One Piece Fans Furious Over Zoro’s Real Inspiration

This article contains spoilers for One Piece.

Summary

Zoro is One Piece’s beloved character since he was the first to join Luffy on his adventure.
Zoro’s inspiration includes his mentor Nobuhiro Watsuki, leading to controversy among fans.
Fans are upset with Oda for being closely associated with Watsuki after his criminal activities.

Lately, the creator of One Piece, Oda, is facing criticism, particularly concerning the character of Zoro from the series, which many One Piece enthusiasts are following. This controversy revolves around the real-life individual whom Oda modeled some of Zoro’s defining characteristics on, and fans are expressing their displeasure due to this person’s controversial background. Zoro, like Luffy, is one of the most iconic and unforgettable characters in One Piece, but recent debates have brought attention to the questionable figure Oda has based several of Zoro’s notable traits on.

Zoro is One of One Piece’s Most Beloved Characters

The First Person To Join Luffy on His Adventure

Roronoa Zoro was the initial companion who joined forces with Luffy, eventually earning a place among the Straw Hats. Since the debut of “One Piece,” Zoro has been a beloved character that fans have closely followed throughout the series.

It’s no wonder that Zoro consistently ranks among the most beloved characters, given his consistent presence in the top three in popularity surveys. His enduring appeal only grows stronger as new story arcs unfold, thanks to the skillful writing that brings him to life.

Zoro has significantly developed during the story, not just physically but also in terms of his personality. As the Final Saga kicks off, we can expect his journey to become even more challenging, and it’s particularly significant now that he is closer than ever to achieving his dream of being recognized as the World’s Best Swordsman.

Zoro is Inspired by a Very Controversial Person

Oda Took a lot of Inspiration For Zoro From His Mentor Nobuhiro Watsuki

In the popular anime series “One Piece,” Roronoa Zoro is a well-known and easily identifiable character. It’s interesting to note that Oda, the creator of the series, drew inspiration from several real-life individuals when designing Zoro.

Clearly, Zoro’s most significant inspiration was the French pirate François l’Olonnais, whose name Zoro adapted by changing it to Roronoa after taking it as his own surname.

It’s worth noting that there’s another character who serves as a model for Zoro, and this topic stirs up some debate. Many of Zoro’s characteristics seem to be inspired by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of the manga Rurouni Kenshin, who happened to mentor Oda.

The distinctive bandana worn by the character Zoro in the One Piece series was inspired by the creator of the manga, Nobuhiro Watsuki, who often dons a similar headgear while immersed in his manga work. Interestingly, both Watsuki and Zoro share a near-identical height of about 182cm. This detail has been noticed by many fans. Moreover, Watsuki is known to exude a “demonic aura” when he’s fully engrossed in his work, much like the focused demeanor of character Zoro.

Undeniably, this situation has sparked much debate, and it has been further fueled by the recent homage paid by multiple Jump authors, among them Eiichiro Oda, to Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga, Rurouni Kenshin.

Nobuhiro Watsuki stands accused of a heinous crime – unlawfully possessing explicit content involving minors.

It seems that many fans of “One Piece” are displeased with Oda’s close bond with Watsuki, despite his past actions coming to light. Just now, Oda has created an intricate drawing of Watsuki’s main character, Kenshin. Moreover, in the latest SBS, Oda acknowledged a character as being directly inspired by Watsuki.

It’s quite understandable why numerous “One Piece” enthusiasts find it frustrating that Zoro seems to be modeled after such a character.

Where To Read One Piece?

Available on Manga Plus

This coming week brings us One Piece Chapter 1153! As always, we can expect it to be released on Sunday. In Japan, it will debut at 12AM JST on Monday, but for most international readers, they’ll get to read it on June 29. That’s the official release date for One Piece Chapter 1153, set for June 29, 2025. Excitingly, fans can enjoy this chapter for free on Manga Plus!

2025-07-05 22:44