The Wano Country Arc is one of the best arcs of One Piece where the alliance of Straw Hat Pirates, Heart Pirates, and Akazaya Nine clashes against Kaido and his Beast Pirates.
Each character surpasses themselves to become stronger and defeat Beast Pirates. Our today’s discussion revolves around two major players in this: Zoro and King. Here’s our take on Zoro vs King and whether Zoro is really more powerful than King.
Zoro is the swordsman and arguably the second strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates while King is the right-hand man of Kaido. In a battle between two loyal followers, each vowing to never lose for their captains, let’s see who gets to keep their promise.
Table of Contents
Zoro vs. King: Full Fight
The battle of Zoro vs King is a long one that reaches its conclusion in chapter 1036.
After clashing swords for quite some time, Zoro manages to put together that when the flames on King’s back extinguish, he becomes faster but his defense drops down considerably. Taking advantage of this, Zoro manages to cut his mask off.
It’s then that it’s revealed that King is a Lunarian, blessed with superior power and durability. In a fierce clash that wounds them both considerably, they use their ultimate techniques against each other.
King’s Extra Large Imperial Flame Wings clash against Zoro’s King of Hell: Three Sword Serpent, 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, and Zoro finally land the lethal blow on King, coming out as the victor of Zoro vs King.
Comparison
1) Based on Haki
Both Zoro and King are proficient Haki users, having mastered Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku Haki. The strength of their Busoshoku appears to be on par since they can resist each other’s Haki-infused sword attacks. But the one thing Zoro has that King doesn’t is Haoshoku Haki.
During the Onigashima Raid Arc, Zoro demonstrates his innate Haoshoku Haki for the first time in canon.
That makes him one of the very few characters in One Piece able to perform all three kinds of Haki. And thus, in this round of Zoro vs King, Zoro is the clear winner.
2) Based on Speed
Speed has never been the forte for Zoro, instead, it’s the X-factor of Sanji. That isn’t to say that Zoro is slow in his attacks. In fact, just the opposite.
Zoro is faster than average and his attacks are dynamic and powerful enough to dominate his opponents. However, King has the upper hand over him here.
Thanks to King’s Devil Fruit, he can transform into a pteranodon. In this state, he can fly quite fast.
Even in his normal state, King is pretty fast and can cover a large distance at once. When the flame on his back dies down, King becomes even more quick, moving faster than normal human eyes can comprehend.
3) Based on Strength
When it comes to strength, both Zoro and King possess quite a lot of it. Zoro is one of the physically strongest members of the Straw Hats, while King, as a Lunarian, holds a great deal of muscular strength and durability.
They have both displayed superhuman strengths on multiple occasions, but this time, we’d have to give this point to King.
While we believe the difference in physical strength between Zoro and King is not too much, it’s undeniable that King’s larger stature and his race give him an edge over Zoro.
Besides, King has effortlessly resisted the Raid Suit-clad Sanji’s infamous kick with his own leg, which is proof enough of King’s superior strength.
4) Based on Sword Ability
This is an easy one. When measuring up swordsmanship, there are few characters in One Piece who stand a chance against the current Zoro.
No matter how huge the opponent is or how special their sword is, Zoro will prove to be superior no matter what. The same thing happens in Zoro vs King too.
Wielding Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Enma, Zoro reaches his peak yet by infusing his three swords with his Haoshoku Haki.
Enma is an aggressively demanding sword that takes too much Busoshoku Haki from its wielder and is thus hard to master. Zoro not only tames it but manages to convert his swords into black blades with his Haki.
5) Based on Devil Fruit
Out of our two competitors, only one has Devil Fruit powers. It’s well known that Zoro hasn’t eaten any Devil Fruit.
King, on the other hand, possesses the power of the Ancient Zoan fruit: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Pteranodon. It gives him the ability to partially and completely transform into a pteranodon.
In his hybrid form, the flames on King’s back increase in amount, and he becomes much faster. The beast form of the pteranodon gives him incredible speed and increases his durability.
The wings of the pteranodon are also very thick and pointed, which act as both a shield and an offensive weapon. Needless to say, this round of Zoro vs King belongs entirely to King.
6) Based on Overall Abilities
If you look at Zoro vs King objectively, based on the overall abilities of each party, we can see how Zoro manages to defeat King for good.
Truth be told, the power difference between the two of them isn’t too great. In fact, Zoro pushes himself well past his limit and is at death’s doorstep after his battle against King.
However, the sheer power of his swordsmanship overshadows every advantage King has over him, including strength, speed, durability, and Devil Fruit power.
With his superior Haki, formidable three-swords style, and keen battle intelligence, Zoro earns his position as the winner of Zoro vs King.
Is Zoro Really More Powerful Than King in One Piece?
When the Wano Country Arc starts, there is no doubt that King is stronger than Zoro, and even the rest of the Straw Hat, save for Luffy maybe.
He is the right-hand man of Kaido, an Emperor of the Sea, and that estimates him to be at least as strong or stronger than Charlotte Katakuri.
However, as the arc progresses and the Straw Hats and their allies train, the power gap begins to reduce. In the final battles on Onigashima, the monster trio decidedly become stronger than their opponents: Queen for Sanji, King for Zoro (after perfecting Enma (one of the Great Grade Swords), and finally Kaido for Luffy.
Despite all of King’s strength and the advantages his race and Devil Fruit provide, Zoro turns out to be really more powerful than King in One Piece.
Conclusion
From our earlier discussion, we can safely conclude that by the end of the Onigashima Raid Arc and the final battle, Zoro indeed becomes stronger than King. Zoro proves his worth by coming out as the victor of the Zoro vs King fight.
This achievement is surely very important for Zoro since it shows just how close he is to fulfilling his dream of becoming the strongest swordsman in the world. Stay tuned with us just as you stay tuned with Zoro for some upcoming excitement.
Do small things with great love.
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Anamika loves words and stories and putting them to pages. She also loves anime, manga, books, movies and everything fantasy. She has been a fan of anime since childhood and her admiration for it only grew with years. Her passion for writing is even more elevated by writing about the things she loves.
