One Piece has more than a handful of skilled swordsmen, from Roronoa Zoro to Kozuki Oden and even red-haired Shanks, but very few have come close to matching the skill, legacy, and sheer power of Ryuma, the Sword God. Ryuma’s legend began in Wano and quickly spread across the entire Grand Line as his strength grew. He was the only other swordsman aside from Dracule Mihawk to have wielded a Black Blade. And, he was renowned in his hometown as the Hero of Wano.
Who is Sword God Ryuma?
Shimotsuki Ryuma was a renowned swordsman whose unmatched skills earned him names like Legendary Samurai, Sword God Ryuma, and King, amongst others. Ryuma was born to the Shimotsuki Clan, who hailed from Wano Country, located north of the New World. At the time, Wano was famous as the Country of Gold. And, the Shimotsuki Clan was one of six Daimyo ruling particular regions of the country. Ryuma spent his early life in the icy village of Ringo, in the northernmost region of Wano. After his untimely death, he was buried alongside his beloved sword, Shusui, in a cemetery in Ringo.
He was a man of great honor, and this sense of honor and justice drove him to fight on behalf of the people of Wano, his hometown. Most notably when he killed a dragon to protect the land. He was so beloved in his town that he was dubbed the Hero of Wano. Also, his precious sword, Shusui, was crowned the National Treasure of Wano. Unsurprisingly, Ryuma’s skills remained intact even after his death and later resurrection at the hands of the pirate Gecko Moria. He retained his immense power and was a key antagonist in the Thriller Bark Arc.
The Legendary Sword Shusui
Shusui was Ryuma’s prized sword and one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. It possessed an immense power, and this power only grew the longer Ryuma wielded it. In fact, Shusui became a permanent Black Blade after enduring countless battles under Ryuma’s mastery. Now, it has such a high density and durability level that Zoro envied its power. He remarked that it wouldn’t yield even if a dinosaur stepped on it. Ryuma carried Shusui for many years before and after his death. Before he finally passed it on to Zoro because he believed it would be pleased to serve such a swordsman. Over the years, it also performed great feats in the hands of its new master, Zoro. Zoro used it to block a punch from Zombie Oars, and slice a huge ship in half. He also used it to deal a severing blow to Dragon Number Thirteen.
Sometime during the Wano Arc, Gyukimaru stole it from Zoro. Then the sword was eventually retired to its original resting place near Ryuma’s tomb in Ringo, Wano Country. To ensure that Zoro wouldn’t try to retrieve the sword, Kozuki Hiyori offered him another powerful Great Grade sword. She gave him Enma, which had belonged to her father, master swordsman Kozuki Oden. Zoro agreed, and Shusui continues to be honored as the National Treasure of Wano.
Ryuma’s Origin
Even though the core One Piece plotline reveals very little about Ryuma’s story prior to his death, his experiences as a young man and the feats he performed as an emerging swordsman are explored in more detail in a short manga series called Monsters. Monsters was written as part of a larger short story compilation made by Eiichiro Oda called Wanted. Wanted showcased stories and characters that he had created before One Piece. In fact, Ryuma is one of the first One Piece characters ever created. And his journey in Monsters is confirmed to be a part of the canonical One Piece plot.
Rise of The King
In Monsters, a young Ryuma is seen traveling across Wano Country in search of an infamous swordsman called the King. He believes King is a true warrior and wants to fight him. He stopped at a small village in search of food, and while there, he met Cyrano. Cyrano was a local hero and fellow swordsman. Ryuma also met a waitress named Flare, who graciously fed him. On his way out, Cyrano’s sword brushed up against Ryuma’s, and he took offense and challenged Cyrano to a duel. Luckily, Flare stopped him before they could injure each other. After calming down, Ryuma was approached by D.R., another swordsman. D.R. falsely accused Ryuma of assaulting him and blew a mystical horn designed to call forth a dragon.
At this, the village panicked and blamed Ryuma, only settling after Cyrano persuaded them to evacuate. However, Flame and Ryuma refused to leave and coincidently discovered that D.R. and Cyrano were thieves and that Cyrano’s legend was a lie. Ryuma confronted and killed Cyrano and decided to face the beast himself. He killed it in one swing and left the village but promised to return for a meal. Later, it is revealed that Ryuma himself is the great swordsman “King” he’s been searching for. How come? We figure that he’d been given the name by the countless people he’d saved. How ironic?
Ryuma’s Connection to Zoro
Over the years, fans have made many speculations about the true heritage of Zoro. After Ryuma’s introduction in the Thriller Bark Arc and his battle with and eventual defeat at the hands of Zoro, these speculations spun even wilder. With theories even questioning whether Ryuma was Zoro’s father. Despite the fact that Zoro bears a striking resemblance to Ryuma’s younger self, right down to both of them being one-eyed Samurais, Ryuma is not the father of the Straw Hats’ infamous swordsman, Zoro. However, the two men share a long ancestral connection. Zoro is, in fact, a descendant of Ryuma and the Shimotsuki Clan.
According to the family tree One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda released, a renowned swordsmith called Shimotsuki Kozaburo defected from Wano to East Blue. He went alongside a group that included Shimotsuki Furiko, who is a direct descendant of Ryuma and the older sister of famed swordsman and former Daimyo of Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru. After settling in East Blue, Furiko met and married a swordsman known as Ronoroa Pinzoro, with whom she had a son, Arashi. Arashi later married Terra, the daughter of a local bandit, and they gave birth to iconic Straw Hat Pirates member Ronoroa Zoro. Ryuma’s ancestral ties to Zoro came full circle when he met the swordsman in his zombie form. After Zoro defeated him, Ryuma fittingly passed on his precious sword, Shusui, to Zoro, who later let it lie as a national treasure in Wano.
Ryuma’s Death
Even though his legend lived on for years, Ryuma unfortunately didn’t live a long life. He passed away at 47 after contracting an unknown illness. He was buried in the Northern Cemetery in Ringo alongside his beloved Shusui. The icy climate of Ringo preserved his body near-perfectly, but his eternal rest was interrupted by Gecko Moria and his crew of pirates, who stole his body.
Return From Death
Years after his death, Ryuma’s corpse and weapon were stolen from his grave in Ringo by Gecko Moria, the captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates. Gecko planned to collect the corpses of legendary pirates and swordsmen, like Ryuma, and build an army of zombies to fight at his command. He reanimated Ryuma’s body by fusing it with Brook’s shadow using his Kage Kage no Mi Devil Fruit, which allows him to manipulate shadows. After the reanimation, Brook was cast aside, and Ryuma became a General Zombie in Moria’s pirate army. Undeterred, Brook returned to fight Ryuma to get his stolen shadow back. But since Ryuma had retained Brook’s fighting techniques and his own strength, he beat Brook easily. After defeating Brook, Ryuma continued to work as a General Zombie under the orders of Gecko Moria until his own defeat in the Thriller Bark Arc.
The Thriller Bark Arc
In the Thriller Bark Arc, the Straw Hats face off against Ryuma after infiltrating Gecko Moria’s base. After catching Nami, Chopper, and Usopp while they were trying to sneak into Hogback’s lab, he used his Hanauta Sancho: Yahazu Giri technique to knock them out on Hogback’s orders. He was later confronted by Brook, who once again challenged him to a fight for his shadow. Ryuma defeated Brook, but before he could deal the final blow, the island began to shake, and Franky rescued him. When Ryuma recovered and struck at them, his blows were intercepted by Zoro, who confronted Ryuma in Brook’s place.
The sheer power of Ryuma and Zoro’s attacks and counterattacks completely destroyed Hogback’s lab. But they continued their battle regardless of the damage around them. At the height of their tense battle, the pair landed on the roof. And Ryuma tried to use his Hanauta Sancho: Yahazu Giri technique against Zoro, but he countered with his Hiryu: Kaen move. This caused Ryuma’s body to burst into blue flames, and he had no choice but to concede to Zoro. He professed his defeat and passed his sword, Shusui, onto Zoro, believing that it would be pleased to serve the man who had defeated its former wielder. Before Ryuma’s body was destroyed, Brook’s shadow returned to him, and the legendary swordsman was laid to rest once again.
God of the Blade
Ryuma did not possess a Devil Fruit, but he had immense skill as a swordsman. He was so skilled that his feats as a Samurai fueled his legend for centuries after his death, and he was bestowed the name Sword God, or God of the Blade. When he was alive, Ryuma was a Strong Blade-type Samurai who could cut through copper, behead a monstrous dragon, and fight off countless enemies on behalf of Wano. Additionally, he also had impressive physical abilities. He could jump from great heights and had enough stamina to run at long stretches.
After his resurrection, Ryuma’s body was imbued with Brook’s shadow, which was essentially a part of his soul, meaning that he fought with Brook’s techniques. Only these techniques were much stronger because of Ryuma’s strength and his innate swordsmanship skills. He easily beat Brook multiple times, and even Brook himself remarked that the Samurai “wasn’t taking him the least bit seriously” after watching Ryuma’s intense battle with Zoro.
