One Piece: Would Zoro Ever Kill a Crewmate?

Roronoa Zoro is undoubtedly one of the best-known One Piece characters. Like Luffy, Zoro wants to be the best in his own category, i.e., he wants to become the best swordsman in the world, surpassing his idol and rival, Dracule Mihawk, who is said to be the best swordsman in the world. People have been talking about Zoro for years, as he is one of history’s most popular One Piece characters. In this article, we are going to focus on Zoro’s personality as we are going to tell you whether Zoro has it in him to kill a crewmate or not.

Roronoa Zoro, knowing how loyal he is, would never willingly kill a crewmate unless it was absolutely necessary (possibly not even then). Zoro has it in him to kill when necessary. Still, he is fiercely loyal to his friends and has a very protective personality, which means that he would rather die than actually see them dead, which is what he was ready to do when he was fighting Kuma.

The rest of this article will focus on the character of Zoro and the issue of whether he would be capable of killing one of his crewmates. We will tell you about Zoro’s personality and relationship with his Straw Hats crewmates, which is necessary for us to clarify the answer we have given you completely. This article might contain a smaller number of spoilers, so do be careful while you’re reading.

What is Zoro like as a person?

Although he often acts as comic relief, Zoro is naturally reserved. He also has a terrible sense of direction, so he can get lost even on straight pathways or when someone points the way. Zoro is either resting or practicing when the crew is at sea. He and Sanji are fierce rivals who frequently argue (verbally and physically) in inappropriate settings. Yet, when they work together (rarely, which is the case), they make a fantastic combination.

With Kuina’s passing, Zoro is determined to become the greatest swordsman in the entire world. Since then, Zoro has committed himself to growing and improving to get closer to his goal. Throughout his adventure, he faces enemies, and after each battle, he reflects and considers what he may do better to have the upper hand. Zoro, like Luffy, has a clear aim in mind, but he also enjoys engaging in combat with other opponents and, whenever he can, ends up stirring up trouble or scandal.

He is exceedingly arrogant and obstinate; every time Chopper tells him to take a break because of the wounds he has from each fight, he simply ignores him and goes about his business as usual, demonstrating his lack of concern for the state of his body as long as he can follow his desire. As the situation becomes urgent or serious, his great sense of reason makes him the crew’s foundation (such as when Usopp left the crew). Whether he agrees with them or not, he will always back Luffy’s choices, only offering his viewpoint when the others cannot grasp the full significance of the circumstance.

Although recently (and because the Thousand Sunny has a system to achieve it) he has been spotted in the lookout function, his only apparent duty aboard the Going Merry is to use his tremendous strength to raise the anchor. Zoro has a reputation for being extremely tenacious and won’t give up until he has achieved his objective or vanquished his foe. This resolve is demonstrated in the Baratie arc when Zoro battles Mihawk, losing but being pardoned by Mihawk for witnessing someone with such resolve as Luffy. Zoro typically puts his black bandana, which is typically tied over his left arm, on his head when he prepares to engage in serious combat.

Zoro initially makes it clear to Luffy that he is only traveling with him to realize his dream. Still, gradually he started to think differently, even declaring during the battle with Kuma that “Luffy must be the man who will become the Pirate King,” which could be taken as a goal in and of itself. He has consistently shown himself to be the most devoted to Luffy throughout the series, even referring to him as the “Pirate King” after his defeat by Mihawk and in the combat with Kuma. To persuade Kuma not to kill Luffy and his crew, Zoro recently came dangerously close to giving up on him; this demonstrates his commitment and attachment to everyone.

What is Zoro’s relationship with his crewmates?

Zoro doesn’t interact with outsiders as much, but when his allies are in danger, he always stands ready to defend and save them—even if it means risking his own life. For instance, in Skypiea, he ordered everyone to abandon the ship when he saw the Going Merry being carried away, claiming he would be left alone to guard it. Moreover, when Bartholomew Kuma initially assaulted the crew, he was prepared to give his life in exchange for Luffy’s, and he hit Sanji when the latter attempted to stop him.

Another instance is when Zoro was hurt and was being pulled by Usopp as he attempted to flee from a Pacifista. Despite the seriousness of his wounds, Zoro ordered Usopp to flee and let him fight, but Usopp disagreed. Zoro most often trains while on the lookout or simply sleeps, thus, he is typically kept away from the crew. The two comrades Zoro engages with the most are Nami and Sanji, who he only ever sees when he needs to calm down Chopper, Luffy, or Usopp or when the group gets back together (as an argument).

Would Zoro ever kill a crewmate?

Now that we have told you everything you needed to know about Zoro beforehand, we think that you’ll easily come to the same conclusion as us: that Roronoa Zoro would never actually kill a crewmate of his. Roronoa Zoro might be a loner, but he is fiercely loyal to his friends and considers all of his crewmates his friends. Sure, they might annoy each other from time to time, and they might quarrel from time to time, but they are very close to each other, and there is a specific bond between them that makes them so special.

In light of that fact, Roronoa Zoro would definitely do everything that he could to protect them. Sure, we have to stress out that he is capable of killing someone, but that someone would never be a crew member. In fact, Zoro has a fiercely protective personality, and he has proven himself to be one of the most protective characters in the series. The best example of that is when he was willing to die to protect his crewmembers in a fight against the powerful Bartholomew Kuma. Yes, Zoro would rather die than see any of his friends get killed. Does that look like a person who could kill his friend?

Probably not. Well, almost certainly not. The only reason why Zoro would kill a crewmate that we can think of is an absolute necessity, but even then, he would probably do it only after trying everything else. For example, if Luffy needed him to kill him to save the others, Zoro might actually do it out of a sense of loyalty towards his captain, but only if there was no other way to save them or if he couldn’t be sacrificed in Luffy’s place. And that is the only reason why Zoro could potentially kill someone, but we’re not absolutely certain about it.