One Piece Creator Drops Major Tease About Zoro's Heritage
When it comes to One Piece, fans like to think they know everything there is about the Straw Hat crew. To be fair, the franchise has given out tons of info about the gang, but there are some things we don't know about. For instance, Zoro's family remains a mystery, and fans are still itching to learn more about his bloodline. So of course, creator Eiichiro Oda had to drop a big tease about his heritage in a recent interview.
The whole thing went live in the most recent SBS issue, a magazine dedicated to all things One Piece. It was there Oda did another Q&A with fans, and one question asked the artist whether Zoro's dad had made a roundabout appearance in the manga.
According to Oda, the figure in question was referred to as a certain someone in the manga, and Oda kept his name private on purpose. However, he went on to confirm their name in SBS since Oda feels he will not have time for such introductions in the manga. The secret identities in One Piece chapter 1024 belonged to the former daimyo in Wano, and one of them was Shimotsuki Ushimaru.
Oda went on to tell fans that these daimyo rose up against Orochi but they were not successful. They ended up giving their lives in Wano to save Yamato from their dad. However, Ushimaru's looks in the manga drew comparisons to Zoro, so some fans were curious if the two were related. So of course, Oda had to set the record straight.
"To answer you, Ushimaru is not Zoro's father. The names of the there will not be revealed in the story, so I'll reveal them here, but I'm still wondering whether to draw Ushimaru's bloodline or to keep it secret. So, let's leave it at that... they really do look like, don't they?"
As you can see, Ushimaru might not have been Zoro's father, but that does not mean the pair aren't related. The two could come from the same bloodline, and if that is the case, then Zoro is a descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma to boot. This would be fitting considering Zoro's history with Ryuma and his legendary sword Shusui. So if Oda wants to clear up the record a bit more, well – One Piece fans would not mind in the least.
What do you think about this little One Piece tease? Do you have any theories about Zoro and his bloodline? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.