Zoro is being given directions by a tiger in this cover page

Zoro is depicted as a tiger in this colour spread

On Oda’s work desk, there are a bunch of figurines of One Piece characters depicted as animals.

Luffy as a monkey. Nami as a cat.
Zoro as a tiger.

Pictures from the 2009 "Hello, One Piece" Exhibit in Yokohama

Enma is the Japanese name for Yama the mortal enemy of Yamantaka, one of the Five Wisdom Kings.

Zoro wields Enma, tying him to Kaido through mythology.

Acala the Immovable King:

This is the only Wisdom King yet to be incorporated in an attack from Kaido. It is also the most powerful & important of all the Wisdom Buddha's.

This supports the idea that the battle is not over yet (as of Chapter 1049).

The Five Wisdom Buddhas:

Acala the Immovable King (Center)
Trailokyavijaya the King of Knowledge (East)
Kundali the Dispenser of Amrita (South)
Yamantaka the Destroyer of Death (West)
Vajrayaska the King of Light (North)

Trailokyavijaya the King of Knowledge:

[Chapter 1009]

Kundali the Dispenser of Amrita:

[Chapter 1037]

Yamantaka the Destroyer of Death:

[Chapter 1047]

Vajrayaska the King of Light:

[Chapter 1024]

Various Zoro attacks incorporate Buddhist concepts:

Hyakuhachi Pound Ho (百八煩悩（ポンド）- Phoenix of the 108 Earthly Desires

Santoryu Ogi: Rokudo no Tsuji - Three Swords Style Secret Technique: Crossing of Six Paths

Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai - “Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds”

Santoryu Ogi: Ichidai Sanzen Daisen Sekai - Three Swords Style Secret Technique: Great Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds

Kiki Kyutoryu: Ashura - Ghastly Nine Sword Style: Ashura

Chapter 909

Chapter 961

Zoro takes the blame for the murders in the capital, a crime he didn't commit.

Oden takes the blame for the mountain god incident, a crime he didn't commit.

Chapter 485

Chapter 971

The "Nothing Happened" moment and boiling pot moments heavily mirror eachother.

Both Zoro & Oden secretly shoulder massive burdens and receive no recognition for it. They take on a seemingly impossible task that should kill themand still survive.

Zoro & Oden are the only individuals capable of taming Enma.

Chapter 955

Zoro & Oden both initially targeted Orochi only to realise Kaido was the true threat and needed to be dealt with.

Chapter 950

Chapter 968

Chapter 969

Chapter 997

Hiyori cries on Zoro’s chest as he finds out the truth about the SMILE’s

Toki cries on Oden’s chest as he finds out that his family has been targeted by assassins

Chapter 942

Chapter 968

Hiyori nurses Zoro back to health after being saved by him

Toki nurses Oden back to health after being saved by him

Zoro saves Hiyori, the damsel in distress

Oden saves Toki, the damsel in distress

Zoro & Oden are the only people to successfully scar Kaido

Zoro has very strong ties with Oden's children.

He protects and takes care of Hiyori & there is a strong possibility of Oda pursuing a romantic relationship between them.

He acts as a mentor towards Momonosuke and trains him in preparation for the raid.

Zoro inherited Enma, one of Oden's two swords that were bestowed onto his children.

Enma was intended for Hiyori & Ame no Habakiri was intended for Momonosuke.

Zoro has been given Enma.

Both Zoro & Ryuma slayed western dragons

In terms of appearance, Zoro and Ryuma look like two peas in a pod

Ryuma was a one-eyed swordsman, just like post-timeskip Zoro.

Ryuma saved a girl whose life was traumatised by a dragon by slaying that very dragon

Zoro will save Hiyori who has been traumatised by Kaido, by slaying him

Zoro & Ryuma share the same ambition. They both wish to fight the strongest swordsman in the world.

Hiyori cries on Zoro’s chest as he finds out the truth about the SMILE’s

Toki cries on Oden’s chest as he finds out that his family has been targeted by assassins

Chapter 942

Chapter 968

Both Ryuma & Zoro receive epithets they are unaware of

Ryuma was coined “the king” and Zoro was coined “the holy terror of the seas”

Small similarities such as their stances & the way they laugh

Both Zoro & Ryuma were accused as murderers and blamed for crimes they didn’t commit.

Oda's reason for creating the one-shot Monsters was simply because he wanted to draw something like a dragon being slain in a double-page spread.

If Ryuma is the prototype/model character for Zoro, it would make sense for Zoro to also kill a dragon in the main story.

Zoro will inherit Ryuma's will by protecting Wano from the tyrant ruler Kaido, who also happens to be a dragon.

Zoro inherited Oden's will through Enma. His vivre card from September 2021 heavily alludes to Zoro killing Kaido, saying he came to Onigashima to exterminate an oni.

Over the course of the series, many of Zoro's opponent have had some sort of 'dragon' symbolism or connection incorporated into their characters.

Dracule Mihawk:

Dracula means son of the Dragon in Romanian.

Shiryu:

Ryu = 龍 = Dragon

Most people would agree that Shiryu is going to be Zoro's opponent in the all-but-confirmed battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates.

Mr 1:

There are dragons on his clothing.
His bladed fingers resemble dragon claws

Ryuma:

Ryu = 龍 = Dragon

Ryuma is famous for being the legendary samurai who slew a dragon.

Kaku:

User of the giraffe fruit.

Giraffe = キリン = Kirin

The Kirin is a mythical creature that heavily resembles a dragon

Ohm:

Manipulates clouds just like Eastern dragons

Momonosuke asked Hitetsu before the raid to hold onto Ame no Habakiri as at the time, he was not ready.

What better way to prove Momonosuke is worthy of being Shogun and concluding his character arc than slaying Orochi, the false Shogun, with Ame-no-Habakiri?

Momonosuke should be the one to defeat Orochi for good.

Short Explanation from Zage

Ame no Habakiri, Oden's sword that was bestowed upon Momonosuke, directly translates to “Snake Slayer” and it is the sword used by Susano’o to slay Yamata no Orochi in mythology.

Wiki Link Explaining the Mythology

Orochi is the user of the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi

This is a mythical zoan-type devil fruit that transforms the user into the Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed snake or dragon in Japanese mythology.

Oden's swords will be used to free Wano from the tyranny of Kaido & Orochi.

Enma will be used to slay Kaido.
Ame-no-Habakiri will be used to slay Orochi.

Moving Onigashima was set up to be Momonosuke's "big moment" in Wano.

This "big moment" takes place in the corner of a spread and is given very little focus.

Perhaps it is intentionally underwhelming, as this isn't the true conclusion to Momo's character arc.

Hiyori calls Wano “hell” in chapter 943

Enma is the sword that splits the earth to the bottom of hell (chapter 955)

Enma is the king of the hell. The sword chooses its wielder.

Zoro proclaims himself
the King of Hell in chapter 1036, after defeating King with Enma and taming the blade.

Kaido’s presence is compared to hell
in chapter 984

--

--

The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature.

The story of Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic in Hinduism.

It follows the journey of Prince Rama rescuing his wife Seetha from the clutches of Ravana with the help of Hanuman.

Wano is structured like a play, with an act structure. The curtains open and close to declare the beginning and end of an act.

The Ramayana is one of the most popular plays in the world, so it is fitting for it to majorly influence the only arc in One Piece that has this sort of structure.

In mythology, Yamata no Orochi will keep coming back until his tail is cut off.

Ravana was a ten-headed Oni = This is a combination of Kaido and Orochi.

Ravana enslaved Seetha without knowing her true identity = Orochi enslaved Komurasaki without knowing she was Kozuki Hiyori

Hanuman's first father is Vayu, the god of Wind. It is very likely Luffy's father, Dragon, has some kind of wind power.

Hanuman's abilities included stretching, gigantification and an immunity to lightning. All of which are abilities Luffy has.

Rama was the heir to a kingdom but left the country as a child = It is very likely Zoro was the heir to the Shimotsuki daimyo but he left the Wano country as a child

Rama's right hand, loyal follower & fighter was Hanuman = This dynamic has been flipped in One Piece. Zoro (Rama) is the right hand, loyal follower & fighter to Luffy (Hanuman)

Luffy's Bajrani Gun is a direct reference to Hanuman. Bajrangi is one of Hanuman's names.

Hanuman's second father was Kesari, a monkey who received the the title of Hero Chief after killing a demon with his bare fist.

This is an obvious reference to Luffy's grandfather, Monkey D. Garp or Garp the Fist.

Hanuman was capable of defeating Ravana but let Rama handle him as it was his destiny. Jambava the Elder prophesied that Rama would be the one to kill Kaido.

Luffy has proven he can defeat Kaido in a 1v1 as of Chapter 1049. Hyogoro & Kawamatsu's conversation about Zoro heavily implies he will carry out an act of fate in this arc. It is time for Zoro to slay the dragon, protecting his country & taking a step closer to his ambitions.

Rama severed the head of Ravana. This will be replicated by both Zoro & Momonosuke, who will slay Kaido & Orochi respectively with Oden's swords.

Ravana took over a land of peace and prosperity and turned it into a kingdom of Oni's known as Lanka.

Kaido took over the Land of Wano and rules over it from Onigashima.

Ravana had a younger brother who betrayed him to join forces with Rama and Hanuman.

Kaido's son/daughter, Yamato, betrayed him to join forces with Luffy & the alliance.

"And you shall know the brilliance of dawn."

Kaido is the Blue Dragon (duh)

The Kozuki clan symbol is a pheasant.

Zoro & Oden both initially targeted Orochi only to realise Kaido was the true threat and needed to be dealt with.

Chapter 950

Chapter 968

Chapter 969

Chapter 997

Zoro is visibly enfuriated at the state of Wano & Yasuie's execution. Zoro being deeply affected by the suffering of strangers is something we haven't really seen before in One Piece, at least not in an individual focus like this.

Momonosuke, who learns from Zoro and looks up to him like an apprentice.

Hiyori, a potential romantic interest.

Even in the raid, the Scabbards have not considered Orochi worth the time.

Chapter 1009

Zoro told Ohm he doesn't fight for revenge, he doesn't like to fight with a motive. This is the first time Zoro is fighting to avenge somebody.

Chapter 268

Chapter 980

Chapter 989

Zoro directly says that he wishes to cut Kaido into pieces.

Kozuki Hiyori's dress resembles a pheasant.

Zoro's 2021 vivre card said his target is Kaido.

Toko has been around Zoro quite in a bit in the pre-Onigashima section of the arc. He has protected her from danger on numerous occasions.

We know regular tigers exist in Wano, but Oda made Zoro encounter a white tiger specifically.

Zoro looks eerily similar to known both Ushimaru & Ryuma, who were both Shimotsuki

Zoro is from Shimotsuki village in the East Blue.

Zoro was born in November.
November in Japanese = Shimotsuki

The Shimotsuki are famed for their hardiness. I don't think I need to explain this one.

This SBS from Oda clearly indicates that Zoro's lineage will be of importance to the plot of Wano.

It has been confirmed that Ushimaru is not Zoro's FATHER, this does not mean they aren't related. He could be his grandfather or uncle. It is uncanny how similar they look in terms of appearance.

Simply becoming the World's Strongest Swordsman isn't enough to satisfy Zoro's dream. In his backstory, we see his dream continually evolve into something larger, finally ending in him wanting to become so famous that even heaven will hear of his name.

What better way to etch Zoro's name in history than slaying Kaido, the Eastern Dragon, atop the Flower Capital & replicating Ryuma's legendary feat?

Zoro wishes for his name to reach the heavens.

Ryuma himself, who was clearly the model prototype of Zoro's character, was the strongest swordsman in the world at the time. Despite that, he is still mostly known for his legendary feat of slaying a dragon.

The Shimotsuki are famed for their hardiness. I don't think I need to explain this one.

This SBS from Oda clearly indicates that Zoro's lineage will be of importance to the plot of Wano.

It has been confirmed that Ushimaru is not Zoro's FATHER, this does not mean they aren't related. He could be his grandfather or uncle. It is uncanny how similar they look in terms of appearance.

The tortoise is associated with longevity and immortality in Chinese beliefs, which suits Orochi, a character who keeps coming back despite seemingly being killed.

Thriller Bark & Wano are the only arcs in the series with two major antagonists on a similar level of power & influence.

Thriller Bark had two Shichibukai: Moria and Kuma

Wano has two Yonko: Kaido and Big Mom

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

An essential aspect of both Moria & Kuma's characters is the way they value the strength of their underlings.

Moria wished to create an army of undying zombies due to his PTSD and fear of losing any comrades again, he appreciates that superior underlings are necessary to become Pirate King.

Kaido wishes to create the mightiest pirate crew in history through the use of SMILE's, which is similar to Moria's use of shadows as they're both artifical means and juxtapose Luffy's approach greatly.

Moria & Hogback's dynamic is very similar to Kaido & Orochi's.

Hogback's medical expertise is what enabled Moria to create his army of zombies. Orochi's position as Shogun, being the face of Kaido's operations, is what enabled Kaido to make moves in the underworld (SMILEs)

Kaido's top commander is King, who is a swordsman of a rare race.

Moria's top commander is Ryuma, a legendary swordsman from Wano which is an incredibly rare sight.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Both arcs have a very strong focus on "dawn" being the end of the battle.

Introducing the country of Wano

Introducing Ryuma & Shusui

Kaido & Big Mom are first mentioned in Thriller Bark

Kuma was a man of honour who kept his promise to Zoro. Kaido did not keep his promise to Oden, but he grew into a man of honour after experiencing Oden's resilience and killed Higurashi. He also killed the CP-0 boss for interfering in his fight with Luffy.

Both Kaido & Kuma give Oden & Zoro seemingly impossible physical endurance tasks in order to save their comrades.

The biggest problem for the protagonists when facing Kaido & Kuma was their monstrous durability.

Both Kuma and Kaido were experimented on by Vegapunk and had their DNA cloned. Kuma into pacifista, Kaido into Momonosuke's fruit.

Both Big Mom & Moria are gluttons.

Both Big Mom & Moria have the ability to extract something from individuals and use that to give life to inanimate things.

Big Mom has the Soru Soru no Mi which allows her to extract peoples souls/lifespan and make "homies" by putting those souls into inanimate things.

Moria has the Kage Kage no Mi which allows him to extract peoples shadows and make "zombies" by putting those shadows into corpses.

The biggest problem for the protagonists when facing Kaido & Kuma was their monstrous durability.

Both Thriller Bark and WCI take massive inspiration for Tim Burton's gothic fantasy films.

Thriller Bark feels like "Nightmare before Christmas" and WCI feels like "Alice in Wonderland".

The Seducing Woods also feels very similar to Thriller Bark, forests full of creepy creatures that are brought to life by the main antagonist.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Despite learning Ace has died, Tama finds Luffy to view as another big brother who protects her just as Ace did. He has come to deliver on Ace's promise.

Hawkins' wagers that the chances of Luffy and/or Zoro being alive one month from the start of the arc, is 19% percent. This puts the odds against the protagonists & sets a precedence for potential death.

Hawkins' devil fruit abilities represent a twisted relationship between himself, as a headliner, and the gifters and other Beast Pirates that follow him. Even as a captain of his own crew, he would use this ability that renders his followers lives a stand-in for his own. This relationship is terrible for obvious reasons but it sets up a key aspect of this arc's thematic narrative. What is a good leader? What are good subordinates? The first antagonist of the arc being somebody of weak will, who submitted themselves to Kaido and also has this ability that completely juxtaposes Luffy's core philosophies when it comes to subordinates or, in his eyes, comrades. Hawkins' treats his subordinates like a number, the more there are, the longer they can keep him alive as the mastermind. Luffy looks at his crewmates as people who make up for his shortcomings, valuing them for their specific strengths and the ways they benefit his journey to becoming Pirate King.

The loyal followers of the Kozuki clan who waited 20 years like Toki prophesied marked their ankles with a moon tattoo. The "moon" has been used as a symbol of loyalty before, in Benn Beckman's vivre card describing his relationship with Shanks.

Otama chooses to live in Kuri, a dangerous part of Wano, because she is waiting for Ace who promised he would come back to her. The people of Wano, the people who are oppressed by Kaido and the people Luffy and our protagonists are personally fighting for are established to be very loyal people.

The country of Wano is established as a place of complete tragedy. It was once a country that flourished all over, but now, only the Flower Capital where Orochi resides remains as a decent place. Everywhere else has been reduced to a lawless wasteland by the efforts of Kaido and his organisation.

Luffy loses his mind when he finds out that Holdem was abusing Tama with pliers. The oppressive treatment that the innocent citizens of Wano face is one of the strongest emotional motivators for our protagonists.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

Orochi, one of the central antagonists of the arc, is introduced and established to be an incredibly fearful individual. He fears Toki's prophecy coming to fruition, and the return of the nine red scabbards.

Hawkins' words to Luffy & Zoro about submissions sets the stage for what kind of conflict this arc contains.

Either prove yourself superior to Kaido, or join him as an underling.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

The night of the fire festival was established as a night of prophecy right from the beginning of the arc. With his introduction, Kyoshiro tells us of Toki's final words, the prophecy that has the Shogun Orochi absolutely terrified.

We are introduced to Tenguyama Hitetsu, the Kokekshi doll collector and katana blacksmith but very recently in Chapter 1053, it is revealed this is merely a fake identity and behind the tengu mask, this man really is Kozuki Sukiyaki, the father of the late daimyo Kozuki Oden.

The arc opens up by establishing the Straw Hat's fake identities.

Franosuke, the carpenter.
Usohachi, the toad-oil salesman.
Orobi, the geisha.
Zorojuro, the ronin.

We later get Sangoro & Luffytaro too. These fake identities are used to blend in within Wano and avoid causing any problems before the fateful raid on the fire festival.

Wano & Thriller Bark are both the penultimate arcs in their halves of the story.

Thriller Bark is right before the Marineford Saga begins, the climax of pre-timeskip.

Wano is right before the Final Saga, the climax of post-timeskip & One Piece as a whole.

Sanji's dream of being invisible was made possible in Wano, something introduced to us in Thriller Bark. The Absalom & Nami situation feels very similar to Stealth Black Sanji in the bath house.

The first real struggle we, and Luffy, are introduced to is the hunger of Tama and the people of Wano.

It's established that the water is dirty because of Kaido's weapons factories polluting everything, which means the animals roaming around are toxic and inedible.

Okiku is established as a teahouse waitress before later being revealed as a member of the Nine Red Scabbards.

Despite their extreme hunger, the people of Wano are very generous to one another and still try to feed eachother.

To make this fact even worse, the private farm that Orochi & Kaido use was something the late Kozuki Oden created to feed the poor people of Kuri.

Wano has a very strict class system. The poorer people from the less fortunate towns have very few rights, if any at all.

The main reason we got the first Law and Hawkins confrontation is because Law wanted to keep his identity secret.

We find out that the some of the Scabbards we know to be alive have their own graves. They travelled to the future and were assumed dead, so their return feels like some sort of rebirth to the citizens of Wano.

The schools of the Flower Capital are stained by propaganda & misinformation, literally painting the Kozuki as bad people who were overthrown by the good Orochi.

Denjiro, a member of the Red Scabbards, is first introduced as an underling of Orochi's known as Napping Kyoshiro.

Kinemon & Momonosuke went through trial after trial and only came out of Punk Hazard alive thanks to the Straw Hats. The way Kinemon described this in Chapter 920 really makes it feel as if their meeting was fated.

Kaido is considered a deity who protects the land of Wano and will be celebrated during the Fire Festival.

The second hour of the bird has already been mentioned in the arc.

There are many people in Wano who still believed Toki's words and waited 20 years for the fateful night she prophesied.

Shutenmaru is motivated to defeat Jack in their battle because he refuses to die a meaningless death. To die meaningfully is a massive theme in this arc.

Kaido attempted to recruit Shutenmaru.

Breaking people's wills and hopes is a central goal of the antagonists in this arc. Destroying the ruins of Oden Castle is an example of this.

Kaido wanted to recruit Luffy after defeating him in Act 1.

Even in the transitional chapter between Act 1 & 2 (chapter 925), we have a huge focus on leadership and the value of subordinates with the Moria material.

Killer took up the identity of Kamazo.

Kyoshiro took up the identity of Ushimitsu Kozo to help the people of Wano.

Otoko is introduced as a very cheerful young girl but we later find out she is a victim of the failed SMILE fruits which renders the eater unable of expressing any emotion besides joy.

Kozuki Hiyori took up the identity of Komurasaki the Oiran.

Yasuie's gut instinct about Zoro could be attributed to fate.

Sanji used the raid suit to keep his identity secret.

Hyogoro was motivated by Luffy's strength of spirit and it reminded him of the samurai of Wano before everything was destroyed.

The very first thing that happens in the Wano arc is Luffy & co riding a Koi fish up a waterfall.

The Chinese Koi Fish Waterfall Legend is a story of perseverance and persistence.