This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
Summary
- Oda planned for Zoro to close his left eye before the year 2000.
- Oda refuses to comment on Zoro's mysterious left eye.
- Zoro is expected to open his left eye for a significant power-up in the Elbaf arc.
Roronoa Zoro is one of One Piece's most important characters ever. Zoro was introduced as the first individual to join Luffy's pirate crew, and that in itself makes him incredibly special. Zoro's character was always centered around the concept of strength. He was driven by the idea of strength so that he could fulfill the promise to his dead best friend, Kuina. At the same time, Zoro also wants to make Luffy the Pirate King, and in many ways, this dream of Zoro to make Luffy the king is bigger than even his own ambition.
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Regardless, both of these tasks require Zoro to be incredibly powerful, which is why he continues to traverse the path of attaining more strength. Right now, Zoro can be considered to be one of the strongest individuals in One Piece, but he is not at his very peak yet. Curiously enough, a decent portion of Zoro's strength could be tied to his left eye, which has remained a mystery ever since the post-timeskip of One Piece began. Oda himself has refused to talk about this mystery as of yet, and this has only increased the suspicion among the fans as to what this eye could truly hold. At the same time, now that One Piece has begun the Elbaf arc, fans might get to finally see Zoro open this eye and reveal the truth behind it.
The Mystery Behind Zoro's Left Eye
- Oda Planned For Zoro To Close One Eye Before 2000
- Oda Refuses To Comment On Zoro's Eye
Zoro is quite easily one of the strongest characters in One Piece, but, even he isn't invincible. In fact, Zoro has lost quite a few battles in One Piece, and even received many scars and injuries. For instance, in his battle against Mihawk that he lost terribly after being humiliated, he received a scar that ran across his chest, and he could potentially have even died, had Mihawk intended to do so. This scar reminds Zoro of what he went through when he lost to Mihawk. Curiously enough, Zoro also has another interesting scar, and this one is on his left eye. This scar was not present before the timeskip at all. It only showed up when Zoro returned to Sabaody, 2 years later after the timeskip. Fans were utterly surprised to see Zoro with a scar on his left eye. This scar is quite similar to the one that Rayleigh bears on his eye. The only difference between the two is that Rayleigh can actually open his eye, while for Zoro, the eye is closed perpetually.
Have you ever seen a wild animal that you were sure wouldn't bite? – Zoro
Fans do not know what exactly happened to Zoro's eye. Zoro has never talked about this mystery, nor has Mihawk ever hinted at it in all the appearances that he has made in post timeskip One Piece. Curiously enough, Oda himself has been asked about this left eye. If this was simply an irrelevant piece of plot, then Oda would not have been planning it around the time the series began. In fact, Oda had planned for Zoro to lose his eye around 1997. He mentioned to Watsuki, one of his friends, that Zoro would end up losing his eye. Many years after this actually ended up happening, Watsuki asked Oda as to why Zoro lost his eye. This was in 2021.
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Regardless, Oda refused to answer this question. If this was as irrelevant as some fans think it is, then, Oda would most certainly not have planned it around the time that the serialization of One Piece actually began. Oda would also not have refused to answer Watsuki's question if there was no secret behind Zoro's eye. The indication here is that Zoro's eye holds some big secret, and it might even be linked to his next big power-up.
Why Elbaf Could See Zoro Open His Eye Soon Enough
Zoro Will Open His Left Eye Before The End Of The Series
One Piece is already in the Final Saga, and the Egghead Arc has officially concluded. Right now, the series has just entered the Elbaf arc, which is going to be absolutely incredible. The significance of Elbaf is massive, as it was hinted at long before Wano was even mentioned. Oda has been planning for Elbaf even longer than Wano, which certainly paints quite a picture.
Given the level of quality that Oda delivered with Wano, with a significant portion of the fanbase considering it to be the best arc that One Piece has delivered to date, one only has even higher expectations from Elbaf. What adds even more hype to Elbaf is the fact that it is in the Final Saga, which means that the scale is going to be much grander, and the intensity is going to be much higher. In this arc, the Straw Hat Pirates are truly going to face their biggest tests, regardless of whether they come from the side of the Giants, or external threats, such as the Red Hair Pirates, the Blackbeard Pirates, or even the World Government themselves. The fact is that the Straw Hats will be tested to their limits, which means that Zoro will face his biggest challenges as well.
I have to fulfill the promise to my captain and my best friend! – Zoro
Right now, Zoro has already mustered every bit of strength that he can from his body. He has mastered the power of Asura, and even his Haki has fully bloomed now. There is no power-up that Zoro can gain from here onwards, and all he can hope to do is improve his efficiency with Haki and hope that the King of Hell style lasts longer in battle. But, that certainly is not enough to see him take down the likes of Mihawk. This is precisely why the next power should come through Zoro's left eye.
As to why Elbaf could be the arc where Zoro opens his left eye, the answer is simple. Zoro needs to ascend to the next level and stagnation is not an option for him. He has already mastered all his other abilities, and Wano was utterly significant for him in that regard, given that he gained control over Conqueror's Haki, and then showcased it again in Egghead. Now is the time for Zoro to take the next step and reach the level of the Admirals, and he can only do this by attaining a significant power-up.
Given that there is no other power-up left for Zoro to attain in the upcoming major arc, fans can only see Zoro opening his left eye as his next step up in Elbaf. It is also worth noting that Elbaf is an arc that could take twists and turns that no fan can predict. Perhaps, Elbaf will be as big as Wano, and fans might even get to see Zoro fight Mihawk in this arc. Luffy will likely be fighting Shanks in Elbaf, and, if possible, perhaps Zoro's battles with Mihawk will also conclude here.
If that is truly the case, then he needs to bring out his very best, and that means opening his left eye. The question of how his left eye will strengthen him remains unknown for right now, but fans know for a fact that Zoro is not a normal human, and has often been compared to a demon. He can also manifest the demonic aura of the Asura, which has been seen in the story on many occasions. Perhaps, after opening his left eye, Zoro will remove all the restrictions that he placed on himself during the timeskip, and unleash the true power of the demonic aura inside him.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1130, is set to be October 20, 2024.
- 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
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
