Considering he’s a master of the Three Sword Style, Zoro has gone through a lot more than three swords in One Piece’s run. The King of Hell has actually gone through seven different swords so far in the series, and may break a few more before it ends. So, which of Zoro’s swords is the best, and which ones are no longer standing?
This article contains spoilers through the Wano arc of the anime, available to watch in full on Crunchyroll. Catch up there before reading on to avoid any spoilers!
Unnamed Katanas
The two katanas Zoro starts off with along with Wado Ichimonji are no names for a reason. He gets by with them through the Syrup Village arc, standing up against Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates fairly well. Unfortunately, he decides to go up against Dracule ‘Hawkeye’ Mihawk far too soon in his career, and the swords aren’t ready to stand up to the tiny knife that Mihawk uses against Zoro.
When the young and reckless Pirate Hunter uses the Three Thousand Worlds technique as his big final move, it doesn’t go as planned. While Zoro collapses from his wounds, the two katanas shatter to bits in his hands, blades dropping in shards on the ground. Only Wado Ichimonji stays true, and it’s this one that Zoro makes his vow with.
Yubashiri
A sword is given to Zoro for free in Loguetown after the shopkeeper sees his skill with Kitetsu III. Yubashiri keeps Zoro going through a lot of the Grand Line’s first half, and probably would have made it further too. Unfortunately when the Straw Hats get to Enies Lobby Zoro meets his worst matchup with a Marine Captain named Shu. He has Rust-Rust Fruit, which with one touch causes Yubashiri to crumble into dust in Zoro’s hand.
Thankfully he’s taken out immediately after by Sniper King, but it’s too late for Yubashiri. Zoro lays the sword to rest with the Rumbar Pirates memorial on Thriller Bark, and it’s still there to this day.
Shusui
It doesn’t take long for Zoro to replace Yubashiri when it breaks, and he wins Shusui from Ryuma the Samurai. In Thriller Bark, the old Samurai’s body and weapon stolen from Wano have been reanimated by Gecko Moria, and by freeing Ryyuma’s soul from his body once more, Zoro earns Shusui. The fight is intense, and Zoro causes a ton of collateral damage around Thriller Bark that even Luffy would be jealous of. He even cuts through the tower of Thriller Bark Castle, inciting a riot from Moria in the process.
Shusui serves Zoro faithfully once he masters the weight of it. It becomes his primary weapon, replacing Wado Ichimonji for One Sword Style for the most part. Zoro uses Shusui through everything, it’s only because of Wano’s history and the promise of a trade that he gives the blade back to its home country. Even still, Zoro would probably take Shusui back in an instant if the opportunity presents itself.
Kitetsu III
The problem child of all Zoro’s swords, and one of his current ones. Though Kitetsu III is known as a cursed blade, it’s paid off using it for Zoro because of the nature in which it acts. Every sword in One Piece is said to have its own will after enough battles, and Kitetsu III’s will is utter and complete chaos, as it will often slice off more than the wielder means to during fights.
The way that Zoro earns Kitetsu is the real star of the history of the sword. When he finds it in the shop in Loguetown and learns the cursed belief around the sword, he takes it with no hesitation. Even when the shopkeeper refuses it sell it to him, Zoro decides to let the sword decide. He sticks his arm out and throws the blade into the air, testing to see if it favors him or chops his arm off. It pays off too, and Zoro earns Kitetsu III and Yubirashi for free from the shop owner.
Enma
The most recent addition to Zoro’s arsenal and probably the strongest of all of them. Enma is a dangerous blade for everyone, whether they’re the one on the receiving end or the wielder in battle. The blade doesn’t hesitate to make its own will known whenever a user picks it up, and it knows that a Supreme Grade Sword has a big reputation to live up to. Zoro takes a while to master Enma, and even now in the manga is still having some struggles with the temperamental sword.
Seriously, Enma drains the user’s Conqueror Haki while held. Oden was the first to find this out, and found a way to tame it with a steady, small flow of Haki. When Zoro gets it the blade tries to drain him immediately, shrinking his arm as it does until he gets it back under control. During the Raid on Onigashima, he makes strides toward bending the sword to his will though, and is mastering it with his King of Hell style.
Wado Ichimonji
Zoro’s oldest sword is also potentially his strongest. Wado Ichimonji is the former sword of Kuina, which he carries in her memory as he fights toward the title they were racing for. It became his longstanding primary weapon in the early Grand Line and is still the third sword he holds in his mouth in every battle. Wado Ichimonji has a special secret that Zoro only just learns in Wano though, and it changes the view of the sword for everyone.
Enma and Wado Ichimonji are products of the same swordsmith, the old man in Zoro’s village long ago. It may not be at Enma’s level just yet, but Wado Ichimonji saw significantly more peace through its existence than its brother. The ‘Ogre-Killer’ as the blade’s name means, will likely reforge itself into a Supreme-Grade sword before the end of the series.
All of Zoro’s swords are important, but some just stand up better to enemies than others. With his most recent addition of Enma, Zoro only grows stronger, and likely will if he acquires any other swords through the series. Perhaps he’ll get the original Kitetsu, famed as one of the Supreme Grade swords alongside Gold Roger’s. Time will tell as One Piece enters the final saga, and Zoro will keep swords slicing wherever he can!
