One Piece: Why does Zoro call his attack Onigiri?

One of Zoro’s most famous techniques is Onigiri, which he incorporates in his Three Sword Style. Here’s a look at why Zoro named his signature technique after a famous Japanese dish.

One Piece portrays a wide variety of powerful characters, each with their own set of abilities and powers. While a majority of characters use Haki or Devil Fruit abilities, others are skilled with weapons such as swords.

Rorona Zoro is the first Straw Hat Member and has been Luffy’s ally since the beginning of his voyage. Among all the characters in One Piece, Zoro has always ranked high in terms of popularity. As a user of the Three Sword Style, Zoro has a number of powerful techniques under his belt.

However, the most intriguing of them all is “Onigiri,” which is named after a Japanese dish, riceball. Fans believe that it’s because of the little girl who offered onigiri to Zoro when he was captured by Marines in the second episode. However, the reason behind naming this attack is something else entirely.

Why did Zoro name his attack Onigiri in One Piece?

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In Episode 2, Zoro was captured by the Marines for protecting a little girl. They decided to tie him up for a month without food or water. If he survived, he could roam freely. However, three days later, the little girl brought him some riceball which he ate after the Marines trampled them on the ground. This is why many people believe that’s why Zoro named his signature technique Onigiri.

The reason behind it is simple wordplay. The pun in the attack’s name is that onigiri is also the name of a Japanese rice snack, while an “oni” is a type of ogre or demon in Japanese folklore. The attack can also be translated as “Ogre Cutter.” 

Onigiri is a three-way simultaneous slashing attack where Zoro crosses his two swords across his chest and places the blade in his mouth horizontally behind them. He then approaches his opponent at high speed before cutting them through by swinging the swords across his chest. This results in a descending diagonal-crossing slash from both swords while the mouth blade performs a horizontal cut.

One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out more anime coverage below:

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