The post contains spoilers for One Piece.
Summary
- Oda hinted Zoro & Sanji will be equals – called Wings of Pirate King
- Zoro’s higher bounty doesn’t mean he’s stronger, bounties are inaccurate
- Zoro is not vice-captain, Straw Hats have no hierarchy.
When people think of anime rivalries, they think of Goku and Vegeta or Naruto and Sasuke, but there is one rivalry that is just as iconic as the aforementioned ones, and it’s from One Piece. One might think that it involves Luffy, but that’s not the case. The best rivalry in One Piece is between Roronoa Zoro and Sanji.
The two characters have always been competitive, and according to the laws of shonen anime, fans can only pick one. The strength of Zoro and Sanji has been a constant moot point within the community. Either side believes that their favorite is stronger, but that’s actually not the case, and there have been many instances where Oda has implied the same.
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One Of The Most Significant Pieces Of Evidence
- Zoro and Sanji are equals
- There is enough evidence to prove the claim
The author of One Piece has provided fans with enough evidence that more or less confirms that Zoro and Sanji will be equals. The biggest proof is that Zoro and Sanji have been called the Wings of the Pirate King. By calling them wings, Oda clarified that the two are equal, as one wing cannot be bigger than the other; they have to be equal at all times.
One might argue that Zoro’s bounty being higher than Sanji’s means that the latter is weaker. But fans often forget that bounties are highly inaccurate and are dependent on other factors aside from strength. A good example is how Luffy, Law, and Kid were given the same bounties after the battle of Onigashima. Despite Luffy beating Kaido by himself, he was given a bounty of 3 billion berries, the same as Law and Kid, who are considerably weaker. If bounties were accurate, then it would mean that Law and Kid are equal to Luffy.
Misinformation Has Been Responsible For The Debates
Another point that is often brought up in debates is that Zoro is stronger because he is the vice-captain, but this is an utter lie. Eiichiro Oda has explicitly stated that Zoro is not the first mate or the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. A lot of fans just presume that Zoro is the vice-captain because he was the first to join the crew, but that’s not the case.
In fact, the Straw Hat Pirates do not have a hierarchy like most pirate crews, which makes sense considering Luffy wants to be the freest person in the world. Each Straw Hat is dependable, so there is no need for them to have a vice-captain.
The Elbaf Arc Has More Evidence That Proves Zoro And Sanji are Equal
Oda Has Provided Fans With Even More Proof
For a long time, fans have believed that the Straw Hat Pirates parallel the Roger Pirates. The two crews certainly have similarities, and one of them is how Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro are analogous to Gol D. Roger, Scopper Gaban, and Silvers Rayleigh. Gaban and Rayleigh played a crucial role in helping Roger become the king of pirates, and it is plausible to assume that he wouldn’t have been able to achieve it without the two. For a long time, fans thought that Rayleigh was superior to Gaban in terms of strength, but Oda debunked this belief.
This man was known as the Pirate King’s left arm.
Scopper Gaban made his debut in the Elbaf arc, and he was called the Pirate King’s left arm. Naturally, Rayleigh would be the right arm. Once again, the use of arms implies that the two are equals. Oda used this metaphorically to confirm that Gaban and Rayleigh are on the same level. Since Sanji and Zoro parallel those two, it is further proof that the Straw Hat duo are on the same level.
Sanji and Zoro will face their biggest test to date in the Elbaf arc. The appearance of several God Knights means that the two might have to fight them. Sanji and Zoro have taken down many notable fighters to date, and they will be looking forward to adding to the list.
