How Will The Zoro And Sanji Rivalry End?

For years now, Zoro and Sanji have been at each other’s throats for reasons currently unknown to fans. Their hilarious rivalry has been the subject of some of the funniest moments in all of One Piece, as well as the few moments of them working together being among the series’ most incredible. The exact reason why these two can’t seem to stand each other remains a mystery, but the way they play off of one another makes their relationship work wonders.

However, as funny as it can be seeing them fight, their relationship is built upon mutual respect and the desire to achieve their dreams by becoming the Wings of the Pirate King for Luffy. As such, there have been quite a few theories about how the rivalry between Zoro and Sanji could end, so let’s take a look at what these could be and how it would impact the ending of One Piece.

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The Wings Of The Pirate King

The Perfect Companions For Luffy

The term ‘Wings of the Pirate King’ is a relatively new one, first used when Robin said Sanji is a person worthy of being called as such. However, despite its recency and single use, fans of the franchise have taken to this phrase and use it quite often, especially in the case of Zoro and Sanji as Luffy’s right and left-hand men respectively, which also makes a ton of sense thematically.

This is because Zoro can be seen as the stubborn and warrior part of Luffy’s identity; the one who seeks to help anyone he comes across by fighting against people who are incredibly dangerous in order to do so. This is reflected in Zoro’s ambition as well since he seeks to become the world’s strongest swordsman, which is the only combat-related dream within the entire Straw Hat crew. Although he is far more rational than his captain, Zoro is often seen as bull-headed, seeking to cut his way through a problem rather than dealing with it another way.

Keeping up with this trend, Sanji is the part of Luffy that seeks out wonder through adventure and the kind part of him who wants to help everyone, as can be seen in his childhood dream of discovering the mythical All-Blue ocean. Sanji’s compassion and kindness are not only what separate him from his cruel family, but also something that mirrors Luffy’s desire to help everyone he sees. Luffy and Sanji are drawn together by their love for adventure and wanting to know more about the world.

As such, Zoro and Sanji make up the backbone of the entire Straw Hat crew. Just like all other pirate crews have a structure that has one captain with 2 primary commanders, the Straw Hats have Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji respectively, since without either of them, Luffy would never become the Pirate King. This theory is the most plausible one too, since it states that One Piece will end with Luffy as the King of all Pirates with Zoro and Sanji forever at his side, bickering and fighting as they have always done.

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The Death Of A Straw Hat

Another Likely Theory

Conversely, many fans believe that there will eventually be a death within the Straw Hat crew. While all of this is pure speculation until Oda eventually shows it, there’s no doubt that such a monumental event will cause reverberations throughout the fandom since the story would end without the presence of someone fans have been with for years at this point.

Most believe that the one to bite the bullet will likely be Usopp, though the possibility of something like this happening could be true for anyone. In the case of Zoro and Sanji, either of their deaths would shock the entire anime industry for years to come, since they are undoubtedly the most important and powerful members of the crew after Luffy himself.

The more popular opinion within fan discussion of who’s going to die is Sanji. There is no specific reason for this, but many believe that he could die fighting side by side with Zoro in the final battles of the series, prompting the swordsman to undergo an incredible new power-up born from his rage, similar to a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball. Perhaps this could even have to do with his closed eye, as Sanji may somehow grant him the use of this eye, perhaps unlocking the strongest version of Observation Haki for Zoro.

However, this is incredibly vague and still just wishful thinking within the fandom. However, it would still be quite cool to see, especially considering that Sanji is known to specialize in Observation Haki and him somehow unlocking something akin to Future Sight for Zoro in his last moments would be a beautiful way to end his arc. Until the Final Arc of One Piece is officially underway, fans can only sit with bated breath and speculate about how one of anime’s greatest rivalries will end.

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

Seasons

20

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122