One piece officially makes Roronoa Zoro the new god

The Swordsman of the Straw Pirates, Roronoa Zoro, is one of the most important characters One piece. As the first member of Luffy's crew, Zoro is hugely important to the overarching storyline as he aims to become the strongest swordsman in the world and help his captain fulfill his ambitions to also become the Pirate King.

WITH One piece deep into the Final Saga, Eiichiro Oda plays more with the concept of gods. Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, is the official Niko Sun God of the world, which was officially confirmed in Chapter 1044, published on March 28, 2022 in Weekly Shonen Jump #17. Similarly, the Elbaf arc introduced us to the war god Elbaf – Nidhoggr, as well as the devil god Nero Ima and the rain god Zaza. In the Final Saga, Oda had already lined up a similar God figure for Roronoa Zoro by making him the successor of the former sword god of the One Piece world, Shimotsuki Ryuma.

Why Roronoa Zoro will be the new sword god after Shimotsuki Ryuma

Shimotsuki Ryuma was first introduced to us in the Thriller Bark of arc One piece in Chapter 448, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #14 on March 12, 2008. At first, Ryuma only appeared as a zombie samurai that Moria stole from Wano Country. However, it was clear that this zombie must have been tremendously tough on his best days. The fact that Ryuma wielded the Shusui Black Blade and was able to keep up with Zoro despite having the shadow of a weaker individual like Brook in him meant that he was a monster on his best days.

The lore regarding Ryuma was further expanded in One Piece's Wano Country Arc in Chapter 937, titled “Gyukimaru The Bandit”, published on March 25, 2019 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17. Eiichiro Oda officially designated Shimotsuki Ryuma as the blade god, or sword god. Ryuma's skill was described as impeccable, and his strength was such that he single-handedly kept all foreign invaders out of the land of Wano. As the only defender, Ryuma is held in a similar light to Joy Boy in terms of his legendary power in Wano. What's more, Ryuma's act of slaying a dragon, which was first officially mentioned in One Piece Chapter 937, was said to be just one of his many incredible feats.

“He is said to have decapitated a giant dragon over the Flower City. But that is only one of his many accomplishments.” — Gyukimaru, One Piece Chapter #937

It is clear that Ryuma was a legendary samurai and One piece Chapter 1023 highlighted this fact again on August 30, 2021 through the characters of Kawamatsu and Hyougoro, with Ryuma being a legendary samurai that few could match. An interesting connection with Roronoa Zoro comes through their bloodline.

“Ushimaru was a fantastic swordsman and a direct descendant of the sword god, Shimotsuki Ryuma. And this man was the one who finally returned Shusui to Wano. It must be fate because Ryuma was also a one-eyed samurai.” — Kawamatsu, One Piece Chapter #1023

Zoro's blood connection with Ryuma prepared him for maximum performance

Image by Toei Animation

IN One piece chapter 1023, Eiichiro Oda officially confirmed the blood connection between Ryuma and Zoro through their family tree. Ryuma was of the Shimotsuki lineage, and the former Daimyo of Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, was his descendant. It is strange that Zoro is directly connected to Ushimaru. She is Ushimaro's sister who moved to East Blue and married Zoro's grandfather Rorono Pinzoro there. Pinzoro then gave birth to Zoro's father Rorono Arashi and eventually Arashi married Tera and together they had Zoro. Zoro is directly related to Ushimaru, who is a direct descendant of Ryūma, meaning that Zoro carries the blood of Shimotsuki Ryūma, as confirmed in the family tree in One Piece Volume 105 SBS on March 3, 2023. It is this fact that makes Zoro look exactly like Ryūma, which was also confirmed in a similar style to One Pie in the chapter. 1023 on 30 August 2021.

Since Zoro fights just like Ryuma and has similar potential, this is a direct setup for Eiichiro Oda to become the next generation's new Sword God. Just as Luffy stands as the sun god of the world and Loki as the warrior god, Zoro will become the new sword god of the One Piece world. To achieve this, he must first defeat Dracula Mihawk and become the strongest swordsman alive.

Why Roronoa Zoro Will Be The Strongest Sword God In History

In the final saga of One pieceRoronoa Zoro will definitely become the strongest swordsman in the world and defeat Dracula Mihawk. By becoming the strongest, Zoro also becomes a new generation sword god and follows in the footsteps of Shimotsuki Ryuma. WITH One piece expanding on the lore regarding the Void Century in Elbaf, such as in Chapter 1181 April 27, 2026, WSJ Issue #22-23, it would not be a surprise to see Roronoa Zoro's predecessor, Shimotsuki Ryuma, attached to this timeline.

“He may be a foreign boy, but he reminds me of the former Daimyo of Ringo when he was young. He and Shimotsuki Ushimaru are like two peas in a pod. Except for the sword handling!” — Hyougoro explains Zoro's Ryuma connection, One Piece Chapter #1023

In that sense, Zoro will have a huge role to fulfill. Since Ryuma as Joy Boy's potential ally would be on the losing side, Zoro would have to fix it and ensure that this time Luffy, who is the new Joy Boy, wins the war against Nero Ima and the World Government. Roronoa Zoro will thus further strengthen his hold on the title of Sword God, and that is something we absolutely cannot wait for. Zoro will also have to overcome Shimotsuki Ryuma by the end of One Piece. It should be remembered that Ryuma had a black blade named Shusui; however, in Zoro's case, we know he wields three powerful blades. At the end of One Piece, all three of Zoro's blades must be blackened, and this was officially set up in One Piece Chapter 955 titled “Enma”, which was officially released on September 14, 2019 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #42.

“Enma has yet to become a black blade. However, in your hands I am sure he will reach that level.” — Tenguyama Hitetsu to Zoro in One Piece Chapter #955

With Zoro, who has three black blades, the end will come One piecewho is a master of both advanced weaponry and Supreme King Haki, as well as having the best sword skills in the entire series, will surely surpass even Shimotsuki Ryuma and become the strongest sword god in the history of the entire series.

All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga series are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.