One Piece: 5 Toughest Fights Zoro Has Been In (& 5 That Were Too Easy)

Roronoa Zoro is a master swordsman and the combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece. Wielding three blades at once, he practices the famous Three-Sword Style with which he's cut down multiple enemies over the years.

Zoro has been in some incredible sword-fights as the series has progressed and while some of them were quite a challenge for him and forced him to evolve, others were simply way too easy. Here are 5 toughest fights that Zoro has ever been in and 5 that he won without any trouble whatsoever.

10 Toughest: Kuina

Kuina was a childhood friend of Zoro and also his biggest rival back in the day. Being one of the strongest at his dojo, Zoro tried to defeat Kuina to claim the title of the strongest. However, he failed every single time they fought.

In total, Zoro and Kuina fought 2001 battles and all of them ended in Kuina's favor. Before Zoro could try and surpass her, Kuina fell down a couple of stairs and died.

9 Easiest: T-Bone

During the Water 7 Saga, Zoro clashed swords with Marine Captain T-Bone, who was on the Sea Train to Enies Lobby. Despite being a Marine Captain, Zoro ended up making quick work of him.

Despite Zoro acknowledging the fact that T-Bone was powerful, he ended the fight in just one move as the Sea Train continued its way to Enies Lobby, the judiciary island.

8 Toughest: Dracule Mihawk

Dracule Mihawk is the strongest swordsman in the world of One Piece and someone who Zoro aims to beat eventually. During the Baratie arc, Zoro crossed paths with the strongest and decided to challenge him to a duel, not knowing the difference in strength between the two.

As expected, he was toyed with by Mihawk and given a taste of what true power is like. Nonetheless, his determination did earn Mihawk's respect who then challenged him to get stronger and face him again one day.

7 Easiest: Hody Jones

Hody Jones was the main antagonist of the Fishman Island arc of One Piece. He was not as strong as one would've expected him to be, just like most foes the Straw Hats fought during this arc.

Zoro and Hody fought underwater, and although the latter was supposed to be stronger here, he ended up getting defeated by Zoro with just one strike of his blade. To date, it remains to be one of the easiest fights that Zoro has ever been in.

6 Toughest: Mr. 1

Mr. 1 was the strongest agent of Crocodile's Baroque Works organization and a famous bounty hunter in the West Blue prior to that. With the powers of the Supa Supa no Mi, Mr. 1 forced Zoro to get stronger in the midst of battle as he didn't appear to stand any chance at all.

Tapping into his latent potential, Zoro got stronger and learned how to cut steel during the fight, allowing him to defeat Mr. 1.

5 Easiest: Monet

Although not a full-blown fight, Zoro and Monet fought during the Punk Hazard arc of One Piece. Monet mistakenly thought Zoro would never hurt her and paid the price for it.

Despite Zoro not even using Haki on her Logia body, Money was sliced apart in a single strike and failed to reassemble out of pure fear. Once again, this fight was barely a challenge for Zoro.

4 Toughest: Kaku

One of the biggest fights in the series, Zoro and Kaku fought each other in the Tower of Law during the Enies Lobby arc. Kaku, being the second-strongest member of CP-9, was incredibly hard for Zoro to fight.

The Pirate Hunter had to tap into the power of Asura against him eventually, which is how he ended up winning the fight. Although Kaku did lose, he made sure to push Zoro to his absolute limits before finally falling.

3 Easiest: Pica

During the Dressrosa arc, Zoro fought Pica of the Donquixote Pirates in what turned out to be another easy fight for the Straw Hat swordsman.

Although Pica's ability of the Ishi Ishi no Mi was a handful to deal with, it was nothing too hard for Zoro to cut through. The fight boiled down to a battle of Haki and as expected, Zoro proved to be superior to Pica and defeated him effortlessly.

2 Toughest: Kuma

Easily one of the most difficult fights that Zoro has ever been in, Kuma Vs. Zoro took place during the Thriller Bark arc of One Piece. To protect his captain and the crew, Zoro decided to fight Kuma all alone and ended up getting overwhelmed due to the vast difference in strength between the two.

Although Zoro did land a blow on him, he barely caused any damage and immediately realized that defeating him was not possible at the moment. Instead, Zoro decided to offer his life to Kuma in exchange for Luffy's.

1 Easiest: Magistrate

Zoro fought the magistrate of the Flower Capital of Wano Country in the ongoing arc of One Piece. Being too weak, the magistrate fell in just one slash of a Seppuku blade that Zoro carried.

Undoubtedly, he posed no threat to Zoro whatsoever and remains to be one of the weakest people to ever fall to Zoro's sword.

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One Piece: 5 Pirates Who Would Join Red Hair Pirates (& 5 Who Wouldn't)

The Red Hair Pirates are led by Shanks, who is one of the Yonko. Shanks is more or less an enigma and the fans can't help but wonder when Oda will finally reveal something about him.

There is very little information about the Red Hair Pirates, apart from the fact that they're pretty strong. So far, we have seen that a lot of Supernovas have joined up with other Yonko, in order to boost their reputation as well as increase the strength of the Yonko.

10 WOULDN'T: EUSTASS KID

Kid is one of the many Supernovas who are currently in the Land of Wano. He had originally formulated a plan to take down Shanks with the help of Scratchmen Apoo and Basil Hawkins. Prior to forming the alliance, Kid had fought against Shanks' crew resulting in him losing his left arm. There is no chance that Kid would join the crew of the person who took his arm.

9 WOULD: MARCO

Marco is one of the most well-known pirates and was approached by Shanks several times in an attempt to make him join the Red Hair Pirates. At that time, Marco was obviously loyal to Whitebeard and no amount of wealth would make him leave the crew. But, now things are different. Marco lost his father and after that, he lost the Payback War versus the Blackbeard Pirates. Shanks could convince him to join his crew now.

8 WOULDN'T: CAVENDISH

Cavendish is the captain of the Beautiful Pirates and is one of the Super Rookies. Cavendish was one of the many participants at the Corrida Coliseum.

Cavendish is an expert swordsman and would make a great addition to any crew. However, he is very haughty and he won't be willing to join the Red Hair Pirates readily.

7 WOULD: BUGGY

After the death of their captain, Gol D. Roger, Shanks and Buggy went their separate ways, however, before starting their own crews, Shanks asked Buggy to join his crew. But, Buggy turned him down straight away, though Shanks and Buggy are still very good friends. This could actually be a good time for Buggy to join Shanks' crew because the Shichibukai system has been abolished and now, with the truth about Buggy's past out, the World Government will no doubt try to capture him.

6 WOULDN'T: BARTOLOMEO

Bartolomeo is arguably the biggest Luffy fan. He absolutely adores Luffy and his crew, which is why Bartolomeo follows everything they tell him to do. But, this is only limited to the Straw Hats, while talking to other people, Bartolomeo usually talks in a condescending tone. During the Dressrosa arc, it became perfectly clear that he would not obey anyone else.

5 WOULD: DRACULE MIHAWK

Dracule Mihawk is the Strongest Swordsman in the World. Mihawk used to be a Shichibukai but after the dissolution of the system, he is just another notorious pirate. He used to be rivals with Shanks and their duels are considered legendary.

Mihawk and Shanks have a lot of mutual respect for each other. A lot of theories actually suggest that Mihawk might actually be a member of the Red Hair Pirates.

4 WOULDN'T: BOA HANCOCK

Boa Hancock is known as the Pirate Empress. She amassed a bounty of over 50 million beris from her first voyage; the World Government immediately acknowledged the threat and offered her to become one of the Shichibukai. She accepted as it would ensure the safety of Amazon Lily. So far Boa has shown that she would only obey Luffy, so expecting her to obey Shanks would be a mistake.

3 WOULD: CROCODILE

Crocodile is one of the most mysterious characters in the series. He possesses the Suna Suna no Mi, which is a logia type devil fruit. In the past, Crocodile declined the offer to work with Doflamingo, however, he has shown that he can team up with people if the situation demands. If he were to join the Red Hair Pirates, he would definitely get a chance to learn about some of the darkest secrets in the world.

2 WOULDN'T: KING

King is the right-hand man of Yonko, Kaido. He possesses Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model; Pteranodon, which is one of the few flying type zoans. King is very loyal to Kaido and he isn't willing to join the crew of any other Yonko. In fact, Big Mom personally asked King to join her crew, but he declined the offer straight away. So, it wouldn't make sense for him to turn down one Yonko and join another.

1 WOULD: JEWELRY BONNEY

Jewelry Bonney is one of the members of the Worst Generation. She possesses an unnamed devil fruit that enables her to alter the age of anyone she touches. According to several theories, the devil fruit might be the reason why the World Government is chasing her. Bonney has had to stay discreet so that the World Government doesn't get an opportunity to catch her. It would make sense if Bonney joined the crew of a Yonko to seek protection.

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One Piece: 5 Times Zoro Was Wrong (& 5 Times He Was Smarter Than We Thought He Was)

The cast of One Piece is one of the most diverse and unique in the anime-verse. It's so huge that even the most loyal fans would have a rough time remembering each and every character's name. Some might argue that the absurd quantity of characters degraded the quality of each, and they are not even remotely correct; contrarily it’s only in One Piece that a fan could emotionally invest in a supporting antagonist (Señor Pink).

With that said, a name that deeply ingrained itself in the fans' minds, never to be forgotten again, is Zoro. The right-hand man of Luffy, and everyone's favorite swordsman. Due to many absurd occurrences, sometimes fans forget that Zoro is a human — yes, as shocking as it is, he is indeed human. In some instances, he absolutely outsmarts everyone, but in other instances, he becomes vulnerable to mistakes.

10 Was Wrong: Wouldn't Have Saved Smoker Without Luffy Asking Him.

This happened in Alabasta when the Straw Hats, together with Smoker, ended up underwater after a chain of events. Looking at it from a pirate's perspective; saving a marine, and a strong one at that, is a pretty naive move.

However, assuming that Zoro hadn't saved Smoker at that instance, it would've led to even larger complications along the line. There's a sparsity of upright marine; one good marine lost is one lost forever.

9 Smarter Than We Thought: Figuring Out Luffy's Message

The time skip came as a huge surprise to both the fans and the Straw Hats. There was no prearrangement between them, but Luffy had to send a message in a manner that his crew — and only his crew — could get.

So when Luffy sent the 3D2Y encrypted message through the newspapers; it was rather surprising witnessing all of the Straw Hats understanding Luffy's message clearly.

8 Was Wrong: Sinking A Ship At Sabaody Archipelago

We are fresh out of the time skip, and Zoro — being Zoro — somehow mistook a gigantic coated pirate ship for a fishing boat. At this point, fans are not even surprised by Zoro's sense of direction. When confronted by the crew, Zoro takes a very badass measure and sinks the ship.

At the end of the day, nobody of said Pirate crew died, and their lives might as well been saved by Zoro. Had Zoro not sunk their ship, and by extent their dreams, they wouldn't have lasted a day in the New World. It was badass but completely unwarranted.

7 Smarter Than We Thought: Stopping Luffy From Bringing Back Usopp

Zoro might be rightful vice-captain of the Straw Hat crew, but there haven’t been many occurrences stressing that fact as much as the fans would like to see. But as a trade, every time Zoro gets to flex his vice-captain authority, it automatically becomes one of the best moments of the series.

When Luffy was eager to go and fetch back Usopp, Zoro stood his ground and reminded him of his position as the captain. His following rant was also a reality check to all the Straw Hats .

6 Was Wrong: Getting Mad At Ebisu Town Residents

This was a misunderstanding of a tragic event and was later cleared by Hiyori. But the fact of the matter is that it can’t be undone. Zoro, for only a few seconds, was incredibly mad at the residents of Ebisu Town when they were 'laughing' at Yasuie's death without being aware of the overall situation.

It was a minor fluke powered by Zoro's strong emotions. With that said though, it would've further escalated if Hiyori hadn't cooled him down.

5 Smarter Than We Thought: Rant About Sanji Leaving

The Whole Cake Island arc was triggered by the single event of Sanji leaving. The Straw Hats had two options; either take it as Sanji's own bidding and continue about their journey or pursue Sanji and demand answers. The former option was — to some extent — "harmless" to both parties, but everyone knew it wasn't going to happen. The second option, however, involved a yonko and the possibility of angering said yonko.

That about summarizes Zoro's rant; it's yet another unusually hyper self-aware moment of his.

4 Was Wrong: Wanting To Battle Fujitora At Dressrosa

Recklessness is an emotion that preserves youths’ drive, but it could also lead to one's downfall. When the Straw Hats were hastily pulling out of Dressrosa, Zoro, at some point, suggested direct confrontation against Fujitora instead of focusing on retreat.

Depending on which angle you view it From; this might either come down as bravery or just plain foolishness.

3 Smarter Than We Thought: Giving Luffy A Wake-Up Call At Punk Hazard

Punk Hazard is the opening arc of the new world saga. And in this arc, like any other arc preceding it, the Straw Hats get an early beating; Luffy's team is swiftly defeated by Caesar, and Zoro's team is put to sleep by the yetis.

Zoro's reaction to these defeats was to strictly remind Luffy that the New World has just started, and it was too early to get owned.

2 Was Wrong: Challenging Mihawk

Challenging Mihawk has to be Zoro's dumbest decision in the series. In spite of how this defeat helped Zoro reshape his resolve and sharpen his personality; it nonetheless remains one of the dumbest actions he has ever taken.

If we assumed that Mihawk was a stereotypical Pirate who took on the challenge at face value; Zoro would've certainly lost his life.

1 Smarter Than We Thought: Asking For Mihawk's Tutelage

If challenging Mihawk was a clear example of being blinded by pride, then asking for his tutelage is an act of abandoning his pride for the greater good. This especially applies to a pride-driven character like Zoro; lowering his head might possibly be more humiliating than any defeat he has ever suffered.

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One Piece: 5 Times It Proved To Be The Best Anime Of Its Generation (& 5 Times It Fell Short)

There are dozens of shounen anime series that have left incredible marks on the anime industry as a whole. Eiichiro Oda’s iconic pirate action anime series, One Piece has been around for over two decades and nearly 1000 episodes. The anime is still one of the most popular in its genre.

One Piece has achieved incredible things since its humble beginnings, but it's far from a perfect series. With the series' length becoming increasingly intimidating, it doesn't hurt to take stock on the series. Accordingly, here are five times that One Piece proved to be the best anime of its generation and five times that it fell short.

10 Best Anime: The Enies Lobby Arc

The longer One Piece goes on, the more frivolous filler arcs it adds. The high points are harder to register when they're hidden among such excess, but the arcs that work in the first half of the series are true triumphs. There are many high points, but the Enies Lobby Arc is One Piece at its best.

It's a tight, suspenseful chapter of the anime that features some of the show's best villains and throws many unexpected challenges in Luffy's way. It holds up incredibly well and establishes the storytelling heights that the show can achieve.

9 Fell Short: The Animation In The Series’ Later Half

As much as strong storytelling and engaging characters are crucial to creating a successful anime series, it goes without saying that the show also has to be aesthetically pleasing. One Piece is produced by the acclaimed Toei Animation and the start of the show has a very pleasant look.

However, Toei splits their resources the further the show goes on and the animation takes a serious dive post-episode 500. Some arcs are borderline ruined because of the shoddy animation that holds them back, like the Dressrosa Arc.

8 Best Anime: Robin’s “I Want To Live” Moment

Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have made a lot of enemies along the way, but one of the most touching moments in the whole anime is when they intentionally bring on war with the World Government as a sign of commitment towards Robin.

Robin's concern that Luffy and company will eventually abandon her is such a human moment and the way in which the gang does not hesitate to ruin their reputations for Robin's sake is exactly why One Piece is so special. Robin's grateful "I want to live" affirmation still causes goosebumps.

7 Fell Short: The Rampant Filler

Filler is the bane of any long-running anime series, but it’s becoming an increasing problem in One Piece. It’s natural for filler to be resorted to so an anime series doesn’t go too far past the manga’s story. At this point, over 10% and nearly 100 episodes of One Piece are filler and it dilutes what is actually good.

The filler episodes during the Davy Back Fight material are especially painful, as is the material that adds Ace during the Alabasta Arc. Not only does this filler waste time and ruin momentum, but they clash with the established canon, too.

6 Best Anime: The Confrontation Between Luffy & Usopp

It's always difficult to lose friends, but the moments in One Piece where the Straw Hat Pirates come to blows and fall apart hit especially hard. The schism that forms between Luffy and Usopp over the topic of their ship is the first time the pirates hit difficult territory and learn that their allies can also turn into foes.

The ensuing fight is hard for both parties since neither one is technically wrong. Usopp’s motivations are painful but clear. The rift marks a major loss and turning point in the series.

5 Fell Short: The Repetitive Story Arcs

It's easy for long-running anime to fall into patterns or repeat some of their more popular moves, but it's becoming a growing problem in One Piece. There's a real formula where Luffy and company land on a new and dangerous island, help out the royal family, and eventually overcome the foe and make a whole lot of fresh friends.

The consistently new characters add variety, but the repetitive formula becomes clear by the time the Wano Arc kicks in. At that point, it has been done several times before and feels less inspired each time.

4 Best Anime: The Fight Between Luffy & Sanji

Every time the Straw Pirates lose a member it stings Luffy more than anyone, but it helps him learn the stresses of being a captain. One of the most difficult exits comes from Sanji. The epic two-part conflict sees Sanji return to his aristocratic roots and leave Luffy and his crew behind.

This exit hurts Sanji just as much as Luffy, but the latter's heartfelt announcement that he needs Sanji or he can't complete his mission is so sincere. Luffy never fully recovers from this loss, but he learns to move on.

3 Fell Short: The Over-Use Of Devil Fruit

Part of what drives shounen series forward is a rotating roster of increasingly strong opponents. One Piece subscribes to this notion and Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are constantly pushed to their limits and forced to go further.

Initially, the Devil Fruit was a special and rare way for characters like Luffy to gain a creative advantage, but as the series goes on this magical fruit has become more pedestrian. Nowadays, Devil Fruit users are practically the norm and even irrelevant enemies are sometimes worthy of the fruit.

2 Best Anime: Going Merry’s Viking Funeral

Every member of Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates crew make valuable contributions to the team, but it can be easy to forget that the vessel that the crew does their traveling on is also just as much a part of the team.

The Going Merry was the Straw Hats' first ship and it was a devastating moment once it reached a point beyond repair. The funeral for the ship is the most emotional moment of the series and Merry's spirit apologizing to Luffy for not lasting longer is just brutal.

1 Fell Short: The Loss & Return Of Straw Hat Pirates

The real heart of One Piece is Luffy's bond with his Straw Hat Pirate crew. Family is essential between everyone, but that doesn't stop various members of the crew from leaving over the years. Nami, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji have all departed the crew, only to eventually return after different amounts of time.

These exits are difficult for Luffy, but they begin to feel manipulative after they continue to happen and never appear to be permanent. Everyone returning to Luffy has weakened the dramatic weight of such moments.

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One Piece: 5 Supernovas Stronger Than Roronoa Zoro (& 5 Who Are Weaker)

Roronoa Zoro is one of the strongest members of the Straw Hat Pirates. He joined the crew after Luffy saved his life. Zoro is a very ambitious person and he dreams of becoming the strongest swordsman in the world.

Zoro's path is not easy and he has got a lot of tough opponents ahead. He received Enma at Wano, which is a big boost for him. Zoro hasn't gone all out yet in Wano and the fans can't wait to see how strong Zoro is.

10 STRONGER: PORTGAS D. ACE

Portgas D. Ace is a Supernova from the old generation. Ace set out to make a name for himself when he was still very young. Ace's reputation grew at an alarming rate and in order to curtail his growth the World Government offered him the position of a Shichibukai, however, his goals stretched beyond being just a Shichibukai.

Ace's Fire Fist was enough to destroy an entire town, and there is no way that Zoro could stand up to someone like Ace.

9 WEAKER: KILLER

Killer is the right-hand man of Eustass Kid. He is the only person that Kid trusts. When Basil Hawkins accepted Kaido's offer to join him, Kid and Killer fought the Yonko.

Killer has got a great reputation, but he hasn't done anything outstanding. Also, he actually fought Zoro at Wano, and lost; but both of them were weakened.

8 STRONGER: EUSTASS KID

Eustass Kid has been closely observed by the fans ever since his introduction at Wano. Kid was captured by Kaido after Apoo ratted them out.

Kid has some impressive feats so far; the best being that he managed to injure a Sweet Commander. Kid is merciless and his reputation is that of a notorious pirate. Roronoa Zoro would be at a big disadvantage due to Kid's devil fruit power.

7 WEAKER: CAVENDISH

Cavendish is the captain of the Beautiful Pirates. He is one of the few pirates who are despite having no devil fruit. Cavendish is a threat to everyone including his own crew when his alter ego, Hakuba takes over his body.

Cavendish's speed and power are impressive, which cemented his reputation as a Super Rookie, but Zoro is on a higher level than him.

6 STRONGER: MONKEY D. LUFFY

Next up on the list is Monkey D. Luffy. He is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He is the strongest person in the crew and there is no doubt about it. Luffy has some insane feats to his name.

He has single-handedly taken down the likes of Charlotte Cracker, Doflamingo, and Katakuri. Luffy can use all three types of Haki and his enhanced control over his devil fruit makes him an extremely tough opponent.

5 WEAKER: BARTOLOMEO

Bartolomeo is undoubtedly the biggest fan of the Straw Hat Pirates. He would readily sacrifice his own life in order to save the Straw Hats. Bartolomeo's devil fruit is a huge problem for his opponents.

The barriers that he erects can withstand every attack, but it is still unknown whether or not it can withstand attacks coated in Haki. Since Zoro specializes in Armament Haki, he should have no trouble overcoming this barrier.

4 STRONGER: TRAFALGAR LAW

Trafalgar Law is the captain of the Heart Pirates. During the time-skip when Luffy and his crew were training, Law was focused on enhancing his own reputation. He did so marvelously as he managed to become a Shichibukai. Law's devil fruit- Ope Ope no Mi is arguably the strongest devil fruit in the series.

The devil fruit can even bypass Haki along with several other abilities. In a fight between Zoro and Law, the former would be lucky if he was still in one piece.

3 WEAKER: BASIL HAWKINS

Basil Hawkins joined Kaido's pirate group because he knew the chances of him surviving otherwise were pretty slim. Hawkins' fought against Zoro at Wano and it was a very close fight.

Hawkins's devil fruit allowed him several opportunities to try different tactics. Since that fight, Zoro has gained Enma, which is an O-Wazamono sword that was wielded by Kozuki Oden. If another fight between the two was to break out, then Zoro would be triumphant.

2 STRONGER: CAPONE BEGE

Capone Bege is the captain of the Fire Tank Pirates. Bege's devil fruit is quite awesome, it makes him a walking fortress. His ultimate weapon is "Big Father," where he turns into a giant fortress that is equipped with cannons and other weapons.

This form of Bege is quite tanky and it can withstand a lot of hits. Zoro would have a really hard time with Bege as he fights using both his wit and devil fruit.

1 WEAKER: CARIBOU

Finally, we have Caribou, the co-captain of the Caribou Pirates. He was first introduced at Sabaody Archipelago after the time-skip. Despite his looks, Caribou is a very cunning and powerful opponent. He gained notoriety for killing several Marines. He was also an antagonist in the Fish-Man Island arc.

Later on, he was captured by X-Drake and sent to Udon prison. There's really no comparison between Zoro and Caribou, the former is light years ahead.

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