Roronoa Zoro is undoubtedly one of the most famous characters in One Piece. Like Luffy, Zoro wants to be the best in his class, that is, he wants to become the best swordsman in the world, surpassing his idol and rival, Dracule Mihawk, who is considered the best swordsman in the world. People have speculated about Zoro's powers for years, especially since he has never eaten a Devil Fruit. There is a common theory that he might be so skilled with his swords because he is a clone of the legendary swordsman Ryūma Shimotsuki of Wano Country. In this article, we will tell you whether this is true or not.

Roronoa Zoro is not a clone of Ryūma. This is simply a theory that appeared on Reddit, but the thread that developed it mentioned that it was one of the "most plausible and craziest theories the One Piece fandom has to offer." Such theories pop up from time to time, and while there are some interpretations that could make them true, they are simply false, as Zoro is not a clone of Ryūma.

The rest of this article will focus on Zoro's character and his relationship with Ryūma Shimotsuki of Wano Country in One Piece. We'll tell you if Zoro is indeed a clone of Ryūma Shimotsuki, meaning whether the wild and crazy theory about him is true or not. This article may contain a smaller number of spoilers, so be careful while reading.

Is Zoro a clone of Ryūma?

Born in East Blue, Zoro spent his childhood in the village of Shimotsuki, where he studied at the local dojo. He specialized in nitōryū and was already strong enough to defeat adults, after which he vowed to become the best swordsman in the world. Ryūma, on the other hand, was born in the Ringo region of Wano Country to the Shimotsuki family. In real life, Ryūma was a samurai from Wano Country in the New World who lived approximately four hundred years ago; famous for slaying a dragon in the Flower Capital and stopping the island's constant foreign invasions. He is now considered one of the best swordsmen in One Piece history.

Earlier, we discussed some theories that Zoro is actually a descendant of Ryūma Shimotsuki. But these theories are, as we said, false and are, in most cases, the result of Zoro fanboys and fangirls wanting to give Zoro a deeper story and meaning. Beyond that, he is a powerful and talented character with a clear purpose. Oda himself hasn't really hinted at anything similar. While it's not impossible for it to happen, now that the Wano Country Arc is over, it seems unlikely that Oda would revisit the entire story just to make a dead character Zoro's descendant.

But Reddit, being what it is, has provided us with yet another, even crazier theory! Tin Foil Hat Theories has provided us with a theory that Roronoa Zoro is actually a clone of Ryūma Shimotsuki, created by Vegapunk while he was in East Blue. The full elaboration can be read if you follow this link, and we'll bring you a short version of the theory that we'll explain:

Zoro is a clone of Ryūma created by Vegapunk while the scientist was in East Blue.

• In the same way that people theorized that Momo's fruit was a failure because it produced a pink dragon instead of a blue one, Zoro was considered a failure because he had green hair instead of Ryuma's black hair.
• This would explain why similarities were noted by other characters between Zoro and Ryūma and Ushimaru during Wano, but no full explanation was given – Oda was waiting to explain it during the Vegapunk Arc.
• Zoro is the only Straw Hat who didn't receive an introductory box during his first appearance. "Roronoa Zoro" isn't his real name, and he probably doesn't know it. A possible real name? "Ryūma Zero," and the young clone couldn't pronounce it.
• Zoro's story is almost a blank slate. We don't know his parents, why he was so interested in becoming a swordsman, or what drove him to want to become the world's greatest swordsman (he wanted to be before he made his promise to Kuina).
• The timelines for when Ryūma's body was removed to Wano and when Vegapunk and Judge began experimenting on Lineage Factor are a few years before Zoro's birth. It's also worth noting that Sanji—part of Judge's experiment with Lineage Factor—and Zoro—potentially Vegapunk's foray into the same subject—are close in age. That Luffy's two wings are both failed scientific experiments seems a bit poetic somehow.

That's the whole theory in a nutshell. The full argument was presented in the link we provided above, and… really, there isn't much to discuss. Reddit user Mirai_no_Beederu developed their theory brilliantly. All the facts from the manga canon were gathered, presented, and summarized brilliantly, and there really isn't anything to contradict the theory. It all adds up perfectly, and there really isn't a single flaw in the theory. Except that it probably isn't true and it probably won't happen that way. Yet, it's possible. But it probably won't.

The theory makes sense and explains a lot. It would explain why we never get detailed information about Zoro, it would explain how and why Zoro is such a naturally gifted swordsman, and it would explain the physical similarities between him and Ryūma. It would also fit perfectly into the series' now-established timeline and explain a lot of the background experimentation that certain characters are doing behind the scenes. But the main problem with this theory is that it's simply an interpretation of all these facts.

Indeed, when we examine the theory, we find that it makes sense because the facts have been well gathered and interpreted from the perspective of someone wishing to create such a theory. These facts make sense from that perspective, but honestly, they would also make sense from any other perspective, without too much trouble. Namely, if we consider the fact that Oda kept Zoro's story a secret because he has an epic story to tell us before the end of the manga, all of these facts would also make perfect sense.

This would mean that this would remain a wild and crazy theory, albeit one of the best we've seen, to be honest. We have to commend Mirai_no_Beederu for the effort put into compiling the facts and developing them, but it simply wouldn't make any sense. Knowing how Oda's mind works—and he's as unpredictable as they come—giving Zoro such a backstory after so many chapters would completely destroy him as a character. It would completely ruin all the character development that Oda himself has been working on all these years. That's why we don't think it will turn out this way—despite the great theory—but knowing Oda, we must also add that we hope we're right.