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Oda has come under fire recently, and those who keep up with the drama surroundingOne Piecelmao that it has to do with Zoro’s character. Zoro, just like Luffy, is one of the most iconic and memorableOne Piececharacters, but recent discussions have highlighted the controversial individual Oda has based some of Zoro’s most iconic attributes on, and fans are not happy.
Zoro is One of One Piece’s Most Beloved Characters
The First Person To Join Luffy on His Adventure
Roronoa Zoro is the first character to join Luffy and become a Straw Hat. Zoro has been a character fans have been following since the very beginning ofOne Piece.
As such, it’s unsurprising to know that Zoro has always been one of the most popular characters. Zoro has never been kicked out of the top three in popularity polls, which is quite telling, and fans love him more with each passing arc due to how well he’s written.
Zoro has grown a lot throughout the story, both in terms of strength and character. And now, with the Final Saga having begun, it’s only going to get more intense for his character, especially now that he is closer than ever to his goal of becoming the World’s Greatest Swordsman.
Zoro is Inspired by a Very Controversial Person
Oda Took a lot of Inspiration For Zoro From His Mentor Nobuhiro Watsuki
Roronoa Zoro is one of the most beloved and recognizable charactersfrom theOne Pieceseries, and there are multiple figures that Oda based him on.
His most notable inspiration for Zorois, of course, the French Pirate François l’Olonnais, whom he took the last name from and turned it to Roronoa.
But there is someone else Zoro is based on, and it is quite controversial. A lot of Zoro’s attributes are things Oda has taken from the creator of the manga Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki. This man was actually Oda’s mentor.
Zoro’s iconic bandana is actually inspired by him. Nobuhiro Watsuki wears a similar bandana to Zoro, something he puts on when he wants to focus on his manga. Nobuhiro Watsuki is also almost the same height as Zoro, at 182cm with Zoro being 181, something many fans have pointed out. It is also stated that Watsuki has a “demonic aura” when he starts working seriously, similar to Zoro.
Naturally, this has caused a lot of controversy and the discussion was reignited with the recent tribute to Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga Rurouni Kenshin by various Jump authors, including Eiichiro Oda.
Nobuhiro Watsuki has committed one of the worst crimes someone can be convicted of, and that was the egregious possession of child pornography.
As such,One Piecefans are quite unhappy with Oda’s close relationship with Watsuki, even after all of his heinous activities being revealed. Just recently, Oda drew quite a detailed illustration of Watsuki’s main character, Kenshin. Oda also mentioned Watsukiin the latest SBS, saying a character is a direct reference to him.
It’s very reasonable to see why so manyOne Piecefans are upset that Zoro is inspired by someone like him.
Available on Manga Plus
One Piece Chapter 1153 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on June 29. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1152 is May 12, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
