Summary:
Zoro dozes and dreams about his childhood, his relationship with the late Kuina, and his ambitions. Meanwhile, Luffy fires a cannon at a rock, angering Zoro’s old friend Johnny.
After Luffy finds a box of cannonballs on board, he and Usopp decide to play with the ship’s cannons. In the process, Zoro takes a nap where he dreams about his childhood.
Zoro was a dojoyaburi in the village of Shimotsuki and challenged the local dojo to duels. However, after challenging the Koushirou dojo, he faced defeat at the hands of Koushirou’s daughter, Kuina, and as promised, had to enter the dojo as a student. After training much more rigorously than his peers, he became strong enough to defeat the adults in the dojo, but was still unable to defeat Kuina.
One day Zoro challenged Kuina to a duel using real swords as opposed to shinai. Kuina defeated Zoro for two thousandth time. However, she lamented that she would never become a powerful swordsman because she was a woman. Zoro and Kuina promise each other to train harder and become stronger, and one of them will become the world’s greatest swordsman.
Both kept their promises and increased their training efforts, but Kuina tragically suffered a fatal fall down the stairs. When Kuina died, Zoro decided he had to become the world’s greatest swordsman to fulfill his promise. Koushirou entrusts Zora Kuina’s prized katana, the Wado Ichimonji, to continue training. Zoro trained for the next eight years before leaving the dojo to become a pirate hunter.
In the present, Luffy is firing a cannon at a distant rock. They then go to the kitchen, only to find they have been ambushed by Johnny, Zoro’s old friend. Johnny accuses the crew of trying to kill his friend.
Episode Strengths: Emotional Backstory: The episode delves into Zoro’s past, adding depth and emotional weight to his individual. Themes of Dedication: The episode explores issues of dedication, perseverance, and the energy of a adolescence promise to motivate fulfillment. World-Building Context: The brief scene with Coby reminds viewers of the ongoing warfare in Shells Town. Character Development for Zoro: This episode drastically develops Zoro’s individual, imparting context for his fighting style and motivations. Weaknesses (Optional): Limited Action: This episode specializes in person development and backstory, with minimal movement sequences. Focus on a Single Straw Hat: While the episode makes a speciality of Zoro’s backstory, there is minimum involvement from other Straw Hat team members. Overall: One Piece Episode 19 is a well-written episode that serves as a turning factor for Zoro’s character improvement. It explores his emotional past, the origins of his precise fighting style, and the unwavering dedication that fuels his adventure. While the episode offers restricted motion and focuses on a unmarried individual, it efficaciously utilizes emotional moments, flashbacks, and individual development to create a fascinating tale that leaves viewers invested in Zoro’s destiny and his function within the Straw Hat Pirates.