One Piece: 8 Characters Zoro Will Surpass At The End Of The Series

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This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

Roronoa Zoro, nicknamed the Pirate Hunter, is a skilled swordsman and a key member of the Straw Hat Pirates. He was the first to join Luffy on his quest to become the Pirate King, and is dedicated to helping Luffy achieve that dream. However, Zoro also has his own ambition: to become the world’s greatest swordsman. To reach this goal, he needs to become stronger than legendary figures like Mihawk and Nusjuro before the story of *One Piece* concludes.

Shiryu of the Rain

Blackbeard’s Strongest Swordsman

Shiryu of the Rain is a top-tier fighter among the Blackbeard Pirates, comparable to someone as strong as Magellan, even without a Devil Fruit power. He’s a skilled swordsman, and if the Straw Hat Pirates ever clash with Blackbeard’s crew, Shiryu would likely be Zoro’s direct opponent. However, Zoro is expected to become much stronger than Shiryu as the story progresses.

Fujitora

A Powerful Admiral of the Marines

As the story heads towards its conclusion, Zoro will confront incredibly powerful opponents. By the time the final battle begins, he’ll have become stronger than almost all of the Marines – even Fujitora, who is their most skilled swordsman.

Fujitora became an Admiral during the two-year timeskip in *One Piece* and has quickly become popular with fans. He’s a strong, blind swordsman with the ability to manipulate gravity, and he’s expected to be a formidable opponent for Zoro.

Shimotsuki Ryuma

The God of the Blade

Okay, so Ryuma is seriously a legend in the world of *One Piece*! Honestly, his title, ‘The God of the Blade,’ is even more impressive than Mihawk’s! I really think he might be the greatest swordsman *ever* in the whole series, not just his time – he’s just that incredible.

It turns out he’s related to Zoro – specifically, he’s an ancestor on his grandmother’s side, adding another layer to their connection. Zoro’s destiny is to become even stronger than this ancestor and ultimately be known as the greatest swordsman of all time.

Silvers Rayleigh

Roger’s Right Wing

The Roger Pirates were among the most powerful and well-known pirate groups to ever navigate the Grand Line. Within the crew, Rayleigh was particularly remarkable, serving as one of Roger’s closest and most trusted allies.

Rayleigh was as essential to Roger as Zoro is to Luffy. While Zoro will likely become as strong as Rayleigh, he’s destined to exceed that level, because the Straw Hats will encounter challenges far greater than anything the Roger Pirates ever faced.

Scopper Gaban

Roger’s Left Arm

Rayleigh and Gaban are considered to be equally strong members of the Roger Pirates, with Gaban himself claiming to be second only to the captain. Therefore, if Zoro is destined to become stronger than Rayleigh, he’ll automatically surpass Gaban as well. However, Zoro still has significant training to do – he hasn’t fully mastered Conqueror’s Haki, a point Gaban noted with some disappointment.

Dracule Mihawk

The World’s Strongest Swordsman

From the Baratie arc onward, the story has been building towards a major showdown between Zoro and Mihawk. With each new challenge, Zoro gets stronger and closer to matching Mihawk’s skill. Now that Zoro is pursuing his dream of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman, fans are eagerly anticipating their fight – many consider it the most exciting battle yet to come in One Piece.

Kaido

A Former Yonko of the Sea

Kaido was a terrifying opponent in Wano, but Luffy eventually defeated him after unlocking the full potential of his Devil Fruit and manifesting as Nika with Gear 5. Zoro isn’t as powerful as a Yonko like Kaido yet, but he’s steadily improving. Although Kaido was incredibly strong, the Straw Hat Pirates will encounter even more dangerous enemies, pushing characters like Zoro and Sanji to exceed Kaido’s strength.

Nusjuro

A Powerful Five Elder

The arrival of the Five Elders (Gorosei) on Egghead Island was a huge surprise. Despite their age, they proved incredibly powerful, easily overwhelming even Yonko Luffy. Currently, the Elders are far stronger, but the Monster Trio needs to develop their Conqueror’s Haki to a higher level in order to stand a chance against them.

Zoro already possesses a foundational level of Conqueror’s Haki and is steadily improving. If the Straw Hat Pirates ever confront the Gorosei, Zoro’s most challenging fight will likely be against Nusjuro, who is the swordsman of the Gorosei.

The next chapter of One Piece, chapter 1163, will be released in two weeks on Sunday, October 26th. While it becomes available in Japan late Sunday night, most fans around the world will be able to read it on October 26th. You can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-10-13 04:35