Love and Loathe #6
Zoro
Here's what you loved about Zoro
1. He’s the badass done right. Whenever the tone needs to get serious, Zoro is there to remind his crewmates it’s not all fun and games. But that’s not all there is to him, he’s still well-rounded, engaging and…
2. He’s Funny. Especially him getting lost.
3. Three-Sword Style. It’s a unique spin on the swordfighter, and the sheer ridiculousness and coolness of it has charmed both lovers and haters of swordfights. Every time he puts on his bandana you know things are getting exciting.
4. Early Fights. With special mention to Daz Bones and Ryuma, Zoro’s pre-time skip fights were among the best in the whole series. And though it’s not exactly a fight, people loved his Thriller Bark moment as well.
5. Great Development. He’s got some of the better developments of the Strawhats.
6. Crew Interactions. Going back to point 1, people really love how he interacts with the crew. In particular his loyalty to Luffy.
Favorite Comment goes to Kaworu
"He was one of the first serious edges this manga needed to help with tonal shifts, and when he needs to, he fits into that role very naturally. I don't think I'm ever not excited to see a Zoro panel. I'd argue that one of the points of his character is to show human limits (in fiction, but you can still draw inspiration from it), and boy does he muscle through some heavy strife. I'm a big fan of his earrings. I'm a big fan of both his outfits, post and pre-timeskip, especially the bandana. I like the 3 swords thing though it's of course a bit intentionally silly, it's absolutely perfect for One Piece to knock a serious character down a peg by having him carry a sword in his mouth. Oh, and he's had one of the most memorable moments in the entire series. His attack names having hilarious puns yet also being awesome help."
Here's what you loathed about Zoro
1. New World Fights. With the start of fishman island Zoro’s fights have lost their spark. Pica, despite the awesome finisher, was particularly bad.
2. All Badass no Comedy. Though the exact moment this started is debated (most say post-timeskip), many miss his more lighthearted moments.
3. Worrisome Monet Fight. While the actual fight received mixed reactions, his view of women struck a bad chord.
4. What was the deal with Asura? All these years later and we still don’t know where it came from or what it is, or if we’ll ever see it again.
Favorite Comment goes to Strooger
"Zoro for all his strengths, is also a victim of circumstances. Being such an action ( not just in the sense of fighting ) oriented character, the moment his actions stop carrying heavy weight, he starts to stagnate. While it is a good decision for Oda to not constantly raise the stakes for ever single fight, because that could easily inflate the absurdity market: For most of the early One Piece, he was the character who got the most fucked up from his fights, surviving impossible odds and occasionally coming out on top. That made his battles very dynamic and we could see Zoro growing throughout it all.
However, around the time of the New World, due to narrative structure, we see just how lackluster Zoro can become when he doesn't have to overcome obstacles. Fishman Island was for all intents and purpose just a hype arc, it was meant to show us how much the Strawhats had grown. Zoro much more than any other, became a character who just steamrolled every single adversity he faced. […]"
Character/Actions: 4.11
Design: 3.40
~~ RANKINGS: Character ~~
- Galdino (4.42)
- Rosinante (4.13)
- Zoro (4.11)
- Carue (3.75)
- Smoker (3.71)
- Caesar (3.10)
- Conis (2.56)
~~ RANKINGS: Design ~~
- Rosinante (4.44)
- Caesar (4.28)
- Carue (3.90)
- Galdino (3.88)
- Smoker (3.73)
- Zoro (3.40)
- Conis (2.63)
And with that, let's present the 8th Character!
The (self-proclaimed) most beautiful woman of the seas!
Alvida!
To get the whole picture, please tell us the following:
What are the things that you love about Alvida?
What are the things that you loathe about Alvida?
At the end please give Alvida two ratings:
One for her character & actions in the story.
One for her look & design.
These must be between 1 and 5, with 5 being the highest (.5's are acceptable - ex. 1.5 or 4.5).
This analysis will be open for the next 72 hours.
Enjoy!