One Piece live-action star's interaction with Eiichiro Oda implies a Zoro and Whitebeard's parallel

The master swordsman Roronoa Zoro embodies several prominent narrative parallels in One Piece. Zoro's position as the irreplaceable right-hand man of Monkey D. Luffy mirrors Silvers Rayleigh’s role as the trusted right-hand man of Gol D. Roger, the late Pirate King. Yet, Zoro’s ambitions drive him even higher, making him the man set to surpass Dracule Mihawk, the World’s Strongest Swordsman, and Ryuma Shimotsuki, the legendary “Sword God”.

That said, One Piece has also emphasized some compelling similarities between Zoro and Edward Newgate “Whitebeard”, a formidable pirate revered as the World’s Strongest Man because of his exceptional might. In a recent interview, Mackenyu, the actor portraying Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece live-action series, revealed that the franchise’s creator, Eiichiro Oda, gifted him a huge Whitebeard figure.

On the same occasion, Oda told Mackenyu that, as Zoro’s actor, he should channel the same commanding aura of strength that defined Whitebeard. This not only underscores Oda’s appreciation of Mackenyu’s portrayal of Zoro but also highlights the mangaka's acknowledgement of the parallel between Zoro and Whitebeard, a narrative connection that enriches the story’s depth through several shared traits.

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

Eiichiro Oda confirms Zoro and Whitebeard’s parallel as the world’s strongest in One Piece

The ultimate powerhouses in Oda's vision

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Mackenyu revealed that he regularly visits Eiichiro Oda’s house, a habit that began when he was cast as Zoro and continues to this day. During one of these visits, the mangaka surprised Mackenyu with a striking gift, a one-and-a-half-meter statue of Whitebeard.

This present was Oda’s way of encouraging Mackenyu to embody the same powerful and imposing aura as Whitebeard when portraying Zoro in the One Piece live-action series. Oda’s gesture and words likely reflect his view of both Whitebeard and Zoro as embodiments of unmatched strength in the One Piece universe.

The juxtaposition with Whitebeard, a titan of strength, adds to Zoro’s already established parallels with Ryuma, Silvers Rayleigh, and Dracule Mihawk. It’s another demonstration that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda holds Zoro in a particularly high esteem, which is hardly surprising as the mangaka based Zoro’s character on Miyamoto Musashi, the unbeatable Japanese swordmaster.

Insane endurance and pain tolerance, innate Conqueror’s Haki prowess, a fearsome strength-based reputation, and similar stoic behavior are just some of the shared traits that unite Zoro and Whitebeard in a compelling narrative parallel, certified by Eiichiro Oda’s explicit acknowledgement.

The pinnacle of strength in the One Piece world

One Piece connects Zoro and Whitebeard through their strength-related titles (Image via Shueisha)

Both Zoro and Whitebeard are linked to the concept of being the strongest in the world. Whitebeard held the title of the World’s Strongest Man, while Zoro aims to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman. Furthermore, Zoro is narratively tied with Shimotsuki Ryuma, a legendary, unparalleled samurai renowned as “Sword God” and known as “King”, the World’s Strongest Warrior.

Despite their exceptional combat prowess, Ryuma and Dracule Mihawk are merely benchmarks for Zoro to surpass, meaning that the green-haired swordsman’s strength is poised to become world-renowned, much like Whitebeard’s, or maybe even more. After all, Whitebeard gained the world’s strongest title yet didn’t care about becoming the Pirate King, much like Mihawk, Zoro’s mentor and destined opponent.

Dominant figures in pirate history

Zoro with Luffy, and Whitebeard with Rocks D. Xebec (Image via Shueisha)

Zoro is known for being the loyal second-in-command of One Piece’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy. Since the beginning of the story, Zoro has supported and assisted Luffy more than anyone else, fulfilling a role analogous to that of “Dark King” Rayleigh toward Gol D. Roger.

Before establishing his crew, Whitebeard was Rocks D. Xebec’s number two in the Rocks Pirates. This creates another interesting parallel with Zoro, who is the second strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates after Luffy, serving as the latter’s reliable right-hand man and the crew’s informal first mate.

The signature black bandana

Zoro and Whitebeard's trademark headbands in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Both Zoro and Whitebeard are distinguished by their signature black headbands. Whitebeard wears his bandana under a large pirate hat, while Zoro typically keeps it tied around his left bicep. When Zoro decides to fight seriously, he puts the bandana on his head, almost as an indication that he now means business.

Zoro doesn’t wear the bandana every time he fights, but only when he deems the stakes high enough to get serious. In those circumstances, the bandana seems to serve as a catalyst, symbolizing Zoro’s commitment and enabling the swordsman to concentrate better on the fight, maximizing his focus.

Unflinching warriors

Zoro and Whitebeard have unreal endurance (Image via Toei Animation)

Very few One Piece characters can boast endurance levels as high as Zoro’s or Whitebeard’s. Zoro’s pain tolerance is insane, making him the toughest Straw Hat, even above Luffy. This was evident in Thriller Bark, when Zoro endured all of Luffy’s pain and fatigue on top of his own.

That pain, which was enough to knock out Luffy, included the strain from overusing the Gears, whose aftereffects damaged Luffy’s body terribly. Despite adding that pain to the one from his injuries, Zoro endured it while remaining conscious and even standing on his feet. It was an absurd feat, considering that even Bartholomew Kuma admitted that he would pass out if he tried to undergo the same challenge.

Zoro’s ability to withstand immense punishment and keep fighting despite severe injuries was also seen in Arabasta, when he fought and ultimately won after Mr 1 despite losing liters of blood, and in Wano. During that battle, Zoro managed to block the Hakai, a combined attack from Kaido and Big Mom, but was badly wounded in the process.

Although injured by the joint effort of two Emperors, Zoro kept fighting against Kaido, unleashing enough power to inflict a permanent wound on the World’s Strongest Creature. This umpteenth display of toughness left Trafalgar Law, a prominent Worst Generation Supernova, impressed and awe-struck.

No wounds on their backs (Image via Shueisha)

Whitebeard’s endurance and pain tolerance are equally astonishing, especially since he displayed them as a terminally ill 72-year-old man, much weaker than his healthier and younger incarnation. Even with his old age and rapidly declining health, Whitebeard endured several life-threatening injuries, including Admiral Kizaru piercing his chest with a laser and Admiral Akainu burning through his insides and blasting part of his head off.

Those injuries added to the 267 sword stabs and cuts, 152 gunshot wounds, and 46 cannonball blows that Whitebeard received during the battle in Marineford, all after being already weakened not only by his sickness but also by a treacherous wound from Squard, plus a heart attack.

Despite all this, Whitebeard kept fighting, easily overpowering Blackbeard and nearly destroying Marineford. He only died after the Blackbeard Pirates struck him all at once, and his demise was just as legendary as he died standing, a stunning feat of tenacity that recalled Zoro’s iconic moment in Thriller Bark.

Conqueror's Haki users among the elite

Zoro and Whitebeard using Advanced Conqueror's Haki (Image via Shueisha)

Only a select few fighters can use Conqueror’s Haki, the rarest and arguably strongest Haki type, to coat their attacks, supercharging them with unmatched power. According to Kaido, this ability – informally known as Advanced Conqueror’s Haki – defines the top-tier fighters, distinguishing the mightiest from the merely strong.

Both Whitebeard and Zoro are among this formidable elite alongside Roger, Shanks, Luffy, and a handful of others. Despite his young age, Zoro commands the advanced version of Conqueror’s Haki at an incredibly high level, demonstrating multiple different applications, calibrating his power output, and combining it with Armament Haki to unleash a new Haki mode.

This is all the more impressive when considering that Zoro can unleash tremendous force with masterful control, while still using this ability on pure instinct, having not fully realized that it is the Color of Conqueror. As for Whitebeard, his ability to split the skies when clashing with Roger and Shanks speaks for itself.

Under normal conditions, Conqueror’s Haki doesn’t follow others. Zoro joined Luffy as a partner out of spontaneous trust. At one point, he even fought Luffy to a draw, the only Straw Hat to ever do so. Whitebeard, on the other hand, only followed Rocks D. Xebec because of an alignment of interests.

Can fight while asleep

Zoro and Whitebeard's incredible Observation Haki (Image via Shueisha)

Another outstanding trait that Whitebeard and Zoro share is their impressive ability to perceive and counter attacks while asleep, demonstrating exceptional Observation Haki prowess. Whitebeard was able to sense and neutralize Ace’s attempt to kill him in his sleep.

Similarly, Zoro sensed Kaku’s incoming attack on the Thousand Sunny despite being asleep. Before the strike could destroy the Straw Hat crew’s ship, Zoro snapped from deep sleep to high alert and used one of his swords to completely dissipate Kaku’s technique.

Same sense of honor and concealed kindness

Zoro and Whitebeard also share some personality traits (Image via Toei Animation)

Other shared traits that unite Zoro and Whitebeard are their sense of honor, stoic demeanor, fondness for alcohol, and surprising kindness. Whitebeard, despite his reputation for strength, was a compassionate and forgiving man who only sought to build and protect a family.

Likewise, Zoro hides a gentle heart beneath his fearsome, demon-like, intimidating aura. His sense of honor as a dedicated follower of the Bushido code also mirrors Whitebeard’s moral integrity.