Ask any One Piece fan “What is Zoro’s best battle?” and the #1 answer is almost always the same — but everything else sparks endless debate.
In this article, Salty Dog ranks Zoro’s best bouts based on our own opinion. We’re looking at the coolness of the scene, the depth of the dialogue, and how well it captures Zoro’s character as the future world’s greatest swordsman.
Zoro’s Best Battles: Rankings 7 to 4
7th Place: vs. Monet (Punk Hazard Arc)
“You’re such a cold man…”
“Funny coming from a snow woman.”
The razor-sharp comeback is what earns this fight the 7th spot.
Tashigi stepped up to fight Monet, knowing Zoro wouldn’t cut a woman — but even with Haki, she couldn’t overcome Monet’s speed. Zoro, who had been silently watching, finally intervened: “You talked big but you’re crawling along… time’s up. I’ll be moving on ahead.”
“When you realized you couldn’t beat me… you should have run.” “There are things even I’d rather not cut. But…” “Tell me — have you ever met a wild beast that was guaranteed never to bite?” “I haven’t.”
Flooded with killing intent, Monet’s body froze solid — fitting for a snow woman. Zoro never even coated his blade with Haki. He crushed her spirit so completely she couldn’t regenerate. Staying true to his principle of not harming women while using the gap in their power to win on pure intimidation — this is peak Zoro cool.
6th Place: vs. Ryuma (Thriller Bark Arc)
“I use a three-sword style.”
“Never heard of it! A circus act, perhaps? Yohohoho.”
“Too bad I can’t show you right now.” “I’d love to knock down that smug nose of yours.”
The wordplay is brilliant: 鼻っ柱 (hanakkashira) means ‘arrogance’, but literally ‘nose pillar’ — and Ryuma is a zombie with no nose. Zoro’s threat of ‘knocking down his nose pillar’ while the guy has no nose is a perfect jab.
Ryuma was a legendary samurai of Wano and a zombie controlled by Brook’s shadow. Defeating him earned Zoro the legendary black blade Shuusui. Later, Wano’s history reveals Ryuma may be Zoro’s ancestor — making this fight even more legendary.
5th Place: vs. Pica (Dressrosa Arc)
The Dressrosa arc gave us one of the most satisfying Zoro moments. Pica, a top executive of the Donquixote Pirates, merged with the entire island to become a stone giant. Zoro had to cut through an entire mountain of stone in a single blow.
And he did it. One decisive slash split the stone titan clean apart. The moment his head receded in disbelief became an instant classic meme — but the real highlight was Zoro ascending ever closer to becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
4th Place: vs. Kaku (Enies Lobby Arc)
CP9’s strongest fighter aside from Lucci, Kaku had just awakened the Giraffe Fruit (Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Giraffe). His centaur transformation meant Zoro was literally fighting a giraffe-man — which Zoro himself found so absurd he could barely stop laughing.
“How can I take this seriously?!” The fact that Zoro overcomes this absurdity and wins anyway makes the fight both hilarious and impressive.
Bonus Rounds: Battles That Deserve Recognition
Captain T-Bone (Enies Lobby Arc)
A brief encounter, but T-Bone packed an impressive résumé in just a few pages: Captain rank, genuine justice who cared for civilians, tending to his men’s wounds with his own coat, the alias ‘Ship Cutter’, and slicing sea kings in half.
Zoro took him down in one strike. The technique name — Gyuki Yuzume (Ox-Demon: Brave Claw) — contains a pun: ギュウギュウ詰め (gyuugyuu-zume) means ‘packed like sardines’, a reference to Japan’s notoriously crowded trains.
vs. Bartholomew Kuma (Thriller Bark Arc)
Technically not a fight, but ask any fan for Zoro’s greatest moment and this is what they name. Zoro — the proudest swordsman alive — got on his knees and bowed his head before an enemy to save Luffy.
Then Kuma transferred all of Luffy’s pain and exhaustion into Zoro. Standing before Sanji moments later: “What happened to you?!” — “…Nothing happened.”
Too cool. Too noble. Still brings tears.
vs. Rob Lucci (Egghead Arc)
CP0’s strongest agent vs. Zoro. The reason this makes the bonus list: it’s where Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki first appeared.
Here’s the twist: Zoro didn’t consciously use it. Sanji called him “dead weight” — the sound effect “Kachin” rang out as Zoro snapped — and somehow coated his attack with Conqueror’s Haki without realizing it. In the later Elbaph arc, it’s confirmed Zoro still didn’t know he had it.
Now in the Sommers arc, will Zoro finally fully awaken and master Conqueror’s Haki? Stay tuned.
Zoro’s Best Battles: TOP 3
3rd Place: vs. Mihawk (East Blue Arc)
19-year-old Zoro vs the world’s greatest swordsman, 41-year-old Dracule Mihawk. Zoro was toyed with like a child and completely overwhelmed.
But even as he fell, he refused to show his back to the enemy. Mihawk recognized his spirit, said “Surpass me someday,” and left him alive.
What followed is the most iconic declaration in Zoro’s history:
“Sorry for worrying you… I just thought… if I can’t even become the greatest swordsman… I’d be useless to you.”
“I will never lose again.”
A loss that became the foundation of everything. The most emotional battle in Zoro’s history earns 3rd place.
2nd Place: vs. King (Wano Arc)
The Conqueror’s Haki awakening. No One Piece fan could watch this without going wild.
In the colored version, Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki is red — Zoro’s is green.
King asks: “So… do you plan to become a ‘King’?” Zoro answers: “Hah? Yeah… I made a promise to my captain… and my best friend.” And after defeating King, recalling his oath to Luffy:
“Then let me become it — the King of Hell!”
A Zoro resolved to fight for Luffy — too cool for words.
1st Place: vs. Mr. 1 / Daz Bonez (Alabasta Arc)
“Since I got this ability, not a single person who called themselves a swordsman has ever scratched me.” “No swordsman can beat me.”
“…I hear you. But put those memories in a photo album.” “I don’t know how many swordsmen you’ve faced before.”
“But you’ve never met me before.”
The verbal sparring is as sharp as the swordplay. And when Daz uses Zoro’s own words right back at him — “Ah, not a single bruise… that’s a bit of a shock. First time anyone’s stood back up after I’ve felt this much resistance” — Zoro fires back:
“That’s because… you and I have never met before.”
Zoro was losing. Daz’s steel body was impervious to any blade. In the moment he nearly dies, Zoro reaches a meditative state — hears the breathing of all things — and cuts steel for the first time.
The technique? Ittouryuu: Hyaku Hachi Pound Ho (108-Pound Cannon) — but here, with a regular sword instead of a large one, because he’d broken his own blades.
Zoro climbed one step of the ladder to becoming the greatest swordsman. Remembering his master Koushiro’s teachings, feeling the steel breathe — and landing that final decisive slash. This is Zoro’s number-one battle, no contest.