Kuina in One Piece

Shimotsuki Kuina was Roronoa Zoro's opponent, relative, and childhood buddy. She was a member of the renowned Shimotsuki Family of Wano Country and the daughter of Shimotsuki Koushirou. Much of Zoro's aspirations as a swordsman, including the creation of the Three Sword Style, were inspired by her passing away when he was just eleven.

All about Kuina

Name	Kuina
First Appearance in Anime	One Piece Episode 2
Voice Actors	Machiko Toyoshima (Japanese), Priscilla Everett (English)
DOB	17th September
Gender	Female
Status	Dead
Affiliations	Shomotusuki Family
Occupation	Trainee Swordswoman
Origin	Shomotsuki Village
Devil Fruit	Unknown
Bounty	Unknown

History

Past

Koushirou and his wife had Kuina in Shimotsuki Village around two years after Gold Roger was put to death. While Koushirou expressed doubts about a daughter inheriting his dojo appropriately, his wife showed confidence in Kuina's fortitude. Kuina received proper swordsmanship instruction as a result from an early age. Kuina had developed into the dojo's strongest trainee by the age of eleven, unbeatable by any other. Notably, she engaged in 2,000 fights with the next-strongest pupil, Roronoa Zoro, and defeated him in each one, much to Zoro's disappointment. Despite this, her father continued to worry that men would "naturally" become better swordsmen as they aged, which created bitter fear in her.

Eventually, Kuina agreed to Zoro's new challenge to engage in combat with real steel swords. She pitted the best of her family's Meito Wado Ichimonji against Zoro's own swords in the middle of the night and once more prevailed. She did not, however, revel in the victory; instead, she admitted her own weaknesses, including her desire to become the best swordsman in the world and her envy that Zoro, a man, was able to pursue it while she was unable to. Although shocked, Zoro strongly disagreed with Kuina's justification and stated that work and skill—not birth—were the only factors that determined their status as swordsmen and whether he would ever be able to defeat her. Kuina was encouraged by his faith, and the two of them jointly vowed that one of them would someday become the best swordsman in the entire world.

They would unfortunately never speak again since the following day Kuina tragically died after accidentally falling down a stairway. Zoro accused her of breaking their promise after seeing her dead corpse, and to deal with his grief and pay tribute to her memory, he renewed his commitment to training as a great swordsman so he could realize their shared ambition.

Legacy

Zoro would be motivated by Kuina's memories for the rest of his life, leading him to choose the Wado Ichimonji as his main weapon and create the Three Sword Style to suit it. Seven years or so after their last combat, Zoro was going to leave Shimotsuki Village and start his career as a professional swordsman, with the ultimate aim of taking down Dracule Mihawk. Zoro is now one of the most well-known swordsmen in the world, even though he hasn't yet achieved success. He is also the second-most infamous member of the Straw Hat Pirates, behind his captain, Monkey D. Luffy.

Personality

Kuina in One Piece — Still from the anime

Kuina constantly presented a self-assured, confident face that bordered on arrogance while speaking to other trainees. This, however, disproved her worries that mature women could not compete with males in strength, which was influenced by Koushirou's views. She developed a dislike for her body as a barrier to her aspiration of becoming the best swordswoman in the world, and she particularly feared the beginning of puberty. Due to these traits, she had a confusing relationship with Roronoa Zoro, whom she frequently insulted for being weak and yet envied for being masculine. She eventually came to accept him as both a friend and a rival after hearing him allay her concerns and emphasize his own, equal beliefs in swordsmanship.

Appearance

She had broad, dark eyes, and short, dark blue hair. She was dressed in dark maroon shorts, a bright pink short-sleeved blouse with a three-button placket that she left undone, and brown shoes. She wore a white sleeveless top and cropped dark green trousers when working out in the dojo.

Kuina’s abilities, strengths, and fighting style

Despite having a small physique, Kuina was a powerful young prodigy in the art of swordplay, and before her passing, she was the Isshin Dojo's top student. She often defeated Zoro at this period, who, while being a year younger, could outperform the adult learners in the dojo.

Kuina’s special abilities

Weapons

Kuina mostly used a bamboo shinai in battle, the same as her fellow trainees. She showed no obvious difficulties using the Wado Ichimonji in her last battle against Zoro, though, suggesting that she was equally skilled with live steel.