Roronoa Zoro, the mysterious and powerful swordsman of the Straw Hat crew, is one of the most legendary characters in theOne Pieceanime series. Zoro has become a fan favorite and a true symbol of theOne Piecefranchise due to his unyielding attitude, incredible ability with a blade, and undying dedication to his companions.
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Zoro has done many fantastic things in his life, but his most notable ones are what make him a hero. Zoro has demonstrated time and time again that he is a force to be reckoned with, from his famous fights against formidable opponents like Dracule Mihawk and Kaido to his undying loyalty to his crewmates and to his ambition to become the world’s greatest swordsman.
Some entries contain spoilers from the manga
8The Nothing Happened Moment
Defeating Gecko Moria and Oars was not easy for the Straw Hat pirates as they were left near death after the battle. The warlord Bartholomew Kuma was already plottingthe Straw Hats' annihilation immediately following the battle. Zoro, standing in for his captain, challenged the warlord, only to be soundly defeated.
To save Luffy’s life, Zoro had to make a sacrifice of his own, and in doing so, he had to feel the pain Luffy endured. As he was human and made of rubber, Luffy could take more hits than Zoro. Because he was so exhausted after the fight with Gecko Moria and Oars, Zoro took on all of Luffy’s suffering and weariness. Although he did come out with grave injuries, he survived, and that was no ordinary feat for a human, much less a worn-out one.
7Blocking Kaido And Big Mom’s Joint Attack For A Second
Big Mama and Kaido are not average individuals. They were once the emperors of the sea, after all. With a total bounty of 9 billion berries and their use of advancedconquerors' haki, each one of them could easily flatten a mountain if they chose to do so. They’re already terrifying individually, but together they’re downright frightening.
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Big Mom and Kaido united with advanced conqueror haki to unleash a joint attack from the rooftop of Onigashima in the Wano country arc. Zoro blocked the strike just long enough to save Luffy and the rest of his alliance on the rooftop. Though it only lasted a second, Zoro earned acclaim from even Kaido for successfully stopping the attack of the two emperors working together.
6Getting Acknowledged By The World’s Strongest Swordsman As A Rookie
Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world, is an opponentformidable enough to face off against the emperor, Red Hair Shanks. Zoro, not long after joining Luffy’s crew and beginning his career as a pirate, managed to attract Mihawk’s attention despite the latter’s well-known prowess and notoriety.
Zoro’s lifelong goal is to become the strongest swordsman ever, a position he believes he can achieve by defeating Dracula Mihawk. Sadly, he ran into Mihawk too early in the series and was thoroughly humiliated by him. Despite losing, Zoro impressed Mihawk with his determination and drive, and the latter encouraged him to surpass him.
5Getting A Bounty Of Over A Billion
Zoro, who was responsible for taking down Kaido’s right-hand man, King the Wildfire, receiveda bounty of 1.111 billion berriesafter the downfall of Kaido. With this bounty, Zoro can be considered one of the big shots in theOne Pieceworld whose name could send storms wherever it is heard.
Zoro has made great strides during the series, and the increase from 320 million to 1.111 billion berries is a clear indication of this. The fact that Zoro has a bounty of over a billion berries illustrates his abilities and the threat he poses to the World Government.
4Permanently Scarring Kaido
Kaido, King of Beasts, is an ogre with an (almost) impenetrable body. This Azure Dragon, a model of the Fish Fish devil fruit, helps his already robust body even more. His tough body leaves many unable to injure him as evenLuffy’s gear fourwithout advanced armament and conquerors haki failed to damage him in the slightest.
Zoro went all out on the rooftop of Onigashima, coating his blades in conqueror’s haki and leaving a permanent scar on Kaido in the process. Before Zoro, the only man to accomplish such a feat was Kozuki Oden, a man capable of facing Whitebeard’s prime state in a frontal assault.
3Slicing Monet Without Haki
Zoro defied conventional wisdom by utilizing fear to beat a user of logia devil fruit, who ordinarily cannot be hurt without using haki or their natural counter. Monet, an underling of the former warlord Donquixote Doflamingo, misjudged Zoro’s prowess in battle against female opponents. In contrast to when he is hunting rabbits, Zoro will spare no one who stands between him and his captain.
To this extent, Zoro slashed Monet without the use of haki. Zoro’s presence and the deathly aura he radiated frightened her so much that she lost control of her devil fruit and was unable to reconstitute, leaving her vulnerable and defeated. Being the bearer of the Snow-Snow fruit, a sword slash without haki should not have induced any damage.
2Mastering The Great-Grade Sword Enma
Kozuki Oden formerly owned Enma, one of the 21great-grade swords. Kozuki Sukiyaki once said of the sword Enma that it is so powerful that it can “cut through to the bottom of hell.” Despite the blade’s enormous potential, mastering it is a Herculean task. As the blade has the characteristic of uncontrollably drawing out its users' armament haki, not many individuals can control it.
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Zoro’s initial use of Enma resulted in the sword spiraling out of control and sapping his armament haki without restraint. Zoro had to use a lot of effort to get it under control, but he didn’t mind because the strength it gave him was well worth it. When Zoro was fighting King, he finally mastered the sword and became much more formidable in battle.
1Slicing The Island Sized Pica
Duringthe Dressrosa arcof theOne Pieceanime series, Zoro faced Pica, one of Doflamingo’s strongest officials. With the help of the Stone-Stone devil fruit, Pica was able to fully absorb the characteristics of any stone he chose to transform into. Using the power of the devil’s fruit, Pica transformed into an island-sized stone guy.
Pica’s enormous bulk was an obstacle for the Straw Hat pirates, but Zoro was unfazed. He coated his swords in haki and cut the giant Pica in half. Many people were stunned by the remarkable feat, both friends and foes of the Straw Hat pirates because such a big stone giant was bisected so cleanly.
