Roronoa Zoro


 * The subject of this article is sometimes called "Roronoa Zolo".

Roronoa Zoro is a pirate, former bounty hunter and one of the main protagonists of One Piece. He was the first member to join the Straw Hat Pirates, and to date is universally considered the largest threat and most dangerous member in the crew after Luffy. He is famed as a master swordsman, user of the Santōryū style, and his great strength sometimes leads others to believe he must be the true captain. Being labeled as one of the "Monster Trio," he's one of the top three fighters in the crew. Zoro is currently one of eleven pirates who have been referred to as "The Eleven Supernovas," having a bounty of 120,000,000.

Appearance
Zoro is an average sized, muscular young man. He almost always carries around his three swords, bundled up with a haramaki over his right hip, allowing him to easily draw them with his left hand. His right hand is usually seen resting over them, though he can also use this hand to pull his swords out before sitting down. He has three identical gold earrings on his left earlobe (but anyone can pull them off, as demonstrated by Luffy), possibly to represent his three swords. Zoro normally keeps a black bandanna tied around his left arm. This could indicate ambidexterity, as he must untie the bandanna with his right hand (and draw his swords with his left). He ties the bandanna around his head when he is fighting seriously against an opponent. Zoro's shirt varies from time to time, but he consistently wears black trousers, black shoes and a green haramaki sash around his waist. Zoro is most commonly seeing wearing a plain white shirt with three buttons at the collar, but after this shirt is effectively torn to rags due to the incident at Thriller Bark, he wears a different shirt with each arc.

His body is covered with scars from his many battles, most notably the one acquired during the Baratie Arc, when he lost a duel with the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk. Zoro was left with a massive scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip. In the Little Garden Arc, he tried to free himself from a wax prison by cutting off his feet. Although he did not entirely succeed, he gave himself a scar around each ankle. These scars are marked by black stitches.

Zoro's other remarkable feature is his green hair, which Sanji often teases him about by calling him 'marimo' (moss-ball, moss-head in the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub).

According to Oda, Zoro resembles a shark. Oda uses the color green to represent Zoro, and he smells of steel.

Personality
Zoro usually maintains a stern, serious and distanced personality, but often loses his temper in a goofy and exaggerated comical style. He can also be extremely intimidating, easily frightening weaker opponents with just his glare. It has also been stated that he has a monstrous killing intent evident from the fact where he almost drew his sword on one of the Tenryuubito. Despite this, Zoro has a kind heart, shown as he was willing to risk death for the sake of a little girl he did not know not far before the series began. He has a strong sense of leadership and reasoning. While technically not a samurai, Zoro maintains Bushido to a certain degree (i.e. he consistently refuses to attack an adversary whose back is turned, the only exception being when his captain was in imminent danger of losing his life and Zoro struck the attacker from behind, and himself considers a scar on the back to be a swordsman's greatest shame). Whether he agrees with them or not, he will stand by Luffy's decisions, 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).

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 is often the result of 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. Every time he gets lost, he mutters "the others are lost again." This is further developed in the Thriller Bark arc when a zombie named Jigorou had Zoro's shadow implanted in him. While the Zombie Generals were heading to help, he goes in the opposite direction.

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. This is perhaps to poke fun at other anti-hero manga characters who seem to always say the right thing at the right time.

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 since doubled. He also enjoys the fact that he has a higher bounty than Sanji's. During the assault on Enies Lobby, one of the Marines referred to Zoro as "Luffy's underling" much to the delight of Sanji, but 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."

While the crew sails from one island to another, he normally either trains with weights or naps (sometimes both at the same time), only to be regularly awakened in a rather violent way by Nami, Sanji or (accidentally) Luffy. He also likes to drink alcohol (sake), almost to the degree that Luffy likes meat, and, like Nami, has an inhumanly-high tolerance for alcohol. He is also regularly reverts to drastic measures to solve simple problems, suggesting solutions that others would normally consider to be their last possible, worst-case-scenario choices. For example, when he and Usopp were accidentally handcuffed together, Zoro's first suggested solution was to cut off one of their hands. He also is one of the first Straw Hat members to suggest killing someone or threatening to kill someone.

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. As pointed out in the Skypeia Arc, Zoro is indifferent to religion. He does not believe in any god but holds nothing against those who do. When Zoro has the intention to fight seriously, he ties his black bandanna (normally kept knotted 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". He also has a habit of smiling joyfully whenever he faces a particularly skilled opponent, which often unnerves both friend and foe alike.

Zoro can provide important and logical decisions at critical times 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 back Usopp 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, and Luffy shouldn't take him back unless he apologized for his mistake. 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. One of the most noticeable 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 amputate his arm. Zoro: Leave it... Nami, Sanji & Chopper: Whoa... Zoro: ...to luck.

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, he told everyone to leave the ship, saying he would stay alone and protect it. Furthermore, he traded his life for Luffy's when Kuma first attacked the Straw Hats, and, at the same time, knocked Sanji unconscious after the latter tried to intervene. Another example is when Usopp was dragging an injured Zoro against a Pacifista; during which, despite the severity of his injuries, he told Usopp to escape and let him fight, but was highly objected.

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 questioning. Zoro seems to have the most respect for Luffy (this may or not be due to being the first crew member) which is shown of many occasions, for instance how he was willing to throw away his own dreams and ambitions for Luffy's during the appearance of Kuma in the Thriller Bark Arc; without the slightest hesitation. On two other occasions this deep respect was demonstrated, when he was almost on the verge of death from his wound from 'Hawkeye' Mihawk in the Baratie Arc he tearfully vowed to Luffy that he would never lose again asking was it alright with him as Kaizoku-Ō (Pirate King or King of the Pirates in English Dub.) The last occasion being in Manga Chapter 597 where he begged Juracule Mihawk to train him (despite it not being honorable) in order to become stronger for Luffy his captain. Zoro also happens to be the only one (besides Sanji and sometimes Usopp) that doesn't worry about Luffy when he's in battle, often telling the other crew mates to believe in their captain. Zoro is always shown to compete with Sanji and getting into fights with each other over petty matters, often at inopportune moments. 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. Zoro has a habit of insulting Sanji when he is flirting with Nami or Robin. During the Little Garden Arc, Sanji and Zoro unknowingly took on the same challenge of dinosaur meat hunting, that the two legandary giants Dorry and Brogy started 100 years ago. From that, and the inhuman amount of power the two possess, their rivalry is similar to legendary status. Both Usopp and Chopper are in total awe of his strength and 'tough-guy' attitude. He also appears to have a close relationship with Chopper, seeing as the youngest crew member 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. This is probably because Chopper seems to care a lot towards Zoro as he is usually the one taking the most damage after battle so Chopper is usually the one healing him. Owing to his simple, direct nature, he is often exploited by the more cunning Nami, particularly in financial matters. After Alabasta, when Robin had joined the crew, Zoro was the only one not to trust her (he was the only one she could not bribe, hold debt to, or 'charm'). However, later on, he shows a willingness to protect her if she is in any danger (i.e. Enel, Aokiji). Since Brook's entrance into the crew, he and Zoro have a sort of respect towards one another perhaps for both being swordsmen. On the Going Merry, he was responsible for using his enormous physical strength to haul up the anchor. Aboard the Thousand Sunny, he spends most his time in the Crow's Nest (which is also a gym) and acts as a lookout.

Friends
Before the storyline, Zoro had traveled around with two training partners, Johnny and Yosaku who called him "Aniki" (older brother). He seemed to share a good relationship with them as a group of traveling bounty hunters. 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.

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 Mihawk), he recalls his memory of her to spur him on. He currently wields her sword, Wadō Ichimonji, and intends to achieve their dream to fulfill his promise to her.

Enemies
He lacks Luffy's trust in others, thus he is often overly cautious when dealing with certain people. But usually, he will resort to intimidation when it comes to most situations, causing others (usually people much weaker than him) to react with complete fear. Zoro has a habit of making many more enemies wherever the crew ventures when compared to any other Straw Hat.

Zoro has a unique relationship with Ensign 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. So far, whenever he has seen her, he has run away claiming that she is the one person he cannot fight.

During his journey, Zoro has also made or met many rival swordsmen such as Mihawk, Hatchan, Daz Bones, Priest Ohm, Kaku and Samurai Ryuuma.

Abilities and Powers
Within this very battle, he transcended himself...

Zoro is considered to be one of the Straw Hat crew's top three fighters, so much that people occasionally mistake him as the captain of the Straw Hat Crew after witnessing his fighting skills in battle. And while Luffy always fights the most powerful enemy, Zoro always ends up fighting the second strongest (with the exeption of the Baratie arc). Even without his swords, he has extremely unbelievable monstrous strength. At a very young age he lifted boulders over his head for training, and is now able to toss an entire building at an opponent. He can use some sword techniques without his swords. He has also been shown to pack powerful punches. He even developed the ability to pump his arms up with pure muscle.

Zoro is unarguably an extremely strong fighter. Unlike the pirates and villains who gained their powers from eating one of the Devil Fruits, Zoro has gained his power and skills through hard work and training alone instead. Zoro has enough power in his lower body to allow him to keep up at a running pace with Sanji, who is a master of his own Leg-based style. He can also move at nearly inconceivable speeds and jump at astonishing heights. He can even dodge bullets with ease. He has been known to effectively knock out much larger creatures with unarmed strikes. Zoro also defeats opponents with massive punches and kicks. Also, during his fight with Kaku, he used an ability called "Asura" that gave him seemingly god-like powers.This move is stated to be more powerful than Luffy's third gear. What this ability was, and how he attained it, are still unclear, but it was powerful enough to make numerous holes in the ground, as well as defeating Kaku. In Enies Lobby Arc, the Franky Family and Galley-La carpenters noted twice that Zoro was strong enough to be the captain of the group. Another testament to Zoro's strength is his ability to fight to a stalemate against Luffy, his captain and powerful Devil Fruit combatant, at the island of Whiskey Peak. Zoro could deflect a punch from Oars which is another testimonial to his monstrous strength. He also lasted the longest against Oars out of his crew with only Luffy not being present. Also he is the only known character in One Piece to have landed an attack on Kuma, who seemed untouchable until then.

How can he still be standing after taking a hit from the giant? I don't even know who the real zombie is anymore!

To match his strength, Zoro also has an incredible tolerance of pain, evidenced by numerous situations he has thus far endured: Mr. 1's two buzz saws jamming into his chest during the Alabasta arc, Arlong's saw-like nose stabbing into his chest, Mihawk's Black Sword slashing his chest, CP9's Kaku's many Rankyaku attacks, Oars' kick and Kuma's Ursus Shock. This last is especially impressive as Zoro managed to absorb the tremendous amount of punishment Luffy had taken, besides the damage inflicted on him during fights with Oars and Ryuma only remarking afterward "Nothing happened" when questioned by Sanji.

During almost all of his major battles, Zoro is usually seen covered with blood at the end. Zoro's agility, speed, and overall reflexes are also extraordinary. In numerous occasions, Zoro has shown being able to evade (or block) high-speed attacks and projectiles. These high-speed attacks and projectiles move so fast that it would normally be impossible for an average human to even notice them, much less evade them.

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.

Weapons
Zoro is a master swordsman, being able to use one, two, and three swords in varying attack styles, going from melee-type all the way to artillery. Although he is most comfortable with his Santōryū (literally: three sword style), his skills with a single sword are very good, being able to hold off the Nyaban brothers, having bested several of the lower-ranked members of Arlong's crew (his two other swords were shattered by Mihawk, leaving him only with the Wado Ichimonji), defeating Mr. 1, and most recently the zombie, Ryuuma. Lacking a third hand for a third sword, Zoro holds his third sword in his mouth. Some of his sword techniques use the air itself to hurt the enemy. Zoro often speaks with his sword held in his mouth, though it's unknown how he manages to do so. The creator of the series, Eiichiro Oda, has said that it is his heart that allows him to speak, though Oda is known for giving joke answers to fans' questions, as well as just making up answers on the spot to avoid leaving a fan's question unanswered.

Since no one else has been seen using anything similar, it can be assumed that Zoro invented not only Santōryū but most, if not all, of his sword techniques. He is even seen perfecting a new technique in his fight with Braham.

If he is fighting weaker enemies (or innocent bystanders that he has no desire injuring in the first place), like the Galley-La employees in Water 7, he uses only the blunt sides of his swords. Although, as Nami pointed out, due to his strength, even that could cause fatal wounds. A long standing problem with Zoro was his inability to cut steel. The anime incorrectly shows him instinctively cut steel during some of his encounters before learning how to control this ability during his battle with Daz Bones.

Zoro has shown a new ability called "Asura" which gives him the appearance of having six arms and three heads, like the deity of the same name. Some say that this is just the speed making him look like he has 6 hands and some think its the work of a demon. The exact nature of this attack is currently unclear, but Kaku suggested it was an illusion created by Zoro's spirit. He cut through Kaku's attack, and was able to deliver the finishing blow.

Though Brook became the crew's 2nd swordsman, the level of mastery and power between the two is significantly different, made obvious when both swordsmen have attempted to take on the same foe. While Brook had been unable to defeat Ryuuma (no matter how hard he fought) while Ryuuma only used a fraction of his power, Zoro was able to defeat him at full power with only two of his swords. At the Sabaody Archipelago, Brook struck a Pacifista with a high speed sword attack, yet failed to do much damage to it and had to be rescued from this result afterwards. However, when Zoro attacked the same Pacifista, the results were very different.

Zoro's Swords


During his adventures, Zoro has acquired many swords. The three he currently uses are:
 * 1) Meitou; Wadō Ichimonji (formerly belonged to Kuina)
 * 2) Sandai Kitetsu (formerly belonged to Ippon-Matsu)
 * 3) Meitou; Shuusui (formerly belonged to Ryuuma)

Former Swords
For one reason or another, maybe as a demonstration of his skill because he can use any sword he must at any time, Zoro has one or more of his swords destroyed, removed from his possession, or incapacitated in some way:
 * 1) Katana x2 (destroyed by Juracule Mihawk)
 * 2) Johnny and Yosaku's swords (returned to them after battle)
 * 3) Meitou; Hana Arashi (Sogeking handcuffed to Yubashiri, stopped using when Sogeking was unlocked from Zoro)
 * 4) Meitou; Yubashiri (formerly belonged to Ippon-Matsu, destroyed on Enies Lobby by Shuu, now resting on Thriller Bark)
 * 5) Marine cutlass (left behind after immediate battle)

Battle Handicaps
When fighting in major battles, Zoro has frequently had some sort of handicap. In some cases, this is having a physical disability prior to a battle. In others, he has been handicapped by a lack of one or more swords. Sometimes he faces an opponent that can only be beaten by a sword skill Zoro hasn't mastered yet or even by other crew members. Or fighting opponents who cannot be defeated by swordplay at all.

The amount of handicaps have been noticed and the following are examples of the times a handicap was seen:
 * Fighting Morgan and his Marines after starving for weeks.
 * Buggy's splitting ability.
 * Fighting Cabaji after being stabbed by Buggy.
 * Having two swords stolen prior to fighting Sham and Buchi simultaneously.
 * Being seriously wounded by Mihawk prior to fighting Arlong and Hachi.
 * Being literally on fire and with his legs severly damaged during his fight against Mr. 5.
 * Not knowing how to cut steel against Daz Bones.
 * Being disallowed to use swords in the Groggy Ring during the Davy Back Fight while all three of his opponents snuck in weapons.
 * Having Usopp chained to his hand during his fight with Kaku.
 * Shuu's rust powers.
 * Losing Yubashiri before his battle with Ryuuma.
 * Having to endure the after-effects of when Kuma transferred all of Luffy's pain to him when they fought on Thriller Bark.

Zoro and Kuina
As a child, Zoro trained at a dojo in Shimotsuki village. Zoro states in the Baratie, that, "Once he decided that he would become an invincible Swordsman, he left his life behind."

Even as a child, Zoro was strong enough to defeat most adults, but could not defeat Kuina the Dojo master's daughter. After their 2000th fight (and Kuina's 2000th victory) Zoro challenged her in private for one more match - with real swords. Although he had improved massively since their first match, he still lost and he cried with frustration, telling Kuina his dream of being the world's greatest swordsman. Hearing this, Kuina confided in Zoro, telling him that she shared the same dream but knew she could never attain it - her father had told her that girls could never be true sword masters, and that her fighting potential would decrease as her body matured. Zoro, annoyed by her defeatist attitude in spite of repeatedly winning against him, told her that one day he would beat her because he was more skilled, not just because she was a girl. The two make a promise - that either of them must become the world's best swordsman. The next day, Kuina suffered a fatal fall down the stairs of her dojo, much to Zoro's anger and disappointment. Realizing that she would never have a chance to fulfill her dream, Zoro took it upon himself, asking his sensei, Koshiro, for her sword, Wadō Ichimonji, and began working to develop his signature Santōryū, holding his own two swords in each hand, and Kuina's clenched between his teeth.

The World's Best
Eventually, Zoro learned of Hawk Eyes Mihawk, who currently holds the title of the Greatest Swordsman in the world. He set off to sea, searching for him in order to challenge him to a duel. However, he lost his way, and could not find his way back home. In order to survive on his own, he took on bounties to pay for living expenses. He quickly built a reputation for himself as a "Pirate Hunter", after which he met the two bounty hunters, Johnny and Yosaku.

Because of his reputation as a bounty hunter, Zoro was offered a position as a numbered agent within Baroque Works. He accepted, but only on the condition that he would lead the organization (which they refused). He then killed the man in order to defend himself from Mr. 1, the agent who offered him the position.

Meeting Luffy
During his journey, Zoro arrived in Shells Town where Helmeppo, the spoiled son of the corrupted Marine captain Axe-Hand Morgan, released his pet wolf in town. It tried to attack a girl named Rika, but Zoro saved her by killing it. For this, Helmeppo told Zoro to agree to be tied to a pole for a month or he'll kill Rika and her mother, to which Zoro accepted.

A few days before Zoro was supposed to be freed, Coby and Luffy arrived in town with the intentions of Coby joining the Marines and Luffy inviting Zoro to be his first crewmember. They eventually arrived where Zoro was being held, in time to witness Rika trying to feed him some riceballs, only to be thrown out by Helmeppo. After they left, Luffy asked Zoro to join him but he flatly refused to become a pirate. He asked Luffy to feed him the dirtied riceballs and thank Rika for him, revealing his kindness. Later in town, Rika explained to Luffy and Coby the reason for Zoros capture, which only reinforces Luffys decision to have him as his crewman. When Helmeppo states that he would execute Zoro the next day, Luffy angrily punches him for breaking his promise, which send Helmeppo scurrying to his father, seeking revenge.

With the promise of giving Zoro his swords back if he'd join Luffy's crew, Luffy went to the Marine Base. Luffy caught Morgan's wrath and forced Helmeppo to show where Zoro's swords were. Meanwhile, Coby explained the situation to Zoro while trying to untie him. Luffy came back just in time to save them from a firing squad. Refusing to die, Zoro accepted Luffy's invitation and revealed his unique fighting style. He also revealed his dream of becoming the best swordsman in the world, which Luffy supports, believing that the Pirate King should have the best in his crew. Luffy fought with Morgan. However, when Helmeppo threatened to kill Coby, Luffy knocked him out while Zoro defeated the captain.

The Marines, seeing their tyrant leader finally defeated, rejoiced and allowed Luffy and Zoro to go free. However, since they were pirates, the Marines asked them to leave the island but promised not to report them to headquarters. As they were leaving, Commander Ripper asked about Coby's past. To help Coby hide it, Luffy provoked him into starting a brief fight between them. Zoro stopped the fight before it could get too serious, but it was enough for Coby to muster up the courage to ask Ripper if he could join the Marines, for which Ripper granted permission. Upon leaving, Luffy and Zoro were saluted by Coby and the Marines for their efforts. Luffy and Zoro then sailed onto their next destination.

Searching For A Navigator and a Battle with Buggy the Clown
After leaving the Marine Base, Zoro and Luffy realize that they don't know how to navigate, and begin searching for a navigator. Luffy manages to get his head stuck in the beak of a giant bird, leaving Zoro to paddle after him. Zoro comes across three pirates adrift at sea, and tells them to get on quickly because he wasn't stopping. The three are pirates working for Buggy and planned to rob/kill Zoro. Once they discover Zoro's identity, then begin rowing for him, though the commotion caused Zoro to lose track of Luffy's location.



In Orange Town, Luffy managed to get tricked by Nami, tied up, and put into a cage with a cannon aimed at him. Zoro shows up just in time to save Luffy and Nami from Buggy's crew. Zoro appears to slice Buggy into several pieces. However, Buggy is immune to blades due to his Devil Fruit powers. Buggy then stabs Zoro from behind, heavily injuring him. Despite this, Zoro manages to flip the cannon aimed at Luffy to point it at Buggy and his crew. Once the cannon is fired at them, Zoro picks up the iron cage Luffy was stuck in and drags him for a few blocks. After being taken in by Boodle, the mayor of the town, Zoro is taken care of and sleeps at his house until it is demolished by Buggy. Zoro rises from the debris, and is soon pitted against Cabaji, Buggy's second mate. Zoro defeats him, despite Cabaji hitting his wound several times. Zoro falls back asleep while Luffy battle against Buggy.

Nami agrees to temporarily team up with Zoro and Luffy, and the three sail off in the two small boats they obtained.

The Man in the Chest and the Duel with Captain Kuro
The first part of this arc sees the group land on a mysterious island inhabited by strange creatures. After passing the "test" of the forest, the Straw Hat Pirates (now comprising Luffy, Zoro, and Nami) meet Gaimon, a pirate stuck inside a treasure chest that was marooned by his crew. The four become friends and Luffy agrees to help Gaimon get down the treasure he has been guarding on top of the rock. When Luffy refuses to throw down the treasure chests, Gaimon realizes that the chests on the rock are the same as the island’s other treasure chests which are empty. Seeing Gaimon’s disappointment, Luffy offers to take him off the island. Gaimon decides to remain on the island and protect the island’s rare animals which he has befriended. With that, The Straw Hats bid Gaimon goodbye and continue on.

After Buggy's incident on Orange Town, the crew then came upon Gecko Island. Upon landing, they met Usopp, the local troublemaker of Syrup Village and leader of the Usopp's Pirates. After some misunderstanding about coming to the island, they discover that Usopp's wealthy friend Kaya is bedridden, but is well-provided for by her two butlers Merry and Kurahadol. Luffy believes Kaya would be able to give them a boat, so they move forward to visit her. The group is sent flying into the backyard (by Luffy) only to intrude on an argument between Usopp and Kurahadol, who insults Usopp's father, and forces the group away form the house. While Usopp and Luffy bond, Nami and Zoro and the boys(Usopp's Pirates) come across the moon-walking hypnotist Jango.

After Usopp runs past them hysterically screaming that Kurahadol is a pirate, they go in search for Luffy. Luffy confirms that Kurahadol is actually Captain Kuro, who plans on killing Kaya and getting all her money. Usopp returns but tells the boys that it was just a lie, as they leave disappointed at Usopp lying to hurt people not entertain.

The Straw Hats gain a great deal of respect for Usopp for tricking the boys to protect their well being, and his planning to take on an entire pirate crew and agree to help him. Usopp planned to have an oil slip to stop the pirates, to which he could snipe them with ease. However the four are on the wrong side of the island. Nami falls into the oil slick but manages to switch spots with Zoro and runs off to fight. Luffy became lost on his dash, caused for Usopp and Nami to initially fight the pirates alone.

Just before the two are killed, Zoro and Luffy arrive and fight Kuro's crew. Jango hypnotizes the crew to increase their strength but accidentally hypnotizes Luffy, and Jango is forced to hypnotize Luffy to sleep again but accidentally causes the crew to be knocked out by the ship's stempost which Luffy was holding onto when he fell asleep. Meanwhile Jango summons the ship's guards the Meowban brothers, Buchi and Sham who fight against Zoro. Disarmed of all but one sword, Zoro must fight an uphill battle against the team-work of Buichi and Sham which is difficult without all three swords and Zoro prevents Usopp from helping him by taking a hit from his Lead Star to keep him from getting dragged into the fight. Kuro then appears disgusted by how Black Cat pirates are getting beaten by children and gives the Meowban brothers five minutes before he kills everyone.

Zoro still fighting at disvantage was helped by Nami who is able to recover Zoro's swords and kick back to him, allowing him to defeat the Meowban brothers, but Buchi survives and is hypnotized by Jango which injures Zoro faster. Nami goes to wake Luffy up, and Jango tries to stop her with his Chakram, but at the last second Nami steps on Luffy's face that gets him up in time to stop the Chakram with his rubbery body.

The battle of Luffy against Kuro, Zoro against Buchi and a latter combination of Zoro and Usopp against Jango comes to an end while Nami remains off screen robbing the Black Cat Pirates of all their treasure.

Usopp decides that news of a real pirate attack might be too upsetting for the villagers and would affect their peace of mind since pirates don't normally come to an out of the way village. So he orders everyone to keep it a secret, which Kaya and his crew agree with. Kaya, is grateful to the Straw Hat Pirates, and gives them her ship, the Going Merry (or the Merry Go in the English dub). Usopp is grateful to them as well, and now has the confidence to disband his pirate crew and strike out on his own to be a real pirate. Usopp says goodbye to the straw hat crew, who become confused and tell him to stop and get on their boat with them and that he is part of their crew.

Meeting Mihawk
The crew meets Johnny and Yosaku, Zoro's former bounty hunter companions, and they set sail for the Baratie restaurant in search of a cook. Luffy begins his job as a waiter to pay for the damage he did to the Baratie for Zeff, and tries to convince Sanji to join his crew. Gin returns to the Baratie with his also-starving captain, Don Krieg, to whom Sanji once more gives food, but Don Krieg betrays the cook once he regains his energy and attack the Baratie, despite the cooks' best effort to stop him. It is revealed that Chef Zeff was a great pirate known as Red Leg Zeff who traveled Grand Line for a whole year.

Gin explains the catastrophe the fleet met in Grand Line when they encountered Hawk-Eye Mihawk, and Don Krieg attempts to take control of the Baratie. Mihawk has returned to finish the job with Don Krieg's Pirate Armada, but Zoro challenges him to a duel in order to achieve his dream. Unfortunately, he met a most devastating defeat at the hand of the swordsman. Mihawk leaves after defeating Zoro, so Don Krieg continues his invasion on the Baratie and has Pearl, one of his stronger crewmates, attack, and Sanji reveals his fighting skills. Johnny and Yosaku leave with Usopp and the wounded Zoro to go after Nami.

Destruction of Arlong Park
Usopp, Zoro, and Johnny arrive at the island but, seeing that three Fishman have spotted them, Usopp and Johnny abandon ship leaving Zoro (who was tied up by the two to, ironically, prevent him from fighting the Fishmen) to be captured by them.

Zoro is brought to Arlong Park where he finds out Nami's allegiance to Arlong. After some banter, Arlong proudly states that Nami is the type of person who would betray even her own family for the sake of riches, which visibly disturbs her. To test Arlong's statement, Zoro throws himself into the water. Nami saves Zoro but beats him to reassure that she is still part of Arlong's crew. While Arlong is away at Nami's village, Zoro breaks free from the dungeon (with some help from Nami, who cut his ropes) and defeats all the Fishmen there. He meets the octopus Fishman, Hatchan, who is outside the park and is oblivious to what happened in it. Thinking Zoro is a guest, Hatchan tows him to Cocoyashi Village. But when he arrives, Arlong had already gone back to the park after capturing Usopp.

Running back to Arlong park, Luffy, Yosaku and the newly recruited Sanji fall from the sky only to meet up with Zoro. Johnny finds them as well and tells them what he saw happened to Usopp. Nami soon meets up them and reminds Luffy that she just partnered up with him for the treasure. She then tells them to take their ship back and get off the island. But Luffy refuses, causing Nami to angrily walk away. Johnny and Yosaku also split off, not wanting to be killed by the Fishmen. Zoro says he never expected Nami to murder someone, that she was only a small time criminal. Sanji becomes enraged at the comment and the two starts to fight, only to have Usopp's face take the impact of both. Usopp wakes up and tells them of what really happened. Nami's adoptive older sister, Nojiko, finds them and agrees to tell them the reason behind Nami's motives. Though Luffy leaves to take a walk and Zoro falls alseep, Sanji and Usopp (as well as an eavesdropping Johnny and Yosaku) listen to the story of how Arlong took over the island and killed Nami and Nojiko's adoptive mother, Bellemere; and how Nami is working for Arlong as a cartographer and stealing from other pirates to buy back their village.



Once Nami breaks down after Arlong has his accomplice, the corrupted Marine Captain Nezumi, take all the money she has been saving for her village, she asks Luffy for help. Zoro, Sanji and Usopp joins him on the march to Arlong Park where Johnny and Yosaku were stopping Cocoyashi’s villagers entrance and waiting the Straw Hats. After entering, they manage to beat almost all fishmen there. But Luffy, after sticking his feet into the ground to beat the Arlong's sea-cow Momoo, is thrown into the water by Arlong. Zoro, Sanji and Usopp take on Hatchan, Kuroobi and Chew respectively. Despite his wound and fever, Zoro manages to win against Hatchan's six-sword style (borrowing Johnny’s and Yosaku’s swords), breaking his swords and defeating him. Sanji defeats Kuroobi and Usopp defeats Chew outside Arlong Park.

After Sanji assures Zoro that Luffy is alive, he and Sanji then fight against Arlong. But they both get defeated and agree that only Luffy could win. While Zoro keeps Arlong distract, and with minor interference by Hatchan, Sanji dives back into the water and frees Luffy's body. But on land Arlong rips off the bandages on Zoro’s chest, injuring him even more and shocking everybody. Luffy rises from the water and trades places with Zoro by tossing him into the air. He falls into the sea and falls asleep after pulling himself out of it. When Luffy destroys Arlong Park and defeats Arlong, Zoro wakes up in time to beat Nezumi, who came to take the credit of defeating Arlong. Nami makes Nezumi return all the money and help fix up the island. Humiliated, Nezumi leaves and reports the incident to the Marine's Main Base, ensuring that Luffy receives a high bounty.

Back in Cocoyashi Village, Dr. Nako tends to the wounds of Zoro, Luffy, Yosaku, and Johnny. Then, to celebrate their freedom, the entire island throws a big party. When the party is over, Nami rejoins the crew and the Straw Hats sail to their next adventure.

Arrival at Loguetown


Having defeated Buggy, Kreig, and Arlong, the Marines issue Luffy his first bounty. Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji start to discuss Luffy's wanted poster. Meanwhile, Zoro points out an island he has spotted. Nami explains about the island's major city, Loguetown, the city of the beginning and the end, where the Pirate King Gold Roger was born and executed.

Arriving at Loguetown, Zoro stated that he wants to buy something, so he asks Nami for some money. While walking down the street, Zoro witnesses Tashigi, a marine swordswoman exactly like Kuina, beating some pirates. Upon entering the Weapons Shop, Zoro looks for two swords. The owner of the shop, Ippon-Matsu, tries to trick Zoro into selling his beloved sword for far less than its value, but Tashigi rushes into the shop and accidentaly ruins the owners business. Tashigi points out a cursed sword named Sandai Kitetsu to Zoro. Ippon-Matsu tells to them about Kitetsu' curseline, which intrests Zoro. The latter decides to buy the sword and test his luck against the sword's curse (he throws the sword up, then holds out his arm), but the sword circles around Zoro's arm. After witnessing Zoro's calibre, the owner gives Yubashiri to Zoro for free, saying that he passes his dream to him.

After leaving the shop, Zoro reunites with the crew, except Luffy, who is in trouble. So, Zoro and Sanji rush to the execution place and start to fight Buggy' crew, hoping to save Luffy, but the latter is saved by lightning that strikes the place (since he is made of rubber, it doesn't damage him). Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji rush from the execution place to reach Going Merry, but Tashigi and Smoker intercept them. Tashigi engages Zoro in battle, and Smoker battles Luffy and Sanji. Zoro defeats Tashigi, and Dragon saves Luffy from Smoker. Finally, they reach Going Merry and leave Loguetown. Following this, the Straw Hats make promises about their dreams and sail to the Grand Line.

Traversing Reverse Mountain and Meeting Laboon
Heading to the Grand Line, Nami had to search for more information about it. Then, the Straw Hats make a reunion where Nami explains about the only way to reach Grand Line, the Reverse Mountain.

The Straws Hats arrive at Reverse Mountain through the storm, though they are nearly blown off course and into the Calm Belt but eventually reach the entrance of Reverse Mountain and manage to climb its uphill rapids despite some tricky close calls. As they come down they hear a noise and notice something is blocking their path. They identify the blockage as a huge whale which is threatening to crush the Going Merry. Luffy manages to keep the ship from crashing into it, but seeing the bow broken off enrages Luffy and he attacks the whale. The whale swallows the Going Merry and the crew, except for Luffy who manages to escape onto the whale's back. Inside, the Straw Hats suddenly find themselves in what looks like an outside setting with a house in the middle of the water where they meet an old man named Crocus. Sanji tries to get information from Crocus, who took long periods of time to reply, causing Sanji and Zoro great comical frustration. Eventually Luffy reunites with the Straw Hats and it is revealed that the strange setting is in fact the whale's stomach. Crocus reveals that the whale's name is Laboon, and he cries trying to run into the mountain because of a promise made 50 years ago and that two mystery people named Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday are there just to kill the whale to feed the people in their town, but they are knocked out by Luffy.

Once they exit Laboon, the Straw Hats throw Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday on the sea. Luffy makes a promise to the whale hoping to solve his past problem. The crew is making the preparation for their journey when Nami realizes that the compass doesn't work there, Crocus explains that they need a Log Pose to travel through the Grand Line and gives to them one, also Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday ask the Straw Hats to take them to their town. Since everything is ready they sail onto the first Grand Line island.

Zoro Runs Wild at Whiskey Peak


Zoro and the crew arrive at Whiskey Peak, a town of pirate-lovers who hold them a feast. Zoro battles a hundred members of Baroque Works, and discovers there is more to them than meets the eye. Luffy, not realizing the town is full of bounty hunters, engages in a battle with Zoro after Zoro attacks the townsfolk. Luffy's crew manages to become targets of Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, and decide to help Princess Vivi. They also meet Miss All-Sunday, the number two in Baroque Works, and assistant to Crocodile. While she attempts to offer them an Eternal Compass to an island near Alabasta, Luffy breaks it instead of allowing an enemy to decide their destination!

Battle at Little Garden
Zoro and crew land on Little Garden, a prehistoric island inhabited by dinosaurs and giants. Zoro, ordered by Sanji to gather some food, has challenged him in a competition on who will be the one to bring the largest meat. Little do the Straw Hats suspect that Officer Agents of Baroque Works are on their tail. Having subdued the giants, Baroque Works makes their move. Mr. 3 introduces Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Brogy to the slow torture of becoming living statues of wax. Agreeing with Brogy that the only way to die was to go out honorably and Zoro tries to cut off his feet but fails, and instead, decides to let Luffy, Usopp and Carue save them. Luffy attempts to rescue his friends, however, it only accelerates the deadly waxing process prompting Zoro to strike an honorable pose should he die. To make matters worse, Miss Goldenweek interferes and reveals her own terrifying ability. Usopp frees Luffy from Miss Goldenweek's control by burning Luffy's shirt. With Carue's help, Usopp and Luffy rescue the others, who take on Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine while Luffy and Carue pursue Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek into the forest. Zoro is able to save Usopp before Mr. 5 kills him. The crew then leaves Little Garden while being propelled through the Island Eater and they set sail for Alabasta.

Adventure in a Doctorless Kingdom
While out at sea Zoro begins his daily training again and while looking for a doctor for Nami, the crew meets the pirate Wapol, who attacks them, but only makes Luffy send him flying. They arrive at last to an island only to find out they're not welcome. The Straw Hat crew manages to gain the trust of the people that attacked them, and are taken to the village, except for Zoro and Carue, who guard the ship, with Zoro deciding to train in the icy cold waters now that his injuries from Little Garden had healed. A shirtless Zoro later aids Vivi and Usopp in dealing with the king's army in order to save Dalton, and obtain one of their warm coats in the process to warm himself back up. The villagers along with Zoro, Vivi and Usopp start their ascent to the castle through a ropeway. After finally been convinced to join the team, Chopper announces his intentions to Dr. Kureha, who doesn't take it too well; but after escaping from the castle, she has decided to give the whole Straw Hat crew a farewell gift. On the way out of the Island the crew discover Carue frozen in the water and rescue him, where Chopper translates that Carue jumped in the water to save Zoro when he saw him disappear, causing an angry Nami to hit Zoro on the head because he was at fault for this mishap.

War in Alabasta
They entered the crew starving for food and saw a seacat. They try to capture it but Vivi stops them because its rare. They meet Mr. 2 Bon Kurei in the ship who shows off his devil fruit power and Vivi sees a shocking sight. Upon learning his abilities, they plan to make a "X" mark on their right arm to know their true identity. The crew landed in Nanohana, they encounter Smoker and Tashigi. A powerful pirate named Portgas D. Ace appears, and is revealed to be Luffy's older brother. Ace fights Smoker while the Straw Hats run for their ship. Luffy reunites with his brother, and together take down agents of Baroque Works. Ace depart from the crew and he gave Luffy the paper of life. The crew finds out that the Rebel Army has moved out of Yuba and headed to Katorea, and the rebel leader Kohza is determined to attack. The crew travels to the city of Rainbase to take down Crocodile and Baroque Works, but run afoul of Smoker and Tashigi.



Zoro, Luffy, Nami,and Usopp, along with Smoker, are trapped by Crocodile. Chopper distracts Crocodile while Sanji frees the rest of the crew, but find themselves trapped yet again. After escaping from Rain Dinners, Zoro and the crew together with Vivi cross the desert to Alubarna, where the final battle will take place. Crocodile, however, manages to catch Luffy, beginning the first round of their battle. The crew excluded Luffy proceeded to the Alubarna. As they reach the destination, they split up to distract the Baroque Works agents to engage their battle separately. While Miss Doublefinger's fight with Nami was challenging, Zoro is having an even more difficult time fighting Mr. 1: A man who can change his entire body into steel - something that Zoro can't cut. As Zoro nears death, he hears "the breath of all things." After their battle, the other Straw Hats hurry to locate the bomb before it goes off. Vivi finds the bomb, and calls the Straw Hats together. Vivi finds the bomb inside of the clock tower, but the Mr. 7 pair of Baroque Works are there to protect it. Vivi defeats them, but she realizes the bomb cannot be stopped so easily. It has a timer, and right before it blows up, Pell shows up and takes it into the atmosphere, where he sacrifices himself to save Alabasta.



Now that the battle has ended, the outcome is tallied. Igaram appears with proof of Cobra's innocence, as well as Kohza telling everything. When Luffy awakens from his battle with Crocodile, a magnificent banquet is thrown for the pirates, then, the Straw Hats are invited to enjoy the hot spring steam room inside the palace. It's the day for Vivi's speech and her decision whether or not to continue to be with the Straw Hats. Meanwhile, Bon Kurei and his crew attempt to protect the Straw Hats from Hina. When Vivi arrives at their location, the entire Straw Hat show off their "X" mark to symbolize their friendship with Vivi. The Marines fail again to catch the Straw Hats. After escaping from the Marines, Nico Robin (Ms. All Sunday) appears from inside of the Straw Hats ship. She manages to persuade the crew to let her join.

Rumble in Jaya
Nami's Log Pose begins to point to the sky, after that, a big ship falls from sky and the crew finds a map in of an island named 'Skypiea' on a 200-year-old ship. They compete with the monkey-like Masira's salvage crew while they search for more clues on how to get there. The Straw Hats decide to go to Jaya island to look for information on Skypeia. Jaya's main town is full of famous pirates that are constantly brawling with each other. Luffy and Zoro have a run-in with a pirate known as 'Bellamy the Hyena', who ridicules their dreams and beats them up. Luffy, Zoro and Nami meet the man who is later revealed to be Blackbeard. They leave Mock Town, and get into a fight with Masira's brother Shojo, another salvage monkey.

The Straw Hats meet with Montblanc Cricket on another part of Jaya; Cricket is a descendant of Montblanc Norland, an infamous "liar" who told of a gold city on Jaya, and Cricket was outcast for looking for artifacts of the gold city. He may be the only person who knows how to get to Skypiea. Cricket explains how the Straw Hats can ride a dangerous vertical current called the Knock-Up Stream to get to Skypeia. However, they first have to catch a South Bird to point them toward the point where the stream will erupt from the ocean. While the Straw Hats are looking for a South Bird, Bellamy and his crew attack Cricket's house, and steal the gold artifacts he'd collected over the years from his salvage work. When the Straw Hats return and see what happened, Luffy decides to take a side trip back to Mock Town. The Going Merry is refitted by Masira and Shojo to be more flight capable, and the Straw Hats catch a ride on the Knock-Up Stream for Skypeia. The Straw Hats arrive in an ocean above the clouds.

Adventure in Sky Island and Taking Down a God


As the Straw Hats admire the beautiful cloud ocean, they sail on, and soon come to a Gate, where the Watcher at first demands they pay a fee, and then tells them they may go even when Nami aplogetically states they have no money. When the Crew arrive on a beach in the clouds, the encounter a Skypeian and her father, and start talking to her, particularly about the versatile Skypeian Dials. The Skypeia police, The White Berets, suddenly turn up, and tell the Straw Hats that they are illegal trespassers, and must pay ten times the entrance fee immediately. It turns out to be 7 Million Beli, far too high to pay. The Crew is sentenced to a form of Death Penalty. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji swiftly take out The White Berets.

As the crew prepare for their adventure in Skypeia, An enormous Shrimp attacks the Going Merry. The Skypeian man explains to Usopp, Sanji and Luffy that the others on the Going Merry will be taken to The Sacrifical Altar. The three decide to rescue their friends, despite the man warning them about God Eneru living in the place they are headed. While Luffy, Sanji and Usopp look for the others on Going Merry, Zoro kills the vicious fish shortly before it can take them to the Altar. Zoro, Nami and Robin set off into the Forest (Zoro brushing off Choppers objections by stating he doesn't even believe in God). After a while, the entire crew is reunited at the Going Merry, and Zoro uses his swords to help Sanji prepare food.

The next day, the Straw Hats decide to split into two teams. The second team, consisting of Zoro, Chopper, Luffy and Robin, encounter an enormous snake and are all seperated after it attacks. Zoro soon encounters a Shandian warrior named Braham, who attacks him. Braham uses powerful Dials, and pistols to attack, catching Zoro off guard. He then regroups and states if Braham has a 'Pistol' then he has a 'Cannon'. Zoro then defeats him using his powerful 36 Pound Cannon.

As Zoro is enjoying his lunch he winds up being carried away by a South Bird. The bird soon drops Zoro right in the middle of the confrontation between another Priest, The Knight of the Sky and Wiper. Zoro is engaged by Priest Ohm, who is a great swordsman with a blade with a Dial inside the hilt. The blade shape changes to block Zoro's attacks, and is strong enough to even stop his 36 Pound Cannon After a lengthy struggle, Zoro defeats the Priest with a super powerful 108 Pound Cannon. Eneru then rends the ground using his lightning, causing Zoro to fall to the ruins where Eneru, Wiper, The Knight, Nami and Robin are. Eneru uses his Logia powers of lightning to harm Robin, Zoro furiously attacks him, but cannot harm him at all. Eneru then retaliates and knocks Zoro down. Zoro tries to attack Eneru once more, but he is shocked into unconciousness when Eneru strikes him with a Wolf-like lightning attack.

Later, upon Nami's request, Zoro attempts to cut down the Beanstalk. He manages to cleav some of it apart, but he is then struck by Eneru's lightning. After Luffy's defeat of the tyrannical Eneru, and final ringing of The Golden Bell, Zoro joins the other Skypeians in drinking and celebrating.

Davy Back Fight
After returning from Skypiea, the Straw Hats come across a mysterious pirate ship with no captain and navigator after trying to escape a giant wave. Soon they arrive at an island with some strange long animals, the Long Ring Long Land island. As Luffy, Usopp, Chopper go onboard, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Nico Robin are challenged by the Foxy Pirates to a Davy Back Fight with Luffy. Luffy accepts it with a gun shot. When Foxy decides to take Chopper after the first round, the "Donut Race," Chopper cries, saying that he only went out to sea because he knew that his nakama will be the Straw Hats. Zoro lectures Chopper, telling him that he must be a man and that he is responsible for becoming a pirate. In the second game, called "Groggy Ring" he and Sanji are partnered. They are fighting over who who will be the 'ball man' until Sanji takes the position (at Nami's request). The referee tells them that weapons are prohibited in the game, so Zoro was forced to use No Sword Style. They defeated the Groggy Monsters and won, allowing the Straw Hat Pirates to reclaim Chopper. The last game, "Combat," is a fight between the two captains. Luffy defeats Foxy and chooses to destroy the Foxy pirate flag rather than steal a crew member. Luffy makes them a new flag, which ends up being hideous because of his poor artistic ability.

The Encounter with Admiral Aokiji


After returning to Tonjit's hut, the Strawhats meet a Marine Admiral named Aokiji (in the anime, they meet him on a different island). Aokiji tells the crew that he is only there to confirm that Robin is still alive. He then uses Ice saber and proceeds to slice up Robin, however Zoro is the one who stops him. Durring the fight Zoro's right shoulder is frozen by Aokiji. After the crew returned to the Merry, Zoro and Sanji, immediatlely jump into the ocean when chopper says it will unfreeze them. After treatment, Zoro thinks to himself that Luffy got stronger to fight a stronger enemy.

Water 7: a Breaking Ship, a Breaking Crew
As the Straw Hats continue their journey, they encounter a sea train on their way. They stop at a train station and ask an old woman named Kokoro where they can repair the ship and recruit a shipwright. Kokoro gives them a picture of a person named Iceburg and told that is the person for whom they are searching. They set sail and open the picture only to find it was only a drawing. When they arrived at Water 7, Zoro pulled out the sail and accidentally breaks it. Soon Luffy, Nami, Usopp go onboard to hire a shipwright immediately. Then, Robin and Chopper go shopping followed by later by Sanji. Zoro remained sleeping and guarded the ship. When a man named Kaku, a shipwright from the Galley-La Company came in to check the ship, he mistook him for Usopp. Upon completing the inspection, Kaku states that the ship can't be repaired anymore. Zoro disagrees. Soon the carpenter went home. Later, the ship has been surrounded by a mysterious strangers called the Franky Family. They attacked but were easily defeated by him. He later joins Chopper, Sanji, Luffy to look for Usopp and their money. They found Usopp unconscious outside of the Franky House. They attack the Franky Family and destroy their base, more so for beating up Usopp than for stealing their money.

While Usopp is under medical treatment from Chopper, Luffy decided to get a new ship. When Usopp wakes up, Luffy tells him this and Usopp angrily disagrees. They start a quarrel whether they will leave the ship or not. Usopp goes outside saying that he quits being a Straw Hat Pirate, then he challenges Luffy to a duel, the winner claims the ship. Later, Zoro is seen fighting with Sanji over who is the responsible for it. They also wondering where Robin had gone. After the duel, Zoro tells Luffy that, as captain, he must never hesitate. Otherwise the crew can't rely on him. He then states that they can never come back to the Going Merry again. When they rent a hotel room, he just sits on the rooftop. Later lost of running away from civilians because the entire Straw Hat are suspects to attempted murder of Iceburg.

When Zoro saw Luffy, Chopper, and Nami, they plan how to enter to the Galley-La to talk to Iceburg. As Luffy disappeared, they've been spotted by the Galley-La guards and start running. When Zoro became annoyed of the carpenters, he decided to use the back of his swords to defeat them. As they enter the building, they see Luffy with Paulie, there, they discover the true identity of Blueno, Kalifa, Kaku, and Lucci as CP9. They see Robin with them too. Zoro attacked Kaku saying that he is not a true shipwright but Kaku replied that he did his job correctly when examinating Going Merry. Afterwards, Zoro was quickly sent by Lucci in Leopard form flying into a chimney.

While he was stuck on a chimney he was helped by Chopper, who gave him Kitetsu and he destroyed the chimney. When he was finally freed, Zoro and Chopper ran as quickly as possible to get away from the Aqua Laguna. Zoro and Chopper, along with Nami and Luffy, were helped by Paulie from drowning. As they plan to sail in a storm to save Robin, Paulie disagreed to their plan as he will fight them to stop them. Kokoro arrives there and introduce the Rocket Man, another sea train.

Seeing how determined Luffy is to save Robin, Kokoro and Iceburg lends the Straw Hat crew the use of another sea train, Rocket Man. The [Franky Family] shows up, pleading with Luffy to let them join them because they'll do anything for their leader. The Rocket Man finally makes it out to sea. As the train connects with the tracks, Luffy has to rescue Chimney before she's thrown off by the wind. In the meantime,With Luffy and Chimney safe in the train, Paulie tells his fellow carpenters who the real culprits were. The Straw Hats, Franky Family, and Galley-La Company form an alliance. Luffy and Zoro perform a move that acts similar to a cannon and blasts a hole through the wall of the tidal wave ahead of them, opening up a channel for them to pass through. They miraculously pass through unscathed and the passengers rejoice.

In the Rocket Man, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Chopper get an outfit change; Nami shows off the weapon Usopp upgraded for her while he was still with them. Those on the Rocket Man encounter the discarded cars and Zoro slices them so they can pass. Zoro clashes with "Ship Cutter" T-Bone. The fight is short and Zoro joins the crew again in the Rocket Man. At the Rocket Man, Yokuzuna the frog jumps onto the front of the train, knocking them from the rails. After Kokoro speaks with him, he joins the group. Luffy and the others finally catch up to Sanji, Usopp, and the rest of the Franky Family as they near Enies Lobby. Paulie sits down with the group and talks about their plan. Luffy doesn't bother to follow the plan, and slingshots himself beyond the gates before the train stops.

Rescuing a Nakama from Enies Lobby
As they arrive at the Enies Lobby, together with the Franky Family and Galley La, they plan their move going inside, but unfortunately, Luffy jumps the gun, and heads inside on his own.. They wait several minutes to open the 1st gate of Enies Lobby. Zoro has been commanded by Kokoro to make his move against the fence. But suddenly, Zoro commanded Yokuzuna to pull the fence and made it as a ramp. Together they landed on Oimo's back. They start entering the island to its main aim; saving Robin. He cut the last gate and then proceed. As they're waiting for the bridge to be activated, they all lined up at the roof convincing Robin to accept their request of saving her. When they confirmed that the bridge will not be activated anymore, Kokoro volunteered herself to help them using the Rocket Man. The Rocket Man used the half activated bridge as a ramp and together they've been held by Luffy and started to jump.

When they landed on the Tower of Justice, Fukurou showed up and declares that a key is needed to uncuff Robin. They decide to fight individually and started to search an agent. Zoro faced Kaku, who he had already fought at Galley La. Zoro commented that he has became stronger since then and uses a new skill to defeat Kaku to finally got his key. which was number 5. After that he and Sanji carried the injured Sogeking in the tunnel and are almost drowned. They are saved Kokoro who is a mermaid. While awaiting the end of Luffy's fight with Rob Lucci, he, along with the rest of the crew engage in battle with a number of Marines, sent there as a result of the Buster call inadvertently triggered by Spandam. During the fight, he comes across a marine Shuu, who, using his devil fruit ability, causing his Yubashiri to rust. During their fight, their escape ship explodes, leaving them seemingly stranded, till, along with Usopp and the rest, hears the voice of Merry telling them to jump into sea. He complies, and with the rest of his crew, sails away from Enies Lobby, leaving it in ruins.

Aftermath of Enies Lobby
With the Going Merry, everyone has managed to escape Enies Lobby safely. After escaping, Iceburg arrives with the Galley-La company just in time to pick up the Straw Hat Pirates as the Merry suddenly breaks apart. Luffy then gives the Going Merry a viking funeral by burning it as the crew tearfully says goodbye (Zoro, though, maintains his dignity).

2 days later, back in Water 7, he is seen staring at the broken hilt of his sword wondering what he should do. Finally, he was then seen rushing to meet the others, to warn them of the marines arrival. However, as usual, Zoro ends up getting lost on the way there. When he arrived, he was attacked by Sergeant Helmeppo with dual kukri knives, but quickly defeated the young man.

He was seen trying to buy a sword but had no money and was thrown out. Later on, Zoro's new bounty is revealed; the bounty is set at 120,000,000. He also helped launch Franky towards the "Thousand Sunny", the Straw Hat's new ship. He was later seen, when he and Sanji inform the rest of the crew that Garp's battleship was near the island. Zoro took a stand on letting Usopp back in, stating that Usopp shouldn't be allowed back with the crew if he returned still full of pride. His reasoning being that Luffy as captain must stand firm as it was Usopp that left them and lost the duel with Luffy over the fate of the Going Merry. As such, he smiles when Usopp apologizes for being stubborn and asks if he can re-join the crew. When Luffy and Usopp started arguing in the first place... I didn't care about whose emotions were stronger... or who was correct... but a duel between men was fought and the conclusion was set in stone.

Adventure on Thriller Bark
After sailing for some time on the Thousand Sunny, Zoro and the rest of the crew came across a mysterious barrel floating on the ocean. Upon opening it, a flash shot up from it. After braving a storm that mysteriously came afterwards thanks to Nami and Franky, Zoro and the rest of the crew found themselves in the presence of a ghost ship.

This ship apparently belonged to a skeleton named Brook who, by chance, initially accepts Luffy's offer to join the crew. This apparent new addition to the crew made Zoro scold Nami and Sanji for not keeping Luffy from inviting the skeleton. Zoro then joined for dinner as the skeleton related his past to the others. Just as Brook was about to perform before Zoro and the rest of the crew, a ghost appeared and some clanking sounds were heard. These sounds were caused by the gates of the island that suddenly appeared, Thriller Bark, closing. These events prompted Brook to head to the island before Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats' eyes.

After witnessing Franky's present to the Straw Hats that the cyborg decided to show them, Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats decided to look for Nami, Usopp, and Chopper who had not returned. However before Zoro and the rest could go to the island, they were stopped by an invisible thing. The thing stole one of Zoro's swords and tried to stab Luffy with it. Luckily, Franky kicked it away before it found it's mark. The thing later left Zoro and the rest baffled.

After the Thousand Sunny was caught in what was apparently an oversized spider web, Zoro and the rest disembarked onto the island. There, they met the Cerberus which didn't intimidate Zoro. After Luffy tamed the beast, Zoro and the rest met two more of the island's creatures. Luffy caught the "Geezer Tree" while Franky caught the unicorn. Zoro, along with Sanji, then stopped Luffy before he could allow the "Geezer Tree" to join the group.

Zoro and the rest then came across some ghosts who affected some of them with their strange abilities. Zoro seeing his companions in such a pitiful state merely shook the whole matter off only to be affected by one of the ghosts himself. After Zoro and the rest who were also affected by the ghosts recovered, they pressed forward. Zoro and the rest later met with some Zombies and defeated them with a combo technique. The group then met with a old man who looked like a Zombie. The old man asked them to defeat Gecko Moria who had stolen his shadow.

While in Hogback's mansion, Zoro disappears not long after Sanji does. Later, a shadowed figure was shown attacking Robin, Luffy, and Franky with Zoro's Ittouryuu: 36-Pound-Cannon attack. However, the zombie's body was that of Jigorou, the zombie that received Zoro's shadow. It is later reveled that the zombie has inherited Zoro's Shadow and thus is able to use all his techniques. Zoro was found asleep on the Thousand Sunny with Sanji and Luffy and was woken up by Usopp.

After purifying some Zombies, Zoro, Franky and Sanji are about to cross a bridge leading to Hogback's laboratory when Oars smashes it. With the construction of a new bridge done by Franky, Sanji departs to save Nami. Later on Zoro and Franky finds the defeated Brook, and saves him in the last moment from "legendary samurai" zombie. Seeing the samurai's sword Zoro claims he intend to fight and take it. After a short but intense battle, he defeats the legendary samurai and gained the sword Shuusui, from an ashamed Ryuuma.



When Moria gained control of Oars, he ordered him to rampage Thriller Bark and defeat the Straw Hats. Zoro wanting to fight him only cut of his left tusk before being defeated by Oars' attack. Later on he alongside the other Straw Hats regain consciousness and started a series of combo attacks against Oars. Using a 108 Pound Cannon at Oars, Zoro notes how his Shuusui is heavy and he is still not adept using it. After Moria manipulates Oars' body to allow it to stretch the Straw Hats are taken down one by one. But before Zoro is taken down, Chopper formulates a theory that his right arm is his weak point. As his final movement, Zoro tried to damage the arm, but fails since zombies do not feel pain, and is taken out.

After being carried away from the fight between Nightmare Luffy and Oars, by the Thriller Bark Victim's Association, he regains consciousness, and helped Luffy use Giant Bazooka to shatter Oars' spine. As Moria uses Shadow Asgard he stands by, watching the fight between Moria and Luffy, and is almost burned away by the sun until, with the defeat of Moria, his shadow is finally returned. After launching an attack on the Thriller Bark Victim's Association Bartholemew Kuma targets Zoro.



Zoro tries to fight Kuma, but Kuma just pushes his attacks away with his Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, leaving Zoro at a disadvantage. Kuma then comes with an ultimatium: give up Luffy and the rest will be allowed to survive. Zoro and the crew refuse and so Kuma calmly detonates the island with an Ursus Shock, knocking out everybody. However, when Kuma was about to take Luffy, Zoro rises again and even launches a succesfull Shishi Sonson [Lions Song] on Kuma, revealing that he is cyborg. Kuma then states that he is a cyborg but not like "Cyborg" Franky and furthermore tells that he is an incomplete human weapon, created by the World Government, and Dr. Vegapunk, called Pacifista. Zoro then proceeds to ask for his head to be taken in exchange for Luffy's. Kuma agrees, but at that point Sanji wakes up and wants to give his head instead. Zoro calmly hits one of his wounds and knocks Sanji out. Kuma then proceeds to use his powers and draw out all of Luffy's pain and fatigue. Luffy had so much pain and fatigue that it formed a gigantic paw of energy. Kuma gives Zoro a small sample of it and Zoro can barely tolerate the pain. Zoro then says "Let me choose the location".



Zoro then takes the paw of pain and goes to a nearby forest. He takes a few breaths before he places his hands inside of the giant paw. When the Straw Hat crew awakens along with the Rolling Pirates, Sanji goes out to look for Zoro and finds him in the forest covered from head to toe in blood. When Sanji asks what happened to him, Zoro replies "Nothing... nothing at all" in a trembling voice. None of the Straw Hats find out about Zoro's near-death sacrifice but Sanji, Robin and Brook.

He is seen sleeping in the Thriller Bark Mansion, with wounds Chopper says were life threatening, while his nakama (minus Chopper, who was taking care of him and Nami, who was watching over him) celebrate their victory. Two days later Zoro is awake and goes to the grave that Franky built for Brook to honor the Rumbar Pirates and asks Brook permission to lay his Yubashiri to rest near the grave, and later jokes that Brook has bad luck since this crew is varied to which Brook jokes back with him.

Once he and the rest of the crew finally left Thriller Bark, they held a toast to Brook, their new nakama.

An Incident on Sabaody Archipelago and the Destruction of the Straw Hat Crew
As the Straw Hats continue their journey, Zoro became embroiled in the battles against the Flying Fish Riders in protection of former enemy Hatchan against the slave trader Duval. Assisting Hatchan in his escape, he comes to an understanding with his former enemy while defeating those in their way. After the incident, the Straw Hats arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, where Zoro decided to go off on his own, presumably to get some liquor, as he was later seen chugging on a bottle of one. Though he claimed he knew where the Sunny was docked, a misread sign made the swordsman run off into the unknown, getting himself lost again. Eventually, he enters a bad area where a Tenryuubito is messing around with his slaves and the local population. Although other members of the The Eleven Supernovas were watching, Zoro attempted to challenge one for his mistreatment. But before he could get too far, Jewelry Bonney knocked him out of the gunfire, forcing him to play along to escape the Noble's wrath. After a brief argument with Bonney, Zoro proceeds to carry the civilian injured earlier by the Noble to the nearest hospital, ignoring Bonney's protests. Several of the Supernovas watching the encounter comment that Zoro is a 'beast' and radiates an 'insane killing intent'. They contemplate how powerful his captain (Luffy) must be to keep such a powerful and seemingly uncontrollable man, with such a high bounty in check.

He apparently jumps onto Luffy's flying fish (after being told by the latter to do so) in an attempt to find his way back to the ship, but is crashed into the Auctioning House along with them. After Hatchan is shot, Zoro witnesses Luffy punch Saint Charloss in the face, the same Noble he himself almost attacked. Zoro remarked that Luffy should've given him the chance to slice the noble himself. He also witnessed the mechanic they were looking for, Silvers Rayleigh who uses an ability known as "Haki" to knock out most of the crowds, as well as Saint Shalulia. Zoro assisted Luffy and battle his way out the massive horde of Marines, before escaping along with Rayleigh with the help of Duval's Rosy Life Riders.

They return to Shakky's Rip Off Bar to rest. There, Rayleigh reveals he was Gold Roger's First Mate, and reveals the truth about how what led to his execution. Indeed Roger was never captured, rather he gave himself up. Four years before his death, Roger contracted an incurable illness and spent most of the years going on his final adventure to the Grand Line, eventually reaching the end, and conquering it. Roger then became known as the Pirate King, but that didn't matter to him as he was still about to die. A year before his death, he secretly disbanded the Roger Pirates and the members disappeared. Roger mentioned to Rayleigh that he isn't going to die. in Roger's final year, he gave himself up to the Marines, and sentence to public execution. The Marines publicly claimed that they captured Roger as a show of power, and used his public execution to set an example to all pirates, but his last words before his death started "The Great Pirate Age." While Rayleigh himself didn't witness Roger's execution, his subordinates, Shanks and Buggy were present. The mention of the latter mildly irritates Zoro.

Rayleigh congratulates the Straw Hats on making it to the first half of the Grand Line but tells them he's going to need three days to coat the Thousand Sunny. In addition due to the arrival of an Admiral, he will move the ship as not to be noticed, so he gives the Straw Hats pieces of a Vivre Card to meet up once its done. Because of the Admiral threat, Zoro mentions they too should split up, to avoid getting caught and meet up at Rayleigh's location. Sanji notes that this is an ironic comment going from him. As they say their farewells to Shakuyaku, Keimi, Pappag and Hatchan, the Straw Hats depart but are confronted by the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma. As he attacks, the Straw Hats retaliate, now at full strength as opposed to worn out from their prior encounter at Thriller Bark. Zoro notes that there is something different about his "atmosphere" from before. The Straw Hats continue to fight "Kuma" and Luffy, Sanji and Zoro finally deliver a successful counter-attack in the form of the Gomu Gomu no Diable Jet Mouton 600 Pound Cannon combo, knocking "Kuma" back. Zoro notes that it may not be the real Kuma as he hasn't reflected their attacks or teleported with his Nikyu Nikyu no Mi abilities. This poses a problem because there is one or more copies of Kuma with similar levels of strength. Zoro suddenly collapses from the phantom pain of when he had all of Luffy's pain and fatigue was transfered to him but managed to get up and hit Kuma with a new Asura technique which badly damages the clone, before Luffy finishes it off.

As the Straw Hats catch their breath, they contemplate how powerful their opponent was, and how he came so early as they planned to hide for the next three days, and were worried as to how they are going to deal with more opponents like that. Just then, a broadaxe-wielding warrior named Sentōmaru appeared with yet another Pacifista and ordered it to capture the Straw Hats. As the Straw Hats separated to avoid capture, Zoro, Brook and Usopp were suddenly confronted by Kizaru: one of the 3 Admirals and he proceeded to attack Zoro with a blast from his kicks. With Usopp and Brook unable to do anything to Kizaru due to the power of the Pika Pika no Mi, the Admiral attempted to finish Zoro off, but had his kick deflected by Silvers Rayleigh appearing to save him. Usopp and Brook again try to escape with Zoro, but as the PX-1 Pacifista starts coming after them Zoro tells them to put him down, and he will let them get away. But Usopp refuses saying Zoro is more useless than him right now. Even with Sanji's help they are all beaten down by the Pacifista. Before they can get up to run again, or it can attack once more, the real Bartholomew Kuma shows up, and orders the Pacifista to stop. Zoro instantly recognizes this as the real one, and they briefly talk, before Kuma asks Zoro "Where would you like to go?," while removing his glove. He then swiftly touches Zoro with his hand, making him vanish.

Straw Hat Separation Adventure: Kuraigana Island


He is shown having landed in the exact same spot Perona was sent to, the ruins of Shikkearu Kingdom, Kuraigana Island, in the Grand Line. He wakes up having been bandaged ridiculously by Perona, wondering where he is. As he awakes, he asked for his swords but Perona refuses to give him his weapons back. However, some measure of trust seems to have grown between them, as Zoro is later seen with his swords at his side and is casually walking through the ruins of the island as Perona floats overhead. He then encounters an unknown swordsman.

The swordsman, however, turns out to be a feral baboon known as a Humandrill, whose tribe has learned to wield weapons from watching soldiers in a great war fought seven years earlier. The island also turns out to be the home of Mihawk, who upon returning to the castle informs Zoro of the events at Marineford, and even gives him a small boat to leave the island, though it is unfortunately destroyed by the Humandrills. A while later, Mihawk goes to the ruins to watch Zoro's battle with the baboons. Mihawk comments on how Zoro is still far away from reaching the sea even though Zoro has been away from the castle for a long time. Mihawk adds that the boat is useless in its current state, but Zoro states that he will use a part of the boat to help him swim to his destination. Mihawk explains to Zoro the vicious, imitative nature of these baboons and remarks that they will be difficult but good opponents for Zoro. He then offers Zoro a night at the castle, but Zoro refuses, saying he needs to get to the ocean. Mihawk responds by saying, "Do as you wish."

Zoro is then shown lying on his back making Perona hold a newspaper up for him to read. He explains that Luffy praying at Marineford and ringing the Ox Bell is out of character guessing that Rayleigh must be behind it. He asks her to hold still, maintaining that there is some kind of message hidden in the newspaper.



Zoro is next shown prostrating before Mihawk, requesting training from the Shichibukai. Mihawk initially dismisses this request as Zoro reacting to an inability to defeat the Humandrills and escape the island. He chides Zoro and expresses regret for "over-estimating" the swordsman. When Zoro explains that he has defeated the Humandrills and requires training from Mihawk to defeat Mihawk, the shichibukai reconsiders laughing at the absurdity of the request. Mihawk comments that in order to make the request Zoro must have found something more valuable than his ambition. He agrees to the request and orders Perona to patch up Zoro so that the training can begin.

The reason for Zoro's request is then revealed as Luffy's hidden message. Zoro is shown describing this message to Perona having translated it from the tattoo visible on Luffy's arm. The message orders all members of the Strawhat crew to regroup at Saobody Archipelgo in two years rather than the three days that were initially discussed. Zoro decided he would use the extra time to train under the world's greatest swordsman.

Early One Piece
Originally, Zoro was planned by Oda to be the bodyguard of Buggy. A picture of an incarnation of him in Buggy's crew was then later released in Volume 3 along with another picture of Buggy's crew.

Anime, Video Game and Manga Differences
Zoro's past was expanded upon in the anime. Zoro was a traveller who went around defeating dojos for their signs. However, there was one person Zoro could not beat - the sensei's daughter, Kuina. In the anime she is the reason he joins her father's dojo in the first place. Kuina's father made a deal that if he could defeat her Zoro would take the sign. If not, Zoro have to train under him. When given the oppotunity to use as many swords as he wanted, he grabbed as many as he could carry and faced off against Kuina. He lost and was told he had to start with one sword before he could use more. The consequences of his loss he trained at the dojo as he promised.

In the manga, Zoro enters to see her dead body, eyes covered and surrounded by the students and accuses her of running away, in the anime no such scene is shown, but a funeral takes place for her instead, though later on "Ocean Dream" arc in the anime, the original manga scene is shown in a flashback.

His story is extended also in the anime by showing the time he first met and befriended Johnny and Yosaku. They cash in when Zoro takes out a large bounty and, given they pay his tab at the bar he was at for his food, can keep the rest of the money for themselves as an apology for taking their 'head'. Later, Dick appears in the town with his horde of bandits, who proceed to loot the town. Johnny and Yosaku watch as a child tries to stop the thief to no avail. Johnny convinces Yosaku that they must stop him, to which Yosaku reluctantly agrees. The two are no match for Dick, but luckily Zoro comes to claim the bounty on Dick's head to pay for a Katana that he broke. After a complete victory by Zoro, Johnny and Yosaku look up to Zoro and start to call him "Aniki."

His adventure in Shikkearu Kingdom is also extended in the anime. Not only Perona refused to give Zoro his swords back, she also tried to turn Zoro into her servant.

In most filler, his lack of direction is further ridiculed as he has gone in the wrong direction even though his guide (Perona) was still pointing in the correct way, and even turning to the right on a straight path.

in the SBS Volume 20 Oda stated that he resembles a shark. however, he was turned into a tiger in the video game Chopper's Big Adventure and had a dragon-based attire in the video game Unlimited Cruise.

Translation and Dub Issues

 * Most of Zoro's attacks are puns and some also have religious connections. One of Zoro's more common attacks, Oni Giri (Demon Slash), is a pun on the Japanese word onigiri (rice ball). Another common attack, the 36/72/108 Pondo Hou, is a reference to the 36 passions of Buddhism. Zoro's newest power, Asura, also borrows from religion by taking its name from a group of Hindu demons. This is a bit ironic considering that Zoro is a stated atheist, and Nami and Chopper have both claimed that Zoro is more arrogant than the self-proclaimed "god" Enel.


 * In the 4Kids English dub of One Piece, Zoro is referred to as "Zolo," however when FUNimation picked up the series, they reverted his name back to "Zoro," only keeping "Zolo" for the broadcast Skypiea episodes for consistency. Originally, the English version of the manga by VIZ spelled his name as "Roronoa Zoro," but it was changed to "Zolo" in chapter 50. It is possible that this name change was either a result of trademark issues with Zorro - who shares a similar name - or to maintain similarities to the 4Kids dub. In the book The Anime Encyclopedia - A guide to Japanese animation since 1917(2001), Zoro's name was spelled "Zorro" in the One Piece entry. Such cases as this have been common in many translations across the world, mostly because of the similarity between the two names. To date, however, this has yet to raise concerns over copyright between the two characters.


 * In Japanese promotions and in some art work, the character is often referred to as "Zoro" but is also spelled "Zolo" in a few cases, mostly in promotions. However, there are fans that claim that "Zoro" was the creator's intended spelling, since it is almost always spelled that way in art and it is supposed to be based off the aforementioned character "Zorro". However, the appearance of "Zolo" in Japan can be explained without relating it to 4Kids or copyright laws due to interchangeable L and R sounds. Other characters who have displayed this problem have include Franky (Flanky) and Robin (Lobin). In the end, in noted cases English speaking fans may choose to specifically refer to the dub version of Zoro as "Zolo," while referring to the original version as "Zoro,"


 * In the English dub by 4Kids, Kuina's death was removed. Instead, she was rewritten to have been seriously injured by a group from a nearby town, leaving her unable to fight; a situation which, oddly, is more violent than the original. Zoro's commitment, therefore, is to continue fighting for her sake, instead of in honor of her death. During the Drum arc in the 4Kids dub, when the ankle scars he obtained during his fight with Mr. 3 were exposed, they were rewritten to have been gained from a bear trap since the Straw Hats never visited Little Garden in that version.

Cameos and Crossovers

 * Zoro appeared in an Shonen Jump special, where Enel attacks Tokyo and Odaiba.
 * Zoro and other characters also appeared in Cross Epoch.
 * Zoro has appeared in the games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars for the DS. He also appeared in Battle Stadium D.O.N on the GameCube and PlayStation 2.
 * Zoro makes a cameo appearance in the anime Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei : During Meru's introduction, Harumi is seen reading a yaoi manga featuring Sanji and Zoro. Also, in her room, we can see action figures of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Sogeking.

Merchandise
As a main character, Zoro has been the choice character in many forms of merchandise. He has been featured in the series of models Portrait of Pirates. He has featured in trading figure sets such as One-Piece Motion Figure box and the One Piece Styling Figures. When the Wii game One Piece: Unlimited Adventure was released Zoro was one of the crew produced as a figure in the One Piece Locations Trading Figures series.

He also featured in One Piece Gashapon sets, including the 5 piece One Piece VS Figure Gashapon set. Another Gashapon set he featured in was the One Piece Full Color R Gashapon, of what he was featured twice. He was sold alongside Robin in the One Piece Monkey Island Mascot Keychain series.

He was issued alongside Kuina in a One Piece Block Figures set featuring the Straw Hats and their past mentors/loved ones.

Songs

 * Eyes of Zoro
 * Spirit of Zoro
 * Holy Holiday (as back-up singer to Luffy)
 * Respect! (Luffy, Zoro and Sanji)
 * Family (with other Straw Hats)
 * Utae! Jingle Bell (with other Straw Hats)
 * You Are the One (with other Straw Hats)
 * Sekai ichi no otoko to yobareru tame ni (Zoro, Sanji and Usopp)
 * Akuma no Mi (Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji)
 * Jungle Fever (with other Straw Hats)
 * A Thousand Dreamers (With other Straw Hats)
 * We Are! (Mugiwara Version) (Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Zoro, Sanji, Robin and Usopp)

Trivia

 * Zoro owns his own Jolly Roger, like all the Straw Hat crew. It has Zoro's bandanna, two swords instead of cross-bones, and a sword in its mouth.
 * Zoro is described as being somewhat like the eldest son of the family that is the Straw Hat crew.
 * His family name, Roronoa, comes from the real-life French pirate François l'Ollonais.
 * In Japanese Fan Polls, Zoro is consistently the second most popular character. Also in the attack popularity polls his Sanzen Sekai came in 2nd.
 * Zoro's favorite foods are White rice, sea king meat and anything that goes with ale.
 * Oda has hinted that one of the reasons why Zoro uses food-based puns is because he has never tried sushi and has some form of fascination with it. However, this can be considered one of Oda's SBS jokes.
 * Zoro has had the most English dub Voice Actors out of all the Straw Hats (2 as an adult, 4 as a child).
 * Zoro looks a lot like Ryuuma from when he was still alive in Oda's oneshot Monsters; except Ryuuma had black hair worn in a top knot. They're slightly similar in personalities as well.
 * If he lived in the real world, he would be Japanese.
 * In the Little Garden Arc, Zoro tried to cut off his own legs in order to escape Mr. 3's Giant Candle Service Set. The same was done by Shiki when he was imprisoned in Impel Down. However, it turned out that Zoro didn't have to cut his legs, mostly due to help arriving before he could finish the process. His attempt only resulted in a pair of scars circling both of his ankles.
 * Because of him being the first person to join Luffy's crew, he is sometimes considered by people to be the first mate.

Related Articles

 * Captain Morgan arc
 * Kuina
 * Mihawk
 * Santōryū
 * Straw Hat Pirates
 * Tashigi
 * Bounty Hunters
 * Swordsmen

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