Why Zoro Is Still The Straw Hat’s Biggest Mystery

The Straw Hats are the main characters of the One Piece franchise and, over the years, they have arguably become the most iconic team in the entire anime industry. Each member brings something new to the table in terms of designation and personality, with each being a layered and beloved character whose backstories have played a huge role in who they are as well as their irreplaceable part in the story.

Chief among the Straw Hats who are all working together to fulfill their dreams is the second-in-command, Roronoa Zoro. Despite being the first official crew member that Luffy enlisted, Zoro’s backstory is incredibly vague as he is the only one whose origins haven’t been the central point of an arc so far. Although fans have gotten some flashbacks, these are incredibly rare and feel strange considering how every other crew member has had such a focus put on them at some point, so let’s go over how Zoro is still one of One Piece’s biggest mysteries.

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What Is Known About Zoro So Far

Everything Currently Revealed About Him

Zoro was introduced from the very onset of the series. In his first appearance, he was a bounty hunter who used to hunt pirates for money, leading to him earning the infamous moniker of ‘Pirate Hunter’. When Luffy first met him, it was in Shells Town, where he was being held as a prisoner in line for execution due to a scuffle he had with Helmeppo and his goons, eventually joining Luffy after they escaped.

Very early on in the story, Zoro’s backstory is first revealed, where he is shown as a student at a dojo learning the art of sword fighting, making friends with his master’s daughter, Kuina. Although Kuina was always a better fighter than him, she was upset at the prospect of never being the strongest swordsman in the world due to being a girl, which Zoro found preposterous. Here, the two made a pact to challenge each other to eventually hold the title of the world’s greatest swordsman. However, shortly after, Kuina died.

Due to this, Zoro had kept a promise to himself and his best friend that he would become the strongest swordsman in the world as a means of keeping the memory of Kuina alive. For the longest time, this was essentially all that was revealed about his backstory until way later in the Wano arc, where some details about his past were teased.

As it turned out, Zoro was distantly related to Kuina as they both belonged to the Shimotsuki family. Zoro’s great-uncle was none other than the last Daimyo of the Ringo region of Wano, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, which was a relation revealed in SBS Volume 105. This confirmed that Zoro’s family belonged to Wano as well, and he was not only a distant relative of Kuina and Shimotsuki Kouzaburo, but that this entire family shared the legendary ancestor, Shimotsuki Ryuma, said to be the greatest swordsman of all time. Citizens of Wano even recounted how Zoro looked exactly like Ushimaru and Ryuma, the latter of whom was also a one-eyed swordsman.

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What Could This Mean For The Future?

Are Zoro’s Full Backstory and Origins On The Horizon?

The main point of contention that people tend to have about Zoro’s whole situation is the fact that he is the only Straw Hat whose origins/backstory hasn’t been shown to be a huge deal yet. In fact, every other character has had an arc with them as the central focus or, at least, their origins have had a huge part to play. Although Zoro has always been a huge part of every story arc that he’s in, he has never been the focal point of it nor has his backstory been given an emphasis like those of the others.

The prevailing theory regarding this is the fact that Oda is eventually going to introduce it as a major part of the story, possibly akin to how Sanji’s was on Wholecake Island or Robin’s in Enies Lobby. While this is just more wishful thinking, it does seem strange how Zoro’s connection to Ryuma, one of the One Piece world’s strongest and most important figures, hasn’t been talked about at all after that one moment in the Wano arc.

Theorizing is the only thing fans can do right now, but such a reveal that’s clearly being built up is sure to have a massive payoff. The mere fact that Zoro’s belongs to the Shimotsuki family has to mean something important regarding the character is coming, especially with his connection to how Ryuma looked and fought. This seems to be building up to the fact that Zoro will eventually create a Black Blade down the line, likely from his Wado Ichimonji.

Zoro is a beloved hero who much of the fanbase considers to be their favorite character, so to not give him a backstory like the others in the crew would be a bitter pill for many to swallow. However, there is hope for the fact that his origins and connections to some of One Piece’s most important characters will eventually bear fruit, finally bringing his character arc full circle.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Number of Episodes

1122