During the Straw Hat Pirates’ long journey in One Piece, they’ve had their fair share of fights. They, after all, don’t shy away from trouble. In fact, Luffy himself likes seeking the thrill of adventure, as well as fighting formidable foes. While the captain faces the big bosses, his crewmates have to hold down his opponents’ officers. Given that he is the crew’s number two, Zoro’s fights are almost as intense as Luffy’s.
Much like his captain, Zoro doesn’t back down in a fight, especially since he aims to become the strongest swordsman. Here are ten of the most intense fights he had.
Zoro’s fight against Kuina was both physically and emotionally charged
Zoro has always been a feisty human. Ever since his youth, he constantly sought to prove himself, challenging dojos even at such a young age. At the time, however, he didn’t possess his inhuman strength yet. His childhood friend and future rival Kuina easily bested him, prompting him to join their dojo. Their fiercest duel, however, came just a day before Kuina’s death.
During their 2001st duel, the two used real swords instead of their usual bladeless ones. Even though Zoro lost during their first 2000 duels, he was adamantly trying to prove he could finally defeat his rival. Even so, Kuina still won. The two then had a heart-to-heart talk wherein Kuina spilled her insecurities, and the two vowed that one of them should ultimately become the world’s greatest swordsman.
Zoro versus Mihawk was one for the books
After Kuina’s death, Zoro set his sights on the Strongest Swordsman title, accomplishing what the two of them dreamed of. He had the chance to see his dream come true during the Baratie Arc, where Mihawk made an appearance as he chased out Don Krieg and his fleet from the Grand Line to East Blue. Zoro challenged the reigning number one swordsman in a duel.
During their fight, however, Zoro was far from Mihawk’s match. Mihawk didn’t even use his signature Black Blade Yoru at the start. Instead, he defeated Zoro only by using the short blade he wore as a necklace. Even so, this fight cemented Zoro’s image as a cool guy. Despite miserably losing to Mihawk, he refused to turn his back on his opponent. Mihawk then ended their duel by slashing the young swordsman with Yoru.
Zoro taking on Whiskey Peak’s bounty hunters was peak
After losing to Mihawk, Zoro vowed never to lose again. He certainly proved that during his battle with a hundred Baroque Works agents at Whiskey Peak. Whiskey Peak was the Straw Hats’ first island after crossing Reverse Mountain. Upon arrival, they were thrown a feast by the island’s residents. However, the feast turned out to be a ruse to lure and collect the bounties of naive pirates.
As Luffy and the others were knocked unconscious from feasting, the Baroque Works agents began their move. Unknown to them, just a few bottles of alcohol weren’t enough to knock down the swordsman. Zoro then fought all Baroque Works agents, though Luffy did unintentionally help finish them off. Nonetheless, it was one of Zoro’s coolest moments and most intense battles.
Mr. 1 was a really formidable opponent for Zoro
One of the most intense Zoro’s fights prior to the timeskip is his fight with Baroque Works’ Mr. 1. Also known as Daz Bones, Mr. 1 consumed the Dice-Dice Fruit, turning him into a Human Sword. Since Mr. 1 can turn any part of his body into a blade, Zoro’s swords weren’t doing anything. As such, he managed to overwhelm Zoro, severely wounding him.
Just as Mr. 1 was about to deliver the final blow, Zoro ultimately went beyond. He acquired the ability to cut through steel, allowing him to defeat Crocodile’s right-hand man.
Kaku was in a different league
CP9 was one of the strongest organizations the Straw Hat Pirates fought pre-timeskip. Each member of CP9 was a professional killer who mastered the government’s Six Powers. During the battle at Enies Lobby, Kaku further boosted his fighting prowess by consuming the Ox-Ox Fruit, model: Giraffe.
But since Kaku just consumed the Devil Fruit during his fight with Zoro, he wasn’t well accustomed to it yet. However, that didn’t stop him from giving the swordsman a hard time. He quickly adjusted to his newfound powers, even acclimating them to his swordsmanship. Similar to his fight with Mr. 1, Kaku initially pushed Zoro around. However, Zoro ultimately came on top after unleashing his new technique, the Asura.
Zoro’s fight against Ryuma earned him a sword
Ryuma met Zoro decades after his death. Gecko Moria managed to get his hands on the legendary samurai’s corpse during his excursion to Wano. He then used Brook’s shadow to reanimate the body, resulting in Zombie Ryuma who possessed Brook’s fighting abilities and Ryuma’s body.
Having his shadow put into Ryuma, Brook was the one with the biggest grudge against Ryuma, especially as he already lost to Ryuma in a duel before. But since the musician was not a match to the legendary swordsman, Zoro stepped in. The two exchanged fierce sword strikes, though Zoro ultimately triumphed. After Ryuma accepted his defeat, he gave Zoro his Shusui. Furthermore, it was later revealed that Ryuma was Zoro’s direct ancestor.
Zoro against Kuma couldn’t really be called a match
After his duel with Ryuma, Zoro helped the other Straw Hats take down the rest of Moria’s army. In all Zoro’s fashion, he was rather beat up at the end of it. However, their predicament wasn’t over just yet. Kuma arrived to deliver Luffy’s head to the World Government while the Straw Hats were down. Zoro then faced the Warlord, though he couldn’t really do much.
Zoro couldn’t even scratch Kuma and ended up begging the Warlord to take his head instead of his captain’s. Kuma agreed with a condition. He had to take in Luffy’s injuries, fatigue, and stress. Should he survive, the Warlord would let them live. Zoro agreed, which gave birth to his infamous “Nothing happened” line. Interestingly, this line just celebrated its 16th year a few days back.
Monet was one crafty opponent
After realizing Caesar’s vile plans, the Straw Hat Pirates decided to break the children out of Punk Hazard. Naturally, Caesar and his cronies weren’t going to allow them. Monet was particularly impressive at the task. Her Snow-Snow Fruit was perfect for creating icy landscapes and traps, allowing her to toy with her opponents. In this case, it was Zoro.
Zoro wasn’t particularly keen on cutting down Monet, so he had a hard time fighting the snow lady. After a grueling slashing, Zoro managed to get out of Monet’s entrapment. Furthermore, he won in a superbly badass way. He delivered a terrifyingly powerful slash. Since he didn’t utilize Haki, Monet’s Logia Devil Fruit nulled the attack. However, the mere fact Zoro could’ve killed her left her paralyzed in fear.
Zoro against Pica was a massive showdown
In Dressrosa, Zoro’s battle with Pica was nothing short of epic. Pica, one of Doflamingo’s top executives, ate the Stone-Stone Fruit, allowing him to control and merge with stone. This gave him the ability to turn into a giant stone colossus, making him a nearly untouchable opponent.
Despite Pica’s overwhelming size and strength, Zoro didn’t back down. He managed to bring the battlefield into the air by bisecting Pica’s humongous stone body. Afterward, he continued cutting down Pica’s moving body parts until the Stone-Man was forced to reveal his real body. After all that, Zoro gave him a much-deserved cutting.
Zoro versus King was a battle for the ages
The fight against King in the Wano Arc was one of Zoro’s toughest challenges yet. King, Kaido’s right-hand man, was a Lunarian with unmatched durability, fire-based powers, and the ability to fly thanks to his Pteranodon Devil Fruit. His unpredictable fighting style and immense strength put Zoro in a tight spot.
But Zoro, as always, refused to stay down. This battle pushed him to new heights, forcing him to fully master the legendary sword Enma and tap into Conqueror’s Haki. After a series of intense clashes, Zoro delivered a decisive blow that overwhelmed King, cutting through his defenses and cementing Zoro’s place as one of the New World’s most powerful fighters.
Published: Nov 18, 2024 08:31 am