This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Final Saga.
Summary
- Zoro defeated King in Wano and encountered a mysterious shinigami, leaving fans intrigued.
- Zoro might visit the Land of the Dead, with potential encounters with the shinigami and interesting plot developments.
- Zoro could face the King of the Land of the Dead to return to life, adding depth to his character arc in the Final Saga.
The Swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro is a character who has always been motivated by newer challenges. Fans have known him to be an individual who has always tried to better himself and, at the same time, attempted to overcome the obstacles in front of him with all his might. Currently, Zoro aims to become the World’s Greatest Swordsman, and it is safe to say that he is on track to accomplish this, as he has been moving from strength to strength in the post-timeskip of One Piece.
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While there is absolutely no denying the fact that Zoro has gotten very strong, in terms of his character progression, Zoro has somewhat stagnated. His character needs to be pushed in unique ways to make him look inward, and to drive his character arc forward in exciting ways. Interestingly enough, Wano gave fans a glimpse of just that when Zoro encountered a shinigami. Much to the disappointment of the fans, this did not result in anything, but it could easily be a setup for something much greater, and could connect to the Land of the Dead.
Zoro’s Encounter With The Shinigami In The Wano Arc
- Zoro Beat King And Was Paralyzed
- A Mysterious Shinigami Attempted To Kill Zoro
The Wano Arc was absolutely incredible for Zoro. It was during this arc that he fought for what can technically be called his homeland, carrying the burden of countless people, such as those of Ebisu Town, among others, on his two shoulders. Zoro was absolutely unstoppable in this Arc. Having come to Wano with Luffy to take down Kaido, Zoro did his absolute best and went on to give a scar to the Yonko—a feat achieved only by Oden before him. Later down the line, he also went on to beat King as well. These were quite easily the biggest achievements of Zoro in the Wano arc and his highlights. But, one thing that quite a few fans found peculiar in this story arc was Zoro encountering an actual grim reaper after his battle against King.
Who are you? Stay away from me! I can’t move! – Zoro
Once Zoro beat the right-hand man of Kaido, he was left unable to move. It was during this time that he encountered the Grim Reaper who carried a massive scythe in his hand and attempted to take his life. Zoro was seen squirming around and eventually passed out, and when he did wake up at the end of things, the Grim Reaper was gone. This was one of the biggest mysteries of the Wano arc, and something that left fans dissatisfied, because the answer to what exactly happened was not provided by the author.
But, this could clearly have been a setup for something major to come later down the line, and that is what fans are holding out hope for. Thankfully for them, this ties into a very intriguing concept brought up long ago in the story, and it could come up once again in the Final Saga.
Who Zoro Could Visit The Land Of The Dead
Zoro Will Likely Have An Encounter With The Shinigami Again
There are two pathways for the Zoro Shinigami plotline in the Final Saga. The very first plotline could be that Zoro was simply hallucinating due to utilizing Enma too much and putting his life at risk by taking the mink drug. Because of this drug, Zoro could have started hallucinating, and because of his life being in danger, he could have visualized death itself. This is quite a sensible answer. However, there exists another answer that fans would most definitely be more intrigued by. This possibility sees the Grim Reaper actually being real. It is possible that Zoro did not hallucinate this person and he actually had a grim reaper in front of him. As to how that could be real, fans need not look further than the Thriller Bark Arc for the answer. It is during this arc that Brook mentions that the Land of the Dead actually does exist.
From this day onwards, I will never lose! Is that a problem, Pirate King? – Zoro
When Brook died, his soul went to the Land of the Dead, or Yomi no Kuni, as he calls it. His soul then returned from the Land of the Dead, and this was because of the nature of his Devil Fruit, which saw him revive once he fell to his death along with the rest of his crew. The fact that there exists a Land of the Dead essentially means that Zoro could potentially have almost crossed into this country.
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He might have been on the border between the two worlds, which is where the Grim Reaper could have come from. Brook having been to this country could mean that it is possible for one to go to the Land of the Dead, likely after they die. But because Brook returned from there due to the nature of his Devil Fruit, perhaps there are other ways to get there as well and return without actually passing over to the other world.
Who Would Be The Focus Of The Land Of Dead?
Zoro and Brook Could Take The Spotlight In This Plotline
The Land of the Dead could be incredibly exciting for the Zoro. After all, this is One Piece and here, anything that Oda wants to be real can be real. Be it Prehistoric Islands, or even completely different realms, Oda can easily make it real if he so wishes. The only thing that Oda would need to do is come up with a way for Zoro to get to the Land of the Dead, which is where he can introduce a plethora of exciting concepts, and at the same time, have Zoro come face to face with the shinigami as well.
The most likely answer here is for Zoro to be on the brink of death once again. It must be remembered that Brook was only able to visit the Land of the Dead once he actually died. Zoro could have a similar experience when he fights against Mihawk, or perhaps some other enemy in One Piece. In order for Zoro to get to the Land of the Dead, he will have to essentially lose a battle so bad that he is considered dead. Once that happens, Zoro’s soul will most likely pass into the Land of the Dead, where he will potentially go on to meet the shinigami once again and fight it out for his life.
Zoro would then have to conquer the Land of the Dead by beating the King of the Land of the Dead, or in other words, the shinigami he saw previously, in order to return to life. This could end up becoming a core idea behind Zoro’s upcoming battles in the Final Saga, and the final step for him to accomplish his dream as he defeats Dracule Mihawk. There is a lot of potential in this idea, and fans will most likely get to explore it through the characters of Brook and Zoro in one way or another. Hopefully, Oda does not neglect the Land of the Dead in the Final Saga of One Piece, and gives readers a glimpse of the shinigami once again.
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 apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1136, is set to be January 19, 2025.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Creator
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Eiichiro Oda
- Number of Episodes
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1122