Highlights

Zoro's left eye is a mysterious plot point that has yet to be fully explained, leaving fans speculating on how he lost it during his training with Mihawk.
Oda has had plans for Zoro's eye loss for many years, indicating that it holds significant importance to the character's development and future storylines.
The reveal of Zoro's left eye may come when he fights against Mihawk, potentially opening up new powers and abilities tied to his inner demon and furthering his quest to become the strongest swordsman.

The swordsman of the Straw Hats and the very first character to join Luffy on his journey to become the Pirate King, Zoro is one of the most important One Piece characters. He can be considered to be the person closest to Luffy in the crew and he is certainly among the fan favorites as well. Zoro is a three-sword style swordsman who aims to become the strongest in the entire world and much of his character arc revolves around keeping a promise to a friend, growing stronger, and, of course, most importantly, making Luffy the Pirate King.

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Zoro is an incredible character in many ways and his character holds many mysteries as well. One of the biggest mysteries that surrounds the character of Zoro is his left eye, which he lost at some point during the timeskip. Surprisingly, fans do not know much about it, however, there are many ideas surrounding this mystery among the fans.

How Zoro Lost His Left Eye

Zoro endured quite a lot of hardship after the events of the Thriller Bark arc. It was in this ark that Zoro's resolve as well as his loyalty was tested to the limit and, even though he passed with flying colors, the price that he paid was immense. Zoro was injured tremendously, to the point where he couldn't even fight properly. For him, even surviving was a big deal, and, all of this was only compounded when Zoro was separated from his group by Bartholomew Kuma. He was sent to Kuraigana Island, where he had to fight against the humandrills and, eventually, bow down before none other than Mihawk himself. While Luffy was risking his life in an attempt to save Ace, Zoro was helpless on this island, knowing that he could not help his captain.

Zoro had no choice but to bow down before Mihawk for the sake of his captain in an attempt to get stronger so he could protect him better. Mihawk agreed to train Zoro and the two decided to train the ways of Haki, along with many other things that entail swordplay itself. By this point, Zoro's eye was completely intact, however, the first time fans saw him return after the timeskip, Zoro's left eye was missing.

This was somewhat of a surprise to the fans and they certainly did not know what gave him this car. What's even crazier is the fact that no Straw Hat or any other character who knew Zoro has even touched upon the fact that Zoro has lost his eye. It's almost as if these characters are pretending to not see the big scar that has shut one of his eyes down. However, the reason for that is likely because Oda wants to keep this a surprise and not give away the secret before the right time comes.

Oda's Plans For Zoro's Left Eye

Judging by the way Oda has handled Zoro's eye and the secrets behind it, he has big plans for this particular plot point. In fact, Oda had once mentioned to Watsuki, his associate, that Zoro would end up losing his eye in the future. He mentioned this to him at some point between 1997 to 2000, which is around the time One Piece began serialization. Had Zoro losing his eye being something insignificant to the main plot, Oda would never have mentioned this to Watsuki and, at the same time, he wouldn't have thought of it so many years before it actually ended up happening. The fact that Oda had this drawn out as one of his major plans for his character Only means that it holds a significant secret.

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When Watsuki saw Zoro with one of his eyes closed after the timeskip and had the chance to speak with Oda, he was thoroughly impressed at what he was seeing. He quizzed Oda about the secrets behind the eye, however, Oda chose to not divulge them. For Zoro to receive scars isn't uncouth, however, this one is different, as no explanation has been provided for it and it has been planned for years upon years. One cannot say as to how Zoro ended up receiving this scar, however, fans know enough to tell that it happened at some point during his training with Mihawk. Perhaps, Mihawk was the one who inflicted this scar on him during their training.

It is also possible that Zoro lost control of himself and this scar was inflicted on him to keep him in check. Thus, by keeping this eye closed, Zoro could potentially be keeping himself in line. This might seem too out there to the fans, however, it is a known fact that Zoro has often been compared to the demon itself in One Piece. Right from the very beginning, Zoro has been drawing comparisons to the demon and, while they were somewhat metaphorical in the beginning of the story, these comparisons only started becoming too real as the story went on.

Zoro has manifested what can be compared to the demon spirit in the story on many occasions. He has been compared to a bloodlusted demon on many occasions and he has even manifested bizarre spirits around him on some others. What's more, Zoro even manifests a spirit-like entity known as Asura, which appears to be an extension of his own willpower or soul, on multiple occasions. There is no explanation as to how he manages to do it, however, this is directly tied to his demon self. Perhaps, what happened to Zoro is linked to his inner demon, which is being kept in check using his left eye.

Will Zoro Open His Left Eye?

The question of whether Zoro will open his eye or not cannot be answered by anyone other than Oda himself, however, what fans should believe is that Zoro will inevitably bring up his eye at some point in the story. The reveal of Zoro's left eye should come around the same time when he fights against Mihawk. The only people who know about Zoro's eye are himself, Perona, Mihawk and, potentially, the Humandrills who observed him while he was fighting. As such, the best place for this secret to be revealed would be when Zoro fights against Mihawk in the story.

When Oda brings it up during his fight against Mihawk, this plotline can go two ways. Zoro can either open his eyes and fans can receive a proper explanation as to what the demon dwelling inside him is and what the source of powers such as the Asura is, or, the eye can be considered to be something that he had to give up permanently in order to discipline himself and gain even heightened control over his swordplay. Either way, the eye can be used as a plot device for Zoro to get stronger, push through adversity, and reach the throne of the strongest swordsman – something that he has been gunning for from the very beginning of the story.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1101, is set to be December 10, 2023.