Zoro’s Best Battle Ranking: TOP 7-4
As this reflection shows, Zoro himself seems to care deeply about the depth of his lines.
When you ask One Piece fans “What’s Zoro’s best battle?”, the #1 pick is usually set, but the rest vary quite a bit.
So, here is SaltyDog’s completely personal ranking of Zoro’s greatest battles.
#7: vs. Monet (Punk Hazard Arc)
“You’re a cold man too…”
“Coming from a snow woman…”
That razor-sharp comeback makes the Monet battle our #7.
Zoro’s inability to cut women was his weakness, which Tashigi noticed — so she stepped in to fight Monet herself. But even with Haki, she had no chance against a Logia type with superior speed.
Zoro, who had been watching silently, interrupted: “You talked big and now you’re dragging your feet… Time’s up. I’m moving on ahead.”
“When you realized you couldn’t beat me… you should have run.” “I have things I don’t want to cut, too — but—” “Tell me — have you ever met a wild beast that you can guarantee will never bite? I haven’t.”
Monet froze like ice from Zoro’s killing intent. Being a snow woman, after all…
She was sliced in two, but no Haki was infused in the blow.
I don’t want to cut women, enemy or not. A Logia without Haki regenerates, so it doesn’t count as cutting.
Bending no rules, using the overwhelming power gap to win on pure bluff — Zoro was impossibly cool in this one.
#6: vs. Ryuma (Thriller Bark Arc)
“I use three-sword style.”
“Never heard of it!! Is it some kind of circus act? Yohohohoh!”
“It’s a shame I can’t show you right now.” “I’d love to knock that arrogant pride of yours down a peg.”
That cutting verbal exchange opens the Ryuma battle, landing it at #6.
“Hanagashira” (nose bridge) is an idiom for acting arrogant and full of oneself. → Ryuma has a strong “nose bridge” (pride) — yet as a zombie he has no nose → I’ll break that low nose bridge of yours even lower.
What a ruthless thing to say to an opponent. These relentless lines are absolutely thrilling.
The biggest highlight of the Ryuma battle was Zoro obtaining the new sword ‘Shusui’ — a supreme grade blade among the 21 Great Grade swords, same tier as ‘Wado Ichimonji’.
Many fans read One Piece like an RPG, and getting new party members — or a new weapon — gives that same rush of excitement.
Furthermore, the Zoro family tree revealed in Vol.105’s SBS showed that this battle was actually a clash between ancestor and descendant, which made it even more legendary.
Ryuma is Zoro’s ancestor, but Zoro still doesn’t know this.
#5: vs. Pika (Dressrosa Arc)
#5 is the Pika battle.
There’s no cool verbal sparring here — just endlessly mocking Pika’s high-pitched voice — but what made it scorching was Zoro declaring his dream of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman for the first time in a long while.
True to those words, watching him slice through an enemy the size of a mountain called to mind Mihawk — the current world’s greatest, who split a mountain of ice at Marineford.
“He can already fight Mihawk.”
A battle where you could truly picture Zoro defeating Mihawk and becoming the world’s greatest.
#4: vs. Kaku (Enies Lobby Arc)
Knocking over the Giraffe Devil Fruit user by sheer force, looking down at him, then: “Get your head down!!”
“Get your head down” means acting haughty, lacking manners.
In Giraffe Hybrid Form, the head is physically high up — can’t help that — but Kaku was also arrogant because he’d beaten Zoro once before.
Two meanings in one line, delivered while looking down at the fallen Kaku. Perfect.
The Kaku battle also featured the completely mysterious technique “Demon Aura Nine-Sword Style: Asura” — with no explanation of how it works.
Like Sanji who unleashed a new technique by spinning in the same arc, did Zoro also spin at high speed to appear as a three-headed deity?
Mysterious, but undeniably cool and exciting — a great battle all around.
Honorable Mentions: Essential Battles
These battles are hard to fit in the main ranking, but as iconic Zoro moments, no true fan can skip them.
Here are 3 that absolutely cannot be missed — presented as ‘Honorable Mentions’.
Captain T-Bone (Enies Lobby Arc)
His Captain rank, his straightforward justice for civilian peace, treating his men’s wounds with his own cloak, the title ‘Ship Cutter’, cleaving Sea Kings in two, the aura of a powerful warrior that Zoro sensed —
All that strength and charm packed into a brief appearance, and Zoro takes him down in a single strike.
The technique’s name — Gyuki Yudzume (牛鬼・勇爪) — is a pun on “gyuu-gyuu zume” (crammed in tight), referencing Japan’s packed rush-hour trains. That wordplay became famous too.
Bartholomew Kuma (Thriller Bark Arc)
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a battle — but if you asked fans to name Zoro’s single most badass scene ever, most would point to this one.
Proud Zoro pressing his hands to the ground, bowing his head, and begging an enemy to save Luffy — you can’t help but feel his raw, manly spirit.
And then afterward, after having all of Luffy’s pain and exhaustion pushed into him by Kuma: “Nothing… happened.”
Too cool. It brings you to tears.
Rob Lucci (Egghead Arc)
Last in the honorable mentions: the strongest CP0 agent, Rob Lucci.
Why it can’t be left out: Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki — the hot topic in recent chapters — is directly involved.
In the end, Zoro defeated Lucci with a Conqueror’s Haki-infused attack — but it later emerged in the Elbaph arc that Zoro hadn’t been consciously aware of his own Conqueror’s Haki.
In other words: being called “dead weight” by Sanji, Zoro snapped — and that burst of rage accidentally produced a Conqueror’s Haki-infused strike.
Now, in the Sommers arc, it’s exciting to watch whether he’ll fully awaken and master his Conqueror’s Haki.
Zoro’s Best Battle Ranking: TOP 3
Now for the Top 3.
Ask pretty much anyone — these three are set in stone.
#3: vs. Mihawk (East Blue Arc)
At #3: a 19-year-old Zoro completely and utterly crushed by the world’s greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk (41 at the time).
Mihawk acknowledged Zoro — who tried to face the finishing blow head-on rather than take it on the back (“A scar on the back is a swordsman’s shame”) — and declared: “Surpass me.”
The Grand Line’s peak swordsman vs. a boy swordsman from a small East Blue village. Even in a loss that was practically destined, Zoro wept with frustration and made a vow to Luffy.
“Did I make you worry… If I can’t even become the world’s greatest swordsman… that’d be trouble for you, wouldn’t it.”
“I will never!! lose again!!”
“Until the day I beat him and become the world’s greatest, I will absolutely never lose again!!” “Any objections, Pirate King!!”
Luffy: “Hahahah!! None!!”
Before or since, Zoro has never cried this hard, never lost so completely — a truly rare moment, the first and last of its kind.
#2: vs. King (Wano Country Arc)
#2 is the King battle.
What can you say — Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki awakening!! No One Piece fan was unmoved by this scene!!
In the color version, Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki is red — Zoro’s is green.
Right after Conqueror’s Haki awakened, King asks: “I see… So you intend to become a ‘King’?” Zoro’s immediate reply: “Hm? Yeah… I made a promise to my captain… and my best friend.” Then after defeating King, he recalls his vow to Luffy:
“Then I’ll become it — King of Hell!!”
Zoro steeling his resolve for Luffy’s sake — an impossibly cool battle.
#1: vs. Mr. 1 (Daz Bones) (Alabasta Arc)
“Since the day I got this Chop-Chop power, not a single person who called themselves a swordsman has ever scratched me.” “No swordsman can beat me.”
“…Yeah, I get it. But pack those memories away in an album somewhere.” “I don’t know how many swordsmen you’ve faced before—”
“But you and I have never met before.”
Whenever a ‘Zoro’s best battle’ debate breaks out, this fight always comes up.
The Alabasta arc’s entire popularity is said to owe something to Zoro vs. Daz — the undisputed #1 bout.
The individual verbal exchanges are each a masterpiece…
“How long can you last?” “You, that’s the question.”
As Zoro falls to the disadvantage, Daz throws his own words right back at him:
“Of course… you and I have never met before.” — and that’s exactly what makes this verbal exchange #1 as well.
Near the end, Daz moves to strike from behind — and Zoro protects his back.
His stance of protecting “pride as a swordsman” over his very life — absolutely cool.
Seemingly finished off by Daz’s blow, Zoro reaches the threshold of death and hears the Breath of All Things, awakening.
Remembering his master’s teaching, Zoro feels himself climb one step higher on the staircase of swordsmanship.
He hears the breath of steel, and pours his will into the blade.
One Sword Style — Iai: “Shishi Sonson” — cuts through steel. Victory.
Including his “I owe you thanks” after cutting Daz — a battle where Zoro remained a true swordsman through and through.