The term 'swordsman' refers to anyone whose primary style of fighting relies on a sword, which is why characters such as Roger, Shanks, and Rocks are taken into account in this article.
Throughout the One Piece franchise, swordsmen have historically been some of the most powerful characters in history. Most of the greatest pirates of an era owe their legendary status to their skills with a blade, with many even regarded as being among the strongest characters that the story has ever seen. Quite often, their incredible powers are reflected in their weapons as well.
Such a trend continues to be one of the major ways of growing in power in One Piece. In fact, the general idea of increasing one's strength through swordsmanship is one of the central tenets of the story, especially regarding Zoro's entire character arc, as he seeks to be the strongest swordsman of all upon defeating Mihawk. This begs the question, however; are the swordsmen of the old era stronger than those of the current age?
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The Swordsmen Of The Old Era Are Some Of The Most Important Figures
Legendary Warriors Of History
|
Notable Swordsmen |
Rocks D. Xebec, Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Kozuki Oden, Shiki |
|---|---|
|
Strongest Of Them All |
Rocks D. Xebec |
- There were many notable swordsmen from the previous era.
In the previous generation of One Piece, the main characters of the time are remembered today as some of the most important figures ever, and that's just from the pirates' side alone. The most popular name of them all is none other than the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, who always fought with his Supreme Grade Sword named Ace, marking him as the most important swordsman of this era.
However, he was far from the only one, since, as stated before, being a swordsman is one of the surefire ways for a character to get much stronger in the story. Another almost as legendary of a character as the Pirate King was his First Mate, Silvers Rayleigh, who was a masterful user of all kinds of Haki and their advanced forms. He was such a powerhouse that, even in the current era, the Yonko Blackbeard decided that he would rather not take on the living legend in a fair fight, despite Rayleigh being decades past his prime at that point.
I never did like you, Whitebeard's cabin boy!
The strongest swordsman of this era was none other than Rocks D. Xebec, a powerhouse so despicable and frightening that the World Government thought it better to erase his name from history than keep it out in the world. Not much is currently known about his power, but it's stated that the attacks from his sword behaved more like explosive impacts from cannon fire than slashes from a blade, which just goes to show how dangerous his Haki truly was. He was so strong that the strongest pirate and Marine of the time, Roger and Garp respectively, had to team up to defeat him for good.
Moreover, there are many more notable swordsmen of the time, such as Kozuki Oden, who was able to use two of the strongest Great Grade Swords in the series, despite both of them being known to be incredibly Haki-demanding. Many other characters also come to mind, and many believe that Whitebeard should be classified as such as well, due to his Murakumogiri Supreme Grade Blade. However, even if he's kept aside, St. Figarland Garling is remembered in the same breath as Whitebeard and Roger, and he was definitely a powerful swordsman.
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The Swordsmen Of Today Are Some Of One Piece's Strongest Characters
They Are All Living Legends
|
Notable Swordsmen |
Dracule Mihawk, Shanks, Roronoa Zoro, Vista, King |
|---|---|
|
Strongest Of Them All |
Dracule Mihawk |
- Masterful swordsmen even exist today.
On the other hand, the swordsmen of today are certainly powerful. One could argue that swordsmanship in the current era is far more important than it has ever been before, particularly because of the legends of the past that have been mentioned before, as the pirates of the current age wish to become just as strong as those who have come before them whom they have looked up to.
The most famous of all of these incredible fighters is none other than the First Mate of the Straw Hats, Roronoa Zoro. From the beginning, Zoro's goal has been to become the world's strongest swordsman who is worthy of standing by the side of the Pirate King, and he has definitely been able to achieve great success towards this goal as he has crossed a Billion Berry bounty and has defeated some of the most formidable foes and swordsmen on the Grand Line. At this moment, he is in the argument of the strongest Yonko Commander of them all, especially as a user of 2 Great Grade blades, one of which is Oden's iconic Enma.
Why is Oden's aura emanating from his sword?!
However, the title that Zoro wishes to achieve for himself belongs to Dracule Mihawk, who is a swordsman of such a high caliber that he remains one of the only two people in history to create a Black Blade. His sword, Yoru, was already a Supreme Grade Weapon and one of the strongest in the world, but due to his journey to become the best at his craft, he imbued it with so much Haki over time that it became the strongest weapon in the history of the franchise. Mihawk stands alone as the greatest swordsman, perhaps even of all time.
Other notable swordsmen include Shanks, who may just have the title of the second-strongest swordsman in the series. Although fans have never gotten a clear answer whether he or Mihawk is stronger, Oda has said that Mihawk's sword skill is better. However, Shanks' Haki is some of the most impressive in history, and he is still one of the greatest swordsmen of all time. Another great example is Vista, who was able to fight against Mihawk during the Marineford War and was even complimented on his swordsmanship by Hawk Eyes.
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So What's The Verdict - The Swordsmen Of Today Or Those Of The Old Era?
The Answer To This Burning Question
When it comes to the overall caliber of swordsmen from the old era versus those of today, the answer overwhelmingly goes to the legends of the previous generation. Although there is a very contentious argument among fans about Mihawk perhaps being the strongest swordsman of all time, next to the Sword God Ryuma, the general level of swordsmanship from the old era is just vastly superior among all the users.
The main reason for this is that the strength of figures like Rocks, Roger, and Rayleigh is the stuff of myth, as these people are remembered today as the greatest warriors who ever existed in the setting of the series. Of course, Shanks and Zoro could definitely give them a run for their money, but when it comes to a general statement about them, the previous generation easily takes the cake for having the greatest swordsmen of all time.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
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.
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Main Genre
- Anime
- Seasons
- 21
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
