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You’re not the only one who thought Zoro was the main character and not Luffy; My Hero Academia Author Reveals Why Eiichiro Oda’s Decision Over Zoro Shocked Him

Roronoa Zoro is one of the few characters in the entire anime and manga world who may not be a main character but has a fan base as big as that of the main character, Monkey D. Luffy , In One piece. His personality and characteristics have made fans fall in love with him so much that they sometimes think Zoro could have been a better main character.

Roronoa Zoro's Coldest Moment
Roronoa Zoro – One piece | Toei Animation

His fight scenes, his dialogues, his physical attributes, etc. give energy to the main character, and if one day Eiichiro Oda plans to make a sequel or spinoff series where the story follows Zoro as the main character, fans will be excited to watch it. . Although it wouldn’t be as big as One piecethis would certainly reach a large number of people.

However, One piece fans may not be the only ones who think Zoro is the main character. Popular manga artist and creator of My Hero AcademiaKohei Horikoshi, also thought Zoro was the main character, but when he delved deeper into the series, he was shocked by Oda’s decision.

Kohei Horikoshi was shocked by Eiichiro Oda’s decision

A few years ago, Horikoshi paid tribute to Oda and paid tribute to One piece by drawing a sketch of Roronoa Zoro for One piece magazine Volume 9. The sketch looked a lot like the original Zoro, but it also had a little similarity to the characters from My hero academia. Along with the sketch, Horikoshi left a comment about the character of the Straw Hat Pirates swordsman, which was shared by @sandman_AP on X.

The comment said:

While watching Dragon Ball and Final Fantasy, I had the preconceived notion that the main characters had neat haircuts. So I was shocked by Zoro’s hairstyle.

According to Kohei Horikoshi, top anime and manga series like Dragon Ball And Final Fantasy created the stereotype that the main character or protagonist has clean haircuts, which alludes to their role in the series.

Roronoa Zoro, King of Hell
Roronoa Zoro using Conqueror’s Haki | Toei Animation

This is why Horikoshi first thought that Roronoa Zoro was the protagonist of One piece, because it certainly fits the description. However, when he read the manga series, he learned that Luffy was the main character and Zoro was his supporting character. He was shocked by the decision to One piece Creator.

Would Zoro be a better main character than Luffy?

Although Luffy is one of the best main characters in all of anime and manga history, there are certain moments in One piece where Zoro could have proven himself to be a better protagonist. Most of these moments revolve around his battles in the series, where he shows his true strength and courage against powerful enemies like the Beast Pirate King.

Luffy and Zoro
Luffy and Zoro | Toei Animation

Additionally, while Luffy’s fight scenes can be entertaining and unique, they are not as intense as Zoro’s fight scenes, which is why fans think Zoro might be a better protagonist for One piece. Additionally, Zoro has shown himself to be a bit more mature than Luffy on several occasions and has helped Luffy understand the role of a pirate crew captain.

However, Zoro has no desire to find the One pieceand his dream of becoming the strongest swordsman in the world may not be as difficult to achieve as Luffy’s dream of becoming the Pirate King. As a result, Eiichiro Oda made the right choice by choosing Luffy as the main character of One piece.

You can look One piece on Crunchyroll.