To this day, there are many One Piece fans who are torn between whether the story before the time skip was better or the half after it. There are compelling arguments on both sides of this debate, with those adhering to the former saying that the story used to focus way more on characters and emotional beats. To this, detractors say that One Piece is just as emotional as it was back then, but with far greater world building and action sequences.

While this debate will continue even after One Piece inevitably ends, many hold the same arguments for individual characters as well, most notably Zoro. Some believe that Zoro's character arc and overall adaptation were much better before the time skip took place, so in this article, let's go over both versions of the Pirate Hunter to see if this statement truly has any merit.

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Many Believe That Pre-Timeskip Zoro Was A Far Better Character

Something That Many Feel

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 3, "Introducing Pirate Hunter Zoro"
Story Arc	Romance Dawn

Many feel that Zoro was better before the time skip occurred. Much of this sentiment has to do with the difference in his characterization in both halves of the story, since the most common argument from those who agree with this statement is that he felt much more like a relatable and human character. Although he has always been the same stoic symbol of strength, many say that he felt less robotic before the time skip.

This isn't to say that Zoro isn't the same character as he was back then, because he very clearly is. He has always maintained the same attitude towards situations and has always been motivated by the same goal, but the problem that some fans seem to have with him is largely indicative of One Piece as a whole after the timeskip, which is to say that world building, power scaling, and action are at the forefront of the story now. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it shows how the series was differently prioritized before and after the time skip.

Many argue that the series focused much more on character dynamics, relationships, and development before, which is something that is very clearly felt with Zoro. In the former half of One Piece, he was far more vocal and humorous compared to how he is now, making jokes and talking with everyone as well as being the butt of the joke many times. Of course, this isn't completely gone from the series, but the comparative lack of it has gotten many fans to think that Zoro has lost much of his charm.

From the start, he has always been portrayed as the primary combatant within the Straw Hat crew, so this much isn't all that different. However, the battles that Zoro had pre-time skip required him to fight much harder and much smarter, often utilizing out-of-the-box thinking and strategies to get the win over his opponents, the most notable examples of which are his fights with Mr. 1 and Kaku in the Alabasta and Enies Lobby arcs, respectively.

I can hear it... The breathing of his steel...

Zoro's fights in the post-time skip era of One Piece are often the best and most hyped of any given story arc, but they ultimately just boil down to Haki clashes more than being exceptional showcases of tactics and skill. This is also portrayed in the damage he took in his fights pre-time skip. Of course, this isn't to say that all of his battles are merely cake walks post-time skip, since he was at death's door after using everything to defeat King, but when taking a look at them generally, Zoro has always struggled far more pre-time skip.

One of the greatest things regarding Zoro was his relationship with the Straw Hats as the unwavering wall that undercut the rest of the crew. In the hardest of times, even when Luffy's judgment was clouded due to his emotions, Zoro stood as the silent backbone of the crew, who not only told Luffy of the harsh decisions he needed to make, but also acted as the captain of the Straw Hats when Luffy himself couldn't. Moments like these are what really sell pre-time skip Zoro as one of the best characters in all of One Piece.

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How Oda Can Make Him As Great As He Was Before The Time Skip

Zoro's Future Holds A Lot

Zoro should also get emotional moments alongside his cool ones.
The One Piece story should focus on the Straw Hats much more like it used to.

As stated earlier, these criticisms of Zoro can also be seen as criticisms of the One Piece story in general, since there are things that Oda has seemed to overlook in order to focus on others. Many fans believe that there should be many more quiet moments in between arcs that focus on character relationships and development, humanizing the heroes so that emotional moments hit far more.

However, this is just wishful thinking. This is because the One Piece story is incredibly expansive and the world is rich with detail, and with the Final Saga having begun with the Elbaf arc, there are many loose threads that have to be tied up. Others argue that this is precisely what the pre-time skip story was for; to establish relationships while the latter half of the story focuses on the rest of the world. Plus, even characters who haven't been in the story for long, such as Kuma or Loki, have garnered an amazing response from fans due to their emotional backstories.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.