Questions & Mysteries Does Zoro, in story, think Mihawk is stronger than Shanks?
- Thread starter ImmaIvanoM
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-Zoro knows that Kaido is called the strongest
-Zoro knew about the reputation of the Wano’s samurais
-Zoro knew about Rayleigh
-Zoro knows, thanks to Garp, who is Shanks and it is safe to assume that Shanks name was in Mihawk’s mouth at least once during the 2 years timeskip
Therefore we know that Zoro knows people’s reputation.
Zoro wanted to be the Strongest swordsman and wants his name to reach the heaven. He does not only want the title he wants to be HIM.
-Zoro fought an admiral in Dressrosa
And still he sees Mihawk as his ultimate goal. So yeah, for Zoro: Mihawk > Shanks.
-Zoro knew about the reputation of the Wano’s samurais
-Zoro knew about Rayleigh
-Zoro knows, thanks to Garp, who is Shanks and it is safe to assume that Shanks name was in Mihawk’s mouth at least once during the 2 years timeskip
Therefore we know that Zoro knows people’s reputation.
Zoro wanted to be the Strongest swordsman and wants his name to reach the heaven. He does not only want the title he wants to be HIM.
-Zoro fought an admiral in Dressrosa
And still he sees Mihawk as his ultimate goal. So yeah, for Zoro: Mihawk > Shanks.
Zoro has expressed desire to fight only 2 individuals in the entire show.
Mihawk and Kaido. Both are world's strongest.
Zoro will always target whoever has World's Strongest title.
It is in his mindset to challenge the strongest people in the world.
If someone stronger than Mihawk exists, Zoro will go after them.
The fandom thinks Zoro wants to be strongest only among swordsmen.
That is wrong. Zoro wants to be the strongest.
Swordsmanship is just his route to achieve that.
Mihawk and Kaido. Both are world's strongest.
Zoro will always target whoever has World's Strongest title.
It is in his mindset to challenge the strongest people in the world.
If someone stronger than Mihawk exists, Zoro will go after them.
The fandom thinks Zoro wants to be strongest only among swordsmen.
That is wrong. Zoro wants to be the strongest.
Swordsmanship is just his route to achieve that.
Mihawk is the world recognized world strongest swordsman, period. Zoro knows that and recognizes it as well. And he will go on until he beats Mihawk and fulfills his promise to Kuina. Oda will never go into more detail than that (not even somebody like Togashi will tbh), he didn't even care to give Zoro a good subplot in Wano or drop some infos on swords, smithing, black blades and so on. And that was the place to give them. So he will just train and become stronger until he can beat Mihawk.
Then, from yet another perspective, Shanks is a really important character in OP: role model of the MC, legend pivotal in monumental stuff like ending Marineford war and his role as some sort of world peace keeper.... The point is that Oda will never feed Shanks to Zoro, the idea is out of this world. His role is completely different and way above be just a side target in the dream of Zoro.
And also, people should stop before Oda starts slapping, Mihawk is not stronger than Shanks. They are equals or Shanks is a bit stronger, there are no other possibilities, there never were tbh.
Then, from yet another perspective, Shanks is a really important character in OP: role model of the MC, legend pivotal in monumental stuff like ending Marineford war and his role as some sort of world peace keeper.... The point is that Oda will never feed Shanks to Zoro, the idea is out of this world. His role is completely different and way above be just a side target in the dream of Zoro.
And also, people should stop before Oda starts slapping, Mihawk is not stronger than Shanks. They are equals or Shanks is a bit stronger, there are no other possibilities, there never were tbh.
A good answer, people have so far been fixated on WSS and Zoro being the only one gunning for it that they ignore (choose to imo) all the other moments where Zoro is not interested in fighting only the swordsmen but other fighters too. And people also ignore that Luffy is similar in this regard too. A few instances
Whiskey Peak (both want to find out who is stronger)
Jaya (both get alert on hearing a grappling champion (Burgess I think), tbh Jaya shows a lot of this Luffy and Zoro behavior)
FI (fish competition extremely similar to hunting competition in Little Garden)
DR (both want to fight Fuji, Zoro is angry that Luffy didn't tell him about the coliseum competition)
Irrespective of fighting styles, Luffy and Zoro want to be the best/strongest. We don't see this behavior from any other crew. To Zoro being the strongest swordsman already means being the strongest fighter and hence he is also interested in fighting characters that are not swordsmen.
Whiskey Peak (both want to find out who is stronger)
Jaya (both get alert on hearing a grappling champion (Burgess I think), tbh Jaya shows a lot of this Luffy and Zoro behavior)
FI (fish competition extremely similar to hunting competition in Little Garden)
DR (both want to fight Fuji, Zoro is angry that Luffy didn't tell him about the coliseum competition)
Irrespective of fighting styles, Luffy and Zoro want to be the best/strongest. We don't see this behavior from any other crew. To Zoro being the strongest swordsman already means being the strongest fighter and hence he is also interested in fighting characters that are not swordsmen.
I won't be surprised if zoro attacks shanks when they encounter. A pure haki swordsman yonko? He won't let that chance of a battle slip.
But most likely thinking 'If I want to surpass mihawk, I should be able to beat such a guy as a pure haki swordsman yonko"
So yes. If Oda chooses to make Shanks zoro's main RHP association, he will have to point that even out loudly. Causing chaos among the fandom camps.
However if he chooses to go only for vice captain vibes (by cowardly ignoring the relationship shanks and zoro have by proxy) his associate will be only Beckman and the Mihawk topic will never even pop up.
Really depends on the size of oda's balls.
After ryuuma's grave went to Forget Piece, I am slightly worried Oda might just avoid the topic tbh.
But most likely thinking 'If I want to surpass mihawk, I should be able to beat such a guy as a pure haki swordsman yonko"
So yes. If Oda chooses to make Shanks zoro's main RHP association, he will have to point that even out loudly. Causing chaos among the fandom camps.
However if he chooses to go only for vice captain vibes (by cowardly ignoring the relationship shanks and zoro have by proxy) his associate will be only Beckman and the Mihawk topic will never even pop up.
Really depends on the size of oda's balls.
After ryuuma's grave went to Forget Piece, I am slightly worried Oda might just avoid the topic tbh.
Does anyone think that in OP world?
When Buggy was talking with WB, his subordinates -> "that's my Captain Buggy, so cool!, sugoi! heart heart"
When Buggy was talking with Shanks, his subordinates -> "that's my Captain Buggy, so cool!, sugoi! heart heart"
When Buggy was talking with Mihawk and even attack him, his subordinates -> "..." no reaction or panel at all of them.
When Buggy was talking with WB, his subordinates -> "that's my Captain Buggy, so cool!, sugoi! heart heart"
When Buggy was talking with Shanks, his subordinates -> "that's my Captain Buggy, so cool!, sugoi! heart heart"
When Buggy was talking with Mihawk and even attack him, his subordinates -> "..." no reaction or panel at all of them.
Which is why in insight it seems that Zoro wanted to be the strongest warrior rather than the strongest swordsman.
-He never specifically seek to fight a swordsman to fight (except for Mihawk), it just happens that the number 2 of most organizations is a blade user. Even in the land of the samurai he did not actively seek to find the strongest and/or skillest swordsman there. Before people named Fujitora, he seem so to want to fight Fujitora because he is strong rather than because he is a swordsman.
-He is not a swordsmanship savant. I.e he does not know nor seek to know all the swordsmanship technics that exist (like Mihawk), he only took interest in one (the fox fire style) and it is only because it goes with his nindo to be able to cut everything. He does not attach any of the philosophical aspects of the way of the sword to his nindo.
-Except for Mihawk and Ryuma’s zombie, Zoro opponent always have other abilities and/or martial art mastery than swordsmanship (prime example are King and Kaku). Sometimes he does not even fight a blade user ( Kuma, Kaido, Mr.5, the WP’s bounty hunters, Braham)
-Zoro most memorable moment is without sword (« Nothing happened ») and is a testament of his willpower
-Can fight without sword (Davy back fight), his sword technic can perfectly work with other tool (Kamazo scythe, a knife) and he is willing to dropped his sword to bite someone if he has to I order to win.
I do not know if it is on purpose from Oda but it seems to me that, yeah, swordsmanship is just a means to an end for Zoro to attain is real dream : being the « World’s strongest warrior ».
-He never specifically seek to fight a swordsman to fight (except for Mihawk), it just happens that the number 2 of most organizations is a blade user. Even in the land of the samurai he did not actively seek to find the strongest and/or skillest swordsman there. Before people named Fujitora, he seem so to want to fight Fujitora because he is strong rather than because he is a swordsman.
-He is not a swordsmanship savant. I.e he does not know nor seek to know all the swordsmanship technics that exist (like Mihawk), he only took interest in one (the fox fire style) and it is only because it goes with his nindo to be able to cut everything. He does not attach any of the philosophical aspects of the way of the sword to his nindo.
-Except for Mihawk and Ryuma’s zombie, Zoro opponent always have other abilities and/or martial art mastery than swordsmanship (prime example are King and Kaku). Sometimes he does not even fight a blade user ( Kuma, Kaido, Mr.5, the WP’s bounty hunters, Braham)
-Zoro most memorable moment is without sword (« Nothing happened ») and is a testament of his willpower
-Can fight without sword (Davy back fight), his sword technic can perfectly work with other tool (Kamazo scythe, a knife) and he is willing to dropped his sword to bite someone if he has to I order to win.
I do not know if it is on purpose from Oda but it seems to me that, yeah, swordsmanship is just a means to an end for Zoro to attain is real dream : being the « World’s strongest warrior ».
I doubt he even thinks about it, if Mihawk has the global perception of being the strongest and best with a blade that’s all he cares about fighting. If Shanks or any swordsman want to stand in the way of his path to Mihawk then it would matter to him. So yeah he probably does think of Shanks as somewhat inferior but w the prestige of being a yonko swordsman there’s gotta be respect there, probably acknowledges that Shanks could possibly get a win against Mihawk on a good day.
S
Zoro said he was in Onigashima not to play games, but to cut down Kaido, who is said to be the strongest man in the world.
People don't go around saying that Shanks is the strongest, that Shanks is stronger than Mihawk, for that to reach Zoro's ears, just like the fact that Kaido being the strongest reached.
People don't go around saying that Shanks is the strongest, that Shanks is stronger than Mihawk, for that to reach Zoro's ears, just like the fact that Kaido being the strongest reached.