E&H Production adds Zoro to Ryuma's legacy in Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation in the most appropriate way possible

Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, the anime adaptation of the 1994 one-shot manga that author Eiichiro Oda wrote and drew, has finally come out on Netflix and fans are excited to watch this title, which is part of the One Piece canon. To add to the connection between these two stories, E&H Production, the studio in charge of this adaptation, has added a nice little touch involving Roronoa Zoro.

Zoro's character has always been connected to Ryuma, the main character of Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, who was added to the One Piece canon during the events of the Thriller Bark arc. While it wouldn't be until 2023 that these two characters would have a much stronger connection in the series, this anime adaptation has further developed their bond with a very fun detail.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece and Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation series. Any opinions expressed here belong to the author.

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Roronoa Zoro makes an appearance in Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation in a very unique way

Roronoa Zoro's connection to Ryuma is something that has been shown on several occasions across the series. So, having the former's voice actor, Kazuya Nakai, involved as the narrator of events in the Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation anime adaptation was a very smart move. It adds to the connection between the one-shot manga and the One Piece universe, which is something that author Eiichiro Oda already confirmed when including Ryuma in the Thriller Bark arc.

The reason Zoro and Ryuma have always maintained a degree of connection across both series is that they have similar designs. They are both swordsmen and the latter hails from Wano while the former has descendants from that country. They both also have similar goals and aspire to become the best swordsman while aiming to defeat someone in particular (Ryuma wants to defeat a man named King and Zoro wants to defeat Dracule Mihawk). Furthermore, it was eventually confirmed by Oda in an SBS that Zoro is a descendant of Ryuma.

This one-shot also provides a glimpse of who Ryuma was in life and further emphasizes his connection with Zoro since they have some similarities in their personalities, their drive, and the way they go about things. It is a very interesting take on the swordsman archetype and also shows how far Oda has come as an author.

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The premise and appeal of the story

Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation was a one-shot manga that Eiichiro Oda wrote and drew in 1994, a few years before the release of One Piece. It features a lot of concepts that he would later revamp in his most popular work, such as Wano Country. It tells the story of Ryuma, a wandering swordsman who is looking for a specific man to defeat but ends up aiding a young woman in her quest to kill a legendary dragon.

This one-shot was one of Oda's earlier works to get traction as a professional manga, providing him with the opportunity to advance further. This could be why he decided to add the story to the canon of his magnum opus. The devotion to this series was such that Ryuma came back, albeit undead, for the Thriller Bark arc, facing Roronoa Zoro in a memorable clash.

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Final thoughts

The Japanese voice actor of One Piece's Roronoa Zoro worked as the narrator for the anime adaptation of Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. This serves as a nice callback to the connection that Zoro and Ryuma have in both series, with the former being a descendant of the latter.