This list contains spoilers.
While Zoro was already considered pretty strong before the timeskip in One Piece, he's become an absolute monster after his two years of training under Mihawk. This has meant that, while there are a few dangerous individuals who are still able to hold their own against Zoro in a fight, most of his foes simply end up getting humiliated due to being completely outmatched by the deadly swordsman. In fact, while there are some Pirates and Marines who were able to at least defend themselves before being cut down to size, for others, all it took was a single deadly slash from Zoro to defeat them.
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Considering its swashbuckling setting, it's unsurprising that talented swordfighters populate One Piece. Here are the strongest of the lot.
While it's always an absolute blast for fans to see Luffy pummeling a villain full of hard-hitting punches, there's still something so epic and eye-catching about Zoro dealing with his opponents while barely breaking a sweat in the process. These strong One Piece characters below have experienced Zoro's devastating fighting style first-hand, and were all completely embarrassed after they bravely decided to step up to him in a fight.
Monet
Zoro Scared Monet So Much That She Could Barely Move
- Episode: 617
Fans might remember Monet as the snow-based Logia user who accompanies Caesar Clown on Punk Hazard. Considering she possesses a pretty strong elemental Devil Fruit, it means that Monet is no stranger to dealing with tough opponents through using deadly projectiles and techniques, but while she initially talked a big game when going against Zoro, it wouldn't be long before she realized that she had actually put herself in grave danger.
When Zoro began to charge towards Monet, she noticed that she was completely unable to move her body, due to the amount of fear that she was feeling at the time. As a result, she left herself wide open, and was promtply sliced in two by a single attack, and though she didn't die, considering Zoro refused to use Haki, it still made the snow harpy realize that she had bitten off a lot more than she could chew when going up against Mihawk's protégé.
Pica
The Straw Hat Crew's Swordsman Sliced A Mountain-Sized Pirate In Two
- Episode: 719
Considering Pica is able to fuse himself with anything made of stone, it allowed him to assume the form of a giant who is more than capable of squashing anyone who gets in Doflamingo's way. One person who wasn't at all intimidated by Pica's overwhelming size though was Zoro, who instead saw him as the perfect opportunity to test whether he could cut a mountain-sized enemy in two with his blades, and, of course, this is something he miraculously managed to pull off.
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Any time Zoro throws on his bandanna and unleashes all three of his swords at once, it's pretty much a guarantee that he's going to deal a staggering amount of damage to anyone unlucky enough to be on the opposite side of him. As a result, while Pica was one of Doflamingo's strongest family members, he simply didn't stand a chance against the man who will one day be the world's greatest swordsman.
Killer
A Bewildered Killer Is Obliterated By One Of Zoro's Deadliest Techniques
- Episode: 934
Admittedly, the infamous pirate known as Killer wasn't in his right state of mind when he battled Zoro, as he was still feeling the side effects of being forced to consume a SMILE fruit. That being said though, he was still able to put up a pretty admirable fight, at least until Zoro decided to let loose his Purgatory Onigiri technique, which was so devastating that it even managed to carve up the arena that they were fighting in.
The anime does a great job at showcasing just how fast and explosive this ability truly is, with Killer having virtually no chance of reacting in time due to its exhilarating speed. Once he was able to get back on his feet a little later in the arc, Killer does admit that he would like to go against Zoro again in the future when he's able to fight at his best, which does make sense considering this was a pretty humiliating defeat for Kid's right-hand man.
Apoo
After Having Enough Of Apoo's Silly Games, Zoro Stops Him In His Tracks
- Episode: 1010
Despite being a member of the Worst Generation of pirates, there honestly wasn't a lot known about Apoo's actual abilities and fighting style until the Wano arc. During the section of the story, Apoo was able to use his explosive sound waves to deal significant damage to several powerful characters, including Luffy and Zoro. Once he and Zoro finally crossed paths on Queen's performance floor, Apoo was actually able to hold his own against the swordsman for a few chapters and episodes, but just when it looked like he might have been able to escape, Zoro decided it was time to get serious.
Realizing that he had no time to spend chasing around a random pirate, Zoro launched Apoo into the air with a single strike to put an end to the pointless charades once and for all. Apoo has proven that he's extremely strong, but this was a defeat that he will likely never live down, especially considering that he's a captain who needs to make a good impression for the rest of his crew to follow.
Hyouzou
Zoro Decided To Toy Around With Hyouzou Before Landing The Final Strike
- Episode: 574
As someone who is capable of wielding eight swords at once, Hyouzou is a fishman who should never be underestimated in combat, which is why he appeared so confident when approaching Zoro near the end of the Fishman Island arc. However, Zoro himself actually treated this fight as more of a warm-up, having no fear whatsoever that he would be killed or even receive a scratch, considering how much of a gap there was between their power levels.
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In the end, Zoro effortlessly sliced apart each of Hyouzou's blades, and when he tried to get revenge moments later, Zoro managed to cut him apart without even putting in all that much effort. It's always extra embarrassing for a character when they try to present themselves as a force to be reckoned with, only to be cut down to size by the Straw Hat's infamous swordsman, and that's exactly what happened to Hyouzou, who truly believed he had what it took to take down Zoro once and for all.
Hody Jones
Even Underwater, Zoro Is Still A Menace
- Episode: 536
Hody Jones, the main villain of the Fishman Island arc, decided to lure Zoro underwater when he finally encountered him. After all, as Hody himself explains, humans are known to be at an extreme disadvantage when they're not fighting on land, and this was something that he made sure to clarify to his crewmates, who were all watching the fight unfold as it was going on.
However, while Hody did manage to land a lucky strike on Zoro, the swordsman came back with an attack that he calls Lion Strike. Somehow, Zoro had actually managed to avoid Hody's attack, while also landing a giant slash of his own, all while fighting underwater, completely embarrassing the superpowered Fishman in front of his loyal subordinates. It just goes to show that there's really no reliable way to counter Zoro in a fight, as he always has another deadly technique hidden up his sleeve which will enable him to get one step ahead of his opponent, no matter what environment he finds himself in.
- 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
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
