One Piece Celebrates Zoro’s Birthday With Brand-New Art

Roronoa Zoro was one of the first Straw Hat Pirates to join Monkey D. Luffy’s crew, and the green-haired swordsman remains one of the most popular characters of One Piece. It should come as no surprise that even as the Straw Hats sail toward the shonen series’ grand finale, Zoro is a fixture in Eiichiro Oda’s series. Recently, the shonen series has celebrated Roronoa’s birthday with new art that highlights the best characteristics of the founding Straw Hat Pirate. Even when One Piece does end, Zoro will long be thought of as one of the greatest anime swordsmen that has ever hit the shonen world.

When it comes to the final saga of the One Piece series, Zoro has had more than his fair share of battles to show off his swordsmanship. Considering his goal has always been to become the world’s greatest swordsman, Oda is putting him through the wringer to both improve his skills and get him ready for the final battles to come. In the manga, Zoro assisted Luffy and his fellow Straw Hats in fighting against the World Government on Future Island and has now joined them on an island that has been hinted at for quite some time.

Happy Birthday Zoro

You might be surprised to learn that Zoro is only currently twenty-one years old in One Piece lore, meaning that he is aiming to become the world’s greatest swashbuckler in record time. Of course, there remains a giant obstacle in his path as the swordsman Mihawk is searing for the One Piece treasure alongside fellow Cross Guild members, Crocodile and Buggy. With the pieces amassing for one major grand finale, it will be interesting to see if Zoro is able to achieve his goal and if he can defeat Mihawk once and for all after so many years of training and tribulations.

What makes Zoro’s strength all the more surprising in the shonen series is the fact that he doesn’t have the benefit of chowing down on a devil fruit. The Straw Hat swordsman has built up his strength and skills through training and a never-ending series of battles that have filled the years which anime fans have followed his story in One Piece. Fingers crossed that Zoro fulfills his dreams before the Thousand Sunny departs forever.

The Live-Action Zoro

Hot on the heels of the shonen franchise’s continued success, Netflix hit major heights thanks to the streaming service’s live-action One Piece adaptation. The young actor Mackenyu, who took on the role of Roronoa Zoro, is no stranger to live-action anime adaptations, previously having roles in Fullmetal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin, Knights of the Zodiac, and even JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. While One Piece fans have yet to learn when we can expect season two to arrive, Mackenyu has been hinting at a wild ride.

Recently, the actor who plays the part of Zoro stated that he is expecting season two to have much more action than One Piece’s first season. On top of this tease, Mackenyu confirmed that he has seen the live-action Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor who will join the crew in the second season, and has described him as “cute.” With the second season set to see more members of Baroqueworks introduced and some major locales being portrayed in live-action for the first time, Roronoa will have his hands full.

Want to see what the future holds for Roronoa Zoro before the end? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Straw Hat Pirates and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.