Age:19
Eyes: Black
Hair: Green
Height: 5" 10'
Date of Birth: November 11th
Fighting Style: Santoryu (3 swords)
Group: Straw Hat Pirates
Position: Unconfirmed (Suspected to be First Mate)
Current Bounty: 120,000,000 Beri

As a child, Roronoa Zoro trained at a dojo in Shimotsuki Village. Though he was a very adept swordsman and could defeat adults even as a boy, there was one opponent he could never best: The Sensei's daughter, Kuina (in the anime, he wandered the countryside challenging dojos for their signs. Kuina was the first opponent he couldn't best, so he joined her father's dojo.) Zoro and Kuina fought 2000 duels, every single one of which Kuina won.

One day, Zoro became frustrated with his losing streak and challenged Kuina to their 2001st duel, this time using real swords. Kuina accepted, commenting on the futility of the challenge ("It's your funeral.") Kuina won once again. However, she broke down into tears at the end of the duel, telling Zoro how lucky he was to be born a boy. She went on to explain that she had begun to go through puberty, meaning her strength would soon reach its peak. Zoro would then be able to surpass her easily. Zoro became annoyed and replied that one day he planned to surpass her because he tried his best, not because she was a girl. They then made a vow to each other that one day, one of them would become the greatest swordsman in the world.

Unfortunately, Kuina was killed falling down a staircase while trying to fetch a sharpening stone shortly afterwards. A devastated Zoro began to blame her for trying to back out on their promise. The dojo's Sensei stoped him, telling him that humans are fragile creatures. Zoro then asked the Sensei if he could have Kuina's sword, the Wado Ichimonji. The sensei granted this request, and Zoro then made a new vow to become the greatest for both himself and Kuina.

Zoro first met Luffy a number of years later on Naval Base Island. He had been imprisoned for killing a dog belonging to Helmeppo, the son of the highest-ranking officer on the island. Though he had originally made a bargain with Helmeppo to go free if he could survive a week tied to a stake on the base's parade grounds, Helmeppo planned to have him executed before the end point of the deal. Zoro was reluctant to join Luffy's crew at first, but changed his mind after finding out about Helmeppo's plans. Together, the two defeated Helmeppo and his tyrant father, "Axe-Hand" Morgan, and Luffy recruited his first Straw Hat pirate.

Zoro is an extremely loyal man. Though he can be lazy to the point where he does almost nothing but sleep or totally useless in some situations (such as matters of navigation,) he will always do everything in his power to make sure his Captain achieves his dream. Zoro has even shown willingness to give up on his own dream and die if it helps Luffy become Pirate King.

Zoro uses a unique swordfighting style known as "Santoryu." He uses three swords at once (two in hands, one in mouth.) However, he did not originally use this style. He started out as a dual-bladed swordsman. After Kuina died, he began to use the third. His signature attack, "oni giri," is actually a pun. While the original Kanji reads "Demon Cut," the word "onigiri" means "riceball" in Japanese.

According to author Eiichiro Oda, Zoro resembles a shark, smells of steel and is represented by the color green.

Guide: 06/05/08 | Posted By: Aceburner | 4 comments | One Piece