Zoro

the swords ~ the Jolly Roger ~ the green hair

Biography

Childhood

Zoro was born on November 11th in East Blue, 3 years after Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed and the Great Pirate Age began. It's not known who his parents were and it seems he has no sisters or brothers.

One day at a very young age he challenged a dōjō and was soundly defeated by one of the students, a girl named Kuina. Zoro was then accepted into the dōjō by its sensei, Kuina's father.

In a funny Q & A, Oda described what it would be like if the Straw Hats were an actual family : Mom: Robin, Dad: Franky (Thug), First Son: Zoro, Second Son: Sanji (Punk), Daughter: Nami, Third Son: Usopp, Fourth Son: Luffy, Youngest: Chopper

Studying at the dōjō

coming soon

Bounty hunter

coming soon

Meeting the Straw Hats

coming soon

Personality

Zoro is a strong-willed, determined young swordsman who carries himself with pride. Each of the Straw Hats has an ambition that they work very hard for, but the one who makes the most sacrifices for that ambition is Zoro. He spends almost all of his free time training rather than having fun and avoids anything that could be a distraction or a weakness. That's why Zoro, despite being very attractive, doesn't show any interest in women. Love and romance are among those things that will have to wait until he's achieved his goal. This is where he is uncompromising. He doesn't accept anything that gets in his way, and takes any challenge that he thinks will make him stronger.

He is far from the unflappable stoic warrior he'd like to be though. He's hot-headed, easy to provoke, drinks like a pirate and is not really Mr. sociable. What's really refreshing about Zoro though is that in his sometimes rather rough treatment of people, he makes no difference between women and men, using the same insults on them and expecting the same potential from them. Finally, though it hardly ever emerges, he has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour.

Appearance

These are Zoro's stats:

hair : green
eyes : presumed dark brown
skin type : tan
height : 178 cm (5'10")
star sign : Scorpio (+ determined, forceful, emotional, intuitive, powerful, passionate, exciting, magnetic. - jealous, resentful, compulsive, obsessive, secretive, obstinate)
distinguishing marks : huge scar across his chest

Zoro has a powerful build, as a swordfighter his arms especially are quite muscled.

He wears three golden earrings in his left ear, one for each sword. He wore them already before becoming a pirate ^^

Zoro has spiky short hair and short sideburns. His clothing style is usually loose-fitting pants and a white shirt or an open shirt. He often wears his trademark haramaki, a striped waist band which serves as a belly protector. It is part of a samurai's attire.

Family, friends and nakama

Kuina

Kuina was the daughter of Zoro's teacher at the dōjō. She was a very capable swordfighter and showed great promise, beating a young Zoro effortlessly ever time they sparred. As a girl she knew though that she would not gain as much physical strength as Zoro and this frustrated her because she thought it would limit her ability. Zoro vigorously contested this and offered her a challenge: they would both try to become the best swordfighter in the world and see who would win. Sadly, Kuina died in an accident and a heartbroken Zoro vowed to carry their dream for the both of them, dedicating his life to fulfilling the promise they made. It is Kuina's katana that Zoro took with him and cherishes the most.

Sanji

Out of all the Straw Hats, Zoro spends the most time with Sanji, either fighting side by side or against him. These two constantly get in each other's hair, making a sport out of provoking, annoying, insulting and brawling with each other.

They are at the same time the strongest two-man team of the Straw Hats, and despite the fact they don't seem to get along at all, they are perfectly attuned to each other's fighting styles. When Zoro charged at Sanji during the Groggy Match, everyone thought he was going to attack Sanji again, but Sanji knew Zoro's intent without a word being spoken, timing his kick just right with Zoro's jump so that the other could land on his leg and get a Sanji-style leg-up that sent him flying all the way to Big Pan's head. They were bickering before and after the fight, of course, true to form.

Despit the bickering, Zoro cares as deeply for Sanji as he does his other nakama.

Luffy

Zoro is the finest first mate a captain can wish for. When Luffy asks Zoro to do something, he goes out and does it, period, despite of what he may think of it. This doesn't stop him from beating Luffy up or vowing to kill him when Luffy's being a moron.

The other Straw Hats

Zoro has a nakama/hate relationship with Nami. He's often called her a witch, saying she'll go to hell one day, this on account of Nami's cunning and greed. At one point Nami put a broke Zoro in her debt and held that debt over his head for quite a while.

Zoro tends to keep to himself, rarely joining in the fun, but he does care very deeply for all his nakama. There's that very cute scene in Alabasta where he's scrubbing Chopper's back.

Johnny and Yosaku

Johnny and Yosaku are pirate bounty hunters just as Zoro used to be. They met him during one of their hunts. After Zoro saved them by taking out a pirate they couldn't defeat, Johnny and Yosaku called him "aniki" 兄貴, an honourable way of addressing an older brother or a superior. Zoro met up with them again when Luffy and Usopp accidentally bombed the small island they were hiding on during a round of cannon targeting practice. Johnny led the Straw Hats to the Baratie, where Luffy recruited Sanji as cook, then they sailed on with the Straw Hats to Arlong Park to help get Nami and the Going Merry back.

Tashigi

in Loguetown, Zoro came face to face with a marine lieutenant called Tashigi. She looked almost exactly like Kuina would have had she grown up. Upon seeing her, Zoro was so shocked that he accidentally crushed her glasses. It is not just in appearance that Tashigi resembles Kuina, but in personality as well. Being a swordfighter herself, Tashigi berates Zoro for going easy on her just because she's a woman. Because of that, she is the one person Zoro can never fight after their initial sparring.

They meet up again in Alabasta, where Zoro goes out of his way to avoid her.

Foes

Helmeppo

Helmeppo, the son of a marine captain, imprisoned Zoro and let him slowly starve to death with the false hope that he would release Zoro if Zoro held out. His plan was foiled when Luffy revealed the truth to Zoro. Since then Helmeppo has redeemed himself and is training to be a marine along with Coby.

Hawk-eyes Mihawk

Zoro's most important opponent, the man he has vowed to defeat for no other reason than to take his title. They've already faced off once, but Zoro wasn't nearly prepared for that battle. The second time he will have to be.

Fighting styles

Zoro is proficient in several swordfighting styles : 無刀流 Mutōryū "Swordless Style", 一刀流 Ittōryū "One Sword Style", 二刀流 Nitōryū "Two Sword Fighting Style", 三刀流 Santōryū "Three Sword Fighting Style", 九刀流 Kyūtōryū "Nine Sword Fighting Style"..

Note : in the 36, 72 & 108 "pound" techniques, 煩悩 actually means ぽんの ponnō "klesh", a Buddhist term for "polluting thoughts such as greed, hatred and delusion, which result in suffering". That doesn't work with the weight amounts though. I'm guessing it's a wordplay and that the characters' pronunciation is what counts here, not the meaning. Rather than use ponnō, it's translated as ポンド pondō "pound". I could also be completely wrong :)

無刀流 Mutōryū techniques

龍巻き Tatsu Maki "Dragon Twister"
真剣白刃獲り Shinken Shiraha tori "Taking a true naked sword"
ヒダ三川爆裂 Hida Sanga Bakuretsu "Secret - Three River Explosion"

一刀流 Ittōryū techniques

一刀流｢居合｣・獅子歌歌 Ittōryū (Iai) ・ Shishi Sonson "One Sword Style (lai = a sword draw and resheath technique) ・ Lion Song"
三十六煩悩鳳 Sanjūroku Pondo Hō "36 Pound Phoenix"
飛竜火焔 Hiryū Kaen "Flying Dragon Blaze"

二刀流 Nitōryū techniques

鷹波 Taka Nami "Hawk Wave"
犀回 Sai Kuru "Circling Rhino / Rhino Rampage"
二刀流｢居合｣・羅生門 Nitōryū (Iai) ・ Rashōmon "Two Sword Style (lai = a sword draw and resheath technique) ・ Hell's Gate"
七十二煩悩鳳 Nanajūni Pound Hō "72 Pound Phoenix"
弐斬り Nigiri "Double Slash"
- 登楼 Tōrō, "Climbing a Tower"
- 応登楼 Ōtōrō "Reply Climbing a Tower"
- 閃 Hirameki "Flash"
- 砂紋, Samon "Sand Drawing"
- 魔熊 Maguma "Demon Bear"
大サク県 Dai Gekken "Heavy Kendo"

三刀流 Santōryū techniques

鬼斬り Oni Giri "Demon slash"
虎狩り Tora Gari "Tiger Hunt"
三刀流奥義三・千世界 Santōryū Ōgi ・ Sanzen Sekai "Three-Swords Style Secret Technique ・ Three Thousand Worlds"
刀狼流し Tō Rō Nagashi " Bleeding the Wolf / Streaming Wolf Swords"
龍巻き Tatsu Maki "Dragon Twister"
焼鬼斬りYaki Oni Giri "Burning Demon Slash) / Flaming Oni Giri"
牛針 Ushi Bari "Bull Horns / Bull Needles"
蟹(ガザミ)獲り Gazami Dori Crab Seize / Crab Grab:
百八煩悩鳳 Hyakuhachi Pound Hō "108 Pound Phoenix"
鴉魔狩り Karasuma Gari "Demon Crow Hunt / Raven Hunt"
牛鬼勇爪 Gyūki Muzume "Cattle Demon Brave Hoof"
艶美魔夜不眠鬼斬り Enbima Yonezu Oni Giri "Charm Demon Sleepless Night Demon Slash"
一剛力羅 Ichi Gorilla "One Gorilla"
- 二剛力羅 Ni Gorilla "Two Gorillas"
- 二剛力(ゴリ)斬 Nigori-zake "Two-Arm Strength Slash"
豹琴玉 Hyou Kin Dama "Leopard 'Koto' Ball"
大仏斬り Daibutsu Giri "Great Buddha Cut"
夜叉鴉 Yasha Karasu "Night Crow"

九刀流 Kyūtōryū techniques

阿修羅 Ashura "Asura" (fighting demon)
阿修羅弌霧銀 Ashura Ichibugin "Asura One Mist Silver"
阿修羅魔九閃 Ashura Makyūsen "Asura Demon Nine Flash"

Zoro has also fought with his nakama using specialised attacks. One of those was a combo attack with Sanji, アルメドレール・パワーシュート Arume do reeru ・ Powā Shōto "Armée de l'air ・ Power Shoot"

the swords

The three swords Zoro uses for Santōryū are all meitō, named swords, of very high quality.

和道一文字 Wadō Ichimonji

The name of this sword means "Straight line to the Way of Harmony". It is one of the twenty-one Ō Wazamono or 'Twenty-one Great Edges' of the world. It belonged to Zoro's childhood friend Kuina. Zoro asked for the sword after her death and her father gave it to him. It is Wadō that Zoro carries in his mouth when using Santōryū.

三代鬼徹 Sandai Kitetsu

Its name means "Third Generation Demon-Splitter". It is Zoro's most notorious weapon. It is a cursed sword, something Zoro instinctively felt when he handled it the first time. That's why Zoro tested it to see if his luck or the sword's curse was stronger. It turned out his luck was stronger and he took the sword. Zoro has been surprised by its bloodlust however and considers it a "problem child" because it seems to have a mind of its own.

雪走 Yubashiri

Yubashiri's name means "Snow Run". A light sword, it was a family heirloom of Ippon-Matsu, a shopkeeper in Loguetown. He gave it to Zoro because he wanted to pass on his dream to a true swordsman. Sadly Yubashiri was destroyed in Enies Lobby by a devil-fruit user.

秋水 Shūsui

Like Wadō, it is one of the twenty-one Ō Wazamono. It's name means "Clear autumn water" or "clear fall water". It belonged to a samurai named Ryūma whose shadow was stolen by Moria and put in a zombie. Zoro defeated this zombie and Ryūma's shadow gave him Shūsui as a reward. It is a very heavy sword, not easy to wield.

the Jolly Roger

I don't know if the person who posted the One Piece Jolly Rogers on Deviantart is the person who actually made them, or whether they're official or not. In any case if you click on the flag, you'll be taken to the Deviantart page where you can see a bigger version :)

the green hair

Zoro's hair is a startling green colour. It has first been commented upon by Sanji, who calls Zoro marimo (毬藻) "moss ball". Marimo are in fact in a protected species in Japan as of 1921. They were originally only found in Laka Akan. They were declared a protected species (in 1921), which is also why Sanji calls him 天然記念物 tennenkinenbutsu.