Ryuma: monsters anime confirms Zoro and Ryuma’s connection in One Piece

Starting on Sunday, January 21, 2024, the long-awaited anime based on Eiichiro Oda’s Monsters was finally made available on Netflix. Following the unbridled success of One Piece’s live-action series, Netflix decided to broadcast the episodes of the ongoing Egghead Arc. The streaming platform will also release the anime adaptation of one of Oda’s pre-One Piece tales.

Monsters promises to be a real gem for fans, especially as its main character, the unparalleled samurai Ryuma, is narratively linked to One Piece‘s Roronoa Zoro. Strikingly similar both in appearance and manners, Ryuma and Zoro share an intriguing connection. The former is a forefather of the iconic green-haired swordsman.

Eiichiro Oda already confirmed that the content of Monsters, including Ryuma’s character, is part of One Piece’s canon. Compared to Oda’s original one-shot manga, the recent anime adaptation has brought some slight changes, retconning certain aspects to make its content more aligned with One Piece’s.

The zombie Ryuma appears in Chapter 450 from this volume, and he is indeed the Ryuma who starred in “Monsters”. In the world of One Piece, he’s a legendary swordsman who died of sickness.” Oda responds.

As revealed in One Piece, Ryuma’s surname was Shimotsuki, which makes the former an ancestor to Roronoa Zoro. Their kinship stems from the fact that Zoro is the great-nephew of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who in turn is a direct descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma.

Consequently, Ryuma and Zoro are blood-related, with the former being the latter’s remote, but direct, forefather. This explains the two swordsmen’s striking resemblance, as both have the same facial structure and even share the same peculiar scar over the left eye.

In terms of aesthetics, the only difference between the “Pirate Hunter” and the “Sword God” is the color of their hair, besides which the two look substantially identical. Notably, Zoro also inherited Ryuma’s formidable ambition and sense of honor.

A prominent member of the Worst Generation’s Eleven Supernovas, Zoro aims high, as his dream is to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman. He is characterized by combat prowess and unwavering loyalty, traits that make him Monkey D. Luffy’s trusted right-hand man and the Straw Hat crew’s first mate.

Oda assigned Ryuma and Zoro the same month of birth, November. This is not a mere coincidence, but a precise reference to their common origin, as the traditional Japanese spelling for the month of November is “Shimotsuki.” This is exactly the name of the homonymous clan.

Several centuries after Ryuma’s death, the prodigious warrior’s corpse was reanimated it as a zombie enlivened by Brook’s shadow. Although much weaker than the original, the revived Ryuma was still powerful enough to beat Brook easily.

In a twist of fate, Zoro met the zombie and, after a fast-paced duel, defeated him. Impressed by Zoro’s strength, Ryuma gifted him with his sword, the Black Blade Shusui, and faded forever.