When Zoro said “if I die here, then I’m a man who could only make it this far” and “if I can’t protect my captain, I can never become the strongest swordsman” he cemented himself as the first mate and the only guy worthy of being the Pirate King’s right hand man
This is what people don't understand about that scene. People think that Zoro was giving up his dream for Luffy's. But really, Zoro was testing himself to see if he had what it takes. Because if he couldn't get Luffy to his dream, then he couldn't reach his own. He wasn't giving up his dream, he was actually reaffirming it.
I think what makes Zoro so great compared to other 2nd place characters is that he is confident enough to not feel inferior for not being No 1 in the crew. Because he has his own goals and his own role and ability. He didn't only make a promise to kuina but to luffy as well. Luffy does not only not stand in his way, he's such a great partner and captain that he even enables Zoro to reach higher. Zoros promise to him motivates him. Luffy is the one bringing Zoro to all these conflicts and battlegrounds where he is able to get better. He's even the reason for Zoro throwing away his pride and asking mihawk to train him which gave him incredible growth. Zoro does not only fight for himself, but also for luffy and the strawhat crew. Not only do they not compete with each other but they compliment each other. Luffy helps Zoro to reach his goal and so does Zoro. Zoro is simply a badass, because he follows his goals and supports his friends because he wants to, while not being an insecure lone wolf with inferiority complexes who hides beneath false pride.
@@voxomnes9537 no it’s the mindset of winners that’s why not everyone can be a king. Most people will never reach the highest level of achievement they can cause they think like you
@@voxomnes9537 It's nuanced in One Piece too. That same extremely noble mindset that worked for Zoro and the Straw Hats failed for Oden for example. The series doesn't pretend that it's always the way to go.
@@frearcher8264 that wasn’t odens issue his problem was he wasn’t willing to fight quick enough and it cost him his country. He could of beat kaido and stopped orochi the first time he tried but he wasn’t willing to fight cause some people would die in the process only for thousands more to die over 20 years because of his mistake
@@voxomnes9537 you ‘re correct if you do it in an unhealthy way but Zoro doesn’t just sulk and beat himself up, he acknowledges his failures and uses them to strive for better next time.
What I love about Zoro is what he teaches about leadership. He exemplifies that when your goals don’t conflict with the leader’s goals, there’s no need to try and be the alpha. And when they aren’t doing their job right, you’re the one who keeps them in check or takes over. Also, he shows that sometimes the best way to meet your goals is to be the best second in command possible to someone else great. This is a great life lesson because a lot of competent people try to take charge, get all the credit, or do too much work. The wisest decision is doing whatever helps you meet your goals, and if that means being the leader then do it or if it means doing playing a role then don’t let your ego get in the way.
Just the scene of Zoro taking Luffy's pain, willing to give up on his dream to die for the dream of his captain goes to show Zoro is loyal to his last bone
@@saraivamiranda1274 , Imu would be the final boss for Luffy and/or Dragon, but the final boss in the World Government is for Sabo to kill Akainu, so that way Koby, Smoker, or Fujitora takes over as the next Fleet Admiral once Luffy completes his Pirate King journey.
I also think there's a lot to the idea that Luffy and Zoro make each other better in that, they have to meet/exceed the expectations they have for one another. After all, Luffy has to be the next Pirate King if he's to be the captain of the greatest swordsman, and Zoro has to be the greatest swordsman if he's going to be the right hand of the next Pirate King. Their grand ambitions actually motivate one another. It's stated when they first meet and then again Zoro says it at Fishman Island.
Great Insight. Oda breaks the traditional mold by creating a character that has that MC Drive, that "Big Boss Energy" but also makes him a subordinate. The moments he gets where we seems as powerful, as comparable, as capable, as the Main Character, gives Zoro these moments where he completely exceeds our expectations. Rival types often get unfairly compared to the MC at every turn, and because of clashing goals, the MC will always beat them out.
I agree, it reminds me of right before the time skip when mad monk said something along the lines of “I can’t believe he’s only the first mate, to think he’d actually follow orders”
thank you morj you are a breath of fresh air from different content creators who only posts powerscaling i found you recently and you became my favorite one piece youtuber
100%. I find powerscaling cringe because they used biased instead of analyzing objective narrative, and the skills and technique are different things from “ power levels”.
@@ajemison3 he wasn't looking for a particular person to fill that role, he just wanted someone good enough to fill that role, it's diff in Zoro's case. He literally went to find out about Zoro intending to recruit him if he's good.
Great analysis. Another point, in the entire crew Zoro has the highest standards for Luffy as a captain and won't accept anything less. Typical subordinates roll with anything. Conversely Luffy says having the greatest swordsman is a requirement for the pirate king, and puts Zoro in situations where he can grow to become that. They really are a perfect duo.
This is probably one of my favourite videos that I've seen from you Morj. I love Zoro so much, and you explain part of what makes him such a stand out. I think a similar dynamic is used in Bakuman, where both of the main characters are working together for their own goals and supporting each other. You could almost say something similar about Haikyu as well. In all of these, I absolutely love the #1 and #2 characters almost as equals, and I see Zoro in a similar light. While Luffy clearly takes the #1 spot in One Piece, Zoro is also my #1. I see them as 2 sides of a coin. It's probably similar to how Roger and Rayleigh were, but this is unproven.
100% agreed since early on Zoro has broken the stoic bad ass mold in their first fight together Oda has Zoro take out Morgans (the boss villain) instead of Luffy & when Luffy thanks him he replies “just doing my job, Captain” for such a cool bad ass character to be instantly so humble & loyal it’s just very refreshing
Another great thing is that he never gets the Vegeta treatment. Whenever Luffy does something strength wise that Zoro is unable to do there is always a reason for it example-against Arlong when he was too injured or against Enel etc.
Zoro is loyal like a dog and wary of new people like a cat. The genius of Oda to create a character that appeals to both cat and dog people. That's the reason why he's so loved. The rest you mentioned was just a bonus
@@MerlinTheCommenter Zoro’s uncanny tendency to always beat black or different race characters i.e Hachi, Miss Monday, Mr.1, That Guy in Skypia, Kaku, Ryuma (wields a black sword), Pica and now King (needed to know what race he was in order to beat him.
Morj i cant say it enough, good God you are so good at character perspective, its rare in this community, you say everything i want to fucking hear, everything ive said, its so damn refreshing lol
i never thought of kidd being luffy's rival, but looking at it now it makes perfect sense that he has always been set up to be the rival. when the supernovas were introduced he had a similar bounty to luffy and his first mate was also considered a supernova , just like zoro.
Then Oda decided he's gonna do nothing with them because he forgor that they even existed and let Luffy and the Strawhats get all the shine in Wano arc, even tho it's supposed to focus on Momo and the Scadboards, and Kid Hawkins and Drakes crews.
Im not gonna lie.. but the moment luffy and zoro fought in the Whiskey Peak was the most "AW SHIT" moment in one piece for me. I know we are not going to get that closure, but we are allowed to dream
The fight with Luffy and Zoro was never them fighting to see which one of them can kill each other, but because Luffy had a misunderstanding on why Zoro killed the Bounty Hunters at Whiskey Peak.
during whole cake i was legit , is Zoro back? every single chapter i was disappointed and yet next week i was coming right back for that Zoro screen time hope :D
I agree (although it's subjective not factual) since Zoro symbolise few very important things a right-hand man must have loyalty trust confidence respect selflessness and maintaining a structure(was shown when Usopp wanted to rejoin the crew) Zoro the 1st 1 that said Luffy would be the pirate king(shows trust confidence) Was willing to take all of Luffy's pain which could've killed him which is giving up his dream's for Luffy's sake(selflessness) There are other examples but Zoro in my opinion represent what a right-hand man should be better then any other character in manga
More like he's a normal person who likes both of some of the most popular characters in the main cast of his favourite manga instead of arbitrarily hating one or the other.
More like he is seeing the story in a more objective agenda less point of view. He appreciates more of the writing Oda puts into these characters rather than arguing with Twitter power scalers.
Zoro is always painted/portrayed to be cool. That’s it. Even in his losses he comes out badass (cutting off his own legs, scars on the back is a swordsman shame/willing getting stabbed, standing up straight taking Luffys pain etc). Main characters don’t have this luxury because yes they have to be enjoyable but things have to get ugly for them, they have to be down. Zoro can get away with it but Luffy can’t.
I would agree with you if wasn't the fact that Zoro was NEVER depicted as better than Luffy. All of cool things Zoro did is to hype Luffy even more. This is why Zoro is regarded as one dimensional by most.
Another anime/manga character who is extremely loyal is ban from 7 deadly sins, he spent around 700 years trying to save meliodas in extreme conditions and never gave up
That might be why Sanji is so popular despite being clearly number 3, his goal is completely non-combat related so the very fact that he scores so high is cool in itself
Zoro, joining Luffy in chapter 3: "If you get in the way to my dream I am going to kill you, Luffy" Oda, 400 chapters later: "Looks like you just got Thriller Bark'ed, bro"
Yeah been thinking this for years. Many other popular manga would have him be the rival but having him be the homie that can contend with MC but let's him rock and does is his own thing is a nice rarer take (again in more popular series) and helps he himself can shine ALONGSIDE Loof, rather than against
@@KaranSharma-nb6zb no need Isn’t morji the same dude that says the raid will fail , 🤨 now he’s Hes saying Zoro is the greatest, mans logic is out this world , Zoro to mid sorry
One of the reasons zoro is loved so much is cuz most 2nd characters tried to compete with the mc and it makes them feel like they are part of the mcs story zoro however you can feel he has his own goals and ideology he’s like a main character of his own even now the dude is going absolutely nuts in the anime
It will legitimately bring a tear to my eye during the epilogue when an old Zoro is asked by someone, "What was a more incredible journey? Becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, or being Monkey D. Luffy's friend? If Zoro has to say anything at all, it would be along the lines of, "One would not exist without the other."
This is a good point. Not only is there a non-compete clause, but their relationship goes further where they both need the other to succeed in order to acheive their own goal. Luffy obviously needs strong subordinates to help him achieve his goal and having the greatest swordsman fills that requirement. Zoro, on the other hand, needs someone who will challenge him and put him in dangerous situations so that he can grow. Zoro does not have a great sense of direction and his purpose is strength (and also to support his friend, Luffy), whereas Luffy has a purpose/goal that helps guide Zoro to challenges he would never face on his own. Luffy and Zoro both need the other one to be successfully making progress in their dream in order to make progress in their own. I think that interdependence of dreams is also what makes Zoro a great #2.
Mr. Morj: "I'm not going to say who is my favourite character because people will call me biased" Also Mr. Morj: *Makes several videos calling Zoro best character in the manga history* You aren't sly, Mr. Morj
Morj's whole point is that he's not making these videos and points just because "oh my god I like Zoro" but he's making legitimate cases on choices oda has made to write a character that makes that character stand out compared to everyone else Like how one piece is imo very easily the best written anime or manga, especially definitely best written shonen manga, however to justify those points with the 1 million different macro and micro themes oda chooses to write one piece with and say this is why one piece is so good is not the same as just saying it because "one piece is my favorite it has to be the best" Imo Naruto is my favorite followed by jjk then one piece but imo one piece is easily the best written out of all of these by far The same case for Zoro as a character Morj making a lot of Zoro videos doesn't mean he's super biased for Zoro
@@heroricspiritfreinen38 Instead of simply writing "Lol" in response to this joke comment you decided to write a long as paragraph nobody is going to read, lol.
Mr morj Thank you so much for mentioning one pace in one of your previous videos. I can finally get back up to date on one piece Thank you, I feel like a teenager again
This is exactly why zoro is my favorite character besides luffy, although recently Sanji has been climbing upwards on my list of favorite characters. And their dynamic is my favorite in the series. Zoro is the “vegeta archetype” done to absolute perfection.
This type of analysis is the sort of thing that's especially great about what you do Morj. Incisive and clear. Plus easy to follow. P.S. No Way Home review any time soon?
He is definitely the greatest but I wanna give a shoutout to Gokudera from KHR. He was always loyal to the main character and extremely powerful later down the line
Shoutout to you for being a Reborn fan but Gokudera was riding on Tsuna's d.... to a point where it wasn't really bringing anything valuable to Tsuna's character... And plenty characters were stronger like Hibari, Mokuro and Takeshi so he doesn't even come close. I love the dynamic between Kagami and Kuroko, I think to me it would be the second best example.
To me it always felt like Zoro was closer to Luffy in strength than he was to Sanji. The man got advanced conquerors coating the same night as Luffy like it’s crazy how they try to downplay him sometimes
Great analysis, as always. I never though about this but you made me realise it. What a great blueprint from Oda to write a good secondary character for other mangakas!
Now that you mention it, that's a very rare archetype in anime. The only other I can think of is Yuma from World Trigger. And even then, it isn't the same, as Yuma is clearly much stronger than his captain.
One of the reasons why I think Zoro's a great right hand is the fact that he pushed Luffy to be as great as he is today., not to be stronger but to become a better captain. Luffy acts like a real captain nowadays but he used to be too carefree before the timeskip, to the point of endangering the crew's stability by lacking authority, as we see in Water 7. It was in this arc that Zoro solidified his vice-captain status to me by refusing to accept Usopp back in the crew after what he did, even going to the point of leaving the crew himself if Usopp were to simply be forgiven without earning it. Zoro's goal pushes Luffy's dream forward since Zoro cannot be the greatest swordsman if his captain isn't the greatest as well
I swear zoro is one of the only anime characters I've seen where people scale him to the protagonist even though he clearly states he wouldn't follow someone weaker than him xD.
@@monsterduo4038 I want some of the drugs your taking it won't even be close by the end of the series, Zoro will be yonko level and Luffy will be Pirate King Level, its a big difference. Zoros bounty won't even be close to Luffys, Zoro will be the GOAT swordsman but to claim Zoro will be Pirate King Level is laughable and nothing more than wishful thinking
@B.C Zoro is set to surpass the likes of Mihawk and prime Rayleigh, who are both Yonko level. So you wanna talk about Pirate King level? Roger was a swordsman, and Zoro is going to be the strongest one of ALL TIME, not just of his lifetime. I got Mihawk at high Yonko level. Only tier past that is Pirate King. Zoro’s black blades will be the equivalent to Luffy’s gears and awakening.
@@monsterduo4038 that is alot of handcannon lmaooo. mihawks shows nothing to be yonkos level and yes I know he sparred with shanks. however we don't know who won or lost more plus we don't know who had the title of greatest swordman then. too much speculation to assume where mihawk rank. HOWEVER, zoro being equal to luffy at the end of the series is not a farfetched prediction.
Interesting though that sanji name means third son… and we know it was kind of a last minute change as his name was supposed to be Naruto until that show came out. But zoro and sanji actually have a dynamic that is more like that of other manga protagonist and rival since neither of them is after luffy’s position they just have a rivalry between them for who is more capable under him … But it’s kind of fitting that he bounces around from seeming close to zoros skill at some times and at other he appears to clearly be the 3rd strongest on the team and has the title of third in his name(I know his back story just saying it was perhaps a clever choice to also define his role as a second wing but hinting at his strength and position on the crew
Luffy and Zoro dynamic is very good because it's summed up summed up perfectly by their definition of a hero. Zoro can have his dream and express it without causing conflict with Luffy. The world's greatest swordsman and pirate king aren't the same, so him having a dream that only main characters should have is very unique
I think the best example of this was Enies Lobby. Zoro was actually hard carrying as if he had a day where he was going 180% of his usual capabilities. Every few episodes someone would question how the hell he isn't the captain. And the fact that Zoro out of all the Strawhats holds Luffy to the highest standard. He is destined to become the World's Greatest Swordsman so it only fits that his captain could only be the future Pirate King. And as such, he cuts down anyone who stands in Luffy's way.
all these qualifiers kinda hurt the the whole greatest right hand title imo but zolo is def one of the best characters in media. Saying this as both a Sanji and Killer stan.
One of the greatest feats Luffy has is having someone like Zoro under his command, look at even Shanks, Mihawks is no subordinate of him and they are rivals, Luffy was lucky that he didn't happen to use a sword (which could've easily happen considering Roger and Shanks are his inspiration figures) otherwise Zoro would be his rival and that's why he's another Supernova (and one of the strongest), that's what Oda is trying to say, Zoro is by himself one of the greatest pirates of his generation.
What's amazing is that this dynamic can also be applied to Roger and Whitebeard. Whitebeard is also more than capable of becoming the pirate king but chooses not to because he just wants a family. That's why we love Whitebeard so much also.
best duo in manga imo : - luffy and zoro - kudo shinichi and Hattori heiji - Johnny joestar and gyro zeppeli - guts and puck (dont judge me) - gon and killua
The way Oda writes Zoro and Luffy is amazing. Its like having a strong subordinate like Zoro pushes Luffy even more. The way the arcs are structured usually Zoro does some badass thing and Luffy has to surpass him. This video also gives some insight into the Sanji/Zoro debate, Zoro is such a solid No2 and has rivalry with Sanji who is somewhat destined to be No3. Monster Trio is truly remarkable.
I think naruto and sasuke are similar to zoro and luffy when it comes to having different goals, where one's success doesn't jeopardize the other. Sasuke actually was way better in going after his goals and accomplishing them. This was one of the reasons that made me see him as a better character than Naruto.
Something I would like to see is a Big News photographer who has been Wano for sometime, getting pictures of the Strawhats defeating the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates in one on one or group efforts. This would tell the world that “These new Upstarts from 2 years ago have reached where no one has reached before, until Gold Roger, The Name “Strawhats” carry a power equal to that of “Beast Pirates.” Some reactions to this would be great with Bartolommeo seeing his heroes become real top level crews and even countries that the Strawhats have liberated celebrating as their heroes have become stronger. (besides Alabasta for very vague reasons)
Zoro always has had a confident approach while also being oblivious or standoffish which more humanizes him. I think he's written in the perspective of what everyone would have expected the King of Pirates to be.
Zoro is the reliable af character, he has his goal set. People can go far alone but will only transcend with others help. This is true for all the strawhats. It could be applied in RL too
This is why I consider Zoro more of a 2nd main character than the 2nd person in the main characters story. Because although he is with Luffy for his journey, he has a story and a journey of his own that plays 2nd most importance in the series.
If a big part about anime was about the joys of self-insert and feeling like you’re a main character in the story, I can get why many guys would prefer Zoro.
Luffy and zoro also have a special bond , zoro always does anything for luffy and luffy also goes to any extent. The greatest righthand and a loyal friend as rayleigh to roger.
Really great video!! Idk if this makes sense, but I got some Movie Morj vibes from this video too with how you analyzed different archetypes within anime and compared it to how One Piece handles them
A point that might miss here is that both Zoro and Rayleigh never seemed to...vibe...well with their captains. They expressed loyalty, sure, but they never seemed to be a great fit for the crews they were in. It's almost like the captain and vice captain were completely individual identities that were unique from each other except for their battle prowess and will to power. This might have been simple style, but I remember a scene in the anime where Rayleigh and Oda were standing with their backs to one another. This seemed to put it into perspective for me that whatever was holding these two together was not, necessarily, their personal relationship. That's just a theory... I think the two share a brothers-in-arms comraderie, but they are very different people who should, by all rights, have their own crews, but for some reason they are together. Let's also not forget about the Sun-Moon dynamic. Zoro is supposedly descended from Wano (Moon Kingdom???). Luffy represents the sun. Symbolically, these are two different icons that nonetheless share the heavens with each other- each never occupying the others space while locked in a relationship with one another.
I want some of the drugs your taking this post is laughable and completely false. Zoro and Luffy are like brothers, they super vibe with eachother. look how Zoro and Luffy embraced eachother when Luffy made it to Wano??? Your clearly reading a different manga than the rest of us
@@b.c4267 I'm not saying that had to be mean, cold, isolated, or antagonistic to one another. I'm saying that they are more the brothers-in-arms type of friends. I think Luffy and Ussop have the friend-friend type of relationship whereas Zoro's and Luffy's relationship is one of comradery and respect.
@@mamboking0134 Zoro and Luffy are like brothers if you ask me but everyone in the Strawhats is friends. I agree with your USOP point but Zoro/Luffy relationship goes far beyond just respect/comradarie but we can agree to disagree
One of Luffy’s BIGGEST flexes is that he has Zoro as his right hand man.
All i see is facts.
Oda keeps reminding us that every time another character is surprised to see Zoro is actually not the captain.
fax even Urouge couldn't believe it
Damn facts...yeahh😤😤
Yeah, lol. Kind of like how Mike Tyson had a pet tiger, lmao.
When Zoro said “if I die here, then I’m a man who could only make it this far” and “if I can’t protect my captain, I can never become the strongest swordsman” he cemented himself as the first mate and the only guy worthy of being the Pirate King’s right hand man
This is what people don't understand about that scene. People think that Zoro was giving up his dream for Luffy's. But really, Zoro was testing himself to see if he had what it takes. Because if he couldn't get Luffy to his dream, then he couldn't reach his own. He wasn't giving up his dream, he was actually reaffirming it.
Shhhhhh Sanji fans are around us don’t use that terminology rough here
It still makes me laugh how there’s a genuine argument about who’s the right hand man/vice captain 😂😂.
@@TM-NTM eh when it comes to first mate debates I see far more people argue for Usopp than Sanji my dude.
@@awesomesause1116 Same.
Zoro is just loyal to his captain as much as Mr Morj to his "the Raid's failing".
Morj’s conquering spirit will not bend even after his dreams died and raid failed.
At this point it's more obvious than ever that the raid is gonna fail lol I don't understand why people get on Morj for it
@@turtlecosmic i would say anything can happen now.
but i want raid to fail so much
@@turtlecosmic yo
@@jaf8833 LEAVE ME ALONE 😭😭😭😭
I think what makes Zoro so great compared to other 2nd place characters is that he is confident enough to not feel inferior for not being No 1 in the crew. Because he has his own goals and his own role and ability. He didn't only make a promise to kuina but to luffy as well. Luffy does not only not stand in his way, he's such a great partner and captain that he even enables Zoro to reach higher. Zoros promise to him motivates him. Luffy is the one bringing Zoro to all these conflicts and battlegrounds where he is able to get better. He's even the reason for Zoro throwing away his pride and asking mihawk to train him which gave him incredible growth. Zoro does not only fight for himself, but also for luffy and the strawhat crew. Not only do they not compete with each other but they compliment each other. Luffy helps Zoro to reach his goal and so does Zoro. Zoro is simply a badass, because he follows his goals and supports his friends because he wants to, while not being an insecure lone wolf with inferiority complexes who hides beneath false pride.
This made so much sense to me. Couldn’t have framed it better.
A REAL chad, someone with emotional maturity
I love how zoro makes no excuses regardless of the circumstances if he losses, he just wasn’t good enough
Honestly, that would be and is such a toxic mindset in the real world, but it's dope in One Piece.
@@voxomnes9537 no it’s the mindset of winners that’s why not everyone can be a king. Most people will never reach the highest level of achievement they can cause they think like you
@@voxomnes9537 It's nuanced in One Piece too. That same extremely noble mindset that worked for Zoro and the Straw Hats failed for Oden for example. The series doesn't pretend that it's always the way to go.
@@frearcher8264 that wasn’t odens issue his problem was he wasn’t willing to fight quick enough and it cost him his country. He could of beat kaido and stopped orochi the first time he tried but he wasn’t willing to fight cause some people would die in the process only for thousands more to die over 20 years because of his mistake
@@voxomnes9537 you ‘re correct if you do it in an unhealthy way but Zoro doesn’t just sulk and beat himself up, he acknowledges his failures and uses them to strive for better next time.
What I love about Zoro is what he teaches about leadership. He exemplifies that when your goals don’t conflict with the leader’s goals, there’s no need to try and be the alpha. And when they aren’t doing their job right, you’re the one who keeps them in check or takes over. Also, he shows that sometimes the best way to meet your goals is to be the best second in command possible to someone else great.
This is a great life lesson because a lot of competent people try to take charge, get all the credit, or do too much work. The wisest decision is doing whatever helps you meet your goals, and if that means being the leader then do it or if it means doing playing a role then don’t let your ego get in the way.
So real
This is genuinely a really good point
That's what real leaders do
this is the best comment i've read.True definition of a leader.
Excellent.
Just the scene of Zoro taking Luffy's pain, willing to give up on his dream to die for the dream of his captain goes to show Zoro is loyal to his last bone
I still think that literally every strawhat would've done the same, except they would've died ffrom all the damage (well, maybe not Sanji)
Nah sanji did the same thing and people still thought sanji betrayed luffy on WCI. That one scene is not enough for one piece fans sadly.
@@userusernomi Sanji would die aswell
@@zachyjoe1 Sanji never did it stop it
TM Pa Raul
He didn’t get to do it because he was stopped by Zoro. He would’ve absolutely done it if given the chance, stop with the Sanji downplay.
Can’t name a better right hand in any other manga honestly…
What about Veggie boy from Dbz
@@A-Ylover0FtheLordJesus definitely not a right hand 💀
@@A-Ylover0FtheLordJesus second fiddle
There is not much character set as '' number 2 '' tho, but yeah zoro do it well for sure
@@anumaysethi6549 Zoro is more of a second fiddle than Vegeta
Oda was able to make a brand new type of #2 (Zoro), a classic rival (Kidd) and a true rival (Blackbeard) in the same serie. Greatness.
And the enemy/final boss (WG-imu)
@@saraivamiranda1274 , Imu would be the final boss for Luffy and/or Dragon, but the final boss in the World Government is for Sabo to kill Akainu, so that way Koby, Smoker, or Fujitora takes over as the next Fleet Admiral once Luffy completes his Pirate King journey.
I also think there's a lot to the idea that Luffy and Zoro make each other better in that, they have to meet/exceed the expectations they have for one another. After all, Luffy has to be the next Pirate King if he's to be the captain of the greatest swordsman, and Zoro has to be the greatest swordsman if he's going to be the right hand of the next Pirate King. Their grand ambitions actually motivate one another.
It's stated when they first meet and then again Zoro says it at Fishman Island.
Actually the dreams of all the strawhats allign with Luffy's dream to become the King.
Great Insight. Oda breaks the traditional mold by creating a character that has that MC Drive, that "Big Boss Energy" but also makes him a subordinate. The moments he gets where we seems as powerful, as comparable, as capable, as the Main Character, gives Zoro these moments where he completely exceeds our expectations. Rival types often get unfairly compared to the MC at every turn, and because of clashing goals, the MC will always beat them out.
I agree, it reminds me of right before the time skip when mad monk said something along the lines of “I can’t believe he’s only the first mate, to think he’d actually follow orders”
@@jamesfoxsmith ...his goal is literally to prove himself to the world tho
@@jamesfoxsmith Lmao the classic "ypu don't understand him".
How are you so sure that Zoro wouldn't care if he defeated Mihawk just from one scene.
@@jamesfoxsmith The title is literally called "WORLD'S Greatest Swordsman" lol. He definitely needs to prove himself to the World.
@@jamesfoxsmith World's Strongest Swordsman
thank you morj you are a breath of fresh air from different content creators who only posts powerscaling
i found you recently and you became my favorite one piece youtuber
100%. I find powerscaling cringe because they used biased instead of analyzing objective narrative, and the skills and technique are different things from “ power levels”.
Agree,them making the content about power scaling and then bitching about One Piece stories doesn't follow their prediction, etc. Its pretty annoying.
"Yeah, my right hand man could be Pirate King as well... I'm that cool."
Zoro is the only crewmate whom Luffy searched and planned to recruit before meeting him in person
not brooke his musician or sanji his cook?
@@ajemison3 nope, read again
so he wasnt looking for a cook or musician before he ran into them?
@@ajemison3 he wasn't looking for a particular person to fill that role, he just wanted someone good enough to fill that role, it's diff in Zoro's case. He literally went to find out about Zoro intending to recruit him if he's good.
@@ajemison3 no
Great analysis. Another point, in the entire crew Zoro has the highest standards for Luffy as a captain and won't accept anything less. Typical subordinates roll with anything. Conversely Luffy says having the greatest swordsman is a requirement for the pirate king, and puts Zoro in situations where he can grow to become that. They really are a perfect duo.
This is probably one of my favourite videos that I've seen from you Morj. I love Zoro so much, and you explain part of what makes him such a stand out. I think a similar dynamic is used in Bakuman, where both of the main characters are working together for their own goals and supporting each other. You could almost say something similar about Haikyu as well. In all of these, I absolutely love the #1 and #2 characters almost as equals, and I see Zoro in a similar light. While Luffy clearly takes the #1 spot in One Piece, Zoro is also my #1. I see them as 2 sides of a coin. It's probably similar to how Roger and Rayleigh were, but this is unproven.
100% agreed since early on Zoro has broken the stoic bad ass mold in their first fight together Oda has Zoro take out Morgans (the boss villain) instead of Luffy & when Luffy thanks him he replies “just doing my job, Captain” for such a cool bad ass character to be instantly so humble & loyal it’s just very refreshing
Another great thing is that he never gets the Vegeta treatment. Whenever Luffy does something strength wise that Zoro is unable to do there is always a reason for it example-against Arlong when he was too injured or against Enel etc.
That's y I love Morj's videos, he just understands things better, he deeply goes through the underlying themes .
Zoro is loyal like a dog and wary of new people like a cat. The genius of Oda to create a character that appeals to both cat and dog people. That's the reason why he's so loved. The rest you mentioned was just a bonus
This video summed up in one sentence. Zoro is cool because he’s not a hater lol
Despite recent allegations we the black delegation still love Zoro
What allegations?
@@MerlinTheCommenter minority hunter i guess. Sry fr late reply!!
@@MerlinTheCommenter Zoro’s uncanny tendency to always beat black or different race characters i.e Hachi, Miss Monday, Mr.1, That Guy in Skypia, Kaku, Ryuma (wields a black sword), Pica and now King (needed to know what race he was in order to beat him.
This right here
Morj i cant say it enough, good God you are so good at character perspective, its rare in this community, you say everything i want to fucking hear, everything ive said, its so damn refreshing lol
Always a highlight in my day when you post dude.
big agree.
Zoro is my favorite one piece because very chill and relax. He has on goal and support.
You’re a great listen to have in the background while I work. Thanks for the continuous good content
Zoro is respected bcoz of his Loyalty, Determination, Strength, and his skills as a swordsman...
Only twitter tards hate that, everyone else loves it.
i never thought of kidd being luffy's rival, but looking at it now it makes perfect sense that he has always been set up to be the rival. when the supernovas were introduced he had a similar bounty to luffy and his first mate was also considered a supernova , just like zoro.
Then Oda decided he's gonna do nothing with them because he forgor that they even existed and let Luffy and the Strawhats get all the shine in Wano arc, even tho it's supposed to focus on Momo and the Scadboards, and Kid Hawkins and Drakes crews.
Did that seriously not occur to you until just now? lol.
Im not gonna lie.. but the moment luffy and zoro fought in the Whiskey Peak was the most "AW SHIT" moment in one piece for me. I know we are not going to get that closure, but we are allowed to dream
The fight with Luffy and Zoro was never them fighting to see which one of them can kill each other, but because Luffy had a misunderstanding on why Zoro killed the Bounty Hunters at Whiskey Peak.
during whole cake i was legit , is Zoro back? every single chapter i was disappointed and yet next week i was coming right back for that Zoro screen time hope :D
Naah bro that was sanjis arc 😂
@@Silentjay123luckily it only made him look worse.
Zoro is the definition of dedication.
Can’t argue with that
I agree (although it's subjective not factual) since Zoro symbolise few very important things a right-hand man must have loyalty trust confidence respect selflessness and maintaining a structure(was shown when Usopp wanted to rejoin the crew)
Zoro the 1st 1 that said Luffy would be the pirate king(shows trust confidence)
Was willing to take all of Luffy's pain which could've killed him which is giving up his dream's for Luffy's sake(selflessness)
There are other examples but Zoro in my opinion represent what a right-hand man should be better then any other character in manga
Lol Morj is a professional instigator. The way he is both in Sanji and Zoro camp XD
more people should be like that honestly. why fight over two amazing characters when you can just like both?
More like he's a normal person who likes both of some of the most popular characters in the main cast of his favourite manga instead of arbitrarily hating one or the other.
More like he is seeing the story in a more objective agenda less point of view. He appreciates more of the writing Oda puts into these characters rather than arguing with Twitter power scalers.
Nobody mentioned Sanji absolutely nobody
Zoro is always painted/portrayed to be cool. That’s it. Even in his losses he comes out badass (cutting off his own legs, scars on the back is a swordsman shame/willing getting stabbed, standing up straight taking Luffys pain etc). Main characters don’t have this luxury because yes they have to be enjoyable but things have to get ugly for them, they have to be down. Zoro can get away with it but Luffy can’t.
I would agree with you if wasn't the fact that Zoro was NEVER depicted as better than Luffy.
All of cool things Zoro did is to hype Luffy even more.
This is why Zoro is regarded as one dimensional by most.
Another anime/manga character who is extremely loyal is ban from 7 deadly sins, he spent around 700 years trying to save meliodas in extreme conditions and never gave up
That might be why Sanji is so popular despite being clearly number 3, his goal is completely non-combat related so the very fact that he scores so high is cool in itself
Zoro is what is needed to balance Luffy
Exactly, he understands luffy and knows what he represents
Light and darkness ☀️ 🌚
Massive facts
Facts cuz wtf luffy just be trusting everybody letting everybody hop on the shop need atleast one person to be skeptical
@@monsterduo4038 not really light and darkness but close enough
Zoro, joining Luffy in chapter 3:
"If you get in the way to my dream I am going to kill you, Luffy"
Oda, 400 chapters later:
"Looks like you just got Thriller Bark'ed, bro"
Yeah been thinking this for years. Many other popular manga would have him be the rival but having him be the homie that can contend with MC but let's him rock and does is his own thing is a nice rarer take (again in more popular series) and helps he himself can shine ALONGSIDE Loof, rather than against
Zoro is just straight up badass!!
Zoros Mid But you like what you like , badass is getting old ngl
@@A-Ylover0FtheLordJesus watch the video kid
@@KaranSharma-nb6zb no need Isn’t morji the same dude that says the raid will fail , 🤨 now he’s Hes saying Zoro is the greatest, mans logic is out this world , Zoro to mid sorry
“Badass” is his middle name 💯
@@A-Ylover0FtheLordJesus sanjitard 😂😂😂😂
One of the reasons zoro is loved so much is cuz most 2nd characters tried to compete with the mc and it makes them feel like they are part of the mcs story zoro however you can feel he has his own goals and ideology he’s like a main character of his own even now the dude is going absolutely nuts in the anime
It will legitimately bring a tear to my eye during the epilogue when an old Zoro is asked by someone, "What was a more incredible journey? Becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, or being Monkey D. Luffy's friend?
If Zoro has to say anything at all, it would be along the lines of, "One would not exist without the other."
This is a good point. Not only is there a non-compete clause, but their relationship goes further where they both need the other to succeed in order to acheive their own goal. Luffy obviously needs strong subordinates to help him achieve his goal and having the greatest swordsman fills that requirement. Zoro, on the other hand, needs someone who will challenge him and put him in dangerous situations so that he can grow. Zoro does not have a great sense of direction and his purpose is strength (and also to support his friend, Luffy), whereas Luffy has a purpose/goal that helps guide Zoro to challenges he would never face on his own. Luffy and Zoro both need the other one to be successfully making progress in their dream in order to make progress in their own. I think that interdependence of dreams is also what makes Zoro a great #2.
Mr. Morj: "I'm not going to say who is my favourite character because people will call me biased"
Also Mr. Morj: *Makes several videos calling Zoro best character in the manga history*
You aren't sly, Mr. Morj
Morj's whole point is that he's not making these videos and points just because "oh my god I like Zoro" but he's making legitimate cases on choices oda has made to write a character that makes that character stand out compared to everyone else
Like how one piece is imo very easily the best written anime or manga, especially definitely best written shonen manga, however to justify those points with the 1 million different macro and micro themes oda chooses to write one piece with and say this is why one piece is so good is not the same as just saying it because "one piece is my favorite it has to be the best"
Imo Naruto is my favorite followed by jjk then one piece but imo one piece is easily the best written out of all of these by far
The same case for Zoro as a character
Morj making a lot of Zoro videos doesn't mean he's super biased for Zoro
@@heroricspiritfreinen38 Instead of simply writing "Lol" in response to this joke comment you decided to write a long as paragraph nobody is going to read, lol.
@@heroricspiritfreinen38 and berserk eclipses all 3..
Not his fault if Zoro is that badass
@@Xero_117 I would LOVE to hear Morj talk about Berserk
Mr morj
Thank you so much for mentioning one pace in one of your previous videos. I can finally get back up to date on one piece
Thank you, I feel like a teenager again
One piece has some of the most loyal figures in fiction with zoro , king and killer .
This comment is mad underrated. Especially Killer.
@@finntupua250 killer is second most loyal character in series he is willing to do anything for his captain
And best no.3s: sanji and queen (and probably yassop)
@@Silentjay123 Sanji loyalty pales in comparison to the right hands as he brutally assaulted his captain
This is exactly why zoro is my favorite character besides luffy, although recently Sanji has been climbing upwards on my list of favorite characters. And their dynamic is my favorite in the series. Zoro is the “vegeta archetype” done to absolute perfection.
Wouldn't even categorise it as the "Vegeta Archetype", it's in it's own category
@@MrJesan74 I wouldn’t either, just using the term as a catch all so I don’t have to write any longer of a paragraph lol
Zoro is Morj's favorite character confirmed.
Hes right too
He is basically a big brother, helping his little kings :)
He is the man of Integrity & same as Luffy in that sense.
🤩
Q: Is this Zoro Simping ?
A: Yes
Q: Am I gonna join this club ?
A: HELL YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This type of analysis is the sort of thing that's especially great about what you do Morj.
Incisive and clear. Plus easy to follow.
P.S. No Way Home review any time soon?
The the thing about zoro is that while luffy is busy he always take the role of the captain just like in thriller bark and I loved that.
Morj, that was one of THE cleanest transitions into an ad. Keep up the good work man!
I fr love that luffy and zoro are super close and that zoro voices his respect for luffy
And that he reminds people that luffy is indeed the captain
He is definitely the greatest but I wanna give a shoutout to Gokudera from KHR. He was always loyal to the main character and extremely powerful later down the line
Shoutout to you for being a Reborn fan but Gokudera was riding on Tsuna's d.... to a point where it wasn't really bringing anything valuable to Tsuna's character... And plenty characters were stronger like Hibari, Mokuro and Takeshi so he doesn't even come close.
I love the dynamic between Kagami and Kuroko, I think to me it would be the second best example.
To me it always felt like Zoro was closer to Luffy in strength than he was to Sanji. The man got advanced conquerors coating the same night as Luffy like it’s crazy how they try to downplay him sometimes
Zoro is my favourite character aside from luffy of course.
Ngl Oden and ace / law better characters
@@A-Ylover0FtheLordJesus sanji…
Great analysis, as always. I never though about this but you made me realise it. What a great blueprint from Oda to write a good secondary character for other mangakas!
Zoro has never stepped to luffy in terms to do him harm ever.Only good advice and support all the way through.
Oda really was in his bag when he made Zoro 🔥
Now that you mention it, that's a very rare archetype in anime. The only other I can think of is Yuma from World Trigger. And even then, it isn't the same, as Yuma is clearly much stronger than his captain.
Wano Zoro is a walking highlight reel
We also respect and like zoro because hes loyal and knows when to handle bidness
Another reminder that Zoro is Morj's favorite character lol
Hes ambitious with no distractions.
How did this video escape my radar for over a year? Well better late than never.
One of the reasons why I think Zoro's a great right hand is the fact that he pushed Luffy to be as great as he is today., not to be stronger but to become a better captain. Luffy acts like a real captain nowadays but he used to be too carefree before the timeskip, to the point of endangering the crew's stability by lacking authority, as we see in Water 7. It was in this arc that Zoro solidified his vice-captain status to me by refusing to accept Usopp back in the crew after what he did, even going to the point of leaving the crew himself if Usopp were to simply be forgiven without earning it. Zoro's goal pushes Luffy's dream forward since Zoro cannot be the greatest swordsman if his captain isn't the greatest as well
I swear zoro is one of the only anime characters I've seen where people scale him to the protagonist even though he clearly states he wouldn't follow someone weaker than him xD.
You really never watched dragon ball or Naruto huh...
Well they’re gonna be EQUAL at the end of the series, so you better prepare your salt for that lol
@@monsterduo4038 I want some of the drugs your taking it won't even be close by the end of the series, Zoro will be yonko level and Luffy will be Pirate King Level, its a big difference. Zoros bounty won't even be close to Luffys, Zoro will be the GOAT swordsman but to claim Zoro will be Pirate King Level is laughable and nothing more than wishful thinking
@B.C Zoro is set to surpass the likes of Mihawk and prime Rayleigh, who are both Yonko level. So you wanna talk about Pirate King level? Roger was a swordsman, and Zoro is going to be the strongest one of ALL TIME, not just of his lifetime. I got Mihawk at high Yonko level. Only tier past that is Pirate King. Zoro’s black blades will be the equivalent to Luffy’s gears and awakening.
@@monsterduo4038 that is alot of handcannon lmaooo. mihawks shows nothing to be yonkos level and yes I know he sparred with shanks. however we don't know who won or lost more plus we don't know who had the title of greatest swordman then. too much speculation to assume where mihawk rank. HOWEVER, zoro being equal to luffy at the end of the series is not a farfetched prediction.
Interesting though that sanji name means third son… and we know it was kind of a last minute change as his name was supposed to be Naruto until that show came out. But zoro and sanji actually have a dynamic that is more like that of other manga protagonist and rival since neither of them is after luffy’s position they just have a rivalry between them for who is more capable under him … But it’s kind of fitting that he bounces around from seeming close to zoros skill at some times and at other he appears to clearly be the 3rd strongest on the team and has the title of third in his name(I know his back story just saying it was perhaps a clever choice to also define his role as a second wing but hinting at his strength and position on the crew
Haha he's never comparable to zoro. That's just a gag
@@mhussain8007 haha I should not have step into the zoro stan and sanji Stan feud ;)
I ain't no1s fan bro I'm just stating facts😂😂
@@mhussain8007 facts
@@StardustMonkey he was never close to zoro in skills he was always 3rd and will stay there Lmao
Luffy and Zoro dynamic is very good because it's summed up summed up perfectly by their definition of a hero. Zoro can have his dream and express it without causing conflict with Luffy. The world's greatest swordsman and pirate king aren't the same, so him having a dream that only main characters should have is very unique
150k subs it's not quite enough,you deserves much more
I think the best example of this was Enies Lobby. Zoro was actually hard carrying as if he had a day where he was going 180% of his usual capabilities. Every few episodes someone would question how the hell he isn't the captain. And the fact that Zoro out of all the Strawhats holds Luffy to the highest standard. He is destined to become the World's Greatest Swordsman so it only fits that his captain could only be the future Pirate King. And as such, he cuts down anyone who stands in Luffy's way.
Great video. Never looked at Zoro that way before until now
all these qualifiers kinda hurt the the whole greatest right hand title imo but zolo is def one of the best characters in media. Saying this as both a Sanji and Killer stan.
Killer is raw so underrated
Oh man morj, you nailed this one, great video
Amen brother.
Exactly why i love the man.
It is as if your pfp was made for this video! XD XD
@@akashpanda1729 it's almost as if i made the account name and chose the profile picture because i am a huge fan :P
One of the greatest feats Luffy has is having someone like Zoro under his command, look at even Shanks, Mihawks is no subordinate of him and they are rivals, Luffy was lucky that he didn't happen to use a sword (which could've easily happen considering Roger and Shanks are his inspiration figures) otherwise Zoro would be his rival and that's why he's another Supernova (and one of the strongest), that's what Oda is trying to say, Zoro is by himself one of the greatest pirates of his generation.
Greatest right hand in manga, but can't tell the difference between left and right.
Luffy is 10
Zoro is 9
Sanji is 7,5
Thats it for you
@@kollen5952 what is this suposed to mean? I prefer zoro over sanji anyway lol
@@cal9031 powerscaling when nobody asked
Yeaaa, this time i agreed with Morj..
Zoro,s is the best right hand man in the verse...
Thanks for choosing some good sponsors morj
What's amazing is that this dynamic can also be applied to Roger and Whitebeard. Whitebeard is also more than capable of becoming the pirate king but chooses not to because he just wants a family. That's why we love Whitebeard so much also.
No, no. Not even close. WB was never a subordinate with kingly ambitions.
This is a bad example.
@@Ax1oM11oo He was a rival tho...
@@Mailliwoediv
Yeah but he’s comparing them to Luffy and Zoro. Luffy and Zoro aren’t rivals and WB and Roger aren’t captain and subordinate.
Wano has been the best Arc for zoro so far.
He’s probably gonna give the final blow to kaido
best duo in manga imo :
- luffy and zoro
- kudo shinichi and Hattori heiji
- Johnny joestar and gyro zeppeli
- guts and puck (dont judge me)
- gon and killua
The way Oda writes Zoro and Luffy is amazing. Its like having a strong subordinate like Zoro pushes Luffy even more. The way the arcs are structured usually Zoro does some badass thing and Luffy has to surpass him. This video also gives some insight into the Sanji/Zoro debate, Zoro is such a solid No2 and has rivalry with Sanji who is somewhat destined to be No3. Monster Trio is truly remarkable.
I think naruto and sasuke are similar to zoro and luffy when it comes to having different goals, where one's success doesn't jeopardize the other.
Sasuke actually was way better in going after his goals and accomplishing them. This was one of the reasons that made me see him as a better character than Naruto.
This was a great video morj! I can’t wait to see your film analysis’
Congratulations on 150k
Something I would like to see is a Big News photographer who has been Wano for sometime, getting pictures of the Strawhats defeating the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates in one on one or group efforts. This would tell the world that “These new Upstarts from 2 years ago have reached where no one has reached before, until Gold Roger, The Name “Strawhats” carry a power equal to that of “Beast Pirates.” Some reactions to this would be great with Bartolommeo seeing his heroes become real top level crews and even countries that the Strawhats have liberated celebrating as their heroes have become stronger. (besides Alabasta for very vague reasons)
Zoro always has had a confident approach while also being oblivious or standoffish which more humanizes him. I think he's written in the perspective of what everyone would have expected the King of Pirates to be.
Morj with his nitoryuu ads style lol
Zoro is the reliable af character, he has his goal set. People can go far alone but will only transcend with others help. This is true for all the strawhats. It could be applied in RL too
Fire videos as always Morj. Need to know what this background music is though 😂
This is why I consider Zoro more of a 2nd main character than the 2nd person in the main characters story. Because although he is with Luffy for his journey, he has a story and a journey of his own that plays 2nd most importance in the series.
I’m kind of shocked there were no mentions of Zoro’s similarities with Rayleigh.
Morj, I tried saying this on stream but you didn’t see it, so I’ll say it again here! You’re so handsome! :)
If a big part about anime was about the joys of self-insert and feeling like you’re a main character in the story, I can get why many guys would prefer Zoro.
Man .. ZORO is... Sick
Luffy and zoro also have a special bond , zoro always does anything for luffy and luffy also goes to any extent. The greatest righthand and a loyal friend as rayleigh to roger.
Really great video!! Idk if this makes sense, but I got some Movie Morj vibes from this video too with how you analyzed different archetypes within anime and compared it to how One Piece handles them
A point that might miss here is that both Zoro and Rayleigh never seemed to...vibe...well with their captains. They expressed loyalty, sure, but they never seemed to be a great fit for the crews they were in. It's almost like the captain and vice captain were completely individual identities that were unique from each other except for their battle prowess and will to power. This might have been simple style, but I remember a scene in the anime where Rayleigh and Oda were standing with their backs to one another. This seemed to put it into perspective for me that whatever was holding these two together was not, necessarily, their personal relationship. That's just a theory... I think the two share a brothers-in-arms comraderie, but they are very different people who should, by all rights, have their own crews, but for some reason they are together. Let's also not forget about the Sun-Moon dynamic. Zoro is supposedly descended from Wano (Moon Kingdom???). Luffy represents the sun. Symbolically, these are two different icons that nonetheless share the heavens with each other- each never occupying the others space while locked in a relationship with one another.
Dafuq zoro vibes hard with luffy. Are you reading the same one piece the rest of us have been?
I think you are drunk..ZORO TOTALLY VIBES WITH LUFFY..AS RAYLEIGH DID WITH ROGER
I want some of the drugs your taking this post is laughable and completely false. Zoro and Luffy are like brothers, they super vibe with eachother. look how Zoro and Luffy embraced eachother when Luffy made it to Wano??? Your clearly reading a different manga than the rest of us
@@b.c4267 I'm not saying that had to be mean, cold, isolated, or antagonistic to one another. I'm saying that they are more the brothers-in-arms type of friends. I think Luffy and Ussop have the friend-friend type of relationship whereas Zoro's and Luffy's relationship is one of comradery and respect.
@@mamboking0134 Zoro and Luffy are like brothers if you ask me but everyone in the Strawhats is friends. I agree with your USOP point but Zoro/Luffy relationship goes far beyond just respect/comradarie but we can agree to disagree