This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
Roronoa Zoro, also known as the Pirate Hunter, is the famed swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates and the very first person to join Luffy on his adventure to become the Pirate King. Zoro aims to make Luffy the King, but he also has his own goal and that is to become the World’s Greatest Swordsman. To do that, he will have to get stronger and surpass the likes of Mihawk and Nusjuro before the end of One Piece.
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Shiryu of the Rain
Blackbeard’s Strongest Swordsman
Shiryu of the Rain is one of the very best among the Blackbeard Pirates, being on the level of characters like Magellan even before eating a Devil Fruit. Shiryu is a powerful swordsman, and if the Straw Hat Pirates were to face the Blackbeard Pirates, he would definitely be Zoro’s opponent. Zoro will far surpass him by the end of the story.
Fujitora
A Powerful Admiral of the Marines
Zoro is going to face some of the strongest enemies in the Final Saga, and when the Final War does begin, he will have surpassed most of the Marines, and that includes the best swordsman the Marines have, Fujitora.
Fujitora was made an Admiral during the One Piece timeskip and has become a fan favorite quickly. Fujitora is a powerful blind swordsman who can also control gravity, and he will surely give Zoro a tough fight.
Shimotsuki Ryuma
The God of the Blade
Ryuma is a legend in One Piece and holds a title even greater than Mihawk’s, being labeled The God of the Blade. Ryuma might have been the greatest swordsman of not just his era but all of One Piece.
He was actually revealed to be Zoro’s ancestor on his grandma’s side, which makes their connection even more intriguing. Zoro has to eventually surpass his ancestor and become the greatest swordsman to have ever lived.
Silvers Rayleigh
Roger’s Right Wing
The Roger Pirates were one of the strongest and most infamous pirate crews to ever sail the Grand Line. Among their ranks, Rayleigh stands out a lot, as he was one of Roger’s very best men.
Rayleigh was Roger’s right arm, just like Zoro is Luffy’s right arm. Zoro is bound to reach Rayleigh’s level eventually, but also surpass him as the Straw Hats face far greater threats ahead than the Roger Pirates ever did.
Scopper Gaban
Roger’s Left Arm
Rayleigh and Gaban are neck and neck when it comes to the strength of the Roger Pirates, even though Gaban believes his strength is second only to the captain. This means that if Zoro’s future has him surpass Rayleigh, then he will also surpass Gaban simultaneously. He still has a long way to go, however, as Zoro has yet to even learn to use his Conqueror’s Haki properly, something that Gaban was quick to point out in disappointment.
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Dracule Mihawk
The World’s Strongest Swordsman
Mihawk has been set up since the Baratie arc to be one of Zoro’s greatest opponents. With every arc, Zoro edges closer to reaching Mihawk’s level and facing him. Zoro’s goal of attaining the title of World's Greatest Swordsman is now within reach, and fans absolutely can’t wait for his battle with Mihawk. In fact, for many, this is One Piece’s most anticipated battle.
Kaido
A Former Yonko of the Sea
Kaido was absolutely fearsome in Wano, but he was ultimately defeated by Luffy, following the awakening of his Devil Fruit and the rebirth of Nika with Gear 5. Zoro is still not on the level of a Yonko like Kaido, but he is getting closer. While Kaido was strong, the Straw Hat Pirates will face far bigger threats that will ensure that characters like Zoro and Sanji surpass even Kaido.
Nusjuro
A Powerful Five Elder
Egghead shocked most readers when, against all odds, the Five Elders, also known as Gorosei, all pulled up on Egghead. Nobody could do anything significant against them, not even Yonko Luffy. At the moment, the Five Elders are far stronger, but the Monster Trio has to surpass them through advanced Conqueror’s Haki.
Zoro already has very basic Conqueror’s Haki, and he will get better. If the Straw Hats are to face the Gorosei, Zoro’s best opponent is Nusjuro, the Gorosei’s swordsman.
One Piece Chapter 1163 will be out in two weeks. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 26. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1163 is October 26, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- 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
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
