One Piece Creator Eiichiro Oda Explains Why Zoro Has Three Swords

An explanation from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda reveals the reason why Zoro has three swords, showcasing another example of his childish streak.

One Piece‘s creator has revealed the reason why Zoro’s character has three swords, showcasing another example of Eiichiro Oda’s self-admitted childish leanings.

Per @pewpiece, the popular One Piece fan account on X, Oda said, “In Japan there was a real-life swordsman named Musashi Miyamoto who was regarded as the greatest ever, and he was known for using two swords. My childish idea was to simply make Zoro even greater by giving him one additional sword.” Oda’s association with the fabled swordsman was seen again when he drew Miyamoto from Takehiko Inoue’s iconic Vagabond manga, a fictional retelling of his life. The artwork can be seen below.

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One Piece’s Zoro Was Partially Inspired by the Real-Life Musashi Miyamoto

Miyamoto is considered one of the greatest swordsmen in Japanese history. A BBC article documenting his history reveals his proficiency at fighting from the young age of 13, when he killed a man with a stick. At age 16, Miyamoto left home to become a warrior, defeating numerous swordsmen. While he was known for his violence, he became more temperamental later on, and his iconic two-sword style died with him, with his students unable to master it.

Oda first revealed the inspiration behind Zoro’s three-sword style in an interview with Netflix Tudum following the live-action’s successful debut. He also provided a similarly ridiculous reason why Nami has orange hair, stating, “It’s simply because there were no other characters in manga that had orange hair at the time. I just don’t want to do something that’s been done before.” Sanji’s kicking style stemmed from being a chef by trade, while Usopp’s slingshot stems from his cowardly nature. “He’d want a weapon that would allow him to attack from a distance,” Oda said. “Considering the modest village where he grew up, a gun would be too dangerous, and a slingshot seemed to make the most sense. Each of their fighting styles always needs to feed into their respective characters.” Oda’s sketches of Gear 5 Luffy also featured an explanation for why Luffy is always laughing.

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In the interview, Oda continued his trend of revealing his inspirations, echoing how Western films, such as Tarantino’s titles, inspired One Piece, adding to interesting trivia such as why One Piece doesn’t kill off characters — with the answer stemming from his experience watching Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.