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Zoro has always been one ofOne Piece’smost recognizable and beloved Straw hats. Being the first person Luffy recruited to his crew, the swordsman has proven to be one of the coolest and most loyal members of the Straw Hats in general. Naturally, because of his cool demeanor, manyOne Piecefans have gravitated towards the swordsman, choosing him as their favorite character, giving Zoro one of the largest and most vocal fanbases in the entire series.
However, Zoro has gone through a unique evolution in the series to get to where he is in the current era ofOne Piece. Mainly, the swordsman’s character has changed fairly drastically, with his personality seeming to be fairly different from what he was at the beginning of the series. While some fans like the changes to Zoro’s character, others believe that he was ruined bythe time-skip era ofOne Piece.
Zoro Evolved From An Emotional Swordsman To A Stoic Beast
Laughter And Goofing Around Are Less Common Now For Zoro
At the beginning of the series, Zoro was a young, yet fairly hot-headed swordsman, looking to become the best in his craft. Overall, he was fairly emotional, especially in his declaration of becoming the best swordsman after his loss toMihawk in the East Blue Saga. Despite generally being able to keep his emotions under control, he was prone to being flustered, laughing, or getting angry based on what the situation called for.
My name may be infamous, but it’s gonna shake the world! - Zoro
However, in post time skipOne Piece,while he still exhibits these characteristics occasionally, more often than not, rather than being the emotional swordsman he was before, Zoro is far more stoic than usual. Situations that would have causedthe Straw Hat swordsman, Zoro, to burst into laughter or become emotionally flustered are now met with a steely and level-headed response. Overall, through training and discipline from his time skip spent with Mihawk, Zoro has learned to master his emotions.
Fans Believe Time Skip Was A Step Back For Zoro’s Character
He’s All Cool With No Substance Now
While the lack of emotions and stoic nature does make Zoro feel like a cooler and more powerful swordsman, some fans think that Oda may have made the Straw Hat swordsman a bit too unemotional for their liking. Rather than being a fully fleshed-out character that blends comedy, drama, and action all together, these fans believe thatthe powerfulOne Pieceswordsman’scharacter is too focused on the action elements of his character. Due to this, many fans prefer the original Zoro, claiming that one of the biggest things they miss is the swordsman’s smile, something he rarely uses anymore.
Though being a one-note character is often the biggest complaint about Zoro in post-time skipOne Piece,some fans are also concerned that Zoro has hit his limit of growth as a character. Right from the end of time skip, Zoro was already an incredibly powerful swordsman who could fairly easily face any battle thrown his way. While he still struggles with certain fights, namely King,an All-Star of the Beast Pirates, on Wano, few opponents actually challenge Zoro and push him to his limits, making it harder to see his growth overall.
Zoro Has Trained Himself With Emotional Discipline
Some Fans Do See This As An Upgrade To His Character
On the other hand, while Zoro’s character has some flaws post-time skip, there are plenty of other fans who love the swordsman the way he currently is. For these characters,Zoro’s growth inOne Piececame from training and mental discipline, something that is bound to give him more control of his emotions overall. While he may not be the same as before, he definitely has shown some growth, even if it’s not what a traditional person goes through.
I will never lose again!
In the end, while Zoro’s character is less emotional than before, he is far from beingsomething that’s ruined inOne Piece. With that being said, overall, he lacks the same interesting dynamic that he once had in the show, though his action scenes have been made more interesting to compensate. Hopefully, by the end ofOne Piece, Zoro will have a chance to continue growing emotionally, adding his previous charm to his modern stoic self.
One Piece
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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.
