Zoro’s particularity is that he fights with a unique three-sword style, and Eiichiro Oda explained how he came up with the idea.
One Piece is full of characters as strong as they are surprising. Between the devil fruits and strong characters, the protagonists are systematically out of the ordinary. But among the swordsmen, there is one who has always stood out: Roronoa Zoro, Luffy’s second, wielding three katanas at the same time.
The character has always been one of the Straw Hats’ greatest assets. The first member recruited, he immediately appealed to the readers and spectators of One Piece, to the point of always remaining in the popularity charts. And his simple and clear goal is perhaps one of the main reasons: from his childhood, Zoro decided to become the greatest swordsman in the world, embarking on relentless training to dethrone the overpowering Dracule Mihawk.
The universe of Eiichiro Oda being what it is, the swordsman has refined his art over the years by wielding ever more katanas. And when Zoro fights alongside Luffy, he wields not two blades, but three. But why this figure? The author of One Piece explained himself on the subject.
Eiichiro Oda finally opens up about Zoro’s three-sword style
In the One Piece manga, we see a young Zoro training with his friend Kuina, a young girl capable of surpassing him in each confrontation despite the boy’s two katanas. The latter ends up learning that his dream of becoming the best swordsman is the same as that of his friend. Also, when she dies, he takes her saber with him to motivate himself to achieve their common goal.
But from there to using three swords? Author Eiichiro Oda explained the real reason behind this unique style, in comments reported by a renowned leaker on X/Twitter:
❔| Oda explains why Zoro have three swords – “In Japan there was a real life swordsman named Musashi Miyamoto who was regarded as the greatest ever, and he was known for using two swords. My childish idea was to simply make Zoro even greater by giving him one additional… pic.twitter.com/kyGJ1Wzd6h
— Pew (@pewpiece) February 24, 2024
“In Japan, there was a real swordsman named Musashi Miyamoto, considered the greatest of all time, and he was known for using two katanas. My childish idea was to make Zoro even bigger, by giving him an extra sword.”
Some internet users didn’t seem convinced by the explanation in the comments. But it will probably not shock regulars of One Piece, remaining consistent with the universe of Eiichiro Oda. Because it is precisely this kind of lightness mixed with intensity that made the strength of the manga and the anime, making its characters – sometimes deliberately absurd – all the more endearing.
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