One Piece is an anime that certainly has its share of strong and powerful characters. And even though its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, has been featured most often in our One Piece comparisons, this one will by no means focus on Luffy. Namely, the protagonists of this comparison will be Zoro, a member of Luffy's crew, and the powerful Bartholomew Kuma, a former warlord of the sea. In this article, we will analyze both, as we will pit Zoro against Kuma to finally determine who is the strongest of the two.

Although Zoro managed to injure Bartholomew Kuma in a fight, revealing his true nature as a pacifist, he still wasn't strong enough to defeat him. Bartholomew Kuma thus remains one of the few opponents to have defeated the Straw Hat Pirates, and he did so not once, but twice.

The rest of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we compare Bartholomew Kuma and Zoro in more detail. Through several categories, you'll see who is stronger and why our answer is the way it is, meaning why Zoro would ultimately be able to defeat Bartholomew Kuma in a direct fight.

Physical powers

Kuma is undeniably a very powerful individual, even among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. This is evidenced by the fact that he was able to destroy all of Thriller Island in a single attack and defeat the Straw Hats twice without even trying. Bay and bark of Marineford. Furthermore, Kuma is a cyborg modified by Dr. Vegapunk. He differs from Franky, however, and is also considerably stronger.

He possesses a body capable of withstanding many powerful attacks, such as Sanji's kicks or Zoro's thrusts. With his modifications, he remains a fragmentary government and marine machine called "Pacifista." He is even capable of shooting lightning from his mouth. As mentioned, Bartholomew Kuma is the only person in the entire One Piece universe to completely defeat the entire Luffy Pirates. He did it twice (although the first time he missed Luffy, and the second time he did it to save them).

Zoro is one of the physically strongest characters in the series. He demonstrated his strength while fighting Daz Bones. He easily lifted a building despite his injuries. He is seen training on the Thousand Sunny with one-ton dumbbells. His strength is likely equal to or greater than that of a giant, as he was able to parry a direct blow from Oars with his swords. After the time skip, Zoro's strength has increased considerably.

Zoro can punch, and he's strong, especially when he uses his swords to fight, but Kuma is so powerful that even Zoro's swords can't hurt him, and that's why he wins this point.

Points: Zoro 0, Kuma 1

Devil Fruit

Bartholomew Kuma ate the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, which allows him to repel anything, thanks to pads placed on the palms of his hands. This power to repel objects even allows him to repel the atmosphere of the air by forming shock waves.

Roronoa Zoro is a very powerful character. He is known as one of the most powerful characters in the series and one of the best swordsmen in the series; he will likely, by all means, surpass even Mihawk in the future. Now, Zoro's powers and exploits warrant the conclusion that he consumed a Devil Fruit, but is this true? It isn't—Roronoa Zoro has never eaten a Devil Fruit.

This makes Zoro one of the very few characters (the other most notable being Mihawk) who is extremely powerful but has not actually consumed a Devil Fruit; most other powerful characters have their Devil Fruits to thank for their individual reputations.

This one is also pretty straightforward, like the category analyzed above. Zoro doesn't have a Devil Fruit, while Kuma does, and a very powerful one at that. In this respect, Kuma clearly wins the points in this category.

Points: Kuma 2, Zoro 0

RIGHT

As for Kuma, we know he's a powerful warrior, but he's never been seen using Haki, so we can't confirm if he's capable of using one. Because of this, we really don't have anything to report in this category; it wouldn't surprise us if Kuma could use Haki, but we just don't know if he can or not.

Zoro is one of the few people to possess all three forms of Haki. Zoro possesses Royal Haki, the rarest form of Haki, whose users possess the qualities of a king. He is first mentioned as possessing this power by Kaido after Zoro's nine-sword attack. During his fight against King, he uses Royal Haki to coat his swords, a very advanced form, and at the same time, members of the Beasts crew are seen fainting.

He also used Armament Haki on Pica to slice him, meaning his Haki is more advanced than Pica's. Using Haki also allows him to counter Devil Fruit powers, as he did to temporarily stop the Birdcage.

He first uses Observation in his fight against Nuru, a Fishman capable of blinding his opponents thanks to the lantern on his forehead, even telling him that he only used his eyes to see and that was why he was weak; he used it again to find Caribou in the palace. He also uses it during the Dressrosa Arc to find the whereabouts of the one who stole his sword but also to find Pica during his fight against him.

And while we could argue that Kuma might have one or two powerful Haki, we don't know if that's the case. We know that Zoro can use all three types of Haki, which is enough to give him a point here.

Points: Kuma 2, Zoro 1

Weapons

As for weapons, Kuma has never been seen using one in combat, so we have absolutely no idea how good he is at using them, or if he's any good at all. Therefore, we really have nothing to add here.

At the beginning of his pirate journey, Zoro only mastered Santoryu, his conventional fighting style. However, over time, he began to master techniques from other schools, such as Nitoryu, Ittoryu, and Mutouryu. Zoro and the rest of the crew improved their abilities to face the New World.

This point should be given to him simply because Zoro is one of the best swordsmen in the series. Namely, we have absolutely no idea how skilled Kuma is with weapons, so Zoro is the clear winner in this category.

Points: Kuma 2, Zoro 2

Roronoa Zoro vs. Bartholomew Kuma: Who Wins?

Zoro may end up surpassing Kuma in the end, but he is no stronger than him now. Zoro lost his fight against Kuma when they fought, and although he was able to injure his opponent, something the other Straw Hats could not, Zoro was ultimately unable to defeat him, which is why he offered his life in exchange for the rest of them. Fortunately, Zoro managed to survive Kuma's attack, but he was ultimately defeated.