The Aesthetics of a Swordsman
Oda, a former assistant on Rurouni Kenshin and a huge fan of chanbara samurai films and yakuza movies, puts extraordinary care and philosophy into how he depicts swordsmen.
“A sword is a kitchen knife for killing people!! It was born to take lives!!”
“Swords are terrifying!! Because they’re seriously doing the job of a deadly weapon!! And what makes a swordsman is the ability to master that!!”
“The ‘strongest sword’… is the power to protect what you want to protect and cut what you want to cut.”
“A sword that indiscriminately wounds everything it touches… that’s not what I call a ‘sword’.”
An author with such a deep conviction about swordsmen would never give half-hearted character development to Mihawk — the man he portrays as the “world’s greatest swordsman.”
Yet ever since the formation of Cross Guild, Mihawk’s apparent lack of motivation has been conspicuous.
So let’s imagine the past of Mihawk — former “Marine Hunter,” former Warlord of the Sea, the solitary pirate with no subordinates.
The Reason Behind a Swordsman’s Epithet: “No Choice”
The reason Zoro earned the epithet “Pirate Hunter” was:
“He set out to sea to challenge the world’s greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye, but got lost and couldn’t return to his village — so he had no choice but to target pirate ships to make a living.”
The reason he nearly got executed by Helmeppo was also that he cut Helmeppo’s pet wolf to protect Rika.
When wielding a “deadly weapon” capable of easily taking a life, there must be a corresponding reason — a righteous justification.
Jigoro of the Wind
“Jigoro of the Wind,” the swordsman zombie possessed by Zoro’s shadow, reportedly earned the epithet “Legendary Stubborn Old Man” after slaying 7,000 pirates to protect his family.
The Dracula Inspiration
Mihawk carries many elements evocative of Dracula — a coffin for a ship, a cruciform sword, and a preference for red wine.
His name in English is DRACULE MIHAWK — just one letter away from DRACULA — so there’s no question Dracula is the inspiration.
And the fictional monster Dracula himself is modeled after Vlad III, the Impaler of Wallachia.
Vlad III came to be known as “the Impaler” because of the Night Attack at Târgoviște. To summarize:
The great Ottoman Empire (the Turks) invaded the small Principality of Wallachia (modern Romania). Though outmatched militarily, Vlad III and Wallachia impaled the corpses of over 20,000 fallen enemy soldiers as a display of terror — shattering the Ottoman army’s morale and forcing them to retreat. He successfully defended his nation.
The image of “driving a stake through Dracula’s heart” and the association of Dracula with impaling stems from this historical event.
The King of Lulusia, who looks Dracula-esque and shouts “Off to the impalement rack!”, is based on the same model. Mihawk may even be from the Lulusia Kingdom.
Putting this together so far:
- Mihawk is modeled after Dracula
- Dracula is modeled after Vlad III
- Vlad III was a hero who defended his nation from a foreign invasion
Add to this…
- Zoro cut someone to protect Rika and was unjustly branded a criminal
- “The strongest sword” means the power to protect what you want to protect
- The legendary swordsman zombie who slew 7,000 pirates to protect his family
And considering that Kuma’s reason for joining the Warlords was also “to protect his nation,” we can start to form a hypothesis about Mihawk’s past.
The Reason for “Marine Hunter” — A Theory
Originally, he was born a farmer’s son in some country, living quietly — tilling the fields with his family while training in swordsmanship.
One day, corrupt Marines arrived in Mihawk’s country and began plundering.
When the harm was about to reach his family and loved ones, Mihawk had no choice but to draw his sword to protect them. The Marines, faced with his overwhelming strength, were forced to retreat.
However, due to a malicious report filed by the Navy, Mihawk was put on a bounty list.
The very citizens Mihawk had protected were now blinded by the bounty and began attacking him.
Constantly hunted, he took to the sea.
Unable to return home, he had no choice but to raid pirate ships to make a living.
Because he also targeted Navy ships out of resentment, he earned the epithet “Marine Hunter.”
Because he opposed the Navy, he was called a “pirate.”
But Mihawk himself has no identity as a pirate — he has no interest in the One Piece or in becoming Pirate King.
All he wants is to return to his former peaceful life.
Aware of Mihawk’s wishes and wanting to exploit his strength, the Navy recruited him into the Warlords.
Tired of being hunted, Mihawk accepted the offer.
A backstory like this would feel very Oda-esque — and it would explain why he has no subordinates and why he has no interest in finding the One Piece.
Why Mihawk Decided to Train Zoro
The unspoken words behind that “…” were probably the same as what Shanks said, I think.
And that’s it for today! See you next time!