Roronoa "do you even own a shirt" Zoro (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yourotherleft) wrote2025-10-12 11:48 pm
yourotherleft) wrote2025-10-12 11:48 pm
etraya app
⏵ player information
name and pronouns: Gemini, he/they
age: well over 40
contact: PM character journal (yourotherleft)
⏵ character information
name: Roronoa Zoro
canon: One Piece
age: 21
canon point: manga chapter 1125-6ish, while he is on a Giant Pirates ship partying with Giants
history: One Piece is way too long wiki link
Bullet point summary:
- born on a small island in East Blue, the son of pirates who settled there, then orphaned
- raised himself under the eye of the dojo master where he learned swordsmanship
- tragic death of childhood friend to whom he made a promise to become the world's strongest swordsman
- left the island at 17, did some bounty hunting to survive
- met Luffy at 19 while on the cusp of being executed by a corrupt Marine for stupid reasons, pledged to become his right hand in exchange for saving his life
- first real taste of defeat at Mihawk's hands (gains his massive chest scar), vows to never be defeated again
- every arc of the manga brings him a new crew member, stronger opponents, and occasional shenanigans
- Straw Hats are split up just before reaching the New World, Zoro lands on the island where rival Mihawk lives
- 2 year timeskip, during which he trains hardcore daily under Mihawk's tutelage and loses an eye (??)
- Straw Hats reunite and head to the New World stronger, Zoro looks overpowered even against big bosses
- finally meets his match on Wano and awakens the rare Conqueror's Haki, doesn't die
- escapes Egghead with the crew being rescued by the Giant Pirates, after encountering god-tier foes for the first time
abilities: Zoro is first and foremost a powerful and skilled swordsman, using a technique he invented himself called santoryuu (three swords). He can fight with just one or two, and can certainly punch and kick unarmed if needed, but his swordsmanship is top notch and deadly. Secondly, he has awakened a skill called haki, which is an innate ability to people from his world, neither magical nor supernatural. It allows him to sense movement and other types of presence, coat himself and his swords in a sort of armor-skin, and as of his canon-point, exude an aura that can knock out the weak (he lacks control or even knowledge of it, though). Full writeup here. Haki is the only thing that might be considered a "power," the only other thing Zoro is even good at is swordsmanship. His strength is entirely natural, no Devil Fruit powers here, and with that strength comes an unusual level of stamina. He's a decent swimmer, and seems now to be able to even move and fight underwater. He tends to shrug off serious wounds and heals pretty quickly, with a high pain tolerance and endurance.
personality: Generally, Zoro is strong-willed, tough, and serious, with an easygoing side few people can unlock. To strangers he comes off emotionally distant, hard to read, the ol' "kind but not nice" vibe, usually difficult to ruffle. His true range comes out around his crew, friends, people he trusts: smiles and laughs, likes a party, capable of being irritated to the point of rage. He has a soft side, something even Sanji noticed. He cares for his crewmates though he rarely shows anything resembling affection, and his respect for Luffy is tempered with brotherly exasperation. He isn't an asshole but he can be darkly witty and likes to troll the unwary. He's not stupid, but rather stubborn and willful which often leads to him making dumb choices for his own reasons. His needs are very simple - booze, food, and fighting. His driving force is his stake in vows and promises - to Kuina, to Luffy, and to himself - and his personal code includes protecting his crew even when he knows they can take care of themselves.
Loyal, courageous, proud, and disciplined, Zoro is what his crew needs out of a captain's second. He was often mistaken, earlier in the series, for the Straw Hats' captain, but now that Luffy is clearly overpowered, their foes remark instead that if Zoro is so amazingly scary, how much worse is the captain? He doesn't have many ship-related duties, he's mainly there to fight and to serve as Luffy's right hand. As such, he is the one with the deepest trust in Luffy, the deepest crew loyalty, and the strongest belief in the ways and codes of pirates. Whenever there is any argument or question about Luffy's decisions, the crew's needs, or the behavior of crewmates, Zoro is the one who speaks up with advice or criticism. He doesn't cut his crewmates slack for being human or coddle them, and he expects the same out of them that he expects of himself.
Because of his terrible sense of direction, Zoro gives off the vibe of not being very smart. His lack of wordiness shouldn't be taken as a lack of brains, though. He is perceptive, and can often see things in situations that the others don't, especially when they're blinded by emotion. Sometimes he doesn't think things through fully, and often reacts on instinct rather than strategy, but on occasion, he will be the one to say something intelligent or offer a brilliant tactic. It doesn't happen often, enough that his crewmates remark on it when he's the one with the plan. Zoro was the most pragmatic about all the possibilities behind Robin's betrayal on Water 7, and the one willing to accept cutting ties with her if she truly did stab them in the back. We've even seen his mental process in action, prior to cutting down Pica: he thought through all of his options and eliminated the impossible ones before deciding his only choice was to "fly" and attack Pica directly. If he behaves stupidly, it's because he's stubborn and has his own reasons for doing things his way. Either he doesn't want to admit someone else (Sanji) is right, or he just doesn't see things the same way as them, or he has a hidden reason for wanting to do it his way. Sometimes he relies a little too much on his swordsmanship, not being willing to admit that using it might not be the best plan. He also tends to jump straight to worst-case scenarios and seek the most drastic solution to a problem, like cutting off his feet (yet another scar). His legendary ability to get lost in a straight corridor makes him look stupid, and that facet of him is always played for comedy, but that has nothing to do with his intelligence.
Zoro isn't all stoic and stern, though. He does lose his temper, usually over irritations like his crewmates' antics, and will snap and yell savagely. The few times he has felt true fear, it definitely showed in his eyes and his voice. He respects those who earn his respect, and behaves accordingly. He's even jovial and fun at times, he certainly knows how to laugh, let loose, and party. He is a heavy drinker, and prefers his booze the way Luffy loves meat. He's also a massive troll with a sharp sense of humor who taunts his enemies and snarks at his friends. He tends not to let people know directly that he cares, he handles it obliquely. He can be selfless and comes to the aid of those who don't ask for it. He is highly protective of his crewmates, and even gentle...mostly. He just might even worry about Sanji a little, shhh don't tell. Zoro's relationships with the crew show the depth of his actual complexity. He trusts Luffy almost to a godly level, he has absolute faith that his captain will be the Pirate King someday and that means he has to do everything in his power to get Luffy there. Zoro cares about him to the point of being willing to give up his life - and his dream - to protect Luffy. Still, they squabble like idiot bffs sometimes, and at other times instigate each other into doing stupid things. He is seen as Sanji's rival, but deep down, they're actually fairly close friends - more than he would ever admit. The cook's antics drive him nuts, they quarrel and snarl and come to blows, but it never gets truly serious - they fight sincerely, but not to kill. When push comes to shove, they make an amazing team, and often fight alongside one another unconsciously. Sanji is the closest to Zoro in age and strength, and though Zoro refuses to let Sanji get the better of him in anything, behind his back he will admit that he's a good cook or that his plans are smart. His relationships with the rest of the crew show additional facets of his personality, from big brother to protector to annoying guy who complicates everything. He enjoys the company of other fighters/swordsmen - he even trusts Trafalgar Law, since he's Luffy's ally, and the two of them have similar personalities so they get along extremely well. Mostly, they're eyeroll-buddies when the others are being idiots.
Zoro has a particular set of beliefs that inform how he treats both fighting and daily life. He isn't a samurai (prior to landing on Punk Hazard he'd only heard rumors of what they were) but because of his training formally in swordsmanship, he has a sense of discipline rarely seen in pirates. His main belief is "a scar on the back is a swordsman's shame," something Mihawk himself found impressive and agreed with. He respects the sword and trusts his three blades with his life, as an extension of his will. He understands and agrees with pirate codes of honor, e.g. that a captain who shows weakness by their dealings with their own or other crews is not a captain worth following. Conversely, he doesn't believe in gods - he boldly states so. He doesn't mock others for their beliefs or religions, but he does not believe in anything like that. If he does have a belief, it's in luck, or fate. When he says "leave it to luck," he genuinely believes it will pay off. He states openly that he doesn't believe in fighting for revenge, he thinks such a thing makes someone weak, and yet if his crewmates are injured or insulted he will fight on their behalf. He knows when not to fight because it would be pointless and wasteful. He accepts that sometimes other people have to be left to fight their own battles. He expects a fair fight but will totally fight dirty without even thinking. He claims that the Straw Hats don't fight for causes, and he really hates being called a hero (because heroes are generous and share their booze, and he just wants to drink all of it). Yet, more often than not, they find themselves fighting in such a way that the outcome will in essence save the weak and the innocent, turn the tides of wars and protect those who need protecting.
Zoro's dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman, and in order to do so he has to go through every other powerful foe that might want to challenge him for that title. This pushes him to take risks and essentially throw his life away. He claimed that upon deciding to embark on his journey to become the world's strongest, he gave himself up for dead, and will deliberately push his limits beyond those that would kill lesser men. Zoro no longer wants this dream for himself, or entirely to fulfill his promise to Kuina - he needs it for Luffy's sake. He can only be powerful enough to protect his captain if he is the world's strongest. He has few fears, especially not when it comes to foes. His weaknesses are emotional rather than physical. He has a terrible sense of direction, like walking off in the opposite direction immediately after being told which way to go. He is stubborn and willful, and has no problem disregarding intelligent plans or common sense if he really wants to. He's not very sensitive to other people's feelings except in extremely specific circumstances - usually only his crewmates, and not always. He seems to have relatively few genuine interests, and is completely bored with things like art, culture, history, beauty, etc. If it's not swords or booze, count him out. His only hobbies are training, drinking, and fishing. He has a very high alcohol tolerance but it's still possible to get him drunk enough to pass out. He doesn't express himself well, even over things he genuinely feels passion or other emotion about. He tends to be a loner and will wander off if something doesn't interest him. His deepest fear is being too weak to protect the crew, specifically to back Luffy up, so he pushes himself to become strong enough to be legitimately considered the Pirate King's right hand man, or to cover up what physical or emotional weaknesses remain. He rigidly remains close-lipped about his past, particularly Kuina - no one in the crew knows anything about him prior to his reputation as Pirate Hunter Zoro. His scarred left eye doesn't seem to hamper him but it still bears mention that he only has one eye now and thus technically a blind spot on his left. Which, by the way, we canonly still have no idea how that happened!
samples:
One: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7844641#cmt7844641
Two: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7828257#cmt7828257
Bonus Luffy: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7947041#cmt7947041
name and pronouns: Gemini, he/they
age: well over 40
contact: PM character journal (yourotherleft)
⏵ character information
name: Roronoa Zoro
canon: One Piece
age: 21
canon point: manga chapter 1125-6ish, while he is on a Giant Pirates ship partying with Giants
history: One Piece is way too long wiki link
Bullet point summary:
- born on a small island in East Blue, the son of pirates who settled there, then orphaned
- raised himself under the eye of the dojo master where he learned swordsmanship
- tragic death of childhood friend to whom he made a promise to become the world's strongest swordsman
- left the island at 17, did some bounty hunting to survive
- met Luffy at 19 while on the cusp of being executed by a corrupt Marine for stupid reasons, pledged to become his right hand in exchange for saving his life
- first real taste of defeat at Mihawk's hands (gains his massive chest scar), vows to never be defeated again
- every arc of the manga brings him a new crew member, stronger opponents, and occasional shenanigans
- Straw Hats are split up just before reaching the New World, Zoro lands on the island where rival Mihawk lives
- 2 year timeskip, during which he trains hardcore daily under Mihawk's tutelage and loses an eye (??)
- Straw Hats reunite and head to the New World stronger, Zoro looks overpowered even against big bosses
- finally meets his match on Wano and awakens the rare Conqueror's Haki, doesn't die
- escapes Egghead with the crew being rescued by the Giant Pirates, after encountering god-tier foes for the first time
abilities: Zoro is first and foremost a powerful and skilled swordsman, using a technique he invented himself called santoryuu (three swords). He can fight with just one or two, and can certainly punch and kick unarmed if needed, but his swordsmanship is top notch and deadly. Secondly, he has awakened a skill called haki, which is an innate ability to people from his world, neither magical nor supernatural. It allows him to sense movement and other types of presence, coat himself and his swords in a sort of armor-skin, and as of his canon-point, exude an aura that can knock out the weak (he lacks control or even knowledge of it, though). Full writeup here. Haki is the only thing that might be considered a "power," the only other thing Zoro is even good at is swordsmanship. His strength is entirely natural, no Devil Fruit powers here, and with that strength comes an unusual level of stamina. He's a decent swimmer, and seems now to be able to even move and fight underwater. He tends to shrug off serious wounds and heals pretty quickly, with a high pain tolerance and endurance.
personality: Generally, Zoro is strong-willed, tough, and serious, with an easygoing side few people can unlock. To strangers he comes off emotionally distant, hard to read, the ol' "kind but not nice" vibe, usually difficult to ruffle. His true range comes out around his crew, friends, people he trusts: smiles and laughs, likes a party, capable of being irritated to the point of rage. He has a soft side, something even Sanji noticed. He cares for his crewmates though he rarely shows anything resembling affection, and his respect for Luffy is tempered with brotherly exasperation. He isn't an asshole but he can be darkly witty and likes to troll the unwary. He's not stupid, but rather stubborn and willful which often leads to him making dumb choices for his own reasons. His needs are very simple - booze, food, and fighting. His driving force is his stake in vows and promises - to Kuina, to Luffy, and to himself - and his personal code includes protecting his crew even when he knows they can take care of themselves.
Loyal, courageous, proud, and disciplined, Zoro is what his crew needs out of a captain's second. He was often mistaken, earlier in the series, for the Straw Hats' captain, but now that Luffy is clearly overpowered, their foes remark instead that if Zoro is so amazingly scary, how much worse is the captain? He doesn't have many ship-related duties, he's mainly there to fight and to serve as Luffy's right hand. As such, he is the one with the deepest trust in Luffy, the deepest crew loyalty, and the strongest belief in the ways and codes of pirates. Whenever there is any argument or question about Luffy's decisions, the crew's needs, or the behavior of crewmates, Zoro is the one who speaks up with advice or criticism. He doesn't cut his crewmates slack for being human or coddle them, and he expects the same out of them that he expects of himself.
Because of his terrible sense of direction, Zoro gives off the vibe of not being very smart. His lack of wordiness shouldn't be taken as a lack of brains, though. He is perceptive, and can often see things in situations that the others don't, especially when they're blinded by emotion. Sometimes he doesn't think things through fully, and often reacts on instinct rather than strategy, but on occasion, he will be the one to say something intelligent or offer a brilliant tactic. It doesn't happen often, enough that his crewmates remark on it when he's the one with the plan. Zoro was the most pragmatic about all the possibilities behind Robin's betrayal on Water 7, and the one willing to accept cutting ties with her if she truly did stab them in the back. We've even seen his mental process in action, prior to cutting down Pica: he thought through all of his options and eliminated the impossible ones before deciding his only choice was to "fly" and attack Pica directly. If he behaves stupidly, it's because he's stubborn and has his own reasons for doing things his way. Either he doesn't want to admit someone else (Sanji) is right, or he just doesn't see things the same way as them, or he has a hidden reason for wanting to do it his way. Sometimes he relies a little too much on his swordsmanship, not being willing to admit that using it might not be the best plan. He also tends to jump straight to worst-case scenarios and seek the most drastic solution to a problem, like cutting off his feet (yet another scar). His legendary ability to get lost in a straight corridor makes him look stupid, and that facet of him is always played for comedy, but that has nothing to do with his intelligence.
Zoro isn't all stoic and stern, though. He does lose his temper, usually over irritations like his crewmates' antics, and will snap and yell savagely. The few times he has felt true fear, it definitely showed in his eyes and his voice. He respects those who earn his respect, and behaves accordingly. He's even jovial and fun at times, he certainly knows how to laugh, let loose, and party. He is a heavy drinker, and prefers his booze the way Luffy loves meat. He's also a massive troll with a sharp sense of humor who taunts his enemies and snarks at his friends. He tends not to let people know directly that he cares, he handles it obliquely. He can be selfless and comes to the aid of those who don't ask for it. He is highly protective of his crewmates, and even gentle...mostly. He just might even worry about Sanji a little, shhh don't tell. Zoro's relationships with the crew show the depth of his actual complexity. He trusts Luffy almost to a godly level, he has absolute faith that his captain will be the Pirate King someday and that means he has to do everything in his power to get Luffy there. Zoro cares about him to the point of being willing to give up his life - and his dream - to protect Luffy. Still, they squabble like idiot bffs sometimes, and at other times instigate each other into doing stupid things. He is seen as Sanji's rival, but deep down, they're actually fairly close friends - more than he would ever admit. The cook's antics drive him nuts, they quarrel and snarl and come to blows, but it never gets truly serious - they fight sincerely, but not to kill. When push comes to shove, they make an amazing team, and often fight alongside one another unconsciously. Sanji is the closest to Zoro in age and strength, and though Zoro refuses to let Sanji get the better of him in anything, behind his back he will admit that he's a good cook or that his plans are smart. His relationships with the rest of the crew show additional facets of his personality, from big brother to protector to annoying guy who complicates everything. He enjoys the company of other fighters/swordsmen - he even trusts Trafalgar Law, since he's Luffy's ally, and the two of them have similar personalities so they get along extremely well. Mostly, they're eyeroll-buddies when the others are being idiots.
Zoro has a particular set of beliefs that inform how he treats both fighting and daily life. He isn't a samurai (prior to landing on Punk Hazard he'd only heard rumors of what they were) but because of his training formally in swordsmanship, he has a sense of discipline rarely seen in pirates. His main belief is "a scar on the back is a swordsman's shame," something Mihawk himself found impressive and agreed with. He respects the sword and trusts his three blades with his life, as an extension of his will. He understands and agrees with pirate codes of honor, e.g. that a captain who shows weakness by their dealings with their own or other crews is not a captain worth following. Conversely, he doesn't believe in gods - he boldly states so. He doesn't mock others for their beliefs or religions, but he does not believe in anything like that. If he does have a belief, it's in luck, or fate. When he says "leave it to luck," he genuinely believes it will pay off. He states openly that he doesn't believe in fighting for revenge, he thinks such a thing makes someone weak, and yet if his crewmates are injured or insulted he will fight on their behalf. He knows when not to fight because it would be pointless and wasteful. He accepts that sometimes other people have to be left to fight their own battles. He expects a fair fight but will totally fight dirty without even thinking. He claims that the Straw Hats don't fight for causes, and he really hates being called a hero (because heroes are generous and share their booze, and he just wants to drink all of it). Yet, more often than not, they find themselves fighting in such a way that the outcome will in essence save the weak and the innocent, turn the tides of wars and protect those who need protecting.
Zoro's dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman, and in order to do so he has to go through every other powerful foe that might want to challenge him for that title. This pushes him to take risks and essentially throw his life away. He claimed that upon deciding to embark on his journey to become the world's strongest, he gave himself up for dead, and will deliberately push his limits beyond those that would kill lesser men. Zoro no longer wants this dream for himself, or entirely to fulfill his promise to Kuina - he needs it for Luffy's sake. He can only be powerful enough to protect his captain if he is the world's strongest. He has few fears, especially not when it comes to foes. His weaknesses are emotional rather than physical. He has a terrible sense of direction, like walking off in the opposite direction immediately after being told which way to go. He is stubborn and willful, and has no problem disregarding intelligent plans or common sense if he really wants to. He's not very sensitive to other people's feelings except in extremely specific circumstances - usually only his crewmates, and not always. He seems to have relatively few genuine interests, and is completely bored with things like art, culture, history, beauty, etc. If it's not swords or booze, count him out. His only hobbies are training, drinking, and fishing. He has a very high alcohol tolerance but it's still possible to get him drunk enough to pass out. He doesn't express himself well, even over things he genuinely feels passion or other emotion about. He tends to be a loner and will wander off if something doesn't interest him. His deepest fear is being too weak to protect the crew, specifically to back Luffy up, so he pushes himself to become strong enough to be legitimately considered the Pirate King's right hand man, or to cover up what physical or emotional weaknesses remain. He rigidly remains close-lipped about his past, particularly Kuina - no one in the crew knows anything about him prior to his reputation as Pirate Hunter Zoro. His scarred left eye doesn't seem to hamper him but it still bears mention that he only has one eye now and thus technically a blind spot on his left. Which, by the way, we canonly still have no idea how that happened!
samples:
One: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7844641#cmt7844641
Two: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7828257#cmt7828257
Bonus Luffy: https://etrayamemes.dreamwidth.org/4641.html?thread=7947041#cmt7947041