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Of the countless characters featured in One Piece, very few are as iconic as Roronoa Zoro. A green-haired swordsman who aims to become the strongest in the world, Zoro is a powerful and honorable fighter whom fans love for his fierce determination, unwavering loyalty, and, funnily enough, extremely poor sense of direction.
Within the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro is the second strongest individual, ranking only below the crew’s captain, Monkey D. Luffy. Zoro has been at Luffy’s side since the story's beginning, assisting him as his reliable right-hand man. As such, they have a special bond based on mutual trust and respect.
Due to his overwhelming strength, grand ambitions, and, last but not least, almost unparalleled popularity among fans, Roronoa Zoro has always been seen as the closest thing One Piece has to a deuteragonist. This popular belief was recently confirmed by One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who said that he conceived Zoro as the second main protagonist of his story.
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Zoro was created to be One Piece’s second main character, Eiichiro Oda says
Oda's interview
Fans have always debated whether or not Zoro is the second main character of One Piece, with the consensus being that he matches most of the trope’s specific requirements or at least fits them more than any other character in the franchise. In any case, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda clarified the issue in his latest interview.
"Before OP started, I already had the idea of having a character like Luffy as the protagonist. In order to be popular, I prepared someone like Ryuma as the 2nd main character," Oda said.
This statement was included in the Blu-ray and DVD release of Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, the anime adaptation of Oda’s pre-One Piece story Monsters. In the interview, Oda revealed that to make One Piece popular, he created a supporting character that would fit in the shoes of the main protagonist.
This second lead would be someone like Ryuma, the protagonist of the one-shot Monsters. It must be noted that the Ryuma depicted in Monsters is the same Ryuma featured in One Piece, i.e., an unparalleled samurai who lived hundreds of years before the present narration.
Zoro and Ryuma are alike in every way, including appearance, manners, and fighting style. To emphasize that Monsters’ Ryuma is part of One Piece’s canon, the new official colored version of the one-shot has retconned certain aspects, making them fully aligned with One Piece.
Specifically, Ryuma’s weapon of choice has been changed from a random sword to his Black Blade Shusui, and his hair color has been changed to dark green, making him green-haired, just like Zoro. The Monsters anime adaptation also added a post-credit scene based on the moment when Ryuma, revived as a zombie, acknowledged Zoro and entrusted Shusui to him.
Zoro and Ryuma are linked, as the latter is a direct ancestor of the former and a major benchmark for him to outdo. Considering Oda’s recent statements, the connection between Zoro and Ryuma, with Zoro being the new Ryuma and vice versa, automatically emphasizes Zoro as One Piece’s second lead.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that he is a second lead who does not lose out at all in comparison to the main protagonist. Oda explained that he wanted One Piece's lead to be Luffy but needed a cool second lead to ensure the new franchise would be popular. He thus created Zoro, a character meant to be the carbon copy of Ryuma, the protagonist of his earlier story Monsters.
Oda’s interview further validates Zoro’s confirmed deuteragonist status and potential main character-like outlook. The mangaka said that he was impressed by how Slam Dunk author Takehiko Inoue made Rukawa the protagonist of his earlier story, but he was also appointed the second lead to Sakuragi in Slam Dunk.
Taking inspiration from this, Oda created the one-shot Monsters with Ryuma as its protagonist and then designed Ryuma’s descendant, Roronoa Zoro, to be the second lead to the main character of One Piece.
Zoro's connection with the main character
While the deuteragonist is the main character's rival in many series, Zoro mostly acts as a sidekick to Luffy. The green-haired swordsman’s connection with Luffy is special and needs to be put in the unique context of Oda’s story.
Zoro is the only comrade Luffy hasn’t bumped into. Luffy knew about him beforehand. Fully aware of Zoro’s combat prowess, Luffy deliberately went looking for the swordsman, seeking to recruit him. The other Straw Hats are people Luffy has met by chance on his travels.
As a prominent Conqueror’s Haki user who aims to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman, Zoro’s potential is second only to Luffy. In fact, among the Straw Hats, he is the only individual who is, to some extent, comparable in power to Luffy. Deriving his authority from his strength, Zoro acts as the Straw Hat crew’s vice-captain.
If Luffy is incapacitated or in danger, Zoro protects him at the risk of jeopardizing his own life. He also gives him precious advice on how to lead the crew more maturely. To Zoro's devotion, Luffy retaliates with complete trust in the former's abilities, creating a partnership that makes them akin to brothers-in-arms.
Luffy and Zoro are the only two Straw Hats who can use the Color of Conqueror. They have evolved this rare power even further, achieving a new level of strength. The Advanced Conqueror’s Haki is said to be the ability that separates the strongest from the rest, and, apart from Luffy, Zoro is the only other rookie who can use it. Neither the other Straw Hats nor characters like Law and Kid can use this all-powerful skill.
Unlike his crewmates, Zoro didn’t join Luffy out of the need for protection, but because of the spontaneous trust he felt for him. In the beginning, Zoro even threatened Luffy to kill him if the latter hindered his personal goal.
The connection between Luffy and Zoro parallels the one between the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and his second-in-command, “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh. What’s even more impressive is that Roger and Rayleigh are some of the legendary individuals that Luffy and Zoro are meant to surpass.
Whereas Luffy is set to outdo the likes of Roger, Shanks, and Joy Boy, Zoro is bound to overtake Rayleigh, Mihawk, and Ryuma. Not only are Shanks and Mihawk long-established rivals, with the latter being said to be stronger than the former, but Joy Boy and Ryuma have also been explicitly compared to each other for their might.
Ultimately, Luffy will rise as the new "Sun God," but Zoro won’t be far behind as the second coming of the “God of the Blade.” Looking forward to seeing these two reach their full potential, fans will never forget the epic scenes in which they were portrayed as a dynamic duo.
An iconic second lead
Zoro shares the same archetype as many other anime deuteragonists. Each character has their own facets and differences, but One Piece’s Zoro, YuYu Hakusho’s Hiei, Dragon Ball’s Vegeta, Hunter × Hunter’s Killua, Slam Dunk’s Rukawa, and so on, all fit the trope of the stoic individual with incredible strength but poor social skills who eventually befriends the main character.
Zoro falls short compared to his counterparts when it comes to moving the plot on his own, but that’s due to One Piece’s writing. Eiichiro Oda outlines every character as either a helper or an enemy to Luffy, making the entire plot revolve around the latter.
Usually, Oda won’t let Zoro step in and take over Luffy’s job, as from his perspective, that would undermine Luffy as the main protagonist. Zoro’s character is meant to show insane feats, radiating a main character-like aura, but not to step out of his position unless absolutely necessary, like in Thriller Bark or during the battle on Onigashima’s rooftop.
There are several scenes where characters wonder why Zoro is not the captain of the Straw Hats or the leader of his own crew, as if to tease that, if he wanted, he would be more than qualified to take those positions. Out of respect for Luffy, however, Zoro follows and assists the former.
Even the crossover between One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Toriko emphasized Zoro’s second lead role. This episode portrays Zoro as One Piece's counterpart of Dragon Ball’s Vegeta, the anime deuteragonist and anti-hero par excellence. While Luffy, Goku, and Toriko join forces to face a common enemy, Zoro, Vegeta, and Zebra fight one another in a three-way deathmatch.
Most of Eiichiro Oda’s earliest prototypes involve a character that heavily resembles One Piece’s Zoro. In addition to the well-known Ryuma from Monsters, the protagonist of The Boy Who Rode a Dragon seems to be a Western version of Zoro.
Oda’s Hammer Fish starred Clam, his love interest Lisel, and her brother Pesca. Based on their looks and roles, these characters can be considered the prototypes of Luffy, Nami, and Zoro, whom they strongly resemble. The three pirates in Oda’s pre-One Piece sketch, two boys and a girl, also resemble the first three members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Some characters get more narrative focus in certain parts of One Piece than Zoro. However, considering the story as a whole, the green-haired swordsman stands out more than anyone else. In fact, he is the only character in the franchise to regularly get hype moments that should be reserved for the main protagonist.
From single-handedly slaughtering Whiskey Peak and matching Luffy in a 1v1 battle to becoming the disciple of his nemesis, unlocking the strongest type of Haki, and fending off the Yonkos to protect his captain, Zoro’s journey is full of main character-like moments. That’s not even considering the “Nothing happened” scene in Thriller Bark, which is perhaps one of the most famous anime moments of all time.
In Whiskey Peak, Zoro and Luffy challenged themselves to see who was the strongest between them. They used their mightiest moves, putting in a serious effort, and clashed on par. Oda even left the battle's outcome ambiguous, as he used Nami as a plot device to interrupt Luffy and Zoro from fighting.
Another memorable moment was when Luffy and Zoro joined forces to perform a combined attack, the Gum-Gum 300-Pound Cannon. This technique broke through the Aqua Laguna, an insanely massive wave of water, allowing the Straw Hats and their allies to keep going.
Oda holds Zoro in high esteem, as, for his own admission, he based the character on Miyamoto Musashi, a real-life Japanese swordmaster considered the mightiest duelist ever. This speaks volumes about Zoro’s status in Oda's eyes.
It also explains why, apart from Zoro, the mangaka doesn’t let any other character shine so much when sharing the stage with Luffy. With his charisma, which contrasts Luffy's goofiness, Zoro has been instrumental in raising One Piece's popularity.
Related Links
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- One Piece chapter 1121 confirmed to be manga's last release in July
