Shimotsuki Kuina

Kuina (くいな) was the childhood friend of Roronoa Zoro. Her name comes from a bird.

Appearance
The Marine officer Tashigi bears a strong resemblance to Kuina (in appearance, personality, and sword style), to the point where it makes Zoro extremely uncomfortable around her. However, they are not believed to have any greater connection than that.

Personality
She was the daughter of the sword master of a dojo Koshiro and the reason why Zoro developed the Santōryū technique, and why he treasures one of his swords, the Wadō Ichimonji, more than his others. In life she was always living with the knowledge that, as a woman, as she got older she would not be able to compete with other men. This would eventually force her to give up the swordsman life.

Eventually Zoro made her believe that its willpower not strength that makes a swordsman. Since she died, it is unknown how strong she would have become. She could be even stronger than Zoro, since Zoro got his willpower from her.

History
Zoro fought Kuina regularly, but found that in 2001 fights he could never beat her. Kuina, after realizing that Zoro would soon pass her in skill and strength because she was a girl. She realized as boys grow older they grow stronger then girls, so she became discouraged. At which Zoro told her that it was his goal to be as good as her, and together they promised that one of them would become the greatest swordsman in the world.

However after she made a vow with Zoro, she fell down the stairs, while trying to get a sharpening block (no doubt to resharpen her katana after her and Zoro's duel) and died (in the English anime she was injured by the friends of a man she defeated, and could never fight again). Zoro asked her father for the honor of taking the Wadō Ichimonji with him, and with this Zoro promised to fulfill their shared dream of becoming the greatest swordsman to fruition in order to honor Kuina.

Major Battles

 * Vs. Zoro

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

Trivia

 * She is a playable character in the U.S.-only video game, One Piece Grand Adventure. Surprisingly, Zoro says that she died.

Related Articles

 * Zoro
 * Wadō Ichimonji