Roronoa Zoro is the anime’s iconic swordsman, but there are plenty of One Piece characters who can rival the Straw Hat pirate with a blade.
One of One Piece’s greatest swordsmen, Roronoa Zoro is the combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates and the man widely regarded as the No. 2 of the crew. Joining Luffy in Shell’s Town, Zoro dreams of becoming the World’s Strongest Swordsman.
With time, Zoro has become one of Luffy’s most loyal followers and he uses his sword to shield his back at all times. Over the years, Zoro has faced countless powerful opponents in One Piece who can be called his rivals, while others wait to face him in anticipation as the story moves closer to its end.
Updated on January 30, 2023, by Rei Penber:Roronoa Zoro started his journey to becoming the world’s greatest swordsman from Shimotsuki Village, and over the years, he’s come a long way. While his skill with the sword is impeccable, there are others who can rival him in combat and can prove to be a good match for him. While they can’t all necessarily defeat him, they make for worthy rivals for Zoro to test his skills. This list already consists of 10 such characters but given that there are quite a lot of powerful swordsmen in One Piece, we decided to further elaborate on the list.
14. Cavendish
One of the most impressive fighters in the One Piece world, Cavendish hails from the Grand Line and is royalty turned pirate. He is the captain of the Beautiful Pirates and also a member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Cavendish wields a sword in combat and, evidently, he is extremely skilled with it.
When he awakens Hakuba, Cavendish becomes even stronger and is so fast that even the user’s eye can’t track him. While he most likely won’t be able to defeat Zoro, he can definitely give him a good fight.
13. Ashura Doji
Known to be one of Wano Country’s strongest swordsmen, Ashura Doji is one of the Scabbards of Kozuki Oden. In the past, he used to rule the unlawful area of Kuri all alone.
Over the years, he honed his strength to become a mighty warrior strong enough to take on even the All-stars of the Beasts Pirates. Ashura Doji possesses the ability to use Ryuo and can even overpower a Calamity with ease. As such, he’s a great rival for Zoro in terms of swordsmanship.
12. Kin’emon
The leader of the Akazaya Nine, Kin’emon is one of the strongest swordsmen in Wano Country. Being a capable samurai, Kin’emon is strong enough to use Ryou that can even scar Kaido, one of the Yonko of the Sea. Kin’emon, together with three other Akazaya members, injured Kaido to the point where he started bleeding from the scar that Oden gave him.
Furthermore, Kin’emon is also a skilled user of the Foxfire Style, which allows him to cut even flames. Kin’emon is extremely durable as he was able to survive being defeated by Kaido and then a Conqueror’s Haki blow to the head.
11. Inuarashi
One of the two Kings of Mokomo Dukedom, Inuarashi is an incredibly powerful swordsman whose skill was equal to that of Ashura Doji when the two fought on Mt. Atamayama. Ashura, being powerful enough to injure Jack easily, puts into perspective how strong Inuarashi is.
What’s more, Inuarashi can also use his Sulong form which definitely makes him one of the strongest people in the story. Inuarashi was able to defeat Jack even after being severely injured by Kaido.
10. Denjiro
Denjiro is another one of Wano Country’s samurai and a former retainer of Kozuki Oden. He took on the identity of Kyoshiro for 20 years and secretly honed his skill to a point where he didn’t even fear the All-stars of Kaido much.
Denjiro’s swordsmanship skills are quite refined. In fact, he could even match Zoro in combat when the two fought in the Flower Capital during Wano Country arc’s Act 2. Without a doubt, he’s powerful enough to give Zoro a good fight.
9. Vista
The Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Vista was known to be the best swordsman on Whitebeard’s crew. In the Marineford arc, fans got a display of his abilities and he proved himself to be strong enough to fight Dracule Mihawk and end the battle in a tie.
Vista is extremely powerful and one of the core members of the legendary crew. With his special swordplay along with the ability to use high-level Haki, Vista is extremely impressive.
8. Kaku
Kaku was already established as one of Zoro’s rivals during the Enies Lobby arc. The two fought an intense battle that saw Zoro being pushed to his very limit and, eventually, unleash the power of Ashura on him.
Kaku is much stronger than before now as he’s been promoted to the CP0. Over the timeskip, he’s greatly strengthened his Haki and likely refined his Devil Fruit usage as well. With his Four Sword Style, he can certainly rival Zoro.
7. King The Wildfire
The strongest of the Three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, King is an incredibly powerful fighter. Although not a traditional swordsman, King does use a sword in battle, as seen when he confronts Zoro on Onigashima.
King is extremely powerful, capable of injuring Zoro and even putting up a fight against Marco to an extent. With his Lunarian power to conjure fire and an incredibly powerful Ancient Zoan power, King is quite a fearsome man in a fight.
6. Trafalgar Law
One of the Worst Generation, Trafalgar Law is quite a skilled fighter, however, just like King, he isn’t a traditional swordsman. Nonetheless, Law does use a sword in combat and utilizes it with the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Law has also recently awakened his Devil Fruit powers, allowing him to fight Yonko Big Mom. It goes without saying that Law is among the best swordsmen in the story.
5. Shiryu
Shiryu is the leader of the Second Ship of the Blackbeard Pirates and he appears to be the second strongest person in the screw so far. Being the former Jailer of Impel Down, he was on par with Magellan before the timeskip, although he did fear him quite a bit.
Shiryu wields a blade called Raiu which is known to have bathed in the blood of many victims. Furthermore, he is also the current user of the Suke Suke no Mi, making him one of the most troublesome opponents for anyone, including Zoro.
4. Fujitora
One of the newly elected Admirals of the Navy, Fujitora is an extremely powerful man described as a monster by the likes of Doflamingo. He holds the power of the Zushi Zushi no Mi which allows him to manipulate gravity at will. Fujitora is also a very capable user of Haki, as already seen in the Dressrosa arc.
Fujitora’s overall prowess with a blade, while not the greatest, is enough to put him among the very best swordsmen in the story. Currently, he’s far stronger than Roronoa Zoro.
3. Silvers Rayleigh
The former First Mate of the Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh is the man infamously known as the Dark King. As Roger’s right-hand man, Rayleigh was near untouchable in combat back in the day, and even in his old age, he was described as a legendary monster that the Navy needed to make preparations for to capture.
On Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh fought Kizaru and matched him in combat, and even injured him during the fight. Rayleigh is far stronger than Zoro right now.
2. Shanks
One of the Yonko, Shanks is an incredibly strong character and a capable swordsman. He is a potent user of Haki which even the likes of Whitebeard praised when the two met.
Like many characters on this list, Shanks isn’t a traditional swordsman and he doesn’t appear to be a proficient with a blade as Mihawk, however, it is believed that he is stronger than the latter. Shanks is presumably far above Zoro’s level.
1. Dracule Mihawk
Dracule Mihawk is Zoro’s biggest rival, being the man who holds the title of the World’s Strongest Swordsman. Mihawk is extremely skilled with the blade and his swordplay is described as very aesthetic. He is also extremely good at using Haki given that he taught its usage to Zoro.
Mihawk outclassed Zoro when the two fought on Baratie and even now, he is head and shoulders above the Straw Hat swordsman in terms of skill.
Src: gamerant.com
