As the resident swordfighter of the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro has starred in so many battles throughout the series’ extensive run that the only other member of the crew who has a bigger tally than him is the captain himself, Monkey D. Luffy. By implementing his unique Three Swords Style and his impeccable mastery over Haki, Zoro has been able to defeat some really powerful and despicable opponents.
One Piece fans have fond memories of his legendary clashes against the likes of Daz Bones, Kaku or King, but what about all his other, lesser-known opponents? Whether they’re canon or not, Zoro has starred in a fair share of fights that are unfairly underappreciated by the fan base, even though they’re really fun, unique and creative, with the following eight being the most notorious ones in the entire series so far.
Zoro Vs. Cabaji
His First Solo Sword Duel As A Straw Hat Pirate
- Chapters 16 to 17 (Manga) Episode 7 (Anime)
- Orange Town Arc
Zoro and Luffy became close allies and friends from the moment they defeated Axe-Hand Morgan together, and the green-haired swordsman became the crew’s second official member. He went on to use his incredible strength once again when he and Luffy met the Buggy Pirates, and he was confronted by their chief of staff, Cabaji the Acrobat.
This fight is particularly interesting because it’s Zoro’s very first duel against a fellow swordsman after joining Luffy’s crew, and the fact that Cabaji confronts him while riding on a unicycle makes the entire battle all the more memorable. Despite his goofy appearance, Zoro had quite a hard time with this fight, until he eventually defeated him by using his signature move, Oni Giri, for the first time in the entire series, and it was extremely satisfying.
Zoro Vs. Indigo
He Was Completely Out Of His Element And Yet, He Came Out Victorious
- One Piece Film: Strong World
The non-canon One Piece films and filler arcs are filled to the brim with excellent Zoro fights, and it's quite evident that the staff at Toei Animation enjoys writing and animating him. One exceptionally remarkable encounter takes place during the climax of one of the best movies in the franchise, Strong World, where he confronts Doctor Indigo, the scientist of the Golden Lion Pirates and Shiki’s right-hand man.
Indigo is not a swordsman, as he’s a demented clown scientist who fights by juggling deadly chemicals instead. Considering that he’s not used to facing enemies that are not sword fighters, it’s safe to say Zoro was completely out of his element during this encounter. Regardless of this disadvantage, he was still able to defeat Indigo in a beautifully animated sequence that also marked the first time he used his Asura outside of its introduction in the Enies Lobby Arc (even though it's obviously not canon).
Zoro Vs. Hotdog
Undeniable Proof That, Despite Everything, He Actually Respects Sanji
- Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals
Truth be told, Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals is one of the weakest One Piece films, but it’s worth checking out solely because its third act contains two fascinating and unique battles, Sanji vs Heaby and Zoro vs Hotdog. There’s an unspoken rule in this franchise: in every story arc or film, Sanji has to take down the enemy crew’s martial artist, while Zoro has to take down their respective swordfighter.
But this movie completely breaks that rule by making them switch opponents, and it resulted in two legendary action scenes. Seeing Zoro trying to keep up with someone who fights without a weapon (in a style that’s very reminiscent of Sanji’s) is surprisingly refreshing. On top of all that, after defeating Hotdog, Zoro’s says that the kicks of his blonde-haired rival are much more powerful, one of the rare moments in the series in which he explicitly states how much he actually respects him.
Zoro And Sanji Vs. Hamburg, Pickles, And Big Pan
Seeing These Two Fighting A Common Enemy Together Was Very Entertaining
- Chapters 309 to 313 (Manga) Episodes 210 to 215 (Anime)
- Long Ring Long Land Arc
Needless to say, the fierce rivalry between Zoro and Sanji is one of the most complicated and entertaining relationships in all of One Piece, so it’s a real shame that they don’t really get to fight a common enemy very often. Nevertheless, their showdown against Hamburg, Pickles, and Big Pan during the Davy Back Fight is a perfect and unforgettable example of this rare occurrence.
In reality, this is more of a sports match (called Hit and Dead Ball) than an actual battle, but it does involve all the participants physically fighting each other. Despite their differences, Zoro and Sanji reluctantly team up and combine their individual abilities to overpower and outsmart this trio of massive opponents. The final moment of Zoro dragging Big Pan’s head over the goal is nothing short of legendary, and it’s a real shame that most fans erroneously dismiss this fun battle as “filler” just because it takes place in one of the series’ most polarizing story arcs.
Zoro Vs. Hyouzou
His Training Allowed Him To Quickly Defeat A Deadly Sword-Fighting Merman
- Chapters 639 to 647 (Manga) Episodes 560 to 567 (Anime)
- Fish-Man Island Arc
After training with Mihawk for two years, Zoro began showcasing his newfound strength the moment he rejoined the crew. First, he sliced an entire ship in half, then he gravely injured Hody Jones (the main antagonist of the Fish-Man Island Arc) while underwater and finally, he defeated the deadly assassin of the New Fish-Man Pirates, Hyouzou.
Out of all of Zoro’s achievements during the entire Fish-Man Island Saga, this is definitely the most impressive. After all, Hyouzou is an octopus merman swordfighter who wields eight swords at the same time and can also secrete venom from his tentacles. To make things even worse, his power was boosted by the Energy Steroids he and the rest of the crew had consumed. Despite Hyouzou’s intimidating appearance and dangerous abilities, Zoro still insulted him, made him lower his guard and effortlessly defeated him, thus proving that he was more than ready to take on the challenges of the New World.
Zoro Vs. Ohm
Overcoming The Ordeal Of Iron
- Chapters 268 to 271 (Manga) Episodes 176 to 178 (Anime)
- Skypiea Arc
The Skypiea Arc as a whole is full of excellent battles that are often forgotten by fans (with the only exception being Luffy vs. Enel), and the confrontation between Zoro and Ohm is undoubtedly one of the best in the entire arc. For starters, this priest is one of the most distinctive and unpredictable sword fighters in the entire series, since he wields the Eisen Whip, a sword-whip made of clouds that can change form and size at any moment. To make things even worse, via his Ordeal of Iron, Ohm can also trap his targets inside a giant dome made of barbed wire iron cloud.
There’s no denying that Ohm is quite a formidable opponent with numerous deadly abilities but, at the end of the day, he made one crucial mistake: he severely injured Chopper, and if there’s something that Zoro can’t stand, it is seeing his friends in danger. This was already an inventive and entertaining fight, but this addition gave it some much-needed emotional stakes and made Zoro’s inevitable victory all the more satisfying.
Zoro And Luffy Vs. S-Hawk And S-Bear
A Deadly Combination Of Two Of His Biggest Opponents
- Chapters 1075 to 1078 (Manga) Episodes 1108 to 1111 (Anime)
- Egghead Arc
The Egghead Arc is very chaotic, and it featured many memorable fights between powerful characters, so it’s understandable that some of the shorter ones were quickly forgotten by fans. Nevertheless, they still deserve recognition because of how fun and interesting they are, including Zoro and Luffy’s brief spat against the Seraphim.
The standout of this entire battle is S-Hawk, who feels like a combination of two of Zoro’s biggest and strongest opponents, since he has the DNA and skills of Dracule Mihawk, but he can also wield the powers of Daz Bones’ Devil Fruit, the Supa Supa no Mi. Witnessing Zoro clashing blades against this lethal clone was extremely fascinating, and it was made even better in the anime, where this fight was adapted with some of the most detailed and outstanding animation in the entire arc.
Zoro Vs. Rob Lucci
Much More Than Just A “Filler Fight”
- Chapters 1091 to 1100 (Manga) Episodes 1028 to 1144 (Anime)
- Egghead Arc
After discovering that Rob Lucci had broken the temporary truce between CP0 and the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro attacked him and a legendary battle between the two began. Unfortunately, some fans dismiss this as “filler” solely because it took Zoro a surprising number of manga chapters/anime episodes to defeat this opponent, but this is an erroneous criticism that arose from the fact that Bartholomew Kuma’s extensive flashback took place in the middle of their confrontation.
It’s important to remember that Egghead Rob Lucci was an extremely powerful opponent who, due to his awakened Devil Fruit and his mastery of both Haki and Rokushiki, was able to withstand several attacks from Luffy’s Gear 5 form. So, the fact that Zoro could go toe-to-toe against someone who was the main antagonist of a previous arc is undeniable proof of how much more powerful he had gotten in the New World. The manga version of this fight was already very entertaining, but the anime adaptation is absolutely incredible, thanks to its fluid animation, its colorful particle effects and its quick camera movements.
One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
