When are you going to talk about the live action Netflix remake of one piece? It's not like other live action remakes, I would like to know about your perspective on that remake. One piece's length is the reason why the second one piece anime is going to happen, because people who seen the live action remake trying to check out the anime have given up or didn't bother to watch it do it's length and toei animation studios habit of stretching out scenes and plots in every episode while adapting each chapter.
When are you going to talk about the live action Netflix remake of one piece? It's not like other live action remakes, I would like to know about your perspective on that remake. One piece's length is the reason why the second one piece anime is going to happen, because people who seen the live action remake trying to check out the anime have given up or didn't bother to watch it do it's length and toei animation studios habit of stretching out scenes and plots in every episode while adapting each chapter.
I know Death And Sword is something importan to zoro but the fact that sanji use this as Kitchen knife is something ehhh...how to put this....Cool i guess ?
Which probably helps explain him training so much if you take “luck is when preparation and opportunity meet” Zorro wants to increase his luck the only way he knows how by constantly being prepared. Prepared to train. Prepared to lose people. Prepared to win etc so he sets these expectation on himself
avarage one piece youtuber: shanks has an evil twin here's why!! melontee: here's a deep literary analysis on how death is a central theme within this character's development the PEAK of one piece content on the internet.
@@cjg60411 Oh yea, I'm sure they're really interested in the highly intellectual discussions by very intelligent people about whether Shanks or Rocks is stronger.
@ this just comes off as very pretentious of you. One Piece is still a shonen manga, every major conflict is decided by contest of strength. Why is bad for people to be interested in or interact with that aspect of the story?
@@cjg60411 Only a idiot would try and rank One Piece characters into a linear heirarchy of strongest to weakest and only a double idiot would argue incessantly about who's stronger between two characters who've barely done anything on screen.
I want to add that Zoro has quite a few parallels with Kaido of all people. They both are characters that have simple backstories that contextualize their desire and need for strength. Zoro and Kaido both have strong connections and acceptance of death as a result. In addition, Zoro has a crewmate that he seemingly hates, but ultimately trusts and works extremely well with much like Kaido (Sanji and Big Mom). The trajectories of their lives were determined by a single fight (Oden/Mihawk). They both carry a chest scar which serves as a reminder of their perceived weakness and desire to become the strongest. And... of course, they both have drinking problems. Upon their introductions, they are both regarded as being monsters that strike down any in their path, as demons that are not to be trifled with, Zoro pushed aside all trust until Luffy saved him, Kaido was a loner until he saved Alber. If Zoro became the strongest Swordsman without meeting Luffy, he would have the same fate and depression as Kaido.
Zoro's backstory and its connection to death differs from all the other strawhats. Bellemere's death can be blamed on arlong, Banchina's disease, Tom's on Spandem, Olvia and Ace on the World Government. But Kuina died in an accident with noone to blame. There was no big bad Zoro could get strong enough to defeat. Zoro cant avenge her death. I think that forever weighs on Zoro
@@motormouth6093yeah like you can have a regular conversation you have with a friend, and then you said something that made you feel bad after saying it, but your friend leaves heated. So you decide to apologize tomorrow after cooling off, just to find out the next morning that your friend just past earlier in the dead of the night because of an accident. It WAS AN ACCIDENT, but it’s the fact that he couldn’t properly apologize to his friend in person. That’s possibly weighing on him, so for his and Kuina argument of one of them becoming the strongest swords(wo)men, he shoulders her death and both of their ideals to truly becoming the strongest in the world.
Zoro's theme of death is why I think his dynamic with Usopp is so fucking good because it's the exact opposite with him, which is why Wano was so good in my opinion 'cause you had an entire arc with a bunch of characters who did not care to die, who live by much of the same code as Zoro, they were willing to throw their lives away. And then you have Usopp, screaming an crying at all of them about how stupid that is and that they should fight and cling to life because dying will mean suffering and sadness for their loved ones, but also that they can't CONTINE to fight and finally do away with the oppressive evil ruining their lives. If you die it's over, but only for you, so Usopp being there to remind them all that dying would also mean the end of everything for EVERYONE was just such good writing on Oda's part. Tying back into the idea that Zoro also cannot die because he has to be with his crew, nor does he want to die because he loves them and wants to stay with them. They all just want to be together and achieve their dreams together and it's just so beautiful.
It was a smart decision to have Zoro be the first Kuma sent away cause I cant imagine what failing to protect his whole crew and watching them "die" one by one would've done to that poor green man
I can't believe that in all the times I watched the Mihawk scene, I never got that he let go of the Wado Ichimonji and Kuina's promise while getting slashed. In my memory it was also that sword he later took up again to raise it in the air to promise Luffy to never lose again, grabbing back onto Kuina's dream and connecting it to Luffy's.
@@tofuaddict5946 Wait... Did I write in this shit? Its supposed to be "In This Shirt." The original was taken down but there is for sure a reupload, its marked as one. Imagine writing in this shit...
The Alabasta video would be 4+ hours long, I can feel it in my bones YOHOHOHO (for context MelonTee is working on making big well polished videos about each saga. MelonTee has been hyping up the Alabasta video for months now)
I hope she makes an Alabasta video too! Theres so much to talk about, plus I know I will learn something new in that video. I always learn something new or see a person or a sceen in a new way when I watch her videos.
I also think it’s worth drawing particular attention to Zoro challenging kuina to use real swords - his frustration so great that he becomes careless with his life, bringing the possibility of death into his relationship with kuina as some beautiful thematic foreshadowing. (Mirrored of course by the Mihawk fight.)
That video made me realize... The point that is made here about Zoro is almost the same as Nami's backstory, of shouldering way too much because she thought it was her responsability, until the breaking point where she couldn't carry it all on her own, and needed to accept help. I swear if we get a moment similar to the "Help me" but with Zoro, I will cry until the afterlife.
Seeing Zorro carrying all those swords having the souls of the dead in them i asume he also afraid of dying because he has no sword for his own soul to transfer to. By dying by the grim reaper, his soul would have been lost for good meeting his end. So He's not allowed to die, not just because of his promisses.
14:39 Zoro being perpetually in a state of grief is something I think about often. I'm excited for it to be touched on more in the present narrative because I can just feel this Zoro cauldron bubbling after Wano and Egghead. He's dealt with Kuina's death and the deaths that came after as well as he could, but he's been stubbornly avoiding certain parts of the grieving process. Zoro will support others in their grief but has refused to allow others to support him in his. He is the swodsman of the crew, goes out of his way to get the stories for other blades he wields, but has yet to tell anyone on the crew what Wado means to him or who Wado's previous wielder was. That's insane to me, like bro talk to your friends they care about you
I have to admit seing the "i am the king of hell" moment followed by the "oh shoot i don't want to die" was really wierd to me at first, but then i thought about it and i just got the feeling that this was very human like, just full of contradictions and helped me realise that zoro was even more of a complexe character than i thought
_"One who is a samurai must before all things keep in mind, by day, and by night, the fact that he has to die. That is his chief business."_ The Bushido Code
That's exactly what I thought as soon as I saw the title of this video. While I was reading that book I realized how much of that code can be applied to Zoro's way of living
@@Moe_Posting_Chad Not really... We were just pointing out the fact that in the Japanese book "Hagakure" is described the way a samurai should act in life. Many of those values can be seen in Zoro's way of acting throughout the story and in his personal code, in what he considers more important. One of the most important aspects of being a samurai was the total acceptance of death, also as a way of preserving honor
@Moe_Posting_Chad it's more like.. you HAVE to be aware of death and accepting that SOME day it will be your turn too. Doesn't mean it won't come when you're old and grey. But you had best respect it.
30:28 Another thing that adds for the thematic of Death to Zoro is the Fact "Enma" in Buddhist Mythology is the person who judges where you go in the Afterlife and another Title they have is King of Hell.
Damn, Oda's deep storytelling never ceases to amaze me. How the hell does he have TIME to do all of this research! One Piece is SO much deeper than the average fan realizes...
I feel like Zoro as a character struggles with his worth. Enma is literally a physical embodiment of a litmus test of worth for Zoro. If you're not worthy, it will kill you.
@@darkflame173not putting Oda down but Enma is like probably the most well known Buddhist mythology figure in Japan. It's like saying Oda did his research for knowing Rudolf has a red nose.
@@OfficialTigerino Yes, but it's more than just that one thing, it's almost every important person/place/thing/situation has some deeper meaning. So often I will watch videos or read reviews, or even just come across some information about something in One Piece just to find out that there are far deeper layers beneath. I am sure he does plenty of research for One Piece, but what amazes me is how much has gone into it, so many small details that can be missed.
Zoro is such a deceptively simple character. There's a lot of depth to him without the need to make him complicated. As always, it's great to see your view on him ❤
I think another important moment for Zoro in relation to death is his fight against Mr. 1 in Alabasta. When Zoro was on the brink of death, for that short moment, he could hear the breath of all things, as if the world around him was breathing its last breath for him. I believe that in that scene, Zoro was the closest to the eternal peace that is always associated with death (before the Wano scene) and that calmness caused by being so close to death's door should also be considered as a major step towards his journey to becoming the "King of Hell".
Zoro doesn't fear death, Zoro fears dying without fulfilling his oaths. To the Crew, to Kushina, to the Samurai. He has intense feelings of duty and a will only surpassed by Luffy. The aftermath of Thriller Bark really demonstrates this perfectly, and his friendship with Brook is just another layer to his relationship with Death, it's him making peace with Death as a constant companion.
« Zoro cannot disconnect himself due to his tethers to the world ». I am amazed at the fact that even though you didn't touch on the Buddhism subject, you got so easily to that conclusion. Random facts and food for though on this: - Zoro's cultural references are very linked to Japanese Buddhism (esp. zen, linked to bushidô of course). Ashura, Enma (who, if I am not mistaken, literally conquered the Buddhist hell), the senses he counts for his 36 pound canon… His relationship to « god/gods » takes a lot from Japanese relationship to deities as well (there is no plural in Japanese, so when Zoro says he has never prayed god(s), you can't know if he means a monotheist god or the full pantheon of his culture. Maybe I would have translated his reply « I have never prayed any god » just to make sure the ambiguity transpires and to make the difference clear between him saying plainly « kami » while Chopper and Nami say « kami-sama ». - In Buddhism, death means reincarnation. It's a cycle, but the aim is not to die or reincarnate, it is to get out of the cycle, through ascension. To ascend, you must put away your earthly desires and attachments, even your family. But this is relative especially in Japan because there are some stories about monks reuniting with their families, the story serving as a questioning on how far you are supposed to go to ascend. Depending on the school, you don't have to. One of the schools, created by a monk who though even people who didn't have the possibility in their life to become monks should be allowed to ascend, considers that you can ascend simply if your belief is strong enough. - Fun fact: to ascend, you have to face the East. My far-fetched theory is that Zoro can't ascend the traditional way because he is too directionally challenged xD. The fact that so many Buddhist theories revolve around direction is hilarious when connected to Zoro. - The Wano confrontation with the grim reaper is so impactful also because it is not a Buddhist reference. Zoro doesn't see Enma, or other representations of the hell he knows about and wants to conquer (a hell you can come back from if Enma is in a good mood, a hell you go to be punished and then continue your journey through reincarnation). No, Zoro sees the permanence of death in a very occidental feature that, I think, represents the impossibility of return, and that, indeed, must be terrifying. - Little digression on that point : skulls and dead bodies could be used to practice the understanding of the impermanence of things. I advise to read about Ono no Komachi's skull. She was a renowned poetess featured in the first poems compilation of Japan, and was especially praised for her unmatched beauty. I'll let you connect the dots with Hiyori on that one (and the fact that this woman who faked her death falls for the man who flirts with death, I mean!?). - Info dump on Wano: Zoro fighting Gyukimaru on that bridge is a great reference to the meeting between Yoshitsune (one the most beloved medieval figure of Japan, to the point that there is more legends than real facts about him) and the monk Benkei (who inspired Whitebeard's death standing, which reminds us of Zoro still standing after Thriller Bark ; there are several parallels between Whitebeard and Zoro, one of them being the absence of wounds on their backs). After their fight, legend has it, Yoshitsune and Benkei become inseparable. Benkei dies in battle to win Yoshitsune some time so he could commit seppuku instead of dying at his enemies hand. What you feel towards Yoshitsune's tragic fate is translated « sympathy for the martyr ». Yoshitsune has trained with tengus his his youth. I'm going to need to watch and read Wano at least ten times before I find all the references I can, and that would probably mean also going back to research on Japanese theater (because for all the movies it takes inspiration from, before the movies, there were poems, nô, and mainly kabuki and bunraku), but I wanted to share things that can be related to the video themes. Thank you for this very inspiring video and congrats on your amazing and though provoking work, as usual ♥.
Girl let me tell you, I never thought I could enjoy One Piece more than I already do.... until I met you. God I love you and your mind, and your humour and your pinkness.
Always so excited for MelonTeee's videos. They make me feel like I'm watching One Piece for the first time, even though I watch them over and over again. I love talking about One Piece and hearing different perspectives. Love all your videos!
Over the years I’ve seen so much discourse about zoro being the straw hat that will die first due to various death-associated imagery that gets linked to him on colour spreads and throughout the series, but your analysis about zoro’s character arc being related to conquering his fear of death and freeing him from the pressure of his promises makes way more sense 👀
You've certainly explored a new concept of Zoro that I haven't thought about! Which is saying a lot because I really REALLY love Zoro. I never thought about this contradiction before and it is fascinating!!
same boat. I guess media literacy plays a big role here or maybe some people like to dig deeper. Still I am glad that platforms like this allow us to hear other people's interpretations about our favourite character and think about it in a whole new light
Now I can't stop thinking Wado is his memento mori... Zoro is constantly reminded of death. The human relationship to death, especially through culture, is one of the topics I am most fascinated by. There was also a tradition in Japan of writing "death poems," including for samurai.
interestingly enough, zoro is the only crew member, aside from luffy, who's dream is an individual goal, and must be carried out by him alone. however, after thinking about this, there actually is a character who could become the greatest swordsman for him if zoro were to die: brook. ironically, the man who HAS died and knows what it means to live for others as well as himself. i find that very fascinating
Don't give up. In about a week, all the corpos will be bustin down doors to hire people. This comes from my perspective as an American in flyover America. Even in da corn fields they hire for them big corpo jobs. Repeat after me, "We're all gonna make it."
Zoro reminds me a bit of Batman. There's plenty of superheroes who have lost loved ones and their parents, often leading them to become heroes. But Batman's the one who I think has never gotten over that and uses that pain in his mission the way Zoro has prevented himself from moving on so he doesn't fail his own mission.
I never thought of Zoro being _afraid_ of death, but that does make sense. As usual, you've given me something to think about. For starters, that Zoro is deeper than I thought. I always saw him as a muscle head with a soft heart. The heart was always obvious to me, even with some of the things he says, I already know he's going to protect someone who can't protect themselves without a second thought. You also helped put into words what I've tried to understand about Thriller bark. I knew he was protecting Sanji, not grandstanding, but I didn't really know how to explain it.
Peak One Piece content. I cannot thank you enough for how much you can deepen an already amazing storytelling. The grim reaper scene and the fight with Lucci both confused me, but I couldn't make sense of them. Although, knowing One Piece and Oda writing for as long as I have, I knew there had to be somenthing there. Thank you again for translating it. ❤
This video is mind blowing, it's crazy to think about how there are still several things to be revealed in relation to Zoro and how Oda is keeping something big for himself, it would be cool to talk a little about Zoro's Asura state, which matches this possible contradiction that he may be experiencing, Asura's description matches Zoro a lot, according to Wikipedia it would be the mental state of a human being obsessed with ego, strength and violence, constantly looking for an excuse to fight, always angry with everyone and unable to remain calm or solve problems peacefully.
What makes Zoro's promise to Sanji specifically so interesting to me is that it by itself and in combination to his other promises carries a conflict with it. Two things that very much define him are his promises and protecting the people he loves from death and in promising to kill Sanji once the situation arrives he will have to choose one OR the other. It's a promise where he can't have both, it has what Zoro considers failure baked into it on either end. That's why I still think in Elbaf (which ties into the Little Garden parallel to Dorry and Brogy) the promise will eventually come into play and maybe it is how Zoro will find his peace with his promises and with his relationship to death. And as you mentioned those moments against King in regards to death already, I have actually been wondering for a while if his promise to Sanji was a key in Zoro controlling Conquerer's Haki during that fight eventually. Because by promising to take out Sanji if he has to, there is an acceptance of death there with Zoro as "the Grim Reaper/King of Hell" to Sanji that sees it as a relief and in a way freedom in that situation rather than a running away from a promise. So for a moment there Zoro saw something in death other than losing and failing, as long as he presides over it.
Elbaf is definitely bringing him peace with death with how much the Giants romanticize how they they die i.e. honorouble and in battle. You could say they're in a way bushidos themselves!
I really want to see Oda put Zoro go through a crisis. Regarding his fear of death and the love for his crew. And I wish this impacts zoro in a way that his view of the world and attitude gets impacted also. Though zoro has been through a lot, he still needs a crysis that cant be beaten by the strengh of a sword and that makes him mature.
Gadies and Lentlemen, the Zoro video is finally here Also I think in Elbaph with the bottom of it literally being called the Underworld, I think we’re gonna get something out of this soon in Elbaph
I love your theory that Zoro needs to feel his emotions at some point in order to grieve everything that’s happened in life. Because I feel like that’s the only way he can truly use conquerors haki. He uses it in these hyper emotional situations like trying to die for Luffy vs Kaido and while we’re all saying “OMG NO WAY ITS THAT THING HE DID 600 CHAPTERS AGO” looking deeper at it vs Kaido and vs Kaku, Zoro is likely at his most desperate. So with that desperate feeling, and wanting to keep someone alive (Luffy or Robin) he is able to tap into conquerors. He’s pretty much never able to do it unless it’s life or death for someone in the crew. So that’s my rant I’m going bed.
When I think of Bushido, I always think to the opening of You Only Twice by Ian Fleming: "You only live twice. Once when you are born, and once when you look death in the face."
I agree that Zoro's "final" powerup will be him trusting his friends that they can keep themselves safe so that he can focus on whatever fight he has at hand. Once he can turn the burdens of his promises into guideposts instead he will be able to fight without the yoke he forces himself under.
On the topic of the death-pact and Sanji's possible mutation, something that stands out to me is that the Vinsmoke brothers are incapable of fearing death. At the tea party, they were literally laughing in the face of it. If Zoro ends up fighting a fully mutated Sanji, I think it would be really interesting to see him confronted with how horrifying the reality of ‘not fearing death’ actually is.
About Zoro’s fear of death when he sees the grim reaper, I think he was scared since he wasn’t specifically offering up his life in sacrifice. He had no control in the situation, like literally not being able to move his body. Like you said he’s obviously afraid of death, but is willing to face it on behalf of his loved ones and their dreams. And since his death by the grim reaper wouldn’t serve any of those purposes, he couldn’t accept it and was scared again. The same way he was like you mentioned all the way back when we first met him when he thought he’d be killed by the marines. His outlook/fear of death hasn’t changed since then, he’s just found more things worth dying for.
This was such an amazing video again! Please, don't worry about them being long, it's great that you share your deep understanding of the complex world of One Piece with us! You don't ramble aimlessly, every line you say is impactful and well put together! Here, too, so much to think about regarding Zoro! I can't wait to see where the story takes him regarding his promises and his haki!
I think it's interesting to point out where he is able to channel Ashura: 1) In his fight against Kaku to rescue Robin 2) on the rooftop to defend Luffy. He's gone all out against King, but that didn't channel Ashura. It just kinda seems connected to conquerers AND the acceptance of possible death in the face of losing his mission
Some of the best lines said by Melon on this video that will stuck with me forever 1. Death is Final 2. Your luck helps you sometimes when you deal with a prideful and reasonable man 3. When you're always consciously aware about Death, you can obtain spiritual kind of freedom to do anything you want 4. Very important one should use VPN to see those big green juggs in a private and secure way 😂 Thanks melon you're understanding of One Piece world especially about characters Is truely different and deep. Appreciate you alot
Melon will really capture your heart with their insights, literacy, emotions and wits and then also be gorgeous. It's so hard to transition from thinking about silly little Doffy girl to someone you'd meet as a friend of your cool friend
How interesting... I think this is the first time in one of your OP character and/or theme analysis where I fundamentally have a different read... and I loved it, it was really fun to listen to such a different interpretation about this angle of Zoro's character arc (his relationship with death). My read on this trait in Zoro's characterization was that Zoro had a something along the lines of an "inherently apathethic approach to death", kind of a more edgy (pun intended) form of Luffy's approach to death. Like Luffy in Loguetown, Zoro faces _the idea_ of death directly and with no fear but unlike Luffy, Zoro had essentially no deep and close connection with the living, the only one he had formed had died almost a decade ago and thus, Zoro had no strong attachment to life other than his promise. To me, this creates in Zoro a "if I die I die" kind of mentality that goes to the extreme, he will happily challenge death if he's going to fight another swordsman, especially if it's Mihawk... and if he loses the challenge, so be it. Likewise, if he dies on his way to his next challenge because he eats a poisoned fish, or he drowns... or gets turned into a wax statue, so be it too. Thus, in my opinion, Zoro's lack of fear against death isn't due to his love for life but because of his apathy towards it, as his biggest attachment to it isn't life itself but a sense of duty towards a promise, that's what makes his fearlessness so different from Luffy's. This is why Zoro can challenge Mihawk and simply face his sword directly after finding out how much weaker he was (he honored his promise, challenged death and failed), or why he can offer to trade his life for Luffy's (his duty towards his captain and crew overshadows his duty towards his personal promise). Luffy would've never offered his life to Kuma in order to save the rest of the crew in Thriller Bark, he'd probably died fighting while ordering everyone to find a way to escape... like he literally tried to in Sabaody, but Zoro can, and he can because he's "too" okay with dying while trying, he's living and "dying" in a way that would lead to him finding himself in an after life with a simple "well, guess that was it..." if he were to die before achieving his dream And that's the thing, that's how he's living his life... but not how he would actually react if it were to happen, which leads to Wano. This contradiction between the way Zoro is living his life and the headspace he would actually be if he were to die is extremely important, because this means that he HAS to regain some level of fear, the fear of death. Tat is what I think is his character arc towards Bushido is, his flaw and what he needs to get a grasp of in order to achieve a "consciousness of death" is fearing death, it's actually understanding the finality of death and through that, reattaching himself to life (it's also a fairly similar arc to what Nolan did for Batman in The Dark Knight Rises). Through this lens, I interpreted his mini-arc in Wano where he claims the King of Hell title and then faces Death directly as him finally being forced to face what death actually means, and what becoming the King of Hell would mean for him: Fearing death and conquering that fear, ruling over it and using it to his advantage as a power source to boost himself to new heights (it's also like his own Usopp-like mini arc). This is also what explains to me his unreasonable behavior in his fight against Lucci, he has now faced death and he realized he feared it (because of how he reacted against it)... and that happened was basically dying from exhaustion as he had to overexert himself over and over again during the raid, as such, he has come to the realization that he needs to "raise his floor level" so that he doesn't need to go all-out on every big fight and exhaust himself too soon, so he was trying to beat him without going full-power, hence why we were constantly having the impression that he wasn't trying against Lucci for some inexplicable reason (it is still dumb, but it becomes Zoro-level dumb instead of almost-OOC level dumb). Anyways, as I said this was only my original interpretation, as we are already far in the path of interpretive symbolism and over analyzing lol so there's definitely many, many valid interpretations, and I think that yours was as fun if not even more than the one I had.
This video was soooooo amazing you've made me appreciate Zoro so so so much more. Man. It's just so incredible how Oda puts these things so clearly and I've never realized it. Thank you so much for sharing your experience to others because to me, it's enhanced a story I love so much even more
I didn't really make the connection of him carrying ghosts in all his swords, but it fits into an interpretation/metaphor that occurred to me a while ago: In many ways Zoro is a haunted house. Marked by death at any corner and yet still standing, very deadly to all who dare to intrude or damage those important to him.
We should keep in mind that when talking about Bushido, a lot of it is based on forgotten or questionable books that were fetishized by Western politicians and scholars to understand Japan as it rose to a powerful nation in the East, and that fetishized view has been imported back in Japan, then adopted into popular culture that was exported to the West again. What we recognize as Bushido is relatively a new and somewhat romanticized way of viewing what the samurai class was actually like.
That panel of zoro saying he made a promise to his captain and to his best friend gets me everytime. The love he has inside for Luffy and Sanji is just so touching 😢
Another great video and conversation starter. Thanks for giving me new perspective on one of my favorite characters. You are a treasure to the community 🙏🏽
I wonder if Oda has evolved Zoro in this way recently because he is also afraid of death, or at least because death is on Oda's mind more. Due to his own aging and the death of Akira Toriyama
So essentially... Zoro is max rockatansky, a stoic guy forever grieving, who gets the shit kicked out of him whilst everything arounds him goes to shit, with the reaction of "eh, could be worse"
Kuina died a meaningless death so Zoro is obsessed with dying a meaningful one but he isn't precious about it. That's why he can show courage when he faces Mihawk or Kuma. Because it wouldn't be meaningless.
Such a great video! Other than Luffy, Zoro is my favourite for all the reasons you mentioned (+he’s an idiot, thank god. I don’t think anyone could stand him if he was actually smart). Him sometimes being a cool guy is like a nice bonus. I hope we find out what happened exactly when he met the grim reaper because clearly - something is up with him and he doesn’t talk about it. That scene was so unusual and like you said weirdly specific and super short!?!?
Amazing video as always! Zoro always fascinates me since he always feels the most full of regret out of all of the Strawhats, to how he regrets how his strength isn't enough in Alabasta to obviously regretting that he couldn't be there to stop Sanji from going to Whole Cake. He never lets them go because he feels as though he is lacking in some aspect of himself, something that drove him to matching Kuina but now is I feel is holding him back. With his ever growing list of promises as you've said, I feel only makes his regrets grow and grow that once more he won't be enough. His only way to truly grow in my eyes is to, not that he needs to rely on his crew more as I feel he knows he can always rely on them, let go of the fear that he won't be enough when the time comes. I also find Zoro and Enma's connection and by an extension a connection to Oden fits perfectly. Enma represents Zoro's relationship with death as it is not a sword that tries to kill it's user, but it tries to draw out the strength needed to combat death. Enma represents Oden's hardships and battles to protect his own crew and family, that the strength to wield Enma is a promise to conquer the hell one must go through to keep everyone you love safe. Putting even more pressure for him to surpass himself but he gladly takes the challenge if it's in the name of protection. Excited for anything you make next, and hope you have a wonderful holidays!
HI MelonTree, I am from India. I am huge fan of One piece and also love your point of view. You made me realize that one piece is more than comedy and adventure. Its has depth in its character. I hardly write any comments but this one is for you. I love you voice until I see your face. You voice and face both of them are beautiful. Please don't say I am back with that face. You are beautiful and start your video saying i am back with my beautiful voice and face. Lot of love from india. Bye.
It also gives an interesting perspective on luffys and zoros relationship. Remember logue town, luffy about to be killed by buggy and smiling in the face of death? Zoro being this loyal to luffy may have something to do with luffys relationship to death itself
I feel like I say it too often, but this is my favorite RUclips channel, foe convincing me to get back into and then obsess over one piece. Very funny yet insightful content every time, thank you scary pink lady.
40:00 FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT! (this is all from aaa male perspective, buuuuuuuuut not battle bias!!, trust me! lol) zoro held back his conquerors haki against Lucci because of 2 things: exhaustion and the consequences of this exhaustion . The consequence being having brook´s cousin infront of him. My point of zoro holding back isn´t about power scalling but about narrative, zoro really got mentally scarred for him to not be able to beat someone his captain beat in like 5 punches.
41:00 Zoro's joining Usopp in the "I have I-don't-want-to-die disease and will refuse it as much as I can". It's only like half a joke. I always thought the parallels between Usopp and Zoro were interesting and Zoro's the one who welcomed him into the crew first. But this whole thing about death does make me reconsider how those parallels truly manifest. With how Elbaph seems to be gearing toward those themes I'll definitely keep an eye on both of them. Also I think it's one of the videos you mentioned Sanji the least XD. Tho tbf he was essential in all the mentions so it's good.
Lots of panels and moments of Zoro trying to nudge Usopp into acting like a 'man'. Reading to much into it, I always saw it as Zoro seeing a bit of his inner thoughts in Usopp's behaviors, and wanting to help him act like the stoic badass he could be. Though with a nose like that I doubt it. Zoro's got more hope then me.
Not that this essay brought any new insight into Zoro’s character for me, but it certainly clarified some ideas I’ve had about him. Thank you for putting in the work you do for One Piece. This video is definitely another banger
This viewpoint makes his friendship with Brook make even more sense. For Zoro, death is failure. That feels like it would flow into the complete idea that death is not an apology, it's failure. They're both very closely linked to life and death, and they both had surprising reactions to staring death directly in the face. Zoro begged for life while Brook accepted it, playing his last moments out. They contrast and match so well
You genuinely make THE best character deep dives for One Piece even on certain things I disagree with you're able to explain things in an effective and straightforward manner that is incredibly impressive
It's just so good watching this videos and realizing how much space to growth exists in the one piece characters, even the ones with the most screen time
Reflexions a day after watching your video : 1, Everything you said about him respecting other people's death also explain his behaviour at Sabaody when Charlos shoots a man in the street and Zoro wants to take him to a med after Bonney prevented him from killing the bastard, and then when Charlos shoots Hachi : they were both defenseless and Charlos was in no way fair and respectful. 2, When he yells at Luffy for being too careless at Punk Hazard, because he probably thought that Luffy didn't need his help at this point and he finds out he was nearly killed and he wasn't even there to prevent that. Explains the anger. 3, The fact that he doesn't asks for help and has his promises as burdens he has to take care alone... So when he "asks" Sanji for help it's a big thing, let's remember that. (even if he never actually *asks for help*) Your video has helped me understand and put into words so many things about Zoro, thank you ! I always love your point of view on One Piece.
I just realised that Zoro only gave up on Yubashiri and buried it after he got a new sword to replace it. Why not in Water 7? Why only AFTER Thriller Bark? Because Zoro wouldnt have let it go until he found a replacement for it even though it hindered his 3 sword style. He wouldnt let the sword die/be buried until he can assure it that he would be fine without it is my take. He saw the sword as a soul, and only after getting shusui can he let Yubashiri rest knowing Zoro is safe.
merry christmas to meeeeee!! honestly, thank you for this wonderful gift, it's so refreshing to see someone actually look at zoro and see the complex human character he is. happy holidays and thank you again for helping us see the true wonders of this insane manga
Thank you for making this video. Some of this videos facts I had stirring in my brain lately and this video will inform other fans (innocent and the blind dudebros) about how complex Zoro really is.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
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When are you going to talk about the live action Netflix remake of one piece? It's not like other live action remakes, I would like to know about your perspective on that remake. One piece's length is the reason why the second one piece anime is going to happen, because people who seen the live action remake trying to check out the anime have given up or didn't bother to watch it do it's length and toei animation studios habit of stretching out scenes and plots in every episode while adapting each chapter.
When are you going to talk about the live action Netflix remake of one piece? It's not like other live action remakes, I would like to know about your perspective on that remake. One piece's length is the reason why the second one piece anime is going to happen, because people who seen the live action remake trying to check out the anime have given up or didn't bother to watch it do it's length and toei animation studios habit of stretching out scenes and plots in every episode while adapting each chapter.
I know Death And Sword is something importan to zoro but the fact that sanji use this as Kitchen knife is something ehhh...how to put this....Cool i guess ?
WAAAAIIIIIT WAIT WAIT , Is THAT Luffys scar mark on the reapers face?
Cant wait to see how we’ll talk about sanji this time
HAHAH of course
I mean, it's a Zoro video, the two are connected by the red string of destiny, no matter how much did they try to break it.
me seeing the thriller bark chapter in the video:
Why wouldnt she talk about zoro's wife in zoros video tbh
Why is a samji comment the top voted in zoro video?
Zoro lives his life by his luck because he understands that a single bit of bad luck is all it takes to lose your life
Which probably helps explain him training so much if you take “luck is when preparation and opportunity meet” Zorro wants to increase his luck the only way he knows how by constantly being prepared. Prepared to train. Prepared to lose people. Prepared to win etc so he sets these expectation on himself
avarage one piece youtuber: shanks has an evil twin here's why!!
melontee: here's a deep literary analysis on how death is a central theme within this character's development
the PEAK of one piece content on the internet.
Don't forget farming engagement with powerscaling.
@@zoro115-s6b Why is it "farming engagement" and not just talking abt a topic that they, and many other fans, are interested in
@@cjg60411 Oh yea, I'm sure they're really interested in the highly intellectual discussions by very intelligent people about whether Shanks or Rocks is stronger.
@ this just comes off as very pretentious of you. One Piece is still a shonen manga, every major conflict is decided by contest of strength. Why is bad for people to be interested in or interact with that aspect of the story?
@@cjg60411 Only a idiot would try and rank One Piece characters into a linear heirarchy of strongest to weakest and only a double idiot would argue incessantly about who's stronger between two characters who've barely done anything on screen.
I want to add that Zoro has quite a few parallels with Kaido of all people. They both are characters that have simple backstories that contextualize their desire and need for strength. Zoro and Kaido both have strong connections and acceptance of death as a result. In addition, Zoro has a crewmate that he seemingly hates, but ultimately trusts and works extremely well with much like Kaido (Sanji and Big Mom). The trajectories of their lives were determined by a single fight (Oden/Mihawk). They both carry a chest scar which serves as a reminder of their perceived weakness and desire to become the strongest. And... of course, they both have drinking problems.
Upon their introductions, they are both regarded as being monsters that strike down any in their path, as demons that are not to be trifled with, Zoro pushed aside all trust until Luffy saved him, Kaido was a loner until he saved Alber.
If Zoro became the strongest Swordsman without meeting Luffy, he would have the same fate and depression as Kaido.
this one takes a win!👏👏
I was reading this seriously and then i read the drinking problem and started dying laughing lmao
Zoro's backstory and its connection to death differs from all the other strawhats. Bellemere's death can be blamed on arlong, Banchina's disease, Tom's on Spandem, Olvia and Ace on the World Government. But Kuina died in an accident with noone to blame. There was no big bad Zoro could get strong enough to defeat. Zoro cant avenge her death. I think that forever weighs on Zoro
Very well said.
One day he'll face and defeat Down D. Stairs.
Hell, iirc he blames himself. She wouldn't have been doing what she was if not for their fight
@@motormouth6093yeah like you can have a regular conversation you have with a friend, and then you said something that made you feel bad after saying it, but your friend leaves heated.
So you decide to apologize tomorrow after cooling off, just to find out the next morning that your friend just past earlier in the dead of the night because of an accident.
It WAS AN ACCIDENT, but it’s the fact that he couldn’t properly apologize to his friend in person. That’s possibly weighing on him, so for his and Kuina argument of one of them becoming the strongest swords(wo)men, he shoulders her death and both of their ideals to truly becoming the strongest in the world.
Naah, Banchina's disease falls under the same category and you know it
Zoro's theme of death is why I think his dynamic with Usopp is so fucking good because it's the exact opposite with him, which is why Wano was so good in my opinion 'cause you had an entire arc with a bunch of characters who did not care to die, who live by much of the same code as Zoro, they were willing to throw their lives away. And then you have Usopp, screaming an crying at all of them about how stupid that is and that they should fight and cling to life because dying will mean suffering and sadness for their loved ones, but also that they can't CONTINE to fight and finally do away with the oppressive evil ruining their lives. If you die it's over, but only for you, so Usopp being there to remind them all that dying would also mean the end of everything for EVERYONE was just such good writing on Oda's part. Tying back into the idea that Zoro also cannot die because he has to be with his crew, nor does he want to die because he loves them and wants to stay with them. They all just want to be together and achieve their dreams together and it's just so beautiful.
w analysis
GOD I LOVE USOPP‼️‼️‼️
It was a smart decision to have Zoro be the first Kuma sent away cause I cant imagine what failing to protect his whole crew and watching them "die" one by one would've done to that poor green man
Zoro has a big heart so he can pump blood in his big chest.
The scary pink lady uploaded again, life is good
The pink one so terrify
I like when the scary pink lady talks about fictional pirates for extended periods of time
I can't believe that in all the times I watched the Mihawk scene, I never got that he let go of the Wado Ichimonji and Kuina's promise while getting slashed. In my memory it was also that sword he later took up again to raise it in the air to promise Luffy to never lose again, grabbing back onto Kuina's dream and connecting it to Luffy's.
Did you see the AMV that used "In This Shit" over episodes of One Piece? It starts out with that scene.
Its worth it.
@@Moe_Posting_Chadcant find it 😭😭 is it on yt?
@@tofuaddict5946 Wait... Did I write in this shit? Its supposed to be "In This Shirt." The original was taken down but there is for sure a reupload, its marked as one.
Imagine writing in this shit...
@@Moe_Posting_Chad oh i think i found it thx
The Alabasta video would be 4+ hours long, I can feel it in my bones
YOHOHOHO
(for context MelonTee is working on making big well polished videos about each saga. MelonTee has been hyping up the Alabasta video for months now)
I hope so!
Somehow it's 24 hours
i can’t imagine what the wci video will be like then
I hope she makes an Alabasta video too! Theres so much to talk about, plus I know I will learn something new in that video. I always learn something new or see a person or a sceen in a new way when I watch her videos.
And I will watch every minute of it.
I also think it’s worth drawing particular attention to Zoro challenging kuina to use real swords - his frustration so great that he becomes careless with his life, bringing the possibility of death into his relationship with kuina as some beautiful thematic foreshadowing. (Mirrored of course by the Mihawk fight.)
That video made me realize... The point that is made here about Zoro is almost the same as Nami's backstory, of shouldering way too much because she thought it was her responsability, until the breaking point where she couldn't carry it all on her own, and needed to accept help.
I swear if we get a moment similar to the "Help me" but with Zoro, I will cry until the afterlife.
Seeing Zorro carrying all those swords having the souls of the dead in them i asume he also afraid of dying because he has no sword for his own soul to transfer to. By dying by the grim reaper, his soul would have been lost for good meeting his end. So He's not allowed to die, not just because of his promisses.
14:39 Zoro being perpetually in a state of grief is something I think about often. I'm excited for it to be touched on more in the present narrative because I can just feel this Zoro cauldron bubbling after Wano and Egghead. He's dealt with Kuina's death and the deaths that came after as well as he could, but he's been stubbornly avoiding certain parts of the grieving process. Zoro will support others in their grief but has refused to allow others to support him in his. He is the swodsman of the crew, goes out of his way to get the stories for other blades he wields, but has yet to tell anyone on the crew what Wado means to him or who Wado's previous wielder was. That's insane to me, like bro talk to your friends they care about you
I have to admit seing the "i am the king of hell" moment followed by the "oh shoot i don't want to die" was really wierd to me at first, but then i thought about it and i just got the feeling that this was very human like, just full of contradictions and helped me realise that zoro was even more of a complexe character than i thought
_"One who is a samurai must before all things keep in mind, by day, and by night, the fact that he has to die. That is his chief business."_
The Bushido Code
That's exactly what I thought as soon as I saw the title of this video. While I was reading that book I realized how much of that code can be applied to Zoro's way of living
Oh my God does this mean Zoro is the Straw Hat that is gonna die?
Maybe it will be a fake out death but I'll cry just the same either way....
@@Moe_Posting_Chad Not really... We were just pointing out the fact that in the Japanese book "Hagakure" is described the way a samurai should act in life. Many of those values can be seen in Zoro's way of acting throughout the story and in his personal code, in what he considers more important. One of the most important aspects of being a samurai was the total acceptance of death, also as a way of preserving honor
@Moe_Posting_Chad it's more like.. you HAVE to be aware of death and accepting that SOME day it will be your turn too. Doesn't mean it won't come when you're old and grey. But you had best respect it.
30:28 Another thing that adds for the thematic of Death to Zoro is the Fact "Enma" in Buddhist Mythology is the person who judges where you go in the Afterlife and another Title they have is King of Hell.
Damn, Oda's deep storytelling never ceases to amaze me. How the hell does he have TIME to do all of this research! One Piece is SO much deeper than the average fan realizes...
I feel like Zoro as a character struggles with his worth.
Enma is literally a physical embodiment of a litmus test of worth for Zoro. If you're not worthy, it will kill you.
@@darkflame173not putting Oda down but Enma is like probably the most well known Buddhist mythology figure in Japan. It's like saying Oda did his research for knowing Rudolf has a red nose.
@@OfficialTigerino Yes, but it's more than just that one thing, it's almost every important person/place/thing/situation has some deeper meaning. So often I will watch videos or read reviews, or even just come across some information about something in One Piece just to find out that there are far deeper layers beneath.
I am sure he does plenty of research for One Piece, but what amazes me is how much has gone into it, so many small details that can be missed.
@@darkflame173 I mean, I think that actually applies to a lot of stories, many have deeper layers and small details that add to the whole thing.
I started watching One Piece because of you. It truly is real.
Zoro is such a deceptively simple character. There's a lot of depth to him without the need to make him complicated. As always, it's great to see your view on him ❤
I think another important moment for Zoro in relation to death is his fight against Mr. 1 in Alabasta. When Zoro was on the brink of death, for that short moment, he could hear the breath of all things, as if the world around him was breathing its last breath for him. I believe that in that scene, Zoro was the closest to the eternal peace that is always associated with death (before the Wano scene) and that calmness caused by being so close to death's door should also be considered as a major step towards his journey to becoming the "King of Hell".
0:13 the scary pink lady
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The squealing always gets me😂
Zoro doesn't fear death, Zoro fears dying without fulfilling his oaths. To the Crew, to Kushina, to the Samurai. He has intense feelings of duty and a will only surpassed by Luffy. The aftermath of Thriller Bark really demonstrates this perfectly, and his friendship with Brook is just another layer to his relationship with Death, it's him making peace with Death as a constant companion.
Yay Sanji’s Husband video!!!
Another hint of Zoro still mourning might be the black bandana tied around his left bizeps. In Germany, it's called "Trauerflor" (mourning band).
« Zoro cannot disconnect himself due to his tethers to the world ». I am amazed at the fact that even though you didn't touch on the Buddhism subject, you got so easily to that conclusion. Random facts and food for though on this:
- Zoro's cultural references are very linked to Japanese Buddhism (esp. zen, linked to bushidô of course). Ashura, Enma (who, if I am not mistaken, literally conquered the Buddhist hell), the senses he counts for his 36 pound canon… His relationship to « god/gods » takes a lot from Japanese relationship to deities as well (there is no plural in Japanese, so when Zoro says he has never prayed god(s), you can't know if he means a monotheist god or the full pantheon of his culture. Maybe I would have translated his reply « I have never prayed any god » just to make sure the ambiguity transpires and to make the difference clear between him saying plainly « kami » while Chopper and Nami say « kami-sama ».
- In Buddhism, death means reincarnation. It's a cycle, but the aim is not to die or reincarnate, it is to get out of the cycle, through ascension. To ascend, you must put away your earthly desires and attachments, even your family. But this is relative especially in Japan because there are some stories about monks reuniting with their families, the story serving as a questioning on how far you are supposed to go to ascend. Depending on the school, you don't have to. One of the schools, created by a monk who though even people who didn't have the possibility in their life to become monks should be allowed to ascend, considers that you can ascend simply if your belief is strong enough.
- Fun fact: to ascend, you have to face the East. My far-fetched theory is that Zoro can't ascend the traditional way because he is too directionally challenged xD. The fact that so many Buddhist theories revolve around direction is hilarious when connected to Zoro.
- The Wano confrontation with the grim reaper is so impactful also because it is not a Buddhist reference. Zoro doesn't see Enma, or other representations of the hell he knows about and wants to conquer (a hell you can come back from if Enma is in a good mood, a hell you go to be punished and then continue your journey through reincarnation). No, Zoro sees the permanence of death in a very occidental feature that, I think, represents the impossibility of return, and that, indeed, must be terrifying.
- Little digression on that point : skulls and dead bodies could be used to practice the understanding of the impermanence of things. I advise to read about Ono no Komachi's skull. She was a renowned poetess featured in the first poems compilation of Japan, and was especially praised for her unmatched beauty. I'll let you connect the dots with Hiyori on that one (and the fact that this woman who faked her death falls for the man who flirts with death, I mean!?).
- Info dump on Wano: Zoro fighting Gyukimaru on that bridge is a great reference to the meeting between Yoshitsune (one the most beloved medieval figure of Japan, to the point that there is more legends than real facts about him) and the monk Benkei (who inspired Whitebeard's death standing, which reminds us of Zoro still standing after Thriller Bark ; there are several parallels between Whitebeard and Zoro, one of them being the absence of wounds on their backs). After their fight, legend has it, Yoshitsune and Benkei become inseparable. Benkei dies in battle to win Yoshitsune some time so he could commit seppuku instead of dying at his enemies hand. What you feel towards Yoshitsune's tragic fate is translated « sympathy for the martyr ». Yoshitsune has trained with tengus his his youth.
I'm going to need to watch and read Wano at least ten times before I find all the references I can, and that would probably mean also going back to research on Japanese theater (because for all the movies it takes inspiration from, before the movies, there were poems, nô, and mainly kabuki and bunraku), but I wanted to share things that can be related to the video themes.
Thank you for this very inspiring video and congrats on your amazing and though provoking work, as usual ♥.
Ok so Zoro is basically living through an eternal state of Survival's Guilt, but he's also actual deathly afraid of dying. Himself, other people..
Girl let me tell you, I never thought I could enjoy One Piece more than I already do.... until I met you. God I love you and your mind, and your humour and your pinkness.
Always so excited for MelonTeee's videos. They make me feel like I'm watching One Piece for the first time, even though I watch them over and over again. I love talking about One Piece and hearing different perspectives. Love all your videos!
Unironically the greatest treasures of the story were buried in the subtext and among the fans that dug them up.
Over the years I’ve seen so much discourse about zoro being the straw hat that will die first due to various death-associated imagery that gets linked to him on colour spreads and throughout the series, but your analysis about zoro’s character arc being related to conquering his fear of death and freeing him from the pressure of his promises makes way more sense 👀
You've certainly explored a new concept of Zoro that I haven't thought about! Which is saying a lot because I really REALLY love Zoro. I never thought about this contradiction before and it is fascinating!!
same boat. I guess media literacy plays a big role here or maybe some people like to dig deeper. Still I am glad that platforms like this allow us to hear other people's interpretations about our favourite character and think about it in a whole new light
Now I can't stop thinking Wado is his memento mori... Zoro is constantly reminded of death. The human relationship to death, especially through culture, is one of the topics I am most fascinated by. There was also a tradition in Japan of writing "death poems," including for samurai.
I was today years old when I found out it's melontee not tree. I have been enjoying their content for over 3 years 4:56
interestingly enough, zoro is the only crew member, aside from luffy, who's dream is an individual goal, and must be carried out by him alone. however, after thinking about this, there actually is a character who could become the greatest swordsman for him if zoro were to die: brook. ironically, the man who HAS died and knows what it means to live for others as well as himself. i find that very fascinating
I was feeling pretty down because of job searching and stuff, so this video couldn't have dropped at a better time. Bless you pink woman 🙏
I feel you brother 😢
God bless y'all fr, I pray that your search is not fruitless!
Don't give up. In about a week, all the corpos will be bustin down doors to hire people. This comes from my perspective as an American in flyover America. Even in da corn fields they hire for them big corpo jobs. Repeat after me, "We're all gonna make it."
@@ZOROKISHIN we'll get through this brother
@@espelhodasconstelacoes thank you for your prayers.
Zoro reminds me a bit of Batman. There's plenty of superheroes who have lost loved ones and their parents, often leading them to become heroes. But Batman's the one who I think has never gotten over that and uses that pain in his mission the way Zoro has prevented himself from moving on so he doesn't fail his own mission.
I never thought of Zoro being _afraid_ of death, but that does make sense.
As usual, you've given me something to think about. For starters, that Zoro is deeper than I thought.
I always saw him as a muscle head with a soft heart. The heart was always obvious to me, even with some of the things he says, I already know he's going to protect someone who can't protect themselves without a second thought.
You also helped put into words what I've tried to understand about Thriller bark. I knew he was protecting Sanji, not grandstanding, but I didn't really know how to explain it.
Peak One Piece content. I cannot thank you enough for how much you can deepen an already amazing storytelling.
The grim reaper scene and the fight with Lucci both confused me, but I couldn't make sense of them. Although, knowing One Piece and Oda writing for as long as I have, I knew there had to be somenthing there. Thank you again for translating it. ❤
This video is mind blowing, it's crazy to think about how there are still several things to be revealed in relation to Zoro and how Oda is keeping something big for himself, it would be cool to talk a little about Zoro's Asura state, which matches this possible contradiction that he may be experiencing, Asura's description matches Zoro a lot, according to Wikipedia it would be the mental state of a human being obsessed with ego, strength and violence, constantly looking for an excuse to fight, always angry with everyone and unable to remain calm or solve problems peacefully.
What makes Zoro's promise to Sanji specifically so interesting to me is that it by itself and in combination to his other promises carries a conflict with it. Two things that very much define him are his promises and protecting the people he loves from death and in promising to kill Sanji once the situation arrives he will have to choose one OR the other. It's a promise where he can't have both, it has what Zoro considers failure baked into it on either end.
That's why I still think in Elbaf (which ties into the Little Garden parallel to Dorry and Brogy) the promise will eventually come into play and maybe it is how Zoro will find his peace with his promises and with his relationship to death.
And as you mentioned those moments against King in regards to death already, I have actually been wondering for a while if his promise to Sanji was a key in Zoro controlling Conquerer's Haki during that fight eventually. Because by promising to take out Sanji if he has to, there is an acceptance of death there with Zoro as "the Grim Reaper/King of Hell" to Sanji that sees it as a relief and in a way freedom in that situation rather than a running away from a promise. So for a moment there Zoro saw something in death other than losing and failing, as long as he presides over it.
Elbaf is definitely bringing him peace with death with how much the Giants romanticize how they they die i.e. honorouble and in battle. You could say they're in a way bushidos themselves!
he need to stop being the only guardian and start being a dreamer too
I really want to see Oda put Zoro go through a crisis. Regarding his fear of death and the love for his crew. And I wish this impacts zoro in a way that his view of the world and attitude gets impacted also.
Though zoro has been through a lot, he still needs a crysis that cant be beaten by the strengh of a sword and that makes him mature.
Gadies and Lentlemen, the Zoro video is finally here
Also I think in Elbaph with the bottom of it literally being called the Underworld, I think we’re gonna get something out of this soon in Elbaph
I love your theory that Zoro needs to feel his emotions at some point in order to grieve everything that’s happened in life. Because I feel like that’s the only way he can truly use conquerors haki. He uses it in these hyper emotional situations like trying to die for Luffy vs Kaido and while we’re all saying “OMG NO WAY ITS THAT THING HE DID 600 CHAPTERS AGO” looking deeper at it vs Kaido and vs Kaku, Zoro is likely at his most desperate. So with that desperate feeling, and wanting to keep someone alive (Luffy or Robin) he is able to tap into conquerors. He’s pretty much never able to do it unless it’s life or death for someone in the crew. So that’s my rant I’m going bed.
When I think of Bushido, I always think to the opening of You Only Twice by Ian Fleming: "You only live twice. Once when you are born, and once when you look death in the face."
I agree that Zoro's "final" powerup will be him trusting his friends that they can keep themselves safe so that he can focus on whatever fight he has at hand. Once he can turn the burdens of his promises into guideposts instead he will be able to fight without the yoke he forces himself under.
!!!!!!
On the topic of the death-pact and Sanji's possible mutation, something that stands out to me is that the Vinsmoke brothers are incapable of fearing death. At the tea party, they were literally laughing in the face of it. If Zoro ends up fighting a fully mutated Sanji, I think it would be really interesting to see him confronted with how horrifying the reality of ‘not fearing death’ actually is.
to quote Terry Pratchett (poorly): one must be very complicated to be so simple
About Zoro’s fear of death when he sees the grim reaper, I think he was scared since he wasn’t specifically offering up his life in sacrifice. He had no control in the situation, like literally not being able to move his body. Like you said he’s obviously afraid of death, but is willing to face it on behalf of his loved ones and their dreams. And since his death by the grim reaper wouldn’t serve any of those purposes, he couldn’t accept it and was scared again. The same way he was like you mentioned all the way back when we first met him when he thought he’d be killed by the marines. His outlook/fear of death hasn’t changed since then, he’s just found more things worth dying for.
This was such an amazing video again!
Please, don't worry about them being long, it's great that you share your deep understanding of the complex world of One Piece with us! You don't ramble aimlessly, every line you say is impactful and well put together!
Here, too, so much to think about regarding Zoro! I can't wait to see where the story takes him regarding his promises and his haki!
I think it's interesting to point out where he is able to channel Ashura:
1) In his fight against Kaku to rescue Robin
2) on the rooftop to defend Luffy.
He's gone all out against King, but that didn't channel Ashura.
It just kinda seems connected to conquerers AND the acceptance of possible death in the face of losing his mission
Some of the best lines said by Melon on this video that will stuck with me forever
1. Death is Final
2. Your luck helps you sometimes when you deal with a prideful and reasonable man
3. When you're always consciously aware about Death, you can obtain spiritual kind of freedom to do anything you want
4. Very important one should use VPN to see those big green juggs in a private and secure way 😂
Thanks melon you're understanding of One Piece world especially about characters Is truely different and deep.
Appreciate you alot
MelonTeee Zoro vid dropped?
Christmas came early, thank you.
Melon will really capture your heart with their insights, literacy, emotions and wits and then also be gorgeous.
It's so hard to transition from thinking about silly little Doffy girl to someone you'd meet as a friend of your cool friend
Once again.
Deep, pertinent, touching.
All that with humour sprinkled on top.
I think you are the youtuber who most embodies One Piece.
How interesting... I think this is the first time in one of your OP character and/or theme analysis where I fundamentally have a different read... and I loved it, it was really fun to listen to such a different interpretation about this angle of Zoro's character arc (his relationship with death).
My read on this trait in Zoro's characterization was that Zoro had a something along the lines of an "inherently apathethic approach to death", kind of a more edgy (pun intended) form of Luffy's approach to death. Like Luffy in Loguetown, Zoro faces _the idea_ of death directly and with no fear but unlike Luffy, Zoro had essentially no deep and close connection with the living, the only one he had formed had died almost a decade ago and thus, Zoro had no strong attachment to life other than his promise. To me, this creates in Zoro a "if I die I die" kind of mentality that goes to the extreme, he will happily challenge death if he's going to fight another swordsman, especially if it's Mihawk... and if he loses the challenge, so be it. Likewise, if he dies on his way to his next challenge because he eats a poisoned fish, or he drowns... or gets turned into a wax statue, so be it too. Thus, in my opinion, Zoro's lack of fear against death isn't due to his love for life but because of his apathy towards it, as his biggest attachment to it isn't life itself but a sense of duty towards a promise, that's what makes his fearlessness so different from Luffy's.
This is why Zoro can challenge Mihawk and simply face his sword directly after finding out how much weaker he was (he honored his promise, challenged death and failed), or why he can offer to trade his life for Luffy's (his duty towards his captain and crew overshadows his duty towards his personal promise). Luffy would've never offered his life to Kuma in order to save the rest of the crew in Thriller Bark, he'd probably died fighting while ordering everyone to find a way to escape... like he literally tried to in Sabaody, but Zoro can, and he can because he's "too" okay with dying while trying, he's living and "dying" in a way that would lead to him finding himself in an after life with a simple "well, guess that was it..." if he were to die before achieving his dream
And that's the thing, that's how he's living his life... but not how he would actually react if it were to happen, which leads to Wano. This contradiction between the way Zoro is living his life and the headspace he would actually be if he were to die is extremely important, because this means that he HAS to regain some level of fear, the fear of death. Tat is what I think is his character arc towards Bushido is, his flaw and what he needs to get a grasp of in order to achieve a "consciousness of death" is fearing death, it's actually understanding the finality of death and through that, reattaching himself to life (it's also a fairly similar arc to what Nolan did for Batman in The Dark Knight Rises). Through this lens, I interpreted his mini-arc in Wano where he claims the King of Hell title and then faces Death directly as him finally being forced to face what death actually means, and what becoming the King of Hell would mean for him: Fearing death and conquering that fear, ruling over it and using it to his advantage as a power source to boost himself to new heights (it's also like his own Usopp-like mini arc). This is also what explains to me his unreasonable behavior in his fight against Lucci, he has now faced death and he realized he feared it (because of how he reacted against it)... and that happened was basically dying from exhaustion as he had to overexert himself over and over again during the raid, as such, he has come to the realization that he needs to "raise his floor level" so that he doesn't need to go all-out on every big fight and exhaust himself too soon, so he was trying to beat him without going full-power, hence why we were constantly having the impression that he wasn't trying against Lucci for some inexplicable reason (it is still dumb, but it becomes Zoro-level dumb instead of almost-OOC level dumb).
Anyways, as I said this was only my original interpretation, as we are already far in the path of interpretive symbolism and over analyzing lol so there's definitely many, many valid interpretations, and I think that yours was as fun if not even more than the one I had.
This video was soooooo amazing you've made me appreciate Zoro so so so much more. Man. It's just so incredible how Oda puts these things so clearly and I've never realized it. Thank you so much for sharing your experience to others because to me, it's enhanced a story I love so much even more
I didn't really make the connection of him carrying ghosts in all his swords, but it fits into an interpretation/metaphor that occurred to me a while ago: In many ways Zoro is a haunted house. Marked by death at any corner and yet still standing, very deadly to all who dare to intrude or damage those important to him.
a 50 min video from one of my favorite one piece youtubers, on my birthday 😭🥹 one of the best presents ever!
thank you for your hard work melonteee!
We should keep in mind that when talking about Bushido, a lot of it is based on forgotten or questionable books that were fetishized by Western politicians and scholars to understand Japan as it rose to a powerful nation in the East, and that fetishized view has been imported back in Japan, then adopted into popular culture that was exported to the West again. What we recognize as Bushido is relatively a new and somewhat romanticized way of viewing what the samurai class was actually like.
That panel of zoro saying he made a promise to his captain and to his best friend gets me everytime. The love he has inside for Luffy and Sanji is just so touching 😢
Another great video and conversation starter. Thanks for giving me new perspective on one of my favorite characters. You are a treasure to the community 🙏🏽
Brook is such a deep character, and I can't wait for his life in the west blue to be told
I wonder if Oda has evolved Zoro in this way recently because he is also afraid of death, or at least because death is on Oda's mind more. Due to his own aging and the death of Akira Toriyama
So essentially...
Zoro is max rockatansky, a stoic guy forever grieving, who gets the shit kicked out of him whilst everything arounds him goes to shit, with the reaction of "eh, could be worse"
Kuina died a meaningless death so Zoro is obsessed with dying a meaningful one but he isn't precious about it. That's why he can show courage when he faces Mihawk or Kuma.
Because it wouldn't be meaningless.
Such a great video! Other than Luffy, Zoro is my favourite for all the reasons you mentioned (+he’s an idiot, thank god. I don’t think anyone could stand him if he was actually smart). Him sometimes being a cool guy is like a nice bonus.
I hope we find out what happened exactly when he met the grim reaper because clearly - something is up with him and he doesn’t talk about it. That scene was so unusual and like you said weirdly specific and super short!?!?
A character analysis of my man Zoro right before Christmas? Absolutely excited for this!
Amazing video as always!
Zoro always fascinates me since he always feels the most full of regret out of all of the Strawhats, to how he regrets how his strength isn't enough in Alabasta to obviously regretting that he couldn't be there to stop Sanji from going to Whole Cake. He never lets them go because he feels as though he is lacking in some aspect of himself, something that drove him to matching Kuina but now is I feel is holding him back. With his ever growing list of promises as you've said, I feel only makes his regrets grow and grow that once more he won't be enough. His only way to truly grow in my eyes is to, not that he needs to rely on his crew more as I feel he knows he can always rely on them, let go of the fear that he won't be enough when the time comes.
I also find Zoro and Enma's connection and by an extension a connection to Oden fits perfectly. Enma represents Zoro's relationship with death as it is not a sword that tries to kill it's user, but it tries to draw out the strength needed to combat death. Enma represents Oden's hardships and battles to protect his own crew and family, that the strength to wield Enma is a promise to conquer the hell one must go through to keep everyone you love safe. Putting even more pressure for him to surpass himself but he gladly takes the challenge if it's in the name of protection.
Excited for anything you make next, and hope you have a wonderful holidays!
this explains so much, zoro yelling at luffy in punk hazard comes to mind
Which part?
Wake up babe, MelonTeee uploaded a new character essay about Sanji
11:30 I'm glad we have the same reaction to Zoro
To inspire Such Loyalty, he can be no other than be your son dragon :- Kuma after watching zorro sacrifice for Luffy
ZORO VIDEO RAAHHHHHHHH I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE
I actually think Zoro HAS DIED at some point and he is now a Revenant.
i love it when scary pink lady uploads
Absolute heater, as per usual. I would not survive work without your videos.
Im so happy to know im about to enjoy the next 50 mins of my life. These videos give me palpable joy.
HI MelonTree,
I am from India. I am huge fan of One piece and also love your point of view. You made me realize that one piece is more than comedy and adventure. Its has depth in its character.
I hardly write any comments but this one is for you. I love you voice until I see your face. You voice and face both of them are beautiful. Please don't say I am back with that face. You are beautiful and start your video saying i am back with my beautiful voice and face.
Lot of love from india.
Bye.
I fellow Indian nakama
It also gives an interesting perspective on luffys and zoros relationship. Remember logue town, luffy about to be killed by buggy and smiling in the face of death? Zoro being this loyal to luffy may have something to do with luffys relationship to death itself
I feel like I say it too often, but this is my favorite RUclips channel, foe convincing me to get back into and then obsess over one piece. Very funny yet insightful content every time, thank you scary pink lady.
Melontree morning jumpscare
Another great video.
Thank you so much!
@@MelonTeeeyour welcome
40:00 FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT! (this is all from aaa male perspective, buuuuuuuuut not battle bias!!, trust me! lol) zoro held back his conquerors haki against Lucci because of 2 things: exhaustion and the consequences of this exhaustion . The consequence being having brook´s cousin infront of him. My point of zoro holding back isn´t about power scalling but about narrative, zoro really got mentally scarred for him to not be able to beat someone his captain beat in like 5 punches.
I love your videos, scary pink lady 😭
41:00 Zoro's joining Usopp in the "I have I-don't-want-to-die disease and will refuse it as much as I can".
It's only like half a joke. I always thought the parallels between Usopp and Zoro were interesting and Zoro's the one who welcomed him into the crew first. But this whole thing about death does make me reconsider how those parallels truly manifest.
With how Elbaph seems to be gearing toward those themes I'll definitely keep an eye on both of them.
Also I think it's one of the videos you mentioned Sanji the least XD. Tho tbf he was essential in all the mentions so it's good.
Lots of panels and moments of Zoro trying to nudge Usopp into acting like a 'man'. Reading to much into it, I always saw it as Zoro seeing a bit of his inner thoughts in Usopp's behaviors, and wanting to help him act like the stoic badass he could be.
Though with a nose like that I doubt it. Zoro's got more hope then me.
Not that this essay brought any new insight into Zoro’s character for me, but it certainly clarified some ideas I’ve had about him. Thank you for putting in the work you do for One Piece. This video is definitely another banger
This viewpoint makes his friendship with Brook make even more sense. For Zoro, death is failure. That feels like it would flow into the complete idea that death is not an apology, it's failure. They're both very closely linked to life and death, and they both had surprising reactions to staring death directly in the face. Zoro begged for life while Brook accepted it, playing his last moments out. They contrast and match so well
Always very satisfying listening to your words and connecting all the past scenes together!
You genuinely make THE best character deep dives for One Piece even on certain things I disagree with you're able to explain things in an effective and straightforward manner that is incredibly impressive
New MelonTeee Video Just dropped LFG
i could listen to you talk about one piece for 24 hours and not get bored and love every second of it
It's just so good watching this videos and realizing how much space to growth exists in the one piece characters, even the ones with the most screen time
31:00 "i am not crazy" debatable
Reflexions a day after watching your video :
1, Everything you said about him respecting other people's death also explain his behaviour at Sabaody when Charlos shoots a man in the street and Zoro wants to take him to a med after Bonney prevented him from killing the bastard, and then when Charlos shoots Hachi : they were both defenseless and Charlos was in no way fair and respectful.
2, When he yells at Luffy for being too careless at Punk Hazard, because he probably thought that Luffy didn't need his help at this point and he finds out he was nearly killed and he wasn't even there to prevent that. Explains the anger.
3, The fact that he doesn't asks for help and has his promises as burdens he has to take care alone... So when he "asks" Sanji for help it's a big thing, let's remember that. (even if he never actually *asks for help*)
Your video has helped me understand and put into words so many things about Zoro, thank you ! I always love your point of view on One Piece.
I just realised that Zoro only gave up on Yubashiri and buried it after he got a new sword to replace it. Why not in Water 7? Why only AFTER Thriller Bark? Because Zoro wouldnt have let it go until he found a replacement for it even though it hindered his 3 sword style.
He wouldnt let the sword die/be buried until he can assure it that he would be fine without it is my take. He saw the sword as a soul, and only after getting shusui can he let Yubashiri rest knowing Zoro is safe.
I totally agree!
merry christmas to meeeeee!! honestly, thank you for this wonderful gift, it's so refreshing to see someone actually look at zoro and see the complex human character he is. happy holidays and thank you again for helping us see the true wonders of this insane manga
Thank you for making this video. Some of this videos facts I had stirring in my brain lately and this video will inform other fans (innocent and the blind dudebros) about how complex Zoro really is.