Summary
Whenever anyone thinks of the greatest side characters in anime history, Zoro fromOne Pieceis definitely towards the top of that list. Not only was he the first official member of the iconic Straw Hat pirate crew, but he is also among one of the greatest fighters in the entire world, utilizing his unmatched skill set to help him become the strongest swordsman in the world.
However, there is quite a neat contradiction with this character. Although he has served in the crew with Luffy for the longest amount of time, he remains the biggest mystery in terms of his origins. With theOne Piecestory officially entering its Final Saga with the Elbaf arc,Zoro’s origins are still shrouded in mystery. So, let’s look at how, if not handled correctly, Zoro can end up as one of the franchise’s greatest letdowns.
Story Arc
Romance Dawn
As stated earlier, Zoro is the very first pirate in the entire Straw Hat crew, meaning that he has spent the most time with Luffy and is the one, besides the captain himself, who fans have seen the most of. Despite this, his background remains very vague compared to the rest of his crewmates, considering that each has a substantial flashback andan arc directly tied to them as well. For Zoro, there are only vague connections about where he truly came from and the significance he holds in the grand scheme of things.
In Wano, it was revealed that Zoro is a direct descendant of the legendary samurai Ryuma, who was known far and wide as the greatest swordsman in the country’s history. The connection was made with a remark about Zoro’s likeness to Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the last Daimyo of Ringo, who was confirmed to be Ryuma’s descendant. Later, in an SBS, Oda eventually revealed Ushimaru to be Zoro’s great-uncle, confirming the connection between both one-eyed swordsmen.
How Zoro’s Story Could Be Disappointing
The Need To Tell His Story
As of now, the only details that fans currently have about Zoro are those that have already been stated. Though he owes his true lineage to Wano, Zoro grew up in Shimotsuki Villagewhich is located in the East Blue, far away from his homeland. How he got there remains a mystery to this day, but it is in this small village where he got his initial training to be a swordsman under the tutelage of Shimotsuki Koushiro at his school.
For almost 30 years and over 1100 manga chapters, this is pretty much all fans have known about Zoro, which is something that concerns many. This is because a general complaint among the fandom has arisen which states that this is all that Oda planned for this character and that there is nothing more to be shown about him. Essentially, the theory is that Zoro was never intended to be a deep or layered character like the other Straw Hats, instead filling in the role of a cool, stoic hero who’s always out to defeat his enemies, no matter the odds.
I have found that fancy titles mean nothing when it comes to fighting!
If this does end up being the case, it would possibly be the worst decision that Oda has ever made and would be incredibly disappointing to see.Zoro is Luffy’s best friendand closest confidant and often acts more like the captain of the crew than he does, so to have him be the only Straw Hat who is very surface-level in terms of character depth and personality would be horrible. If this happens, Zoro would be nothing more than a shell of a person who just fights and seeks out strength for nothing.
Of course, his primary motivation is to fulfill the promise he made to his childhood friend Kuina, but that alone wouldn’t justify his lack of character motivation. Every other member of the crew has had a backstory that had a massive part to play in a specific story arc, but all Zoro has gotten was a passing remark in Wano, which was already really disappointing because fans had been theorizing about Wano being ‘Zoro’s arc’ for years.
This was due to the clear connections between the samurai and Zoro, so many were under the impression that it would finally show his true origins and why he got to the stage he is in through a lengthy flashback, similar to howSanji, Robin, or just about any other Straw Hathad been treated so far. But, so far, nothing has been shown, and with the series now covering Elbaf, many think that his backstory will never be further explored.
Regardless, fans still love Zoro and many think of him as the best character in the series due to his attitude, fighting style, and all-around personality. However, Oda has the chance to make this character even better by exploring his backstory in much greater detail than what has been shown so far, and if nothing more regarding him is shown, it would undoubtedly be one of the most disappointing aspects of the series that could have made an already amazing character even better.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
