew. Mihawk tells Zoro to go, because he believes that such an idea is foolish and he assumes that Zoro is simply incapable of defeating the baboons. However, Zoro had already defeated the baboons, and wanted Mihawk to train him so that he may one day defeat Mihawk himself.

He notices that Zoro is putting his pride aside all for the sake of his captain. Mihawk gives in and tells Perona to heal Zoro so they can begin his training, which takes place during the next two years.

Bartholomew Kuma


Zoro holds a high value of respect towards Bartholomew Kuma. He was the first enemy since Mihawk that completely defeated in a one on one match. When they first met, after a short fight Zoro knew he had no chance against his superior might. He pleaded with the Shichibukai to spare Luffy's life in exchange for his.

Touched, Kuma obliged and used his powers to sap the pain and damage from Luffy's unconscious body and gave it to Zoro. Kuma later remarked to himself that Dragon's son has a good crew. Zoro met Kuma once again at Sabaody Archipelago and thanked him for taking pity on him at Thriller Bark and sparing him. Kuma saved Zoro from Admiral Kizaru, teleporting him far away. Zoro found Kuma to be a very honorable man.

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