One Piece is home to some of the strongest swordsmen in all of anime. Roronoa Zoro is probably the most famous, being Luffy’s first mate in the Straw Hat Pirates and practicing the Santoryu, three-sword style. Fans know he fights with one sword in each hand and one in his mouth, making them wonder why series creator Eiichiro Oda gave Zoro three swords instead of just one.
Unlike other powerful swordsmen in One Piece, Roronoa Zoro relies on three blades at once. While Dracule Mihawk owns Yoru, and Trafalgar Law has Kikoku, Roronoa Zoro has three swords, namely the Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Enma, at present. However, he had wielded quite a lot of swords in the past, all thanks to his ridiculous three-sword style. It’s unknown whether Zoro will get a new sword before the end of One Piece, but fans remain hopeful.
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Roronoa Zoro Practices Santoryu Three Sword Style
The Birth of Santoryu in One Piece
- Zoro started practicing Santoryu after Kuina's death.
It’s not uncommon for anime swordsmen to wield multiple swords at once. There’s Killer Bee from Naruto, King Bradley from Fullmetal Alchemist, and even Inosuke Hashibira from Demon Slayer. In One Piece, apart from Roronoa Zoro, Hatchan, otherwise known as Hachi, also wields multiple swords with his Six Sword Style. However, the number of swords doesn’t mean he’s superior to Zoro, who practices Santoryu, Three Sword Style.
I swear to never lose again! —Zoro
Zoro debuted Santoryu in One Piece Chapter 6, titled “The First.” However, Zoro was originally known as Two-Sword Zoro in his younger days, until he inherited a very important sword, Wado Ichimonji. This sword has a very sentimental value to Zoro, as its previous owner was Kuina, the only girl who defeated Zoro over two thousand times in the past.
Unfortunately, Kuina died after she fell down the stairs, the day after she promised Zoro to continue their rivalry until one of them becomes the greatest swordsman in the world. Her untimely death left Zoro devastated, but it also solidified his resolve and changed his fighting style forever. Instead of maintaining his two-sword style, he asked for the Wado Ichimonji, marking the birth of Zoro’s Santoryu.
Eiichiro Oda Explains Why Zoro Has Three Swords
Oda Wanted Zoro to Surpass a Real-Life Swordsman
- Oda gave Zoro three swords because of Miyamoto Musashi.
Throughout the years, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has revealed quite a lot of interesting information about Roronoa Zoro. From his early concepts as Buggy the Clown’s bodyguard to wanting to turn him into a one-eyed character before he actually loses his left eye, Zoro’s character has gone through multiple evolutions. In addition, Oda also shared the real reason why he had to give Zoro three swords.
In a Netflix interview published in September 2023, Eiichiro Oda finally explains why Roronoa Zoro wields three swords at once. While fans know that Zoro originally practiced Two-Sword Style when he was young, he inherited Kuina’s Wado Ichimonji, changing his sword style over time. However, what most fans did not know is that Oda wanted Zoro to surpass a real-life swordsman by giving him three swords in One Piece.
When asked why Zoro has three swords, Eiichiro Oda brought up a real-life Japanese swordsman named Musashi Miyamoto. This swordsman was apparently the greatest ever, and he wielded two swords. Because of this, Oda thought that he would make Zoro even greater than Musashi Miyamoto by giving him an additional sword. In short, O da wanted Zoro to simply surpass Musashi Miyamoto by wielding three swords instead of two.
Roronoa Zoro Aims to Be the World's Strongest Swordsman
Zoro Might Get a New Sword Before One Piece Ends
It’s no secret that Roronoa Zoro wants to become the greatest swordsman in the world of One Piece. He has been training all his life, wanting to own Dracule Mihawk’s title, not only for his personal gain but also for his promise to Kuina. This is the reason why Zoro would not allow himself to die anytime soon in One Piece, no matter what happens, unless Eiichiro Oda has a sudden change of heart.
If I can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition I have is nothing but talk. —Zoro
For now, Zoro is on the right path, steadily growing stronger from one arc to another. It won’t be a surprise if he finally achieves his dream before One Piece ends, since he totally deserves it. However, this is easier said than done, as Zoro must surpass the world’s current strongest swordsman. Whether he acquired a new sword or not, Zoro would make sure to honor his promise to Kuina and to himself.
Source: Netflix
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
