General & Others Why is Zoro so popular?

[ImmaIvanoM]

he frequently got very badly injured in the process and didnt make things look easy

Is this the main thing? Zoro makes things look easy?

Pretty weak argument right? Because there's a difference between things being MADE TO LOOK easy and them not actually being easy.

If your point is that Oda doesn't focus on the mode of difficulty of things then that's fine. Doesn't mean they aren't. Zoro's struggle with taming Enma was the most difficulty we've seen Zoro have taming any sword ever in the series. None of the three pre time skip swords ever gave him that much trouble. Then Zoro does tame it in a few panels in a badass way. Then characters start praising Zoro for it. The scene is badass and so it LOOKS EASY. Yet if you actually go back to every pre time skip scene like this, There was no instance of Zoro almost getting knocked out by a sword.

You say things look easy as if Zoro even stopped training or something but that's obviously not true. Of course Zoro isn't getting washed like pre time skip in fights but that doesn't mean he's not trying.

And it's pretty weird to say that Zoro is only all badass scenes and then complain about him not getting washed yet in pre time skip, him getting washed was for the sake of badassery. Like he gets beaten up by Daz to show how badass he is. He stands up from getting beaten up to show how badass he is. He one shots Daz while almost dead TO SHOW HOW BADASS HE IS. So...

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

Popular yeah, I guess, but Wankage... hmmm /shrug

Huh? I thought you said people don't appreciate the simplicity of Luffy's character yet they appreciate the simplicity of Zoro's.

I thought you were trying to call out some kind of hypocrisy regarding what people find appealing in characters?

Well the two most popular characters are the simplest. So where is this discrepancy

 

[Natalija]

Wasn't Zoro introduced while he was being crucified and starved for 9 days and saying he's still got the upper hand on his enemies.

This isn't badass? I would argue this is more badass than his post time skip introduction with him fodderising sone pirates by accidentally getting lost on their ship.

What does "undeservedly badass" mean?

Hahaha it is, it was always part of his character, but now he's perhaps tenfold badass :D in terms of showing off strength

I meant undeservedly as in - it might appear like he hasn't earned his overall power status just because we haven't actually seen his blood, sweat and tears invested in training for two years. In comparison to someone above saying that he was hard working and earned everything he did pre-time skip. It is not true that it's undeserved of course, but at times it might seem so because of the fast forward and his ridiculous strength.

 

[Red Admiral]

people like cool people with basic humanity like being loyal , brave and ...
people like swordsman cause that's just cool
people like people who seek power in a good way ... cause all men seek power one way or another
people like good looking people

I like them iconic , deep , twisted or some other things ... but I get why many people like Zoro ... there are 100s of Zoro type people in fiction ... and majority of them are liked by fandoms as well

p.s

if Zoro was adult , with a really interesting story arc ... and some dark past
I could see myself caring about or liking him
people think I'm hating ...
but Zoro is a very used type of character in fiction .... I saw far too many like him in all stories I read ... so without a good story arc it's hard to care for him ... cause I know he would be fine ... so ... why bother myself?
so ... I guess Oda could make him the way I can like him ... but I need more ...

but again I only like 4 or 5 people in one piece ... so ...

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

that it's undeserved of course, but at times it might seem so because of the fast forward and his ridiculous strength.

Isnt it more that everyone else is just weak?

 

[Finalbeta]

Isnt it more that everyone else is just weak?

Compared to the Grandmaster, only the elite figures decently. That's why only Luffy is comparable SHs wise. : P

And that's something Oda stated in Zoro's VC not our invention .

 

[Natalija]

Isnt it more that everyone else is just weak?

Depends who we compare him with. Worst gen? Shichibukai? Rest of Straw Hats? He's high rated in most.

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

Depends who we compare him with. Worst gen? Shichibukai? Rest of Straw Hats? He's high rated in most.

But Zoro's always been relatively strong. He's the only one who defeated the arc villain of his own introduction arc among the strawhats. Then he beats up ALL of Arlong's entire crew off screen while injured. These are the same crew we just saw destroy marine ships like fodder.

And entering the grandline he's lute rally matching up to an enraged luffy trying to kill him right after he destroys the entire enemy camp of Baroque works

Like him cutting down Hody Jones post time skip isn't some unprecedented thing. He's always been stronger than lots of people even in the arcs he's in even when compared to luffy. Theres even small things like Oda giving Zoro's opponent a power up in Ennies Lobby even though he was already the second strongest. Like Oda gave us a listing of the strength rankings of CP-9 and Kaku was the second strongest, THEN Oda gave Kaku a devil fruit to get even stronger and then left it ambiguous how strong Kaku was at the moment he fought Zoro because of course it's ambiguous how strong Zoro is.

This is stuff that's been around since pre time skip.

I think the only thing that's different is that Zoro didn't get Clowned on by Fujitora the same way Mihawk did him in East blue. Like Zoro should be strong enough not to get negative diffed by top tier swordsmen now or else his training didn't matter. If you want to see his training like a rayleigh flashback then that's weird coz there was no such thing pre time skip yet again Zoro was a monster even pre time skip just from the start

 

[Finalbeta]

Depends who we compare him with. Worst gen? Shichibukai? Rest of Straw Hats? He's high rated in most.

Exactly. Except in yonko hierarchy since he isn't yonko level just yet.

 

[Natalija]

I think the only thing that's different is that Zoro didn't get Clowned on by Fujitora the same way Mihawk did him in East blue. Like Zoro should be strong enough not to get negative diffed by top tier swordsmen now or else his training didn't matter. If you want to see his training like a rayleigh flashback then that's weird coz there was no such thing pre time skip yet again Zoro was a monster even pre time skip just from the start

I essentially agree with Zoro being very strong before as well. AND we have to get used to the fact that simply no one will be able to defeat the main characters anymore, that is how they will rule the world.

Just to explain possible reason for disliking of Zoro recently by some people: psychologically everyone likes heroes that fail, then get back up. Zoro didn't fail in a long time*, and that might detach him from the audience. Luffy in turn did fail many times - it's the main protagonist formula and it works, your character has to fail and suffer to be liked.

I'm not really stating this as a truth or something, just a possible analysis.

*Edit: not that I remember anyways

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

I essentially agree with Zoro being very strong before as well. AND we have to get used to the fact that simply no one will be able to defeat the main characters anymore, that is how they will rule the world.

Just to explain possible reason for disliking of Zoro recently by some people: psychologically everyone likes heroes that fail, then get back up. Zoro didn't fail in a long time*, and that might detach him from the audience. Luffy in turn did fail many times - it's the main protagonist formula and it works, your character has to fail and suffer to be liked.

I'm not really stating this as a truth or something, just a possible analysis.

*Edit: not that I remember anyways

Thing is there's this youtuber who I follow who is reading one piece for the first time ever and he comments on each arc he reads in a podcast type thing on YouTube.

He does this podcast with other youtubers who have all read one piece. Recently he did the alabasta video and he said his least favourite fight in the arc was Zoro vs Daz bones because Zoro just decided to cut steel AND THEN JUST DID IT. Of course the rest of the youtuber who know about haki later on and the thematic significance of Zoro having to learn to cut nothing to cut anything explained some of it to him and he pushed the Zoro vs daz bones one spot to his second least favourite.

Of course this is anecdotal and I'm not claiming this is universal since I for one loved that fought immediately but you can see that once again this isn't new for Zoro. Zoro does in fact win fights wit seemingly random asspulls and power jumps all the time with no exact effort on it. And this hasn't changed really.

Like I remember 6 years ago when a friend of mine had read the latest one piece chapter before i did and told me that Zoro just up and cut a mountain in half and I did not believe him. I was sure like this youtuber that that's seemingly random of a power jump with no exact build up really.

And then I read the chapter myself and realised what Oda was doing. He had Zoro make a full chapter of a plan to figure out how to deal with a tricky opponent. Then I realised this is literally the only chapter in the series that actually has a character make an actual plan of attack that the audience can follow and that actually works.

Then it was clear that Oda replaced the getting beaten up to near death of Daz bones with Pica having this tricky as hell ability. And Oda replaced Zoro learning a lesson about cutting nothing to cut anything and then pulling out a random ability with Zoro learning to use tactical analysis and leadership and then pulling out a random ability

People say Dressrosa is a clone of Alabasta and it sort of is and this is one of the points people overlook wth how Oda can make a clone of an arc and change small things that you can barely notice

I'm saying all this to once again repeat that nothing has changed really. How Zoro works and is characterised is essentially the same pre time skip to post time skip with the only real difference as there's less panel time so Oda focuses on the important parts of his character more. Really as far as I can tell, you must have just not liked a lot of pre time skip Zoro to suddenly feel some kind of betrayal post time skip. Like Zoro and Luffy are the most consistent characters in this story as far as I can tell.

 

[Natalija]

Zoro just decided to cut steel AND THEN JUST DID IT.

Hahaha made me laugh out loud

Really as far as I can tell, you must have just not liked a lot of pre time skip Zoro to suddenly feel some kind of betrayal post time skip. Like Zoro and Luffy are the most consistent characters in this story as far as I can tell.

I 100% agree, One Piece overall has the most consistent characters, and Zoro is in line with this. I only ever felt slight inconsistency with Ace but that is a discussion for another time.
Zoro is my fave SH without a doubt, and I think he was amazing before and still is now. My only point is that things seem a bit too easy for him now. You mention Pica, but... Did he REALLY break a sweat there? It was like an afternoon workout.

 

[Nidai_Kitetsu]

Because he is the best manga character ever

Artur probably voted 1000 times himself to make Luffy win this poll

 

[Finalbeta]

Even Bleach's top swordsmen pale in comparison with the Grandmaster character wise

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

Did he REALLY break a sweat there?

He didn't. But he was forced to think. Zoro thinks in other fights but this time Oda chose show not tell. A full chapter of a plan being made and executed. This has never happened in All of one piece and probably never will again.

Zoro had to use even other people's abilties to help him clear this guy up so already you can tell Oda was focusing on OTHER aspects of Zoro's fighting and character to deal with Pica instead of going back to Zoro having to be some monster tank who takes damage all the time to show his badassery. Well now Zoro is also a tactician and that's a good thing to add to Zoro's character even 700 chapters after his intro

 

[Jackteo]

He didn't. But he was forced to think. Zoro thinks in other fights but this time Oda chose show not tell. A full chapter of a plan being made and executed. This has never happened in All of one piece and probably never will again.

Zoro had to use even other people's abilties to help him clear this guy up so already you can tell Oda was focusing on OTHER aspects of Zoro's fighting and character to deal with Pica instead of going back to Zoro having to be some monster tank who takes damage all the time to show his badassery. Well now Zoro is also a tactician and that's a good thing to add to Zoro's character even 700 chapters after his intro

But at the same time it was a 1 vs 1

 

[ImmaIvanoM]

But at the same time it was a 1 vs 1

Well he ran away so by then the fight had literally stopped. It's as much a 1v1 as Luffy vs katakuri with luffy running away and kidnapping brulee to escape katakuri bodying. This time its pica running