One Piece: A complete list of every narrative parallel between Zoro and Loki

One Piece recently introduced Loki, a fearsome Giant branded an infamous villain for his countless misdeeds, among which the alleged murder of his father, King Harald, the former ruler of Elbaph. Living up to his Norse mythology namesake as the god of mischief, Loki is portrayed as a menacing and deceitful individual. However, subtle clues suggest that he is just a misunderstood anti-hero.

Several mindblowing parallels seem to connect Loki with Roronoa Zoro, the master swordsman who serves as Monkey D. Luffy’s loyal right-hand man since the very beginning of One Piece. These shared traits may foreshadow an epic showdown between Loki and Zoro, or even Loki joining the Straw Hat Pirates, both of which are theories that spark fan excitement.

One Piece author Eiichiro Oda even revealed that, before settling on purple, he considered the possibility of giving Loki green hair, much like Zoro’s distinctive mane. This adds intrigue to the already compelling connection between Loki and Zoro, especially since Zoro was the one who freed Loki from his confinement. Read on to uncover every narrative parallel between these two formidable characters.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1155.

The connection between Zoro and Loki as of One Piece chapter 1155

1) Same introduction

Zoro and Loki's mirroring introductions in One Piece (Image via Shueisha)

The most obvious parallel linking Zoro and Loki lies in their mirroring introductions. Loki debuted in One Piece chained up to the bottom of Elbaph’s Adam Tree, a scene echoing Zoro’s iconic first appearance, which saw him bound to a post as if he were crucified.

The similarity continues as both Zoro and Loki were imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Zoro protected a girl named Rika from Helmeppo’s wolves. When Helmeppo threatened to execute Rika and her mother, Zoro allowed Helmeppo to capture him in exchange for their safety.

Similarly, Loki is introduced as a violent outcast who reportedly killed his father, King Harald. While Elbaph’s residents are convinced of Loki’s guilt, recent One Piece chapters suggest that Loki did not act out of malice but was forced to kill Harald against his will.

2) Feared as demons, yet they have kind souls

Zoro and Loki are unexpectedly kind (Image via Shueisha)

Both Loki and Zoro are powerful warriors whose intimidating, almost demonic presence masks their kindness. Zoro is often likened to a demon in human form due to his ferocity, overwhelming power, and techniques that explicitly evoke demonic imagery. Yet, he harbors a gentle heart, having a soft spot for children and women.

Zoro let himself be captured to save Rika and her mother from execution, selflessly risking his life for people he barely knew. Later, when Rika offered him onigiri, Zoro ate them without hesitation. Even though Rika mistakenly made the onigiri with sugar instead of salt, and Helmeppo crushed them under his boot, Zoro told Rika that the meal was delicious to keep her happy.

Loki, too, conceals his kindness. He is considered a deplorable individual who delighted in chaos since childhood, and even killed his father to steal a Devil Fruit. His menacing aura and sinister grin only bolster this terrifying reputation. However, his friend Mosa noted that Loki has a hidden compassion.

In addition to being associated with demonic imagery, Zoro is nicknamed as the “King of Hell”, an epithet linked to his awakening as an Advanced Conqueror’s Haki user, his newfound mastery of the sword Enma, and his long-standing role as Luffy’s shadow captain. The appearance of Loki in Elbaph’s hellish Underworld highlights another parallel between Zoro and Loki as good-hearted souls who appear demonic to the outsiders.

3) Similar interactions with Luffy

This is among One Piece's most striking parallels (Image via Shueisha)

Luffy’s encounter with Loki mirrors the pivotal moment that led Zoro to become Luffy’s first comrade. Just as Luffy sought out Loki after sensing his formidable presence, his encounter with Zoro was no accident. Unlike the other Straw Hats, whom Luffy encountered by chance, Zoro was someone whom Luffy deliberately searched for.

Yearning for a strong comrade, Luffy heard about Zoro’s fame and reputation as a powerful bounty hunter. So, he set out to find the swordsman, determined to make him his first mate. Zoro, who was locked up in Shell Town's Marine Base, initially refused Luffy’s proposal to honor the deal he had made with Helmeppo and Captain Morgan.

Upon learning that Morgan wouldn't respect the deal, Zoro accepted Luffy’s offer. This moment marked the birth of the Straw Hat Pirates. Just like Zoro, Loki was also introduced as a man bound and starving, yet radiating strength and defiance when Luffy approached him.

Zoro offered Luffy to capture any bounty to repay him, and Loki promised to destroy any pirate crew that Luffy wished in exchange for his freedom. Eventually, Luff freed both Zoro and Loki – Zoro directly, and Loki through Zoro, who physically liberated the Giant to investigate his previous deal with Luffy.

In both scenes, there’s a powerful warrior, restrained but defiant, whom no one dares to approach, but Luffy befriends and sets free. Scopper Gaban, Hajrudin, and the Elbaph Giants urged Luffy not to free Loki. Likewise, Koby warned Luffy that freeing Zoro would be too dangerous. Trusting his instincts, Luffy ignored the warnings in both cases.

4) Extremely powerful weapon users

Zoro's Enma and Loki's Ragnir are not for everyone (Image via Shueisha)

As two of the absolute strongest One Piece characters, Zoro and Loki have the power to wield weapons that others wouldn’t even dare to touch. After returning Shusui to Wano, Zoro received Enma, a sword that tests its wielders by forcibly drawing out their Haki. This enhances the user’s attacks, but leaves them in potential trouble.

If the user lacks sufficient strength, Enma may drain their entire Haki, leaving them exhausted and powerless. At first, Zoro wielded Enma to perform attacks strong enough to seriously hurt Kaido, with even Big Mom panicking at the sheer power of Zoro’s moves. Zoro even delivered an attack so potent that it inflicted a permanent scar on Kaido.

Yet, during the battle with King, Enma turned against Zoro, draining his Haki. Rising to the challenge, Zoro unleashed his Haki without restraints to satisfy Enma’s demands. Having met Enma’s standards, Zoro now wields the sword with flawless mastery, just like the weapon’s former owner, Kozuki Oden.

As for Loki, he commands Ragnir, a large warhammer that channels devastating lightning to annihilate enemies. Despite being a Giant, Hajrudin is unable to wield Ragnir. Likewise, the Red Scabbards, all of whom are skilled Haki users, considered Enma impossible to wield. This proves that both Zoro and Loki have mastered unique weapons that are off-limits to most.

5) Inborn masters of Conqueror’s Haki

Zoro and Loki have an innate affinity for Conqueror's Haki (Image via Shueisha)

Conqueror’s Haki, the rarest and arguably strongest Haki type in One Piece, allows users to dominate others through overwhelming willpower. Only a handful of elite fighters can amplify their attacks by coating them with Conqueror’s Haki, and Roronoa Zoro stands among this elite.

What’s astonishing, Zoro can wield Conqueror’s Haki at such a high level – using the advanced version of this ability and combining it with Armament Haki to unleash a new Haki mode, as well as calibrating his power output at will and demonstrating multiple different applications – all while remaining unaware that he is using Conqueror’s Haki.

Zoro still hasn’t realized the nature of the immense power he commands, yet he wields it with both devastating force and masterful control. The uncommon ability to use the strongest type of Haki without even knowing its exact nature marks Zoro as a natural Haki prodigy, a gift that mirrors Loki’s innate talent.

After learning that Conqueror’s Haki is the key to neutralizing the supernatural regeneration of the Holy Knights, Loki realized that this insight explained the nature of the power he had once used to defeat them. This suggests that Loki, much like Zoro, has been wielding Advanced Conqueror’s Haki at an incredibly high level, despite using it unconsciously, guided by instinct.

One Piece also highlighted Zoro and Loki’s shared Conqueror’s Haki affinity through their defiance of powerful factions that asked them to join: Zoro rejected Baroque Works early in the story, and Loki recently declined the Holy Knights.

6) Other mirroring traits

Strikingly similar mindsets (Image via Shueisha)

Zoro’s iconic left-eye scar finds a subtle parallel in the scar on the left eye of Loki’s wolf, a detail that feels hardly coincidental. Also, while Zoro has a deep connection with Dracule Mihawk, who is both his mentor and the man set to be his ultimate opponent, Loki is narratively tied to Shanks, the man who captured him.

This symmetry becomes another intriguing concurrence given when considering Shanks and Mihawk’s dynamic as contrasting yet complementary forces, sharing a world-renowned rivalry that even Whitebeard acknowledged as legendary.

Zoro and Loki also share a similar outlook on life and death. As fearless warriors unafraid to stake their lives in combat, they both believe that one should face death without hesitation when their time comes. Loki noted this when Shamrock and Gunko threatened to kill his animal companions.

Zoro has expressed a similar sentiment multiple times throughout the One Piece story, the most recent when he tested the authenticity of Loki’s injuries by striking him with a kick. The blow caused Loki significant pain, prompting Luffy to warn that Loki could die. However, Zoro coldly replied that if Loki died for so little, it would only confirm that his story was meant to end there.

7) A potential final parallel: the first and the last to join Luffy?

Luffy ignored the warnings (Image via Shueisha)

Eiichiro Oda himself has acknowledged Zoro and Loki's narrative parallel with a statement implying that the Giant is misunderstood and wrongly accused, just like the green-haired swordsman once was:

“What if it's a bird that ended up crucified in order to protect someone? That reminds me, Zoro's first appearance was like that too. Zoro!? Repeating digits? Volume 111 begins!!!”

Oda frequently embeds numerical Easter eggs in One Piece, aligning story elements with number references. Zoro’s current bounty, 1.111 billion, is a pun based on his birthday, November 11 (11/11). The birthdate is no accident, as Zoro is a descendant of the Shimotsuki Family, the all-powerful samurai Shimotsuki Ryuma being his forefather.

The word “Shimotsuki” means “month of frost”, i.e., the traditional Japanese name for the month of November, linking Zoro’s heritage to his birth month. The statement where Oda acknowledges Zoro and Loki's connection comes from One Piece volume 111, the same volume in which Loki debuts in the manga. This intricate numerical alignment, plus the various parallels, foreshadow a jaw-dropping shared narrative for Zoro and Loki.

Luffy and Zoro before Loki (Image via Shueisha)

A colossal showdown between Zoro and Loki may take place, but their similarities also hint at an alliance. Just as Zoro was the first to join Luffy, Loki, whose encounter with Luffy mirrors Zoro’s iconic recruitment, could close the circle as the last person to become a Straw Hat. In both cases, Luffy sought out a formidable individual whom others feared.

The mural of Harley implies that an Ancient Giant assisted Joy boy against Imu centuries ago. Loki, who carries the blood of the Ancient Giants, may join forces with the Straw Hats, who are set to finish what Joy Boy started. Although Loki has already refused Luffy's invitation to join the crew, he may reconsider soon, as Imu is now targeting Elbaph.