Hello Nakama!
The constant bickering of the right and left-hand men of Monkey D. Luffy never fails to draw attention, especially when it’s concerned with Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji, famous for their bitter yet pointless rivalry that goes on almost every time. Despite all that bravado, they’re willing to die for one another.
It’s no secret fact that they are at each other’s throats most of the time. Especially when it comes to comparing bounties and their viewpoints on treating women. But what would happen if the two had a severe falling out similar to Luffy and Ussop? Can Zoro Beat Sanji? Or would it be the opposite?
Come aboard and set sail with me through this post; seeing as I’ve been a fan of One Piece since 2008, I’ll make sure you reach your destination in no time!
Zoro vs Sanji
Zoro may be the first person to join Luffy officially, so this part does have its significance, but Sanji is officially the 4th person to join the crew.
I’ll give you a quick recap of Zoro’s past and the circumstances that led him to become the famed swordsman he is today.
Coming from Shimotsuki Village, he was initially a pirate hunter looking to become the “World’s Strongest Swordsman,” that is, until his encounter with Dracule Mihawk, who humbled him enough to keep training until he defeats him.
Coincidentally, Sanji was there to witness the whole ordeal as well.
Onto our favorite cook now, where nothing was known about his origins and upbringing until Whole Cake Island Arc, where he is revealed to be Vinsmoke Sanji, the 3rd Prince of the Germa Kingdom, where his family ostracized him for having emotions compared to his siblings.
Part of his powers and kicks are thanks to his “genetic modifications” present within the Vinsmoke Bloodline, which makes him an even deadlier fighter.
Now, as stated before, Zoro and Sanji don’t see eye-to-eye with one another because of, well, various reasons.
First is how the two treat women, and second, they hate each other’s guts and want to be the strongest.
If there was a scenario where the two would actually get to battle each other, with Sanji becoming fully “succumbed” to his genetic modifications and Zoro fulfilling his request of killing him should he turn, who would actually win between the two? Let’s find out.
Categories for battle assessment
Here are the categories for the fight:
- Strength
- Speed
- Power (destructive capabilities)
- Endurance
- IQ
- Battle IQ
- Haki
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Strength?
Remember in the Davy Back fight during the Hit and Dead Ball game, the two were duking it out almost regularly and were evenly matched? Well, the same case can be said for both of the pirates here.
Zoro has fought King, the swordsman of the Beast Pirates, whereas Sanji has fought Queen, the mad scientist of the Beast Pirates, both of which represent equal power scaling. It’s safe to say that their strength is evenly matched.
Zoro and Sanji are equal in terms of Strength.
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Speed?
You can definitely bet that the two would often race as to who’s the faster, and this can be proven when the both of them blitzed a Pacifista at the same time during the Return to Sabaody Arc.
Zoro did blitz Hody Jones as well as King in this point, but Sanji’s speed is not to be underestimated since he blitzed Daifuku Oven, X-Drake, and Queen thanks to his Diable Jamble and enhanced genes. Sanji would take the cake in this category.
Sanji blitzes Zoro in terms of Speed.
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Power (Destructive Capabilities)?
They don’t call Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji the “Monster Trio” for nothing. Anything they encounter is left to rubble and witness to mass destruction, thanks to these three guys.
Zoro’s usage of Enma with his Haki cut off a cliff, indicating the new height that Zoro has reached, but the same can be said for Sanji as well, thanks to the “Stealth Suit” he got and pummeled Hybrid Queen with his Diable Jamble. To compare the two, I’d say they’re equal.
Zoro and Sanji are equal in terms of Power (Destructive Capabilities).
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Endurance?
Both of the contenders know how to endure hits and attacks from the oncoming assailants, and they know how to take a punch. We’ll start with Zoro. Him absorbing Luffy’s pain is the first testament to his high endurance.
Then, a Tenman Daijizai Tenjin strike from Zeus, along with attacks from Hybrid Kaido and Cognac Big Mom, would make anyone die on the spot, but not Zoro; our boy stood tall! And his battle with Flame-On King pushed his endurance to the next level.
Sanji’s case is no different, either. He took punches from Gear 2nd Luffy and Jinbe and tanked several hits from his father, Vinsmoke Judge. Thanks to his Raid Suit and Haki, he was unphased while getting pummeled by Hybrid Form Queen.
Put it simply, the two are evenly matched.
Zoro and Sanji are equal in terms of Endurance.
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of IQ?
The two are often similar, thanks to a few running gags shown within the series. The first one being Zoro and his sense of direction. Whenever he’s told to go in a specific direction, he always ends up being lost.
The second is Sanji being a full-fledged lecher and his complete lack of brain function whenever he encounters a woman. He would go head-over-heels for them and would lose all sense of morality.
In this case, at least Zoro would ramp up toward the winning criteria.
Zoro beats Sanji in terms of IQ.
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Battle IQ?
They may be simpletons in this aspect, but when it comes to battle, the two are unmatched and unparalleled, developing their own style of combat.
Zoro uses his Three-sword style and improved upon it to such an extent that he developed the Nine-Sword Style via tangible illusion. Sanji’s combat style totally depends on his Black Leg Style, and improving upon it thanks to his training in Kamabakka Queendom.
The two copy their enemies’ moves and use it against them on almost every instance. Thus it’s safe to say that their Battle IQ’s are equal.
Zoro and Sanji are equal in terms of Battle IQ.
Can Zoro beat Sanji in terms of Haki?
The two of them are not Devil Fruit users, thankfully. But they are adept users of Haki.
Sanji has mastery over both Armament and Observation Haki, whereas Zoro not only has mastery over the afore-mentioned Haki but Conqueror’s Haki as well. This would give Zoro a boost against Sanji, much to his dismay.
Zoro would win over Sanji in terms of Haki.
Conclusion :
Well, they may be evenly matched, but Zoro takes the cake over Sanji in this bout.
Even though Sanji has lots of capabilities and improved strength, Zoro’s mastery over Conqueror’s Haki as well as his constant training regime, would make anyone think twice of messing with him.
Zoro beats Sanji with low difference.
