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. It would seem however, that this anger is the only emotion that Zoro often feels comfortable showing. Outside of situations where he feels confident in battle, he rarely smiles or laughs. In fact, his defeat at the hands of Mihawk and subsequent vow to Luffy is the only time since his friend Kuina passed that Zoro has been seen crying in the series. Even in moments that are particularly tough on the crew and would warrant sadness, Zoro chooses to maintain a quiet solemnity rather than outwardly express his emotions. He has been shown to believe to a degree that these emotions can hinder his judgement as a swordsman: when Ohm asked him if he was out for revenge upon discovering Tony Tony Chopper wounded and unconscious, he replied that he doesn't like to fight for reasons like that. Despite this assertion, though, he cares deeply for his crewmates and wishes to protect them, telling Ohm that in spite of his preference for fighting without a motivation he can feel one coming on. He can also be extremely intimidating, easily frightening weaker opponents with just his glare. It has been stated that he has a monstrous killing intent evident from the fact where he almost drew his sword on one of the World Nobles. Furthermore, it has also been stated that Zoro is a born killer capable of showing no mercy during combat; it has been mentioned that Zoro has killed before. Despite this, Zoro has a kind heart, shown as he was willing to risk his life for the sake of a little girl he did not know shortly after his introduction. When fighting weaker or innocent people, he does try to hold back when fighting and use the dull side of his swords in order not to seriously injure them.

He has a strong sense of leadership and reasoning. While technically not a samurai, Zoro maintains Bushido to a certain degree (e.g. he consistently refuses to attack an adversary whose back is turned, the only exception being when his friends are in imminent danger of losing their lives in which Zoro would strike the attacker from behind, and Zoro himself considers a scar on the back to be a swordsman's greatest shame). 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, even willing to quit the crew himself if Luffy just brushed the incident off because it betrayed his strong values in loyalty).

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

He also seems to be partially irreverent, but not seriously so, simply choosing to focus more on his training and what is clearly in front of him than worry about spiritual matters as well as questions about its mysteries that he cannot truly answer. When Enel posed as God, Zoro was asked by Sanji if he believed in God, but Zoro did not show any devotion toward the idea of one, and didn't care one way or the other. Yet, Zoro showed belief in a paradise after death, though Usopp joked Zoro's behavior in this life wasn't likely to get him into Heaven, with Zoro becoming offended because Usopp implied he would go to Hell.

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

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

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

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

Zoro is very proud of the reputation he has built for himself both as a swordsman and as "The Pirate Hunter", starting with his 60,000,000 bounty which has quintupled since then. He also enjoys the fact that he has a higher bounty than Sanji. During the assault on Enies Lobby, one of the Marines referred to Zoro as "Luffy's underling" much to the delight of Sanji, who quickly became infuriated when Zoro pointed out that Sanji's lack of notoriety puts him below Zoro in status. Since then, once in a while to anger Sanji, Zoro will refer to him as "Pirate A". More recently he has been calling Sanji "#7", referring to his order of arrival at Sabaody. However, in spite of his personal pride and self-respect, Zoro has shown to be willing to lower himself to the ground in complete humility for the sake of his friends, as was seen when he begged Bartholomew Kuma to spare Luffy's life in exchange for his own (Zoro's). And then again when he shamelessly bowed before Dracule Mihawk, begging the Shichibukai who is his enemy, to train him in the ways of the sword.

While the crew sails from one island to another, he normally spends time lifting weights or napping, only to be regularly awakened in a rather violent way by Nami, Sanji, or (accidentally) Luffy. He cares greatly for his swords and often holds them close while napping and was considerably upset when his Yubashiri was destroyed. He also likes to drink alcohol (sake), almost to the degree that Luffy loves meat, and Nami loves money. Also like Nami, he has an inhumanly-high tolerance for alcohol. On top of this, Zoro loathes being deprived of alcohol, evident when Mihawk imposed temperance on him until he mastered coating his swords in Haki as an incentive. He 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. When he and Usopp were accidentally handcuffed together, Zoro's first suggested solution was to cut off one of their hands. In addition, when he, Vivi and Nami were stuck on Mr. 3's candle set, he actually tried to cut his own feet off in an attempt to escape, and when that failed, decided he would strike a cool pose for his dying moments upon being encased in wax. 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. Also, as pointed out during the Skypiea Arc, Zoro does not care if any gods exist or not.

When Zoro has the intention to fight seriously, he ties his bandana (normally kept tied around his left arm) around his head. Zoro lives for the thrill of combat; Scratchmen Apoo commented on his "insane killing intent", acknowledging that Zoro was a "real beast".Indeed, when an average human has the intention of fighting Zoro, his glare alone is usually enough to make them back off. He also has a habit of smiling in satisfaction whenever he faces a particularly skilled opponent, which often unnerves both friend and foe alike. However, Zoro will still maintain his stern demeanor during the thrill of combat if the stakes are high enough. In his battle with Ohm, the priest stood in the way of him rescuing Nami and Gan Fall from Nola's stomach. Against Kaku, the ability to save his crewmate hinged on him defeating the CP9 agent in a timely fashion. He instantly lost his cocky attitude against Shu after the latter destroyed Yubashiri, as his katana were in serious danger. This seems to suit Zoro perfectly; as any given moment where Zoro is not in battle, he's typically sleeping, lost, yelling at/being yelled at by someone, or training.

Kaku: I see you've already drawn your sword. Zoro: It has been growling; it craves blood.

Zoro is also very perceptive, something he demonstrates by providing important and logical decisions at critical times and by evaluating the situation from an objective point of view, as he did in Water 7 by evaluating the best way to handle what, at the time, seemed like Robin's betrayal, and again when the crew wanted to bring Usopp back after he challenged Luffy to a duel over the Going Merry and lost. Zoro is the one who noted that Usopp was at fault for leaving the crew of his own accord.

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

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

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

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. While he is quite indifferent to the gender or/and age of his opponents, many of his adversaries (like Tashigi and Monet) seem to believe he does not take women seriously when in fact it is only because Tashigi reminded him too much of Kuina and that Monet was merely a distraction. When the latter tried to take advantage of this belief he cut her down without hesitation, only refraining from killing her because she was too weak to even be considered a proper opponent, using a non-Haki strike in lieu of a blunt attack.

He has also taken a liking to fishing, as well as training and drinking.

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

Luffy
Zoro trusts Luffy implicitly and always follows his decisions whatever the consequences, acknowledging it as a captain's decision, which a crew must carry out without question. He makes it clear that he would turn on his captain if he ever stepped between him and his dream, although during the Thriller Bark Arc he says that he cannot fulfill his dream if he does not help his captain fulfill his. Zoro seems to have the most respect for Luffy (this may or may not be due to being the first crew member) and this deep respect has been demonstrated on various occasions. For instance, he was willing to throw away his dreams and ambitions for Luffy's during the appearance of Kuma in the Thriller Bark Arc without the slightest hesitation. And when he was almost on the verge of death from his wound from "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk in the Baratie Arc he tearfully vowed to Luffy that he would never lose again, asking if it was alright with him as Pirate King. He even went as far as to repeat Luffy's earlier sentiment, that as Pirate King he'd be in a "real dilemma" if Zoro didn't become the best swordsman. Zoro finds it annoying when Luffy hypocritically mocks Zoro for being stupid calling his captain out on it, Zoro is sometimes willingly to fight his Captain like in Whiskey Peak but only if Luffy gives him no choice.

During the Long Ring Long Island Arc after winning the Davy Back Fight contest against the Foxy Pirates, Zoro implied of never becoming a pirate if it weren't for Luffy and commented that he'd have no point in being one if he had ever left the ship. This respect is not only for Luffy as a person, but also because of his position as captain. When Luffy learned that Usopp was planning on returning to the crew during their time in Water 7 and was immediately ready to welcome him back, Zoro made it clear that a crew member who fought against their captain should not be forgiven so easily. Zoro explained to the others that one should respect their captain unconditionally and he would quit as well if Luffy allowed someone to walk all over him like Usopp, who wanted to rejoin without even apologizing for his actions. When Luffy was distraught after having to defeat Usopp, Zoro reminded him that those hard decisions are part of being captain, and that he can not lose himself. He reminds Luffy that if he wavers, the crew has no one else they can trust. In Chapter 597 he begged Dracule Mihawk to train him (despite it not being honorable) in order to become stronger for Luffy, his captain. Zoro still gets annoyed with Luffy's stupidity and will not tolerate Luffy calling him out on being stupid. After knowing Luffy for a long time Zoro has come to accept Luffy charging stupidly into battle without a plan and is surprised when Luffy actually sticks around. Zoro also happens to be one of the only two (the other being Sanji) that does not worry about Luffy when he is in battle, often telling the other crew mates to believe in their captain.

During the battle against the New Fishman Pirates, Zoro was impressed that Luffy was capable of using Haoshoku Haki while jokingly stating that if Luffy was not capable of that much, he would have to step down as captain. In the Punk Hazard Arc, it was Zoro who realized that Luffy being reckless would have to stop since the crew have made it to the New World.

Nami
Owing to his simple, direct nature, he is often exploited by the more cunning Nami, particularly in financial matters. However, while this irritates Zoro, just like it does for the rest of the crew, he still cares for her and will risk his life to protect her, which he frequently does. Zoro often talks like he doesn't care what happens to Nami, but in the end he still worries about her - e.g. before the crew entered Upper-Yard in Skypiea, he doesn't care what happens to her, but later when he discovers she was swallowed by Nola, he can't focus on his opponent and is worried about her instead. The two are the main Straw Hats to engage in drinking, as shown in Whiskey Peak. Zoro is not above insulting Nami whenever she runs off in a fight as seen in Alabasta when he calls her idiot for running off but immediately comes to her rescue when she was attacked by Mr 1. Zoro trusts Nami's instincts (mainly about navigation) just like the rest of the crew. Nami on the other hand trusts his fighting abilities and even orders him to charge in. Nami like the rest of the crew is very aware of Zoro's lack of direction - for instance, in Punk Hazard, she is the one who points out that he can't go alone. Zoro is also prone to shove Nami none too gently out of harm's way, this rough treatment puts Zoro at further odds with Sanji. While he was recovering after his encounter with Kuma, Nami stayed at his bedside alongside Chopper showing she also cares about Zoro.

Vinsmoke Sanji


Zoro is always shown to compete with Sanji and getting into fights with each other over petty matters, often at inopportune moments. They had some early disagreements with each other during the Arlong Park Arc on how to deal with Nami's alleged betrayal with Sanji even mocking Zoro's defeat at the hands of Mihawk to which Zoro threated to slice off Sanji's head but their back-and-forth relationship officially began on Little Garden. Sanji asked Zoro to hunt since they were short on food, and Zoro replied that he would since Sanji was incapable of doing so, thus triggering their rivalry. This extends to Sanji's cooking, as Zoro rarely acknowledges its quality usually just calling it "okay". However, when the pair fight together against a common foe, they are nearly an unstoppable team. Despite their comical fights and rivalry, they have a brotherly trust and care between them they would never admit to, in fact the two warriors understand each other better than other crewmates.

Zoro was seen grinning and chuckling when Sanji finished off Kuroobi and smiled when Sanji returned to fight Jyabura. Zoro also has a habit of insulting Sanji when he is flirting with Nami or Robin. Both have common insulting nick names they call each other. Zoro usually calls Sanji "dartboard brow", "ero-cook" or "dumbass cook"; whereas Sanji often calls Zoro "marimo" (moss head), "shitty marimo" or "shitty swordsman". This has gotten to the point where Zoro has never actually referred to Sanji by his name. During the Little Garden Arc, Sanji and Zoro unknowingly took on a similar challenge of dinosaur meat hunting to the one the two legendary giants Dorry and Brogy started 100 years ago (the giants were competing to see who could catch the larger Sea King). From that, and the inhuman amount of power the two possess, their rivalry is similar to legendary status. After the timeskip Zoro still argues with Sanji and has referred to him as "Number 7" and himself as "Number 1" referring to the order in which they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. Additionally after the nose bleeding problem Sanji went through, particularly during their adventures in Fishman Island, Zoro invented a new insulting nickname for Sanji "Mr Nose Bleed" which he first used when the battle against the New Fishman Pirates began.

Zoro trusts that Sanji protect the weaker members of the crew, as seen in Zou when the Sunny Crew were missing and Usopp and Franky were worried Zoro stated "Curlybrows was with them the entire time he wouldn't let anything happen". Despite Sanji and Zoro's rivalry, however, it can be noted that they work well together as a team, as emphasized by their fight against Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan. Zoro was angry when he heard that Sanji had got involved with Big Mom when they already had the threat of Kaido looming over their heads, calling Sanji an "idiot" for messing around with the Yonko causing the crew to be angry with him. Despite saying he didn't care what happened to Cook, Luffy caught Zoro listening intently to Pekoms from outside the door showing he still cares for Sanji's safety though when Luffy pointed this out Zoro said he'd kick his captain's ass.

Usopp
Zoro has been good friends with Usopp since the start of their journey; Zoro was the one to tell Usopp to get on board the merry. Zoro finds Usopp cowardly nature disgusting and will always refuse Usopp's request to be his bodyguard. Zoro and Usopp occasionally make idiotic decisions during a serious situation such as when they were fighting CP9 and got handcuffed together causing the swordsmen and sniper to run around in panic, Zoro suggested he cut off one their arms to which Usopp strongly disagreed. So Zoro came up with a plan to use Usopp as his sword, this plan failed though they worked better together in the future. Zoro would not forgive Usopp's desertion from the crew and disrespect towards Luffy and would accept Usopp back only if he bowed his head and apologised. When Usopp finally did this, Zoro was pleased to have him back.

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

Nico Robin


After the Alabasta Arc, 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, such as catching her when she was nearly killed by Enel and being the first one to jump to her aid when she was threatened by Aokiji.

After the Enies Lobby Arc, Zoro completely trusts Robin and they both get along well with each other. Like for the rest of the crew, Zoro would risk his life to protect her too. Amongst the crew, Zoro and Robin are the most calm and serious in any situation. Robin is also the only person amongst the crew that never gets on Zoro's nerves nor angers him over anything due to their similar personalities. Coincidentally, two of Zoro's more notable displays of power: Asura in Enies Lobby, and the 1080-pound cannon in Dressrosa, came as a direct response to Robin's safety.

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

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

Brook
As the two swordsmen of the Straw Hats Brook and Zoro get on very well, Brook is in awe of Zoro's sword skills that is greater than his despite Brook's 50 years more experience, Zoro was at first disturbed and confused by Brook skeletal appearance and yelled to Luffy "why did you bring this thing aboard?" but after hearing Brook connection to Laboon and saving him from Ryuma Zoro began to enjoy the undead skeleton's company. Brook is indebted to Zoro for defeating the undead samurai which gave Brook back his shadow and Brook was further amazed when Zoro along with Sanji offered their own lives instead of Luffy's to Kuma. While they do get along Brook still somehow gets on Zoro's nerves like the rest of the crew (except Robin) especially when Brook attempts to meditate with Zoro but couldn't keep quiet and needed to use the toilet but couldn't get up causing Zoro to have to pick him up and rush him there. In Punk Hazard Brook was annoyed that Zoro wasn't showing him respect since Brook was 69 years his elder but Zoro ignored him.

Ships
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.

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

After the Enies Lobby incident, Koshiro was seen again in his dojo when his students were asking him about Zoro. He wished Zoro to go on ahead and fulfill his dream. Koshiro also stated that as long as Zoro treasures his sword, it will not matter what person he becomes. Zoro is grateful to Koshiro for teaching him the sword and giving him the Meito Wadō Ichimonji. He states that he can not lose this sword no matter what. In addition, he remembers his words while he is fighting a tough opponent or while he is on the verge of death. Although he didn't understand it at the time, Koshiro taught Zoro that there is much more to being a swordsman than the ability to cut through anything. A sword that can simply harm anything isn't a real sword, and there is no sword mightier than the one that protects what it wants to protect. Zoro later remembers Koshiro's teachings during his battle with Daz Bones, and overcomes his inability to cut steel.

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

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

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

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

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

Vivi
He got along well with Vivi, who nicknamed him "Mr. Bushido". However, he was the least sad of his crewmates to see her leave.

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

Jinbe
Zoro met Jinbe during the Straw Hat's visit to Fishman Island. Zoro found Jinbe to be a trustworthy ally, and offered his aid to help free Fishman Island. Jinbe and Zoro fought well together, and was later offered to become a member of the crew if he ever chose to accept.

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

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 as compared to any other Straw Hats.

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

After Luffy accidentally broke a newly finished statue of Morgan, the captain immediately set after him (considering that he was about to have one of his men killed for just scratching the statue, this is rather humorous as it occurs just as he was about to do the deed), confronting Luffy in the courtyard of the Marine base. Morgan was defeated by Luffy without even landing a single blow, though he was finished off by Zoro as Luffy had to deal with Helmeppo holding Coby hostage. During the Buster Call attack Zoro encountered Shu who had the power of the Sabi Sabi no Mi and successfully destroyed one of Zoro's swords, Yubashiri, with ease. In the anime, he was shown to challenge Zoro to a fight. After destroying Yubashiri, Shu was rendering Zoro immobile with his Devil Fruit powers but was then knocked out by Sogeking's Firebird Star.

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

Crocodile
Zoro assisted Luffy and Vivi during their trip into Alabasta to fight Crocodile. Zoro did not meet Crocodile directly, but helped undermine his plans at every turn.

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

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

T-Bone
After killing in one blow a Sea King who assaulted their car, T-Bone started running along the tracks by himself, seeking help and chasing the train. He was then reached by the Rocket Man, and after a exchanging some words with Zoro, he battled him on the rails, attacking him. Despite his skills, he was defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates’ swordsman. Zoro's blow destroyed his blade and knocked him into the sea as the Rocket Man sped down the tracks. He was later seen floating in the sea and thinking about his defeat, as his men were approaching to assist him rowing on the car bifurcated by Zoro.

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

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

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

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

Trafalgar Law
Zoro and Law both share the title of Supernova, given by the Marines to them. They first met at Sabaody Archipelago and both sides helped one another fight off the Marines that were attacking them. They met again two years later where Law offered an alliance with them. Zoro trusted Luffy's judgement enough to go along with this and worked closely with Law in their shared efforts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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