This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

Zoro is one of the most popular characters in One Piece, and among the Straw Hat Pirates, he is one of their strongest members, serving as the powerful swordsman of the crew.

One Piece Most Important Character Zoro Sanji
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Fans know Zoro to possess an indomitable will, as he never backs down from a tough battle. Zoro is among the few characters who always get amazing fights in One Piece, and Oda has a lot in store for him in the final saga, including battles against Mihawk and even a Gorosei.

Tashigi

A Marine Officer

Tashigi is not all that strong. She is a Marine officer who is always by Smoker’s side, and while she is skilled with the sword, she lacks power. She was much weaker than Zoro during the events of Punk Hazard, but a rematch is still possible.

Tashigi is still an important part of Zoro’s story, as she reminds him of Kuina. What Oda has in store for her is a big mystery.

Shiryu

One of Blackbeard’s Captains

Shiryu cleaning his sword

Shiryu of the Rain is one of the Blackbeard Pirates’ captains, and definitely one of the strongest in the crew. Blackbeard recruited him during the events of Impel Down, and one thing that can be said with certainty is that he’s terrifyingly strong, on the level of people like Magellan.

Shiryu is a powerful swordsman with the powers of the Suke Suke no Mi. He will surely be an exciting matchup for Zoro once the Straw Hat Pirates and Blackbeard Pirates finally clash.

Mihawk

The World’s Strongest Swordsman

Mihawk blocks Zoro's attack - One Piece

Undoubtedly, if there’s one battle Zoro fans anticipate, it’s his inevitable clash with Dracule Mihawk. Mihawk is the world’s strongest swordsman and he has fought Zoro once before, during Baratie. Mihawk absolutely destroyed Zoro with no effort, but this only served to motivate the Pirate Hunter even more.

Zoro didn’t give up and vowed that he would eventually surpass him. With every new chapter, this moment gets closer. Zoro and Mihawk are bound to cross swords in the Final Saga, maybe sooner than expected.

Nusjuro

The Five Elders’ Swordsman

The Five Elders were always a big threat in One Piece, but fans never knew how strong they truly were until the Egghead arc, when they all appeared. The Five Elders are all massively powerful with their Yokai abilities and immortality.

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Once Zoro learns to control advanced Conqueror’s Haki, he could take one on. His most likely battle among the Five Elders is against Saint Nusjuro, given that he wields the Shodai Kitetsu while Zoro has the Sandai Kitetsu.

Fujitora

A Sword-Wielding Admiral

Marine Admiral Fujitora using his Press-Press fruit in One Piece's Dressrosa Arc
Marine Admiral Fujitora using his Press-Press fruit in One Piece's Dressrosa Arc

If there’s one Marine swordsman who would put up an incredible fight against Zoro, it’s definitely Admiral Fujitora. Fujitora is a fan favorite among the Admirals, and for good reasons. He’s kind but also strong with incredible sword skills and a gravity Devil Fruit. Fujitora wields a Supreme Grade Sword, called Yakuza Kasen.

Zoro vs Fujitora has always been a popular fan matchup, but whether or not they will ever cross swords is still to be seen.

Dorry

The Co-Captain of the Giant Pirates

giant demons imu one piece chapter 1151 release date

Dorry and Brogy were allies of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, they were turned into enemies by Gunko/Imu with the demonic contract, Domi Reversi. Now, the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies have to fight them to break them out.

Together, Dorry and Brogy are a Yonko-level threat, but Zoro could definitely fight them alongside Sanji, if this battle ever takes place. Zoro will first have to advance his Conqueror’s Haki, though.

Holy Knights

A Massive Threat on Elbaf

The Holy Knights are currently one of the most important antagonist groups in One Piece. Oda finally introduced this group in Elbaf, and they’re set up to be a huge threat to the Straw Hat Pirates.

On Elbaf right now, there’s Gunko, Killingham, and Sommers. It’s unclear who will fight whom, or if Zoro will even be involved in battle against them, but if he is, he could definitely fight Sommers, a fellow swordsman. Just like for Dorry and Brogy and the Five Elders, Zoro has to learn to control his Conqueror’s Haki to win here.

One Piece Chapter 1162 will be out next week. As usual, One Piece will drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece releases at 12 AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 12. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1162 is October 12, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.

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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
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Mayumi Tanaka
    Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kazuya Nakai
    Roronoa Zoro (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

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Studio
Toei Animation
Creator
Eiichiro Oda
Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV