Damn. I hate this. It's the worst thing when you can't put together a normal opening sentence. Oh well, I guess this'll have to do: Zoro is my favorite character in OP. You wanna know why? Read further.
It's not that I don't like all the other characters, I really do, but Zoro has something in him that makes him a little bit different and more interesting than the others.
First of all, there's the way he's introduced. We see him tied to a pole, dirty of all the dust, starving, dehidrated and weak from the sun exposure. He was dying. I always prefered characters who'd risk their lives for the benefit of others. Zoro was dying, but he wasn't afraid of death. He was trained as a samurai. He is a man of wisdom and honor. The code of bushido is his life. If a samurai loses in battle that would bring shame to his name. Zoro would rather die than lose a battle. He isn't afraid of death, he welcomes it. It doesn't mather how badly he's hurt, as long as he has the will to fight. I'll never forget the look on Arlong's face when he ripped off Zoro's bandages. He was thinking something like: "How can a man with such wounds still stand on his feet". All Zoro did was this:
Damn. When I first saw that scene I didn't know if I should be scared, happy or sad. It totally freaked me out. And that's not the last time we see him doing that. In Logue Town he risked losing his arm just so he could see if he can use a sword. In Little Garden he wanted to cut his legs off so he could fight, and when he was about to be turned into a wax figure he took a pose. He simply laughed in the face of death.
And then there's Kuina's promise. The promise that gives meaning to Zoro's life. It may be strange, but I never pictured Zoro's and Kuina's relationship as a mere friendship. I mean, Zoro went through an awful hard training, he's been given Kuina's sword and every beating he received throughout OP was practically because of her. A man doesn't go through such torture because of a friend, but because of the woman he loved. My point is this: there are other characters who've lost their loved ones (Nami, Usopp, Chopper…) and a lot of time passed until they've finally gotten over it. But Zoro didn't, and he probably never will. Untill he beats Mihawk, that is. Zoro's way of life left a huge emotional scar on him. He's got problems expressing feelings towards other people, his friends and especially other women. He's got only one thing on his mind: to beat Mihawk. Nothing else mathers to him, not even his life. When he beats Mihawk, he'll finally get to put his feelings for Kuina to rest. Then he'll probably have a chance to lead a normal life.
Mihawk doesn't stand a chance. Zoro'll win for sure.