Roronoa Zoro | April 14, 2018 — Has He Really Been Gone This Long?
How long can a main combatant disappear before fans start calling it a problem?
Zoro hasn’t fought, spoken, or even properly appeared for nearly two years.
Is this just arc structure — or a real flaw in modern ONE PIECE pacing?
- Zoro’s Absence During the Big Mom Arc
- Comparisons to Sanji’s Long Disappearance
- Concerns About Cast Bloat and Arc Structure
- Expectations for Wano and Zoro’s Past
- 👉 Why Japanese Fans React This Way
- 👉 What This Says About Modern ONE PIECE
Zoro’s Absence During the Big Mom Arc
1：Anonymous Pirate
What’s he even doing?
3：Anonymous Pirate
Luffy just straight up said he’s heading to Wano now.
4：Anonymous Pirate
Wait, the Big Mom stuff has been going on for two years already? That long?
Comparisons to Sanji’s Long Disappearance
5：Anonymous Pirate
Shut up. Before this, Sanji was gone for a full two years too.
10：Anonymous Pirate
Sanji had a long blank period too, and it feels like he’ll end without even a proper highlight. Kinda sad.
Concerns About Cast Bloat and Arc Structure
6：Anonymous Pirate
It’s fine to limit which members show up, but having someone completely disappear feels wrong.
18：Anonymous Pirate
Not showing a regular character for years — is Oda even sane? He’s been weird lately.
Expectations for Wano and Zoro’s Past
9：Anonymous Pirate
Was beating Pica the last thing he did?
12：Anonymous Pirate
Once Wano starts, it feels like we’re immediately getting Zoro’s flashback.
16：Anonymous Pirate
So we’re about to get even more of Zoro’s tragic backstory added?
Power Scaling and Missed Tension
19：Anonymous Pirate
Ever since entering the New World, this guy hasn’t struggled at all.
He should be able to beat someone like Vista easily.
👉 Why Japanese Fans Think This Way
Japanese readers tend to view core Straw Hat members as “always present,” even when split across arcs.
A long absence doesn’t feel like narrative buildup — it feels like neglect.
Especially for combatants like Zoro, silence equals stagnation.
👉 This Says About Modern ONE PIECE
This thread isn’t really about Zoro being weak or sidelined.
It’s about pacing, cast management, and fear that emotional payoff is being delayed too long.
When arcs last years in real time, “he’ll show up later” stops being reassuring.
Zoro figure
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