Roronoa Zoro/Personality and Relationships

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 Hatchan, Daz Bones, Priest Ohm, Kaku and Samurai Ryuuma.

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 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 Whitebeard War, Zoro is willing to put down his pride and begged Mihawk to train him in order to become stronger for his captain.

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