yourotherleft | Character flaws meme

1. What is one thing others might find intolerable about them?

Getting lost all the time. Everyone is so frustrated with Zoro's inability to direction, to the point of needing to send him with a babysitter on missions so he doesn't wind up lost, because that means delays, him not being where he needs to be, mistakes, etc. He is still lucky enough that his poor sense of direction hasn't cost him or the crew crucial money or blood, but it's purely luck and not planning, skill, or anything else.

2. Do they have any annoying quirks? If so, what are they?

Aforementioned lack of direction, mainly.

3. Name one or more of their bad habits.

Napping during the day when he is probably needed for something else, like keeping the ship from sinking or protecting it from intruders.

4. Any addictions? (Food, sex, drugs/alcohol, shopping, power/control, etc.)

Booze. Yet, it doesn't really serve as a detriment to his daily activity. You just have to wonder what his liver is made out of.

5. What is one thing they do that can negatively affect their relationship with friends?

He is extremely blunt and holds his own views on the world, piracy, and other philosophies. So, where some of the crew might advocate mercy, sympathy, kindness, etc in certain dealings, Zoro views them through the lens of the first mate, and will not only disagree with them but bluntly steamroll over their opinions. He views himself as the last line of defense to protect the captain and the captain's authority, which is hard to take when he whips it out, because the crew does behave more like a group of pals than a ship's crew most days. His authoritative stance and refusal to back down is jarring when their pal Zoro suddenly acts like the first mate.

Yanno, on top of his general inability to express himself, his need to nap at inconvenient times, his bloodthirst and interest in dangerous situations, his general rudeness, etc.

6. Their romantic relationships?

HAHAHAHAHA. High Seas antics with Sanji aside, Zoro does not know how to romance. He has this preconceived notion that it's what people like Sanji do, hearts and flowers and marriage and kids - all things he doesn't want. So even feeling the tiniest bit of actual feelings for someone throws him off completely. He doesn't know how to express it, because the things he assumes are romantic are things he can't stomach or bring himself to do. Yet, he still has the feelings and they need to come out somehow. He's far more likely to open his big mouth and make some kind of flippant joke - or actively troll Sanji - just because the antagonism and flippancy is more comfortable. He chooses bad ways to show that he loves, rather like a schoolboy pulling pigtails.

7. What is the biggest mistake they’ve ever made?

While they've all been major stepping stones in his growth and maturity, and really were for the best in terms of how his story plays out, Zoro's made some bad decisions. Demanding that Kuina fight him with blades instead of shinai meant that she was exposed to the situation that led to her accidental death. Deciding to fight Mihawk before he was really ready was good for him mentally/emotionally but terrible for him in terms of his physical strength and health. Making the deal with Kuma very nearly cost him his life and weakened him so much that he was unable to protect the crew on Sabaody. That last one, while important in a lot of other ways, might be his biggest bad decision.

8. What mistake(s) do they continue to make/have not learned from?

I honestly can't think of one. His habits haven't changed, because they have yet to actually kill him so he doesn't really see them as bad habits or mistakes...and they aren't, because they don't handicap him or bite him in the ass.

9. Name some of their major physical shortcomings.

Wow he uh. Doesn't have any. The only thing that qualifies is being blind in the left eye. Maybe his bad sleep habits.

10. Some of their emotional shortcomings?

This man is so conflicted about how to express himself. He doesn't seem to have the best grasp on when to wear his heart on his sleeve and when to hide it away in a dark corner. He has emotions, and sometimes he feels very deeply, but he doesn't know how to express it, so he balls it all up and shoves it down. And, as a result, most people think he's stoic and emotionless. Far from it, Zoro is just bad about showing it at the right times to the right people. He would rather argue and fight than admit friendship (or more) to Sanji, even though he's probably closer to the cook emotionally than anyone else on the ship.

11. What are their intellectual shortcomings?

Zoro doesn't seem the type to be interested in book-learning, so while he isn't dumb, he also isn't extra-educated. There's a lot he doesn't know about, and isn't interested in learning about. He isn't erudite, and probably couldn't have a lengthy discussion about theological philosophy, art, or science. He's not stupid, he knows the basics and can't be fooled, but he doesn't know much specialized information, like astronomy, meteorology, animal husbandry...

12. At least one thing that they tend to overreact to.

Sanji. It doesn't matter how weak or pointless the insult, he will still rise to the bait every damn time.

13. In what ways might they be overly negative and/or pessimistic?

When battles start to go sour, he tends to get pessimistic about their chances of coming out unscathed, much more willing to make bigger, dumber sacrifices and lose more blood. He can also be critical of his cowardly crewmates.

14. Is there anything they are too optimistic about?

His faith in Luffy becoming the Pirate King is so ridiculously unfounded on reality. Not that we don't all know that yes, Luffy will be King and all of them will fulfill their dreams somehow, but Zoro's belief borders on the religious. He is completely unshakeable, and has no real basis in fact to go on - he doesn't believe it because of Luffy's strength level, but just because of who Luffy is.

15. How might they be ignorant or prejudiced?

He's ignorant in the sense of being uneducated - he didn't even really know what a samurai was until they heard the distress call before landing on Punk Hazard, despite apparently behaving rather like one sometimes. He also seems to be sincerely surprised by every weird thing that happens in their journey - which means that all the weirdness of their world is still actually weird, he's not jaded by it. But sometimes you just want to go "Zoro, think about what you've seen in the past three or so years. How is this that much weirder?"

Interestingly, and thankfully, he isn't prejudiced. Not even against women, no matter what Tashigi thinks.

16. Do they have any behaviors and/or beliefs that cannot be adequately justified?

Aforementioned faith in Luffy? Though from outside the story we would say it's totally justified, it isn't within context of his life and experiences. He also has that faith in blind luck that makes no sense for a guy who sniffs at the mere notion of god.

17. When would they be too judgmental of someone or something?

He doesn't have a high opinion of cowards, tyrants, and government.

18. Are they ever a pushover about something? If so, how?

He probably lets Luffy get away with more bullshit than he should.

19. Is there anything they refuse to budge on? What are they stubborn about?

Nearly everything. His beliefs, his idealism about piracy, his need to become the strongest swordsman, trusting his crew, the fact that he most certainly does not get lost ever no way it's totally your fault...

20. What is a self-inflicted misery of theirs? (i.e. something they perpetuate themselves)

He doesn't do this to himself. Life's too short.