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Following the release of One Piece Episode 1046, anime-only fans became incredibly riled up at the similarities pointed out by Hyogoro between Roronoa Zoro and Shimotsuki Ushimaru. Ushimaru was the Daimyo of Ringo in Wano under Kozuki Oden’s Shogunate, losing the position upon Oden’s death and being imprisoned by Kaido.
One Piece anime fans also learned in the latest episode that Shimotsuki Ushimaru is from the same bloodline as the legendary samurai, Sword God Shimotsuki Ryuma. Fans will remember meeting Ryuma’s corpse during the Thriller Bark arc, where Zoro defeated him and was given Shusui as a prize for his victory.
Thus, fans are now speculating that Ushimaru could be Zoro’s father, and Ryuma his ancestor as a result. However, comments from several months prior by series creator, author, and illustrator Eiichiro Oda provide a final answer on the subject. Follow along as this article fully breaks down Oda’s words on Zoro’s suspected lineage as seen in the latest episode of One Piece.
One Piece Episode 1046 sends anime-only fans down the same rabbit hole manga readers went through months ago
The latest
Following the Whole Cake Island arc, one of the biggest gripes for many One Piece fans is that Zoro’s lineage and backstory is yet to be flushed out. Thus, excitement ballooned when Episode 1046 was released and seemingly suggested that Zoro could be a descendant of the famous Shimotsuki bloodline of Wano.
This is further supported by the village which Zoro hails from in the East Blue called Shimotsuki Village. Combined with Shimotsuki Ryuma’s corpse showing its approval of Zoro’s skills as a swordsman by giving him Shusui, fans were certain that this latest piece of information cemented his lineage. Furthermore, fans were betting that Ushimaru is Zoro’s father.
However, as One Piece manga readers know quite well, this isn’t exactly the case. As seen in the above tweet, Oda himself confirmed in the Volume 101 SBS (a column for answering reader questions) that Shimotsuki Ushimaru is not Zoro’s father. He explained that he had intended to add another scene where Onimaru comments on how Zoro looks like a young Ushimaru.
However, he cut it because he found it confusing, eventually adding it to the main story in the form of Hyogoro’s comments as seen in Episode 1046. Adding that he may not get a chance to specifically say it in the main story, he tragically confirmed that Ushimaru is not Zoro’s father, despite the incredible similarities they share in appearance.
Thankfully, a small sliver of hope exists for One Piece fans who want this theory to be true. Oda very clearly specifies in the SBS that Zoro is not the son of Ushimaru, rather than emphasizing that Zoro isn’t descended from the Shimotsuki. In other words, the possible reveal of both Zoro’s general lineage and his being a descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma is still in play.
This could explain why Zoro and Ushimaru look so similar, despite the former not being the latter’s son. It would also further explain why Ryuma’s corpse deemed Zoro worthy of his famed Black Blade, Shisui, despite Zoro not being a samurai. However, this is all speculation, with the manga still not having touched on Zoro’s lineage in any other way as of this article’s writing.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
