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			{{Short description\|Fictional character from One Piece}}
	{{For\|the fictional master swordsman of the Old American West\|Zorro}}
			{{family name hatnote\|Roronoa}}
	{{Infobox OPchara/Header\|
			{{Use American English\|date=August 2022}}
	name=Roronoa Zoro
			{{Use mdy dates\|date=August 2022}}
	]
			{{Infobox character
	\|caption=Roronoa Zoro, from the '']'' manga.
			\| name = Roronoa Zoro
	\|jp_name=ロロノア・ゾロ
			\| series = ]
	\|rom_name=Roronoa Zoro
	\|~~eng_name=Roronoa~~ ~~Zoro~~ ~~and~~ Roronoa ~~Zolo~~		\| image = Roronoa Zoro.jpg
			\| image_size = 160px
	\|nick="Pirate Hunter" sword boy ] North American Version
			\| caption =
	\|affil=]
			\| first = ''One Piece'' chapter 3: "Introducing Pirate Hunter Lost in Other Animes" ('']'' No. 36, 1997)
	\|va_name=]<br>] (as young Zolo)
			\| creator = ]
	\|seiyu_name=]<br>] (as young Zoro)<br>] (] only)
			\| portrayer = ] (live-action series)<br>Maximilian Lee Piazza (live-action series; young)
	\|appears=Original ]
			\| voice = See ]
	\|first_app=Manga Chapter #3,<br/>Anime Episode #1
			\| lbl21 = Occupation
	\|species=Human
			\| data21 = ]<br>Bounty Hunter (formerly)
	\|bounty=60,000,000 Beli
			\| alias = Pirate Hunter
			\| relatives = Roronoa Arashi (father)<br />Tera (mother)<br />Roronoa Pinzoro (grandfather)<br />Shimotsuki Furiko (grandmother)<br />Shimotsuki Ushimaru (granduncle)<br /> ] (ancestor)
			\| lbl22 = Affiliations
			\| data22 = ] (combatant / swordsman)<br>Worst Generation (member)
			\| lbl23 = Age
			\| data23 = 19 (debut)<br>21 (after the timeskip)
			\| image_upright =
			\| lbl32 = Bounties
			\| data32 = ]1,111,000,000 (current)<br>]320,000,000 (third)<br>
			]120,000,000 (second)<br>]60,000,000 (first)<ref name=vol23>{{cite book
			\|last=Oda
			\|first=Eiichiro
			\|title= Vivi's Adventure
			\|series=One Piece
			\|volume=23
			\|year=1999
			\|publisher=]
			\|language=
			\|isbn= 978-1-4215-2844-1
			\|chapter=213 ]
			}}</ref><ref name="vol45">435
			{{cite book
			\|last=Oda
			\|first=Eiichiro
			\|title= You Have My Sympathies
			\|series=One Piece
			\|volume=45
			\|year=2007
			\|publisher=]
			\|language=
			\|isbn=978-1-4215-3461-9
			\|chapter=435 You Have My Sympathies
			}}</ref><ref name=vol80>
			{{cite book
			\|last=Oda
			\|first=Eiichiro
			\|title= Opening Speech
			\|series=One Piece
			\|volume=80
			\|year=2015
			\|publisher=]
			\|language=
			\|isbn= 978-1-42-159024-0
			\|chapter=801 Opening Speech
			}}</ref>
	}}		}}
	{{Infobox OPchara/Footer}}
	{{nihongo\|'''Roronoa Zoro'''\|ロロノア・ゾロ}} , known in the United States, Canada, and Australia as '''Roronoa Zolo''' is a ] in the ] and ], '']''. Being a member of the Straw Hat pirates, he has a bounty of 60 million berries.

			{{nihongo\|'''Roronoa Zoro'''\|ロロノア・ゾロ\|Roronoa Zoro\|spelled as "Roronoa Zolo" in some English adaptations}}, also known as {{nihongo\|"'''Pirate Hunter'''" '''Zoro'''\|海賊狩りのゾロ\|Kaizoku-Gari no Zoro}}, is a ] created by Japanese ] ] who appears in the ] series and media franchise '']''. He first appeared in the third chapter of the ''One Piece'' manga, published in the manga magazine '']'' in 1997. Zoro is the first crewmate to join ] to be part of his ], after he is rescued by Luffy from execution. Zoro is a highly skilled swordsman and serves as the crew's combatant,{{efn\|He is also occasionally referred to simply as the crew's swordsman both in the story and in some media of the '']'' franchise. In the ], his position is changed to that of first mate; this, however, was eliminated in the Japanese dubbing, where the franchise originates.}} though he possesses an extremely poor sense of direction which recurs as a ] throughout the series.
	Originally, the American version (Viz) spelled his name as "Roronoa Zoro", but it was changed to "Zolo" in chapter 50. His name was changed in the North American English versions for trademark reasons, and to match up with the dub of ]. The French and Spanish versions write Zoro's name as "]". This name is also used in the German version but his backname was changed to Lorenor, mainly because it was easier to spell.

			== Creation and conception ==
	Zoro is a mighty swordsman who fights with ], three japanese samurai swords (]), and his own peculiar fighting style. Though not a ], he appears to maintain a certain degree of ], and is frequently mistaken for one.
			Zoro originally used two swords instead of three.<ref name=ConceptArt>{{cite book\|title=One Piece Magazine Vol. 10\|publisher=Shueisha\|author=Eichiro Oda\|date=September 16, 2020\|isbn=978-4-08-102406-3}}</ref> Zoro was originally planned to be part of Buggy the Clown’s pirate crew and would have been recruited by Luffy away from Buggy. Zoro's surname is based on the Japanese pronunciation of French pirate ]. In several Western localizations, his name was changed to Zolo.

	==~~History~~==		=== Design ===
			Zoro commonly wears a plain white shirt (though he can be seen wearing other types of shirts), black pants, and a light-green, '']'' sash that holds his three swords. These sword's names are Enma, Wado Ichimonji, and Sandai Kitetsu. Zoro also has a black ] tied around his left biceps that he only wears on his head while in a serious battle. Under his shirt, his torso is heavily scarred from many of the battles he has fought, especially since he joined the Straw Hats (like the one acquired during the battle against ], one of the ]). He has three golden earrings in his left ear, which denotes his three swords style. After the two year time-skip, Zoro has a scar across his left eye (obtained during his training under Dracule Mihawk, although not confirmed by anime) and replaces his shirt with a long dark green ]'s coat which he can even open the torso while fighting (against the New Fishman Pirates) or when he experiences heat (burning side of ]). Concerning his ethnic appearance, Oda revealed that he imagines Zoro to be of ], albeit in a real-world context.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://kotaku.com/the-real-world-nationalities-of-one-piece-characters-1729134030\|title=The Real-World Nationalities of One Piece Characters\|website=Kotaku\|last=Ashcraft\|first=Brian\|date=September 7, 2019}}</ref>
	Zoro originally was a bounty hunter, with ambitions of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world. However a moment of kindness landed Zoro in trouble with Helmeppo, the wimpy son of the Marine captain ]. Zoro joined ]'s crew after being saved from execution by the ], and is now one of Luffy's "Straw Hat pirates". Holding on to his dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world he only joined Luffy to accomplish that goal, though Luffy doesn't mind. Zoro also occasionally gets into verbal (and sometimes physical) fights with the ship's cook, ]. He also has an extremely bad sense of direction.

			Zoro has many scars on his body. The most noticeable is the long scar running down his left eye, which is the one he got after returning from the two-year time skip. It is currently unknown how he acquired it, but he either can't or won't open his left eye because of it.
	Zoro is arguably one of the strongest humans in ''One Piece''; while most super powered heroes and villains gain power from eating one of the Devil Fruits, Zoro has gained his powers through hard work and training in his sword techniques. Zoro also has sufficient stamina to survive wounds strong enough to kill most normal men instantly. With his "santōryū", he has created extremely deadly attacks. Example attacks include the "Tatsumaki" (Dragon Twister in the English dub) and the "Thirty-Six Pound Cannon" (Single Sword Rising Phoenix in the English Dub, his "Seventy-Two Pound Cannon" and "One Hundred and Eight Pound Cannon" are called the Double and Triple Sword Rising Phoenix respectively in the dub), which cuts the very air to damage his opponents from afar.
			He also has a heavily scarred torso, having a diagonal cut mark from the top left to the bottom right of his torso due to fighting Dracule Mihawk. He also has scars on both of his ankles, which he obtained from trying to cut his own legs off to escape the candle prison of Mr. 3 in Little Garden.

			=== Portrayals ===
	]
			] voiced Roronoa Zoro in the ] English dub of the ].]]
	His three-sword-fighting-style is unique as the last sword is held by teeth. Before the sudden death of his childhood rival Kuina (Kuina was injured in the English anime, while Kuina died in the manga and Japanese version of the anime), Zoro fought with two swords but after her death, Zoro started using her sword - Wado Ichimonji - in addition to his other two, to fulfill his promise to Kuina that one of them would be the greatest of swordsmen. Though Zoro often speaks even when using the third sword, it's unknown how he manage to speak when his mouth is clenched holding a sword. The creator of the series, ], has said that it is his heart that allows him to speak (though Oda is known for giving joke answers to fans' questions, as well as just making up answers on the spot to avoid leaving a fan's question unanswered). A better explanation is that he learned ] on his own so he can communicate even when fighting. He is usually more lazy when the Straw Hat crew isn't fighting, spending almost all of his leisure time (as in, whenever he isn't fighting or training) sleeping soundly.
			In the original Japanese version of the '']'' anime series, Zoro is voiced by ] as an adult and ] as a child. In the first ] ''Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack'' from 1998 is voiced by ].

			In ]'s dubs of the first 104 episodes of ''One Piece'' in Singapore, Zoro was voiced by Brian Zimmerman. In the ]'s dub of the first 104 episodes of ''One Piece'', Zoro was renamed "Zolo," which was later influenced and implemented in the Viz Media adaption of the manga series; he was voiced by ] and ] as a child. In ]'s dubs of the entire ''One Piece'' franchise, adult Zoro is voiced by ] with ] playing the role of child Zoro for episode 2 and by ] for the rest of the franchise. Sabat compared Zoro's characterization with '']''{{'}}s ] and '']''{{'}}s ], describing them as "the tough guy with a heart of gold". As a result, Sabat feared that he sometimes performs similar voices despite the fact the characters are different. He also tried seeing the original actors' works to avoid getting a more specific delivery.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/es/anime-feature/2015/02/02-1/feature-interview-with-voice-actor-christopher-sabat\|title=Feature: Interview with Voice Actor Christopher Sabat!\|website=Crunchyroll\|access-date=November 18, 2020\|date=February 5, 2015}}</ref> In the game '']'', Sabat reprises his role as adult Zoro, with child Zoro voiced by ].
	Currently, Zoro's greatest defeat has been at the hands of another great swordsman, ]. The wound he suffered at the business end of Mihawk's blade had to be closed by the use of metal staples (this is revealed during the battle with Arlong in the Japanese anime) and has resulted in a hideous scar. Zoro vowed to one day face that man again and defeat him in a duel. Until that day, he said firmly, not even Shinigami (the God of Death) can take his life away. Since his defeat he has done a lot of hard training all for the day he will face "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk again including, but not limited to: swimming in icy water; performing one-finger push-ups; and training with weight sets several feet tall.

			Zoro is portrayed by ] in the ] of ''One Piece''.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Otterson\|first=Joe\|title='One Piece' Netflix Live-Action Series Sets Main Cast\|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/one-piece-netflix-live-action-series-cast-1235108332/\|website=Variety\|access-date=November 10, 2021\|date=November 9, 2021}}</ref>
	It seems that, after every significant battle, Zoro is dripping with blood and heavily wounded. At one point, while he was trapped, he attempted to sever his own legs to escape and fight his enemies.

			== Characteristics ==
	Throughout most of the series, Zoro is unable to cut ] with his sword, though his sword is able to go through rock. In combat against one of the soldiers of ], Daz Boness a.k.a. ] - a man who had eaten the Supa Supa no Mi (literally "Slice Slice Fruit"), which turned his body into a living steel weapon - that weakness came back to haunt him. Without being able to cut the steel that Daz Boness was forged of, none of Zoro's attacks were successful, and he was savagely defeated. But his oath absolutely forbade him to give up. So he rose up once more, bloodied from the vicious attacks he'd sustained; death was close upon him. It was in that state of near-death that he awoke - everything, from the softest feather to the toughest steel, had a "Chi" or "breath". This breath was the key to his victory. Sheathing the Wado Ichimonji, the symbol of his oath, he readied himself and sought the breath of Boness' steel. His foe charged and, in that instant, Zoro struck him down with a single blow, showing that he became a stronger swordsman. Once more he sheathed the sword, and gave his thanks to his enemy.
			Zoro is confident but often acts in a very comical manner. A ] is that he has a terrible sense of direction (being capable of getting lost even while walking in a straight line) which he is very insecure about since he never admits when he gets lost, instead always blaming someone else. While the crew is out at sea, Zoro can (usually) be found sleeping or training towards his goal of becoming the world's best swordsman. He and ] have a great rivalry, often resorting to fighting (both verbally and physically) over issues from minor to extreme. Zoro had never called Sanji by his name in the original Japanese manga, he uses phrases like "dumb-cook", etc. On the other side, Sanji uses phrases like ''marimo'' (moss-head). etc.

			Though not a samurai, he appears to maintain a certain degree of '']'' and is frequently mistaken for one. Unlike Luffy and most of the other Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro has been known to kill his opponents if he has to, though never in cold blood. It is shown that Zoro enjoys fighting a strong opponent (usually left to face down the second strongest villain in each arc, as Luffy faces down the strongest). Zoro tends to retain a maniacal grin and serious glare when battling a worthy opponent.
	Currently in the manga Usopp and Zoro are handcuffed together (Thanks to a mistake of Usopp) and battling both Jabura and Kaku in the attempt to acquire the key to Robins' handcuffs.

			===Personality===
	]'s clothing]]
			Zoro has a stern, serious, and distanced personality, but unlike Robin, he often reacts in a goofy and exaggerated comic style due to his short-tempered and impatient attitude. On the ship, he normally either trains with weights or sleeps. The only work he is seen doing regularly is hoisting the anchor using his great strength and maintaining a lookout in the ship's crow's nest (which on the Thousand Sunny ship also doubles as his gym). He also likes '']'', almost to the degree that Luffy likes meat, but like Nami, he never gets drunk due to his inhumanly high endurance and tolerance for alcohol. Another notable trait is his lack of orientation, as Zoro often gets lost, even in small, familiar spaces or when being led by someone. Despite this, he is often the first to sense an enemy or danger and react. He is often displayed as being well aware of dangerous situations and the people around him.
	Side note: The "cut steel part" of his story creates a goof in the anime. In an anime-only scene where Luffy and the others encounter Fullbody and his ship, the Marines fire a cannon on the Strawhats, and Zoro cuts a shell in half. This can be explained as that the manga didn't mention that Zoro was unable to cut iron or steel. (Note: It is also possible that the shell was made of a weaker metal.) Another instance is during the filler Apis Arc, where Zoro is shown cutting thick steel chains.

			Despite his stern personality, Zoro had a strong sense of loyalty and mutual respect towards his crewmates when accomplishing their dreams. After his humiliating loss to Dracule Mihawk, Zoro pledged his loyalty to Luffy as his captain. As a vice-captain, Zoro often reminds others of the harsh facts based on reality, which shocks some other crew members, although they usually decide he is right. It can be seen when Luffy and Usopp have a fight and Usopp leaves the crew, Zoro says that Luffy is the ship's captain and everyone must respect him without any exception so Usopp must apologize to Luffy before he joins the crew. He also added that if Luffy takes in Usopp without his apology to Luffy then the next one leaving the crew will be Zoro himself. Later everyone understood him and decided that Zoro was right about it. Zoro has stated that he does not pray to any god, does not care one way or the other, and has never believed in anything except himself, and for him, only one man is above him (his captain, Luffy). He has also stated that he would follow Luffy till the end of his journey - becoming the King of the Pirates - but Luffy should not come between him and his dream either - becoming the world's strongest Swordsman (currently: Dracule Mihawk). Even so, Zoro knows he still has much-untapped potential and is constantly seen training and improving his fighting skills. He also adheres to a strict sword master's code of honor and never falsely brags or lies about his abilities, sometimes outright admitting a weakness, even to an enemy. He also never tries to escape from a fight or use trickery to win, believing that doing so is cowardly and scorning anyone who uses such tactics. Zoro is vigorous, strong-willed, and determined.
	==Abilities and powers==
	Zoro is a master of swordsmanship, able to use one, two and three swords in varying attack styles. Along with his mastery of his self-developed sword art, Zoro has above average speed and lifting capacity, as demonstrated when he perfoms his various manuevers. He also has an abnormal amount of stamina, able to withstand massive blood loss and prolonged battles.

			====Haki====
	==Sword Techniques==
			He is proficient in Armament and Observation Haki and is one of the few known characters who possess Conquerors Haki. During his battle against King, Zoro unlocks an advanced form of Conqueror Haki, which allows him to coat his swords with it, similar to Armament Haki, which could further enhance his attacks. Although it hasn't been confirmed, Zoro is heavily linked with conqueror Haki by the beast pirate captain himself after the wound he gave to him. He also uses an advanced form of Armament Haki to shoot a short blast of Haki from a distance.<ref name="ch1035">{{cite book\|last=Oda\|first=Eiichiro\|script-title=ja:覇王色\|series=One Piece\|volume=102\|year=2021\|publisher=]\|language=Japanese\|chapter=1035 ゾロvs.バーサスキング}}</ref>

			==Appearances==
	]
			===''One Piece'' manga===
			Roronoa Zoro first appears in the manga chapter {{nihongo\|"Enter Pirate Hunter Zoro"\|"海賊狩りのゾロ"登場\|Kaizoku-gari no Zoro Tōjō}}, first published in Japan's '']'' magazine on August 18, 1997.<ref name="firstsj">{{Cite comic \|cartoonist = ]\|story = "海賊狩りのゾロ"登場\|volume= 29\|title = Weekly Shonen Jump\|issue = 36\|date = August 18, 1997 \|publisher = ]\|location = Japan}}</ref> He first appears as a captured criminal awaiting his execution at the hands of the Marines.<ref name="firstsj" /> Before the beginning of the series' narrative, Zoro loses his childhood friend Kuina and vows to become the strongest swordsman in the world.<ref name="ch5">
			{{cite book
			\|last=Oda
			\|first=Eiichiro
			\|title=Romance Dawn —冒険の夜明け—
			\|series=One Piece
			\|volume=1
			\|year=1997
			\|publisher=]
			\|language=ja
			\|isbn=4-08-872509-3
			\|chapter=5 海賊王と大剣豪
			}}
			</ref> For years, Zoro hunts pirates as a bounty hunter only to get money for food in the company of his friends ]. Zoro initially did this because he got lost seeking to face the best swordsman in the world, ]. When Luffy offers Zoro the opportunity to join his crew, Zoro initially refuses. But after Luffy saves him from execution, Zoro pledges loyalty to him. Zoro is later easily defeated at Mihawk's hands at the Baratie restaurant and pledges to Luffy that he would never lose again.<ref>'']'' manga, ]</ref>

			Zoro's loyalty to Luffy is incomparable among the crew and develops through the series. Even though he joined Luffy's crew, his main goal was to become the strongest swordsman. Originally Zoro threatened to kill Luffy if he ever got in the way of this goal. He listens to his captain's order and follows the order until the very end. On Jaya, Zoro followed Luffy's orders not to fight an enemy in a bar no matter what and followed it without hesitation. In "Water 7," Zoro upholds the authority of Luffy as captain during Luffy's fight with Usopp and Usopp's leaving of the crew. Zoro pointedly refuses to allow Usopp to rejoin the crew without an apology and threatens to be the next to leave because to let Usopp "back as if nothing happened was an insult to Luffy's authority as captain. He even slapped Luffy with the reality that being a pirate isn't a game."<ref name=NothingHappened>{{cite web\|title=One Piece Moments That Prove Who the Most Loyal Straw Hat Is\|url=https://www.cbr.com/one-piece-most-loyal-strawhat/\|last=Markle\|first=Christian\|date=February 6, 2022}}</ref>

			On the next island, Thriller Bark, ] confronted a knocked-out Luffy and the Straw Hats and asked the protagonists to surrender Luffy. Everyone refused, and Kuma knocked everyone out except for Zoro, Sanji, and Brook. Zoro offers to sacrifice his life for Luffy, proclaiming that Luffy will be the man to become Pirate King. Sanji also offers his life, but Zoro knocks out Sanji to save his life. Zoro begs Kuma not to take Luffy and to take him instead. Zoro told Kuma that he is even willing to give up his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman for Luffy's dream. After seeing this, Kuma agreed to Zoro instead of taking Zoro with him. Kuma asked to take all Luffy's pain after fighting Gecko Moria. Zoro's dream in the entire series was to become the world's greatest swordsman, but he is willing to give that up for Luffy, showing how loyal Zoro grew to his captain after initially threatening to end Luffy's life for threatening his dream.<ref name=NothingHappened />

			After fighting Daz Bonez in Alabasta, Zoro's bounty is initially set at ]60,000,000 but is later raised to ]120,000,000 after fighting the World Government at Enies Lobby. Later, the crew is separated by ], which resulted in pre and post-time skips. Zoro encounters Mihawk again and trains under him for two years before reuniting with the crew. He receives a bounty of ]320,000,000 after cutting up an antagonist as large as a mountain and assisting Luffy at the end of Don Quixote Doflamingo's tyrannical rule. After the events in Wano Country and his contributions in the Onigashima Raid such as defeating King, he receives a bounty of ]1,111,000,000.

			In ''One Piece'' volume 105, Oda revealed Zoro's family history. His father, Roronoa Arashi, was killed by pirates and his mother, Tera, died of illness when he was young. Zoro is a descendant of the Shimotsuki family of Wano Country through his grandmother Furiko, the older sister of Ushimaru, the ] of Ringo who is Zoro's great-uncle. Zoro is related to Kuina as distant cousins and is the descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Cacciatore \|first=Francesco \|date=2023-03-02 \|title=One Piece Finally Confirms Zoro's Family Heritage \|url=https://screenrant.com/one-piece-zoro-family-shimotsuki-wano-ryuma-ushimaru/ \|access-date=2023-03-04 \|website=ScreenRant \|language=en}}</ref>

			===In other media===
			Zoro has made several appearances in other media, including, but not limited to, every ''One Piece'' licensed electronic video game to date, including '']'' and '']''. In 2006, he is featured in the '']''/''One Piece''/'']'' crossover game '']''.

			Zoro appears in a special episode of ] X ], fighting Zebra and ], Zoro appears lost, searching for his crew, until Zebra appears to Zoro, and Vegeta appears searching for ] to "settle the score", the three were furious and fought without end.

			== Reception==
			Zoro is always among the top three most popular characters, usually only below Luffy in popularity. He ranked second in every ''Shōnen Jump'' character popularity poll except the fifth, where he ranked third after ].<ref name="poll1">], page 148 (in the Japanese version).</ref><ref name="poll2">], pages 206–209 (in the Japanese version).</ref><ref name="poll3">], pages 214–219 (in the Japanese version).</ref> Furthermore, in a 2007 poll by ], Zoro was voted as the 4th most desired character to receive a spinoff.<ref name="oricon">{{cite web\|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/40995/\|title=スピンアウト企画、予想ランキング1位『デスノート』のL（エル）\|access-date=November 9, 2008\|language=ja\|publisher=]\|date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> ] praises Zoro's "hilarious" three-sword fighting style as a great example of the show's sense of humor.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/33356/one-piece-season-1-first-voyage/\|title=DVD Talk Review: One Piece – Season 1, First Voyage\|access-date=November 8, 2008\|publisher=]\|date=May 25, 2008}}</ref> Holly Ellingwood from Activeanime praised Zoro's fight against Luffy as one of the best moments from the 10th DVD from the series released by Viz Media, praising the action scenes.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://activeanime.com/html/2007/08/15/one-piece-vol-10-baroque-works-advance-review\|title=One Piece Vol. 10 Baroque Works (Advance Review)\|author=Ellingwood, Holly\|access-date=July 5, 2009\|publisher=Active Anime\|date=August 16, 2007}}</ref> Sabat's work with Zoro has resulted in him being nominated in the category "Best Voice Actor (English)" in the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) Awards from 2008.<ref name="spja">{{cite web\|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-03-27/society-for-the-promotion-of-japanese-animation-announces-spja-industry-award-finalists-at-tokyo-international-anime-fair\|title=Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Announces SPJA Industry Award Finalists at Tokyo International Anime Fair\|publisher=]\|date=March 27, 2008\|access-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref> Carl Kimlinger of ] commented on Sabat's work with Zoro as a "standout", noting that Zoro and Sabat are "well-matched.<ref name="season1">{{Cite web \|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/one-piece/dvd-season-1\|title=Review: One Piece: DVD – Season 1 Part 1 Uncut\|publisher=Anime News Network \|date=June 3, 2008\|author=Kimlinger, Carl\|access-date=December 6, 2011}}</ref> Kimlinger also found that his and Sanji's flashbacks from the anime "really do jerk tears, even if they are less than gracefully executed".<ref name="season2">{{cite web \|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/one-piece/dvd-season-one-part-2\|title=Review: One Piece: DVD – Season One Part 2 Second Voyage\|publisher=]\|date=September 29, 2008\|author=Kimlinger, Carl\|access-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref>

			When ] refers to the two as the "Wings of the Pirate King," it "suggests that they're the two most important people to ] becoming the Pirate King, for their ability to carry their responsibility effectively and fight at the highest level, if not more."<ref name=Wings>{{cite web\|first=Rei\|last=Penber\|title=One Piece: Why Zoro And Sanji Are The Wings Of The Pirate King\|url=https://gamerant.com/one-piece-zoro-sanji-wings-of-the-pirate-king/#:~:text=In%20One%20Piece%20Chapter%201020,and%20reach%20the%20very%20top.\|date=February 6, 2022}}</ref>

			== Notes ==
			{{notelist}}

			== References ==
			{{Reflist}}

			== External links ==
			{{Portal\|Anime and manga}}
			* at ''One Piece''{{'}}s official website {{in lang\|ja}}

			==Further reading==
			*{{cite web\|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/49587/one-piece-collection-one/\|title=One Piece: Collection One\|website=DVDTalk}}

			{{One Piece}}
			{{Pirates}}
			<!-- kept interwiki link as it links to a section -->
			{{Authority control}}

			]
	==Trivia==
			]
	* His ], Roronoa, comes from the real-life French pirate ]. His first name is redolent of the famed swordsman ].
			]
	* Eiichiro Oda stated that he made Zoro as a bodyguard of Buggy in earlier versions of the story; he scrapped that idea for the final version of One Piece.
			]
	* Zoro tends to sleep when the crew is sailing, even through blizzards. He is usually awakened either by ] or ] in a rather violent way.
			]
	* Zoro has an unnatural ability to get lost even in small spaces. The manga speaks of him as not having any sense for directions. Luffy often makes fun of this, despite the fact that he isn't any better. These kind of traits are often added to powerful characters, in some anime and manga, to show that they also have their oddities.
			]
	* Zoro is 19 years old. His birthday is on 11/11; a slight pun considering number palindromes are called 'Zorome' in Japanese.
			]
	* Zoro is left-handed.
			]
	* Zoro has a huge scar on his chest from his duel with ]. He also has scars on his ankles from the battle with ] when he was going to cut off his legs to free himself.
			]
	* Zoro's dream is to beat ], currently the strongest swordsman in the world.
			]
	* Zoro's most important sword is Wadou Ichimonji (Kuina's Sword, within the top 21 best swords in the world as one of the 21 Ou Wazamono or '21 Great Edges'). His other two swords, obtained in Roguetown, are the Sandai Kitetsu (a Wazamono or 'Sharp Sword' that has a curse in which all the previous owners fell to tragic deaths) and Yubashiri (one of the 50 Ryou Wazamono).
			]
	* Zoro is 178 cm tall or 5' 10".
			]
	* Zoro usually doesn't get along with Sanji.
			]
	* Has a 60,000,000 beli bounty after defeating ]
			]
	* His Poundo Hou attacks is refrence to the 36 passions of the buddhism (Sight, Hearing, Speech, Smell, Touch, Thought and on to those desires, Good, Evil, Neutrality, and onto those desires, Purity, Corruption. Total # of combinations: 36)
			]
	] ] ]
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	]		]
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Latest revision as of 02:34, 28 December 2024

Fictional character from One Piece In this article, the surname is Roronoa.

Fictional character

Roronoa Zoro
One Piece character

First appearance	One Piece chapter 3: "Introducing Pirate Hunter Lost in Other Animes" (Weekly Shōnen Jump No. 36, 1997)
Created by	Eiichiro Oda
Portrayed by	Mackenyu (live-action series) Maximilian Lee Piazza (live-action series; young)
Voiced by	See Portrayals
In-universe information
Alias	Pirate Hunter
Relatives	Roronoa Arashi (father) Tera (mother) Roronoa Pinzoro (grandfather) Shimotsuki Furiko (grandmother) Shimotsuki Ushimaru (granduncle) Shimotsuki Ryuma (ancestor)
Occupation	Pirate Bounty Hunter (formerly)
Affiliations	Straw Hat Pirates (combatant / swordsman) Worst Generation (member)
Age	19 (debut) 21 (after the timeskip)
Bounties	1,111,000,000 (current) 320,000,000 (third) 120,000,000 (second) 60,000,000 (first)

Roronoa Zoro (ロロノア・ゾロ, Roronoa Zoro, spelled as "Roronoa Zolo" in some English adaptations), also known as "Pirate Hunter" Zoro (海賊狩りのゾロ, Kaizoku-Gari no Zoro), is a fictional character created by Japanese manga artist Eiichiro Oda who appears in the manga series and media franchise One Piece. He first appeared in the third chapter of the One Piece manga, published in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997. Zoro is the first crewmate to join Monkey D. Luffy to be part of his crew of pirates, after he is rescued by Luffy from execution. Zoro is a highly skilled swordsman and serves as the crew's combatant, though he possesses an extremely poor sense of direction which recurs as a running gag throughout the series.

Creation and conception

Zoro originally used two swords instead of three. Zoro was originally planned to be part of Buggy the Clown’s pirate crew and would have been recruited by Luffy away from Buggy. Zoro's surname is based on the Japanese pronunciation of French pirate François l'Olonnais. In several Western localizations, his name was changed to Zolo.

Design

Zoro commonly wears a plain white shirt (though he can be seen wearing other types of shirts), black pants, and a light-green, haramaki sash that holds his three swords. These sword's names are Enma, Wado Ichimonji, and Sandai Kitetsu. Zoro also has a black bandanna tied around his left biceps that he only wears on his head while in a serious battle. Under his shirt, his torso is heavily scarred from many of the battles he has fought, especially since he joined the Straw Hats (like the one acquired during the battle against Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea). He has three golden earrings in his left ear, which denotes his three swords style. After the two year time-skip, Zoro has a scar across his left eye (obtained during his training under Dracule Mihawk, although not confirmed by anime) and replaces his shirt with a long dark green samurai's coat which he can even open the torso while fighting (against the New Fishman Pirates) or when he experiences heat (burning side of Punk Hazard). Concerning his ethnic appearance, Oda revealed that he imagines Zoro to be of Japanese descent, albeit in a real-world context.

Zoro has many scars on his body. The most noticeable is the long scar running down his left eye, which is the one he got after returning from the two-year time skip. It is currently unknown how he acquired it, but he either can't or won't open his left eye because of it. He also has a heavily scarred torso, having a diagonal cut mark from the top left to the bottom right of his torso due to fighting Dracule Mihawk. He also has scars on both of his ankles, which he obtained from trying to cut his own legs off to escape the candle prison of Mr. 3 in Little Garden.

Portrayals

In the original Japanese version of the One Piece anime series, Zoro is voiced by Kazuya Nakai as an adult and Megumi Urawa as a child. In the first OVA Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack from 1998 is voiced by Wataru Takagi.

In Odex's dubs of the first 104 episodes of One Piece in Singapore, Zoro was voiced by Brian Zimmerman. In the 4kids Entertainment's dub of the first 104 episodes of One Piece, Zoro was renamed "Zolo," which was later influenced and implemented in the Viz Media adaption of the manga series; he was voiced by Marc Diraison and Andrew Rannells as a child. In Funimation Entertainment's dubs of the entire One Piece franchise, adult Zoro is voiced by Christopher Sabat with Cynthia Cranz playing the role of child Zoro for episode 2 and by Brina Palencia for the rest of the franchise. Sabat compared Zoro's characterization with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle's Kurogane and YuYu Hakusho's Kazuma Kuwabara, describing them as "the tough guy with a heart of gold". As a result, Sabat feared that he sometimes performs similar voices despite the fact the characters are different. He also tried seeing the original actors' works to avoid getting a more specific delivery. In the game One Piece: Unlimited Adventure, Sabat reprises his role as adult Zoro, with child Zoro voiced by Aaron Dismuke.

Zoro is portrayed by Mackenyu in the live action adaptation of One Piece.

Characteristics

Zoro is confident but often acts in a very comical manner. A running gag is that he has a terrible sense of direction (being capable of getting lost even while walking in a straight line) which he is very insecure about since he never admits when he gets lost, instead always blaming someone else. While the crew is out at sea, Zoro can (usually) be found sleeping or training towards his goal of becoming the world's best swordsman. He and Sanji have a great rivalry, often resorting to fighting (both verbally and physically) over issues from minor to extreme. Zoro had never called Sanji by his name in the original Japanese manga, he uses phrases like "dumb-cook", etc. On the other side, Sanji uses phrases like marimo (moss-head). etc.

Though not a samurai, he appears to maintain a certain degree of bushido and is frequently mistaken for one. Unlike Luffy and most of the other Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro has been known to kill his opponents if he has to, though never in cold blood. It is shown that Zoro enjoys fighting a strong opponent (usually left to face down the second strongest villain in each arc, as Luffy faces down the strongest). Zoro tends to retain a maniacal grin and serious glare when battling a worthy opponent.

Personality

Zoro has a stern, serious, and distanced personality, but unlike Robin, he often reacts in a goofy and exaggerated comic style due to his short-tempered and impatient attitude. On the ship, he normally either trains with weights or sleeps. The only work he is seen doing regularly is hoisting the anchor using his great strength and maintaining a lookout in the ship's crow's nest (which on the Thousand Sunny ship also doubles as his gym). He also likes sake, almost to the degree that Luffy likes meat, but like Nami, he never gets drunk due to his inhumanly high endurance and tolerance for alcohol. Another notable trait is his lack of orientation, as Zoro often gets lost, even in small, familiar spaces or when being led by someone. Despite this, he is often the first to sense an enemy or danger and react. He is often displayed as being well aware of dangerous situations and the people around him.

Despite his stern personality, Zoro had a strong sense of loyalty and mutual respect towards his crewmates when accomplishing their dreams. After his humiliating loss to Dracule Mihawk, Zoro pledged his loyalty to Luffy as his captain. As a vice-captain, Zoro often reminds others of the harsh facts based on reality, which shocks some other crew members, although they usually decide he is right. It can be seen when Luffy and Usopp have a fight and Usopp leaves the crew, Zoro says that Luffy is the ship's captain and everyone must respect him without any exception so Usopp must apologize to Luffy before he joins the crew. He also added that if Luffy takes in Usopp without his apology to Luffy then the next one leaving the crew will be Zoro himself. Later everyone understood him and decided that Zoro was right about it. Zoro has stated that he does not pray to any god, does not care one way or the other, and has never believed in anything except himself, and for him, only one man is above him (his captain, Luffy). He has also stated that he would follow Luffy till the end of his journey - becoming the King of the Pirates - but Luffy should not come between him and his dream either - becoming the world's strongest Swordsman (currently: Dracule Mihawk). Even so, Zoro knows he still has much-untapped potential and is constantly seen training and improving his fighting skills. He also adheres to a strict sword master's code of honor and never falsely brags or lies about his abilities, sometimes outright admitting a weakness, even to an enemy. He also never tries to escape from a fight or use trickery to win, believing that doing so is cowardly and scorning anyone who uses such tactics. Zoro is vigorous, strong-willed, and determined.

Haki

He is proficient in Armament and Observation Haki and is one of the few known characters who possess Conquerors Haki. During his battle against King, Zoro unlocks an advanced form of Conqueror Haki, which allows him to coat his swords with it, similar to Armament Haki, which could further enhance his attacks. Although it hasn't been confirmed, Zoro is heavily linked with conqueror Haki by the beast pirate captain himself after the wound he gave to him. He also uses an advanced form of Armament Haki to shoot a short blast of Haki from a distance.

Appearances

One Piece manga

Roronoa Zoro first appears in the manga chapter "Enter Pirate Hunter Zoro" ("海賊狩りのゾロ"登場, Kaizoku-gari no Zoro Tōjō), first published in Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on August 18, 1997. He first appears as a captured criminal awaiting his execution at the hands of the Marines. Before the beginning of the series' narrative, Zoro loses his childhood friend Kuina and vows to become the strongest swordsman in the world. For years, Zoro hunts pirates as a bounty hunter only to get money for food in the company of his friends Johnny and Yosaku. Zoro initially did this because he got lost seeking to face the best swordsman in the world, Dracule Mihawk. When Luffy offers Zoro the opportunity to join his crew, Zoro initially refuses. But after Luffy saves him from execution, Zoro pledges loyalty to him. Zoro is later easily defeated at Mihawk's hands at the Baratie restaurant and pledges to Luffy that he would never lose again.

Zoro's loyalty to Luffy is incomparable among the crew and develops through the series. Even though he joined Luffy's crew, his main goal was to become the strongest swordsman. Originally Zoro threatened to kill Luffy if he ever got in the way of this goal. He listens to his captain's order and follows the order until the very end. On Jaya, Zoro followed Luffy's orders not to fight an enemy in a bar no matter what and followed it without hesitation. In "Water 7," Zoro upholds the authority of Luffy as captain during Luffy's fight with Usopp and Usopp's leaving of the crew. Zoro pointedly refuses to allow Usopp to rejoin the crew without an apology and threatens to be the next to leave because to let Usopp "back as if nothing happened was an insult to Luffy's authority as captain. He even slapped Luffy with the reality that being a pirate isn't a game."

On the next island, Thriller Bark, Bartholomew Kuma confronted a knocked-out Luffy and the Straw Hats and asked the protagonists to surrender Luffy. Everyone refused, and Kuma knocked everyone out except for Zoro, Sanji, and Brook. Zoro offers to sacrifice his life for Luffy, proclaiming that Luffy will be the man to become Pirate King. Sanji also offers his life, but Zoro knocks out Sanji to save his life. Zoro begs Kuma not to take Luffy and to take him instead. Zoro told Kuma that he is even willing to give up his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman for Luffy's dream. After seeing this, Kuma agreed to Zoro instead of taking Zoro with him. Kuma asked to take all Luffy's pain after fighting Gecko Moria. Zoro's dream in the entire series was to become the world's greatest swordsman, but he is willing to give that up for Luffy, showing how loyal Zoro grew to his captain after initially threatening to end Luffy's life for threatening his dream.

After fighting Daz Bonez in Alabasta, Zoro's bounty is initially set at 60,000,000 but is later raised to 120,000,000 after fighting the World Government at Enies Lobby. Later, the crew is separated by Bartholomew Kuma, which resulted in pre and post-time skips. Zoro encounters Mihawk again and trains under him for two years before reuniting with the crew. He receives a bounty of 320,000,000 after cutting up an antagonist as large as a mountain and assisting Luffy at the end of Don Quixote Doflamingo's tyrannical rule. After the events in Wano Country and his contributions in the Onigashima Raid such as defeating King, he receives a bounty of 1,111,000,000.

In One Piece volume 105, Oda revealed Zoro's family history. His father, Roronoa Arashi, was killed by pirates and his mother, Tera, died of illness when he was young. Zoro is a descendant of the Shimotsuki family of Wano Country through his grandmother Furiko, the older sister of Ushimaru, the daimyo of Ringo who is Zoro's great-uncle. Zoro is related to Kuina as distant cousins and is the descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma.

In other media

Zoro has made several appearances in other media, including, but not limited to, every One Piece licensed electronic video game to date, including Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars. In 2006, he is featured in the Dragon Ball/One Piece/Naruto crossover game Battle Stadium D.O.N..

Zoro appears in a special episode of One Piece X Toriko, fighting Zebra and Vegeta, Zoro appears lost, searching for his crew, until Zebra appears to Zoro, and Vegeta appears searching for Goku to "settle the score", the three were furious and fought without end.

Reception

Zoro is always among the top three most popular characters, usually only below Luffy in popularity. He ranked second in every Shōnen Jump character popularity poll except the fifth, where he ranked third after Trafalgar Law. Furthermore, in a 2007 poll by Oricon, Zoro was voted as the 4th most desired character to receive a spinoff. DVD Talk praises Zoro's "hilarious" three-sword fighting style as a great example of the show's sense of humor. Holly Ellingwood from Activeanime praised Zoro's fight against Luffy as one of the best moments from the 10th DVD from the series released by Viz Media, praising the action scenes. Sabat's work with Zoro has resulted in him being nominated in the category "Best Voice Actor (English)" in the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) Awards from 2008. Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network commented on Sabat's work with Zoro as a "standout", noting that Zoro and Sabat are "well-matched. Kimlinger also found that his and Sanji's flashbacks from the anime "really do jerk tears, even if they are less than gracefully executed".

When Nico Robin refers to the two as the "Wings of the Pirate King," it "suggests that they're the two most important people to Luffy becoming the Pirate King, for their ability to carry their responsibility effectively and fight at the highest level, if not more."

Notes

He is also occasionally referred to simply as the crew's swordsman both in the story and in some media of the One Piece franchise. In the 2023 series, his position is changed to that of first mate; this, however, was eliminated in the Japanese dubbing, where the franchise originates.

References

Oda, Eiichiro (1999). "213 V.I.P". Vivi's Adventure. One Piece. Vol. 23. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-2844-1.
435 Oda, Eiichiro (2007). "435 You Have My Sympathies". You Have My Sympathies. One Piece. Vol. 45. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-3461-9.
Oda, Eiichiro (2015). "801 Opening Speech". Opening Speech. One Piece. Vol. 80. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-42-159024-0.
Eichiro Oda (September 16, 2020). One Piece Magazine Vol. 10. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-102406-3.
Ashcraft, Brian (September 7, 2019). "The Real-World Nationalities of One Piece Characters". Kotaku.
"Feature: Interview with Voice Actor Christopher Sabat!". Crunchyroll. February 5, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
Otterson, Joe (November 9, 2021). "'One Piece' Netflix Live-Action Series Sets Main Cast". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
Oda, Eiichiro (2021). "1035 ゾロvs.バーサスキング". 覇王色. One Piece (in Japanese). Vol. 102. Shueisha.
^ Oda, Eiichiro (w, a). "海賊狩りのゾロ登場" Weekly Shonen Jump, vol. 29, no. 36 (August 18, 1997). Japan: Shueisha.
Oda, Eiichiro (1997). "5 海賊王と大剣豪". Romance Dawn —冒険の夜明け—. One Piece (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-872509-3.
One Piece manga, Volume 6
^ Markle, Christian (February 6, 2022). "One Piece Moments That Prove Who the Most Loyal Straw Hat Is".
Cacciatore, Francesco (March 2, 2023). "One Piece Finally Confirms Zoro's Family Heritage". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
Volume 7, page 148 (in the Japanese version).
Volume 24, pages 206–209 (in the Japanese version).
Volume 43, pages 214–219 (in the Japanese version).
"スピンアウト企画、予想ランキング1位『デスノート』のL（エル）" (in Japanese). Oricon. January 5, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
"DVD Talk Review: One Piece – Season 1, First Voyage". DVD Talk. May 25, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
Ellingwood, Holly (August 16, 2007). "One Piece Vol. 10 Baroque Works (Advance Review)". Active Anime. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
"Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Announces SPJA Industry Award Finalists at Tokyo International Anime Fair". Anime News Network. March 27, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
Kimlinger, Carl (June 3, 2008). "Review: One Piece: DVD – Season 1 Part 1 Uncut". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
Kimlinger, Carl (September 29, 2008). "Review: One Piece: DVD – Season One Part 2 Second Voyage". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
Penber, Rei (February 6, 2022). "One Piece: Why Zoro And Sanji Are The Wings Of The Pirate King".

External links

Roronoa Zoro's bio at One Piece's official website (in Japanese)