Zoro and Sanji are two of the most important characters One piece who serve as integral parts of Monkey D. Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates. Together, Zoro and Sanji form the Wings of the Pirate King and are among the most trusted members of Luffy's crew. While universally beloved for their immense strength, Zoro and Sanji are also particularly beloved for their friendly rivalry.
Ever since Arlong Park appeared One piece Chapter 75, published 27 years ago on February 15, 1999, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #12, Zoro and Sanji were at odds with each other and often found themselves competing with each other. For decades, fans have debated among themselves who is the stronger of the two. One Piece's Elbaf arc officially settled this debate once and for all by comparing Luffy's wings to each other while giving them the ultimate power of Supreme King Haki.
One Piece Chapter 1187 officially confirms that Zoro and Sanji are relative in power
One piece Chapter 1187 was officially released on July 5, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32. This chapter was significant for Sanji's character, as it was where Eiichiro Oda officially confirmed his status as king. For the longest time, One Piece fans were unsure who would awaken the Conqueror's Haki as part of the Straw Hat Pirates. While Luffy used this power even before the time skip, others were not confirmed to wield it until Wano. In the Wano Country arc, specifically in One Piece Chapter 1010, Eiichiro Oda confirmed Zoro's latent Conqueror's Haki.
“Boy, don't tell me, can you also use the color of the Supreme King? — Kaido notices Zoro's Haki Conqueror potential, One Piece Chapter #1010
He then fully manifested this power One piece Chapter 1033, November 29, 2021, and around this point in the story, most fans were of the firm belief that Zoro would always be one step above Sanji. This is because Zoro has been confirmed to be the Conqueror and is known to wield an ability that makes him the absolute strongest, according to Kaido's own words in chapter 1010. Meanwhile, Sanji did not have the disposition of a king and went a completely different route with scientific enhancements through lineage factor manipulation.
Luffy: You can imbue your attacks with the color of the Supreme King, right?
Kaido: Only a handful of the strongest can. Not a dead man walking!
— Kaido confirms that only the strongest can use the Conqueror's Haki infusion, One Piece Chapter #1010
This all changed completely in the Elbaf Arc with the introduction of Scopper Gaban One piece Chapter 1139 on February 10, 2025 Rayleigh and Gaban's equality, and most importantly, with Sanji gaining the power of the Supreme King for himself, Eiichiro Oda made Zoro and Sanji equal in power. In One Piece Chapter 1152, officially released on June 23, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30, Eiichiro Oda heavily teased Sanji's conqueror Haki for the first time, but this reveal was fully revealed in One Piece Chapter 1187 on July 5, 26.
Sanji: Hi, Grandma! Can I also use the High King color?
Gaban: You should have the potential for it. However, in your case, for some reason I sense a very strong sense of self-deprecation. You also have to be the king if you really want Luffy to become the pirate king.
— Scopper Gaban Confirms Sanji's Supreme King Haki, One Piece Chapter #1187
In this chapter, Eiichiro Oda officially confirmed that Sanji, like Zoro, had the qualities of a king. In his case, his natural tendencies to sacrifice and humiliate himself are often overridden by his Conqueror's Haki. While Zoro radiated Conqueror's Haki from lack of control, Sanji suppressed Conqueror's Haki from too much control, once again displaying the perfect balance between the two wings. With Sanji now Awakening to Conqueror's Haki, Zoro and Sanji will always be relative in terms of strength and neck and neck in terms of fighting power.
Why being Luffy's wings means Zoro and Sanji must be equals
Zoro and Sanji have always been relative in terms of strength, but fans have often mistakenly perceived Zoro's strength to be greater. Eiichiro Oda addressed this debate on several occasions, most notably in SBS Volume 73, where he stated that Zoro and Sanji were Luffy's two most trusted wings. This was repeated once more in One piece chapter 1020 where Nico Robin declared Zoro and Sanji to be Luffy's wings and later Marco declared them to be the “Stars that set the scene” or “Hanagata” in Onigashima.
“I have a hard time imagining Zoro calling him 'Sanji' by name. Not even once, huh? Wow. Well, they may not get along well, but they're both valuable as Luffy's most trusted Wings who have Luffy's back. So let's forgive them their bickering (laughs).” — Eiichiro Oda identifies Zoro and Sanji in the crew, One Piece Volume 73 SBS
In order for Zoro and Sanji to be Luffy's wings, they must be equal. One wing cannot be bigger than the other if Luffy is to rise to the level of Pirate King. Since Eiichiro Oda gave Zoro Conqueror's Haki as his biggest power-up to date and now gives the same power to Sanji, the two will always be extremely close in terms of power. Some may believe that Zoro is better, while others may hold the same opinion about Sanji, but the important thing is that Zoro and Sanji are and will always be on the same level. This was reiterated again with the One Piece Mini Magazine special feature Eiichiro Oda: Legends and Next, officially released on December 22, 2025. In it, Sanji was officially stated to have a fighting prowess equal to Roronoa Zoro. Since the Wings dynamic is especially important in the final saga, fans need to accept once and for all that Zoro and Sanji will always be equals and have the same ambitions.
“A first-class chef who takes care of the crew's stomach, and at the same time, he is also a fighter who fights with amazing footwork. Even though his reward is lower than Zora's reward, THEIR strength is balanced and deserves to be called Wings.” — Eiichiro Oda, One Piece Mini Magazine
Scopper Gaban and Silvers Rayleigh's power serves as further proof of Zoro and Sanji's equality
While Zoro and Sanji's personal dynamic establishes them as equals, Eiichiro Oda took it a step further by introducing Scopper Gaban in Elbaf. In this particular arc, specifically in One piece In chapter 1139 it was officially confirmed that Scopper Gaban was neck and neck as Gol D. Roger and Silvers Rayleigh. He was officially confirmed to be Rayleigh's direct rival in the chapter, and later in the series in One Piece Chapter 1152, Gaban himself stated that he believed he was stronger than Rayleigh.
“He is a living legend who stood side by side with Roger and Rayleigh. A man named Scopper Gaban!” — Oimo and Kashi confirm Gaban's power level, One Piece Chapter #1139
Whether he was stronger than Rayleigh or not is irrelevant. The fact is that Gaban and Rayleigh were so close that one would think one of them would be stronger. This is Eiichiro Oda's way of explaining the fact that Zoro and Sanji will always be neck and neck. While some will see Zoro as the stronger of the two, others will think that Sanji is better. What really matters is that Zoro and Sanji are relative and will always maintain that position. No matter how strong one gets, the other will always match them. For the first time in 27 years, this debate has been officially settled.
The latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
