One Piece's Big New Villain is Secretly Zoro's Father: Theory Explained

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Warning: contains spoilers for One Piece chapter 1052!

Within a series as long-running as One Piece, there are bound to be countless fan theories which pop up all the time. Though not all gain traction, one frequently talked about theory is the idea that the admiral ‘Green Bull’ Ryokugyu is actually Shimotsuki Ushimaru, a legendary samurai from Wano. This theory also suggests that Ryokugyu is actually Zoro’s father.

While not all fan theories have evidence behind them, there is a plethora of information that supports the idea that Ushimaru is Zoro’s father, and somehow became an admiral working for the Marines. Admiral Ryokugyu debuted in One Piece chapter 905, with Ushimaru appearing shortly after in chapter 953. As it stands, Shimotsuki Ushimaru was one of the most powerful daimyo in Wano’s history, being directly descended from «Sword God» Shimotsuki Ryuma. After his defeat at the hands of Kaido, Orochi, and the Beast Pirates, Ushimaru was imprisoned alongside the other daimyo and Yamato, but soon staged a jailbreak and was only presumed to be deceased after this.

Related: One Piece's Most Powerful Pirates Explained: Who Are The Yonko?

It is known that Ryokugyu and Fujitora both joined the marines within the two-year time skip after the events of the Marineford Arc. Additionally, both of these admirals are extremely friendly with each other, almost as if they were old friends. On top of that, Fujitora’s attire and style of swordsmanship is unlike that of any other marine. His robes, wooden sandals, and way of wielding his sword have only been seen by other samurai in the land of Wano thus far — therefore it is reasonable to speculate that Fujitora could be from Wano. Tying this back to Ryokugyu, it's plausible that