One Piece: Oda Reveals The True Inspiration For Zoro And Sanji

Highlights

Zoro and Sanji are essential characters in One Piece, rivals since the beginning, and have a strong bond.
Their rivalry and relationship were inspired by Samurai and Knights, with both being equally powerful.
Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry and bond will continue to grow as they play crucial roles in Luffy’s journey to find One Piece.

Zoro and Sanji are two of the most important characters in One Piece. They are both members of Luffy’s pirate crew, and two individuals that Oda had decided would be part of his story long before One Piece had even begun. Zoro and Sanji are the Wings of the Pirate King, and as the name implies, incredibly essential for Luffy to fulfill his dream and find the One Piece.

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But more importantly, they also have a very intriguing relationship. Zoro and Sanji are rivals and this has been the case since the beginning of the series. In fact, it can be said that Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry is one of the very best in One Piece, and that it has essentially given birth to some of the most exciting plot points in the entire series. Fans have always wondered as to why and when Oda decided to make these two rivals and what his inspiration behind this rivalry was. Now, the answer has been revealed through Oda’s unpublished work from 30 years ago, and it might actually shock some fans.

Zoro And Sanji’s Rivalry In One Piece

Zoro And Sanji Are Two Fierce Rivals In One Piece

Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry goes way back in One Piece. The very first time these two got into a proper argument with one another was during the Arlong Park arc, where Zoro and Sanji bickered about trusting Nami. Shortly afterward, once the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Grand Line, this rivalry only got bigger. On Little Garden, Zoro and Sanji got into a competition with each other pertaining to a dinosaur hunt, and this competition was never truly settled. Ever since then, these two have been in a rivalry with each other, continuously getting better and pushing each other to get better as well.

Zoro and Sanji are easily some of the strongest pirates that fans have seen in the entire series, and they are incredible close to each other in terms of power level. In fact, they are largely even, and this has led to countless debates among the fans as to who the stronger one of the two is. At the end of the day, what absolutely cannot be denied is the fact that they’re both very strong. However, the relationship that these two share isn’t negative in any sense. Even though they compete with each other, they share a lot of love, respect, and care for each other.

Of course, they do not show it in direct ways, but Zoro and Sanji would gladly give their lives for each other. In fact, Sanji even decided to give up his own dream to preserve Zoro’s, which is more than enough proof of the fact that he values him as a very close person to him. Despite them being at each other’s throats all the time and competing with one another, Zoro and Sanji are always going to be best friends.

Oda’s Unpublished Work – Great Swordsmen

Oda Recently Revealed The Inspiration For Zoro And Sanji

As for the inspiration behind Zoro and Sanji’s rivalry, fans have now found out through Oda’s unpublished works that this duo actually goes way back. Zoro, as fans know, was based on Ryuma, which Ora drew in his one shot, called Wanted, long ago. However, fans did not know much about Sanji’s inspiration until now. Thanks to Oda’s editor, who revealed a lot of his unpublished works recently, fans now know that the prototypes for Zoro and Sanji are actually Samurai and Knights. Samurai and Knights differ from each other in many ways, but essentially, they are both warriors. While Knights are more chivalrous, a samurai follows a certain way of life. They might be at odds with each other in terms of their ideologies, but they are both fearsome and equally strong. This was revealed in Oda’s Great Swordsman prototype, which was worked upon 30 years ago. Oda had this to say about his Samurai and Knights prototype:

Oda: “Ryuma the samurai has appeared along with the dragon in my prototype works, MONSTERS. I always want to draw the combination of samurai & knight in MONSTERS, but in the end, they’ve become the prototype version of Zoro & Sanji”

This essentially confirms that Ryuma served as the basis for Zoro, and in the case of Sanji, it was a Knight called Romeo. These two were always at odds with one another and this is clearly visible to the fans in the prototype as well.

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Their personalities are also highlighted very well in the prototype page that was revealed. Romeo, who is the prototype for Sanji, uses honorifics such as Boku for himself, suggesting his Knigh-tlike nature. Meanwhile, Zoro is brash and follows Bushido, using honorifics such as Sessha for himself.

As is clearly seen in the prototype, they have a great appetite, both for food as well as for battle and glory. They are always bickering with each other and fighting at all times, wanting to prove themselves superior. However, it doesn’t appear that either of them manages to prove themselves superior to the other. This is yet another great way to look at the relationship between Zoro and Sanji, and how close they are in terms of power and importance to Luffy.

Oda Solidifies Zoro And Sanji’s Rivalry And Bond In One Piece

Zoro And Sanji Might Be Rivals, But Their Bond Is Unbreakable

The Samurai and Knights prototype that fans finally got access to recently just goes to solidify the relationship between Zoro and Sanji and it shows the fans that Oda had plans for characters like them long before One Piece even began. Zoro and Sanji were a thing before One Piece, and even back then, they were bickering with each other. They were also both very powerful, and their rivalry essentially goes beyond even One Piece itself. This is hilarious, and at the same time, admirable.

It is also exciting in more ways than one, as fans now know that the bond that these two characters share is incredibly strong. Even in the prototype, fans can tell that they have respect for each other, despite sharing a rivalry. In One Piece as well, fans know that Zoro and Sanji respect each other a lot. They have both, on different occasions, tried to sacrifice themselves for the other, and the trust they have In each other, though apparent on the surface level, is absolutely immense.

Zoro and Sanji will continue to grow as the Wings of the Pirate King, and as One Piece continues, fans will keep on seeing them shine in different ways, while competing with each other. Zoro and Sanji are some of the most incredible pirates, and more importantly, beloved characters in One Piece. They both have flaws, but the fans love them regardless.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1120, is set to be July 14, 2024.