Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji have always acted as Luffy’s wings, and they are destined to carry him to the title of Pirate king. Within the One Piece community, Zoro and Sanji are known as a « Monster Trio » member along with their Captain, and their rivalry has never been a mystery within the series.
Zoro and Sanji have now become incredibly strong and earned a reputation as fearsome characters within the story. Still, fans have always argued if Zoro and Sanji are truly equal in terms of strength? Especially now, after the end of the Wano arc, when Sanji has proven himself to be a formidable fighter by dealing with Queen with relative ease.
The question that I believe the fans have recently been asking themselves is,
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro?
Truth be told, I do not think that it has ever really been a mystery that Oda-Sama has always given Zoro more importance when it comes to making him appear stronger. So in actuality, only Oda can truly say whether Sanji is on Zoro’s level or not. But what we can do is,
Zoro vs Sanji, The categories:
We can compare Zoro and Sanji on a pre-defined metric of categories to see how well both stack up against each other.
The categories for this matchup will be:
- Strength
- Speed
- Endurance
- Haki
- Feats
- Motivation
- Abilities
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Strength ?
It is not a mystery that both Zoro and Sanji are inhumanly strong. Due to the events of whole cake island, we know that Sanji has modified genes that have now given him enhanced strength.
With this increase, Sanji’s strength has increased exponentially. However, since the beginning of the story, we have seen Zoro put himself through an unholy amount of training, lifting weights that seem unreal, and putting himself through painful exercises.
Zoro may not have Sanji’s genetic abilities, but his relentless training has made him a monster in terms of strength.
Zoro wins the round on strength.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Speed ?
We know that Zoro is an unfathomably fast character, and we have seen him use this speed on many occasions to dodge and dish out attacks. His speed is admirable.
However, Sanji has always had one up on Zoro in terms of agility, and with the inception of Sanji’s raid suit, « Stealth black » or « Soba mask, » as he likes to be called, Sanji has now gotten much faster.
Sanji wins the round on speed.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Endurance ?
Now this is a tricky category because most anime fans will agree that Zoro has exhibited considerably more endurance than Sanji and should win this round.
Yet, in light of events within the manga, we now know just how durable Sanji actually is. Without giving any major spoiler, I will simply point out that it has to do with the showdown between Sanji and Queen.
Thus, endurance is a tie.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Haki ?
Haki is another controversial category because both characters have amazingly skilled users of Haki.
- Armament, both Zoro and Sanji have shown great control over the use of this type of Haki, one might argue that Zoro’s long ranged Haki coated attacks make him a better user of Armament Haki. But Sanji’s control over the use of his kicks levels the playing field.
Armament is a tie.
- Observation, Up until recent events in the story, and by recent, I mean the Wano Kuni in its entirety, I was convinced that Sanji was the one with the better observation.
Sanji wins observation
- Conqueror’s, Let’s not waste time here, as Sanji has not yet exhibited this type of Haki.
Zoro wins Conqueror’s.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Feats ?
Zoro and Sanji have carried their weight as members of the Straw Hat crew. With Zoro shining in Arcs like Wano, Thriller bark, Enies Lobby and more, and Sanji getting his spotlight in Whole cake island, Water seven, Alabasta, and others.
Both have taken down important enemies, made things easier for the crew, and had high bounties to prove their worth.
Feats, I believe, are a tie.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Motivation ?
It is not lost upon One piece fans that nearly all of the strength of Oda’s characters is in their backstories and motivations. Why they are, what they are, and why they do what they do. Zoro and Sanji have conflicted pasts, with Zoro making his pledge to Kuina and Sanji suffering at the hands of his father and then starving at sea.
However, I believe its Zoro’s Ambition that keeps him moving forward as a character and making him stronger, bringing him closer to his goal. Whereas Sanji wants peace and to search for the All Blue.
Zoro wins motivation.
Is Sanji weaker than Zoro on Abilities ?
Both of them have extraordinary powers that they have used against opponents in the past, from the Diable Jambe to Ashura; their powers and attacks are unique.
But I believe the sheer number of attacks in Zoro’s arsenal, wins him this round.
Zoro takes abilities.
Conclusion
Finally, we come to an end, where we will try to find an answer to our question.
I believe Sanji is not weaker than Zoro because they are not to be judged on a similar metric. Zoro constantly strives to be stronger, while Sanji wants to cook in peace. At this point in the story, I admit that Zoro is in a better place than Sanji, but with how the Manga is going, Sanji might soon catch up.
Thank you for reading.
