Out of all the Straw Hats, Zoro is the only member who hasn’t gotten a proper backstory in One Piece. He was the first one to join Luffy, yet all we know about him is how his dream came to be. Like most fans, I was fully prepared for a peek into his past and parentage during Wano.
However, Eiichiro Oda shifted the focus to a new mystery rather than resolving the pre-existing ones. Zoro was on the verge of death after his fight with King and a Grim Reaper appeared before his eyes. Now this Grim Reaper’s presence wasn’t explained, but we all have our own theories regarding what it was.
If Oda hasn’t forgotten about this particular incident, then I believe Zoro’s next fight will provide a resolution to this mystery. If you’re wondering how, here’s what I think!
The biggest mystery about Zoro’s power in One Piece
After Thriller Bark, Shusui became an indispensable part of Zoro’s arsenal for me. Having Zoro let go of it was a bit saddening, but Enma’s introduction was exciting. From the moment Zoro got hold of it, it was scary to see what the sword was truly capable of. Every time he swung it, there was great destruction and it even weighed on him physically.
Fighting against King with Enma landed Zoro in a life-threatening position, and then appeared the Grim Reaper. The most popular guesses at the time of this reveal were that it was Enma’s soul or a physical manifestation of Zoro’s near-death condition. The first theory is fairly popular among fans, and many believe that a Bankai-like power-up awaits Zoro, as this Reddit comment suggests.
Comment
byu/Diamondlife9 from discussion
inOnePiece
According to this theory and comment, Zoro is constantly evolving as a swordsman. He could see Enma’s soul similar to how the Soul Reapers in Bleach are essentially connected to their Zanpaku-to. It has been quite a while since Zoro faced off against someone who could challenge his swordsmanship i.e. the likes of Daz Bones, Ryuma, or Mihawk.
Every opponent who does that brings out a stronger version of him. With that, it’s not hard to believe that the Grim Reaper was a preparatory step for what the future holds in store for Zoro. And that makes his next time extremely crucial.
Here’s why the next fight might resolve the grim reaper mystery
Something that has caught my attention since the introduction of Mihawk are the Black Blades. If Zoro has any chance at acquiring one, I strongly believe that it’ll be Enma that’ll undergo the transformation. The grim reaper could’ve been a manifestation of how deadly Enma is, both for its wielder and for those fighting against it.
If the Grim Reaper is indeed Enma’s soul, then every fight will get Zoro and Enma more acquainted with each other. Or it’s more likely that Zoro will have to tame Enma’s spirit. The few fights that are all but confirmed for him in the future include the fight against Blackbeard Pirates, a fight against Mihawk, and maybe against Nusjuro. All these characters will challenge him, and it makes perfect sense for Zoro to face Mihawk with a Black Blade.
There’s another possibility that the grim reaper could’ve been a random gag or just a sign of how close Zoro was to death. In that case, Oda might never give us a follow-up. But, I choose to believe that Oda knows better than to give us a random gag when Zoro is so close to death. Therefore, the next fight will be crucial as it should have some hints about where the Grim Reaper mystery is headed.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
