There’s common belief floating around that Zoro absolutely outclassed King and that he stand far beyond Yonko Commander level.
I’ve seen the takes Zoro = YC (Yonko Commander) + Zoro > Sanji by miles all of it but honestly when I rewatched the fight and went back through Wano things don’t look that clean. King outperformed very much in early phase that fight Zoro couldn’t touch him. Zoro got tossed badly, there were moments where he straight up looked clueless, his attacks didn’t land, his haki didn’t bite and King was just playing with him like a ragdoll. The durability King showed with the flames on his back made him a totally invincible. When the flames disappeared he became stupidly fast & speed in that mode felt like a serious gap. Zoro’s reaction speed wasn’t enough to track him at first. The only time our Straw Hat started getting anywhere is when he finally noticed the pattern with the flame switching and honestly if he didn’t figure that out the fight would probably ends very differently.
Zoro Figuring out Kings Weakness
Figuring out King’s switching pattern wasn’t guaranteed – it happened because King allowed it. He kept using the same flame-on/flame-off cycle throughout the fight, assuming his natural advantages were enough to carry him. But if only King had varied his rhythm even slightly or disguised his transitions better, Zoro might not have found an opening at all. The idea that Zoro would always figure it out assumes King doesn’t evolve but he is a veteran warrior, not some mindless brawler. With smarter use of his own abilities, he could’ve denied that key advantage and ended the fight before adaptation ever became a factor.
How King Could Have Beaten Zoro
If King wanted to win that fight, he needed to do one thing Zoro did and he didn’t –adapt.
He had the advantage early on. Zoro couldn’t touch him when the flame was on, he couldn’t keep up with his speed when the flame was off. But King never adjusted his fighting pattern. He kept using the same switch — flame on for defense, flame off for offense. Once Zoro picked up the pattern, it became predictable. That’s where King started losing ground.
Instead of sticking to the same flame on/off rhythm, he could’ve kept Zoro guessing. Maybe using partial attacks in flame-on mode or delaying his speed bursts so Zoro couldn’t read it as easily. Even something like fake-outs would’ve added confusion. Zoro was not used to enma, figuring it out which was clearly visible and bursting out his opponent stamina, on which King actually had an advantage could also him an edge. There were moments where he clearly landed heavy hits but didn’t follow through.
So yeah, Beast Pirates had the tools to win. They just didn’t adapt, while Strawhats did. That’s what decided the outcome. Otherwise, we might be telling a different story.
Zoro vs King Full Fight Explaned
Zoro and King actually begin in episode 1062 of One Piece, things were easy in the starting but started getting different as mid-fight is approaches. Once Enma started forcing more haki out of Zoro, he basically unlocked that King of Hell state and with that came ACoC (Advanced Conqueror’s Haki Coating). He wasn’t using it fluently before but all of a sudden, blades coated and his attacks hit way harder than before. Still King kept up for a bit, he was still tanking some of ACoC hits and giving out fire enhanced attacks that Zoro himself admitted he couldn’t take headon. So this whole idea that Zoro just powered up and steamrolled King doesn’t hold up It was a close fight even after Zoro’s upgrade.
Honestly comparing Zoro’s attack potential with ACoC edges out King’s but not by a massive margin. King’s durability in flame-on mode was definitely greater and even in speed mode he was holding up decently. The big difference wasn’t raw strength It was approach. Zoro fights with clarity once he understands his opponent relies more on abilities and physical edges. And being a pure swordsman meant that once he had the read on King it was over. That’s what made the finale not because Zoro was leagues above but because he adapted and exploited the weakness better although it was a low margin. Beast Pirates versatility is solid but StrawHats focus wins out in a direct duel like that. At the end Zoro win but it wasn’t truly domination It was a smart win against a monster opponent and people downplaying King because he lost aren’t watching closely enough.