Summary
Roronoa Zoro, the combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates, is undoubtedly one of the most popular and recognizable characters inOne Piece. After all, he has been captivating the hearts of readers and viewers worldwide since the late 90s, thanks to his incredible sword-fighting abilities, thrilling fight scenes, and hilarious comedic antics.
Needless to say, Zoro is an excellent character who specializes in a lot of important areas thatmake him a crucial part of the crew. As a result of his expertise, there are a lot of specific things that only he can do, while all the other Straw Hats can’t, and these are some of the most prominent examples.
1Using Three Sword Style In Battle
He Has Mastered This Unique Fighting Style
Every single member of the Straw Hat Pirates has their unique fighting style that no one else in the crew can replicate: Luffy has his stretchy Devil Fruit powers, Sanji has his Black Leg Style, Nami has her Art of Weather, etc. In the case of Roronoa Zoro, he specializes inThree Sword Style, which he uses to fight while wielding three katanas at the same time.
It’s important to point out that he is not the only swordsman in the crew, since Brook is also quite proficient with a blade. But he’s only able to fight with just one, whereas Zoro’s Three Sword Style has allowed him to perform some of the most unbelievable and powerful techniques in the entire series with his three swords, and it will definitely play a key role in his dream of becoming the world’s strongest swordsman.
2Facing The Strongest Enemy Sword Fighters
He Has A Specific Type Of Opponent In Every Story Arc
The Straw Hats often have a specific match-up whenever they have to face a group of opponents (like a rival pirate crew or a bunch of marines) in a story arc: Luffy usually fights their captain, Nami usually faces another female character, Usopp usually faces the sniper, etc. Needless to say, as the iconic swordsman of the crew,Zoro is almost always in charge of taking down thestrongest sword fighterin an enemy crew.
Whether it’s someone who specializes in regular sword fighting (like Cabaji, Hachi and Ryuma) or characters that enhance their skills with their bizarre Devil Fruit powers (like Daz Bones, Kaku or King), Zoro’s incredible techniques have allowed him to take down some of the most powerful sword fighters in the entire series. Of course, he doesn’t always have to face a fellow blade aficionado (like in his battles against Monet and Pica), but Luffy, Sanji, and the other Straw Hats can always rely on Zoro to take down this specific but dangerous type of enemy.
3Coating His Weapons With Advanced Conqueror’s Haki
King Of Hell Is An Impressive Form That’s Completely Unique To Him
Only two members of the Straw Hat Pirates can use Conqueror’s Haki: Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. And if that wasn’t already impressive enough,they can both useAdvanced Conqueror’s Hakito imbue their attacks with this incredible power. However, while Luffy mainly uses it on different parts of his body, Zoro stands out from his captain by simultaneously applying it to his three swords.
Other characters in the series, like Kaido and Big Mom, can imbue their weapons with Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, but only Zoro has been able to do it with three weapons at the same time. This has led to the creation of his brand-newKing of Hellform, which is unique to him, and it allows him to combine Advanced Conqueror’s Haki and Armament Haki to coat his three swords with green flames that enhance their strength and durability, allowing him to cut through pretty much anything.
4Cutting Rock, Steel, And Fire
His Skill With The Blade Makes Him Very Useful In Specific Scenarios
Roronoa Zoro is the combatant/swordfighter of the Straw Hat Pirates, but this doesn’t mean he’s only in charge of fighting powerful opponents, since his proficiency with swords also allows him to cut pretty muchany durable materialthat they may stumble upon. This even includes steel, which Zoro can cut after he got a major power-up during his fight against Daz Bones in the Arabasta Arc. Thanks to this practical ability, he has been able to cut pretty much anything made out of steel, from cannonballs and other people’s swords to an entire sea train.
He’s also able to cut fire because he learned the Foxfire Style from Kin’emon, which can be useful in specific situations, like in his battles against Kaido and King in the Wano Country Arc. Of course, Zoro can’t slash through some specific materials (like Seastone or Doflamingo’s Birdcage), but he is still in charge of cutting things whenever the situation calls for it.
5Creating Illusions That Inflict Damage
Ashura Is Still One Of The Most Distinctive Abilities In The Series
Zoro is the author of one of the most bizarre and distinctive abilities in the entire series, since he’s able to utilize his spiritual energy to create illusions that can enhance his power and harm his opponents. While other members of the Straw Hat Pirates, like Nami or Brook, can create illusions that can confuse their enemies, only he can deal damage with them.
Nine Sword Styleis a technique that allows Zoro to “grow” six arms and three heads to perform a devastating attack calledAshura. He first showcased this mysterious and elusive power when he utilized it to finish off Kaku in the Enies Lobby Arc, and he didn’t use it again for a very long time, until the Wano Country Arc, when he unleashed it against Kaido. The captain of the Beasts Pirates noted that he imbued this attack with Conqueror’s Haki, implying that he may be able to create these illusions thanks to his newfound mastery over it.
6Getting Lost No Matter What
Being The Best At Something Isn’t Always A Good Thing
Every Straw Hat has its signature running gag, and Roronoa Zoro is no exception, since he’s the protagonist of what’s possiblythe funniest and most beloved recurring joke in the entire series:he just gets lost. Zoro’s poor sense of direction has made him get lost in pretty much every single story arc, and it always leaves his crewmates both dumbfounded and frustrated.
Luffy also had trouble knowing precisely where to go next at the beginning of the series, but he has seemingly rectified this in later arcs, whereas Zoro still has major issues trying to go where he’s supposed to. His sense of direction has gotten so bad that sometimes he goes in the opposite direction when he just needs to walk in a straight line (like in Enies Lobby) and has even separated from people who were standing right beside him a second ago (like in Arabasta). Of course, this is not necessarily a good attribute to have, but there’s no denying that nobody else in the Straw Hat Pirates can get lost as easily as Zoro.
7Becoming The World’s Strongest Swordsman
Only He Will Be Able To Defeat Mihawk Someday
All the Straw Hats have an ambitious dream that is unique to them, and in the case of Roronoa Zoro,he wants to defeat Dracule Mihawk and become theWorld’s Strongest Swordman. He seemingly had a decent shot at accomplishing it early on in the series, when he encountered Mihawk in the Baratie Arc, until the Warlord of the Sea annihilated him and proved to him that obtaining his title was not going to be easy at all.
Ever since that fateful encounter, Zoro has been working hard to become the World’s Greatest Swordman by training dailyand facing powerful opponents that put his skills to the test. Since he’s the only member of the crew who fully specializes in sword fighting (Brook combines his sword-fighting skills with his musical abilities and his Devil Fruit powers), everyone else wants him to achieve his dream soon, especially because only the strongest swordsman can help Luffy become the next Pirate King.
