Ryuma

“Samurai of Legend” · a Zombie General on Thriller Bark · the reanimated corpse of the legendary samurai Ryuma of Wano Country

Arc-by-arc updates

Thriller Bark (Ch. 456) — confronted by Brook; asserts ownership of Brook’s stolen shadow

• Confronted by Brook in the spider-web passageway. Declares “Silence! You are my shadow!! …Return to my feet! I will have you…” and names himself “the swordmaster Ryuma” — confirming on-page that Brook’s stolen shadow animates him; “the fundamental strengths of our bodies are completely different” (pp. 14, 16). See Zombie General Mimics Brooks Speech And Manner Stolen Shadow Tell.

Thriller Bark (Ch. 457) — referenced; SBS confirms the zombie IS Ryuma of “Monsters”

• The “samurai” zombie that flat-bladed the captive trio; the crew name it as running on Brook’s stolen shadow (pp. 12-13). The volume’s SBS (p. 20) confirms this zombie IS Ryuma — the legendary dragon-slaying swordsman of Oda’s Wanted! short story “Monsters,” already dead of illness and revered in his homeland, reanimated here with Brook’s shadow. See Zombie General Ryuma Legendary Wano Samurai Who Slew A Dragon.

Thriller Bark (Ch. 458) — fights Brook in his own sword style; moves to cut off the afro

• The zombie carrying Brook’s stolen shadow; fights in Brook’s exact sword style and overwhelms him, taunting “former master” and moving to cut off Brook’s afro (pp. 12-14). Demonstrates that the shadow transfers the owner’s combat skill, not just his manner. See Zombie General Mimics Brooks Speech And Manner Stolen Shadow Tell, Brook’s Afro Is Sacred Anything But My Afro.

Thriller Bark (Ch. 462) — names + wields the Shusui; Zoro challenges him for the blade

• Identified on-page by Zoro as “that legendary samurai who slew a dragon in ancient times” — Zoro had “wanted to meet” him (p. 12).
• Wields the Shusui: names it himself as “a legendary sword… one of the 21 excellent grade swords, Black Blade with a reverse waved temper line” (p. 13). See Sword Grading System, Shusui Black Blade O Wazamono Named At Thriller Bark.
• The stolen shadow grants the original’s full arts: he fights using Brook’s “Three-Pace Hum Notch Slash” / “Requiem Lebanderole” (pp. 6-8), and accepts Zoro’s challenge for the Shusui (“All right then…”, p. 13). See Zombie General Mimics Brooks Speech And Manner Stolen Shadow Tell.

Thriller Bark (Ch. 466) — duels Zoro for the Shusui; the ranged “gun” thrust

• The zombie general Ryuma duels Zoro; he wields the named black blade “Shusui” (p. 16). See Shusui Black Blade O Wazamono Named At Thriller Bark, Worlds Greatest Swordsman.
• Carries Brook’s stolen-shadow tells — the “Yo ho ho ho” laugh and Brook’s technique “Aubade Coup Droit” — but in the samurai body the thrust lands as a ranged blast “like a gun,” surprising Brook (pp. 16-19). See Ryuma Sword Thrust Lands As A Ranged Blast Like A Gun, Zombie General Mimics Brooks Speech And Manner Stolen Shadow Tell.

Thriller Bark (Ch. 467) — defeated by Zoro; names + entrusts the Shusui; the shadow returns to Brook

• Duels Zoro as a perfect mirror-match of identical swordsmen (the stolen shadow grants Brook’s full arts); uses French-flavoured named techniques — Gavotte Bond en Avant, Polka Remise, Prelude au Fer; both project slashes through stone and land hits simultaneously (pp. 4-7).
• Defeated by Zoro’s flaming one-sword draw; concedes with dignity — “I lost… the famous blade of the legendary samurai will surely be satisfied” (pp. 16-17).
• Names his sword on-page: SHUSUI, and entrusts it to Zoro as a worthy master — “with you as its master, this blade will surely be satisfied” (p. 17). See Shusui Black Blade O Wazamono Named At Thriller Bark, Sword Grading System, Worlds Greatest Swordsman.
• Explicitly identified as a “Samurai of the Wano Country” (p. 20); the stolen shadow releases from the corpse and returns to Brook (pp. 18-19), ending the zombie.

Posthumous — Zoro honors the blade-giver (Ch. 474)

• In his first real combat with the won black blade Shusui, Zoro reflects: “You gave me a great sword… Swordmaster Ryuma!!” but finds the blade “a pain to master” — “too big and slow… I can’t fully control it yet” (pp. 3, 5). First in-combat acknowledgment of Ryuma as the source of Zoro’s new black blade.

Posthumous — named by the Wano Magistrate (Ch. 909) — mentioned (deceased)

• Named by the Wano Magistrate as “the legendary swordsman Ryuma,” whose remains and his blade Shusui were grave-robbed 23 years ago “in the midst of a pirate upheaval” (pp.14-15) — Wano’s own national legend, tying his Thriller Bark zombie’s black blade back to its homeland. The Magistrate accuses Zoro (holder of Shusui) of the theft. See Kin’emon Demands The Return Of Shusui Grave-Robbed From Ryuma Wano National Hero, Wano Ryuma And Shusui Names Encode The Forward Samurai Arc.

Posthumous — the grave in Ringo (Ch. 936) — mentioned (deceased)

• Ryuma’s grave is located in Ringo, Wano; the black blade Shusui was “most callously stolen” from it and has now been returned to the grave by a Ringo bandit/monk (p. 16). Reaffirms Ryuma as a Wano national hero whose remains were grave-robbed; Zoro (holder of Shusui) pursues the bandit. See Kin’emon Demands The Return Of Shusui Grave-Robbed From Ryuma Wano National Hero, Wano Ryuma And Shusui Names Encode The Forward Samurai Arc.

Posthumous — the legend, retold from Wano (Ch. 937) — mentioned (deceased)

• Gyukimaru recounts Ryuma’s full legend on-page from Wano itself: he repelled foreign invaders when Wano was “the Land of Gold,” slew a dragon flying over the capital, was entombed with Shusui as the “God of the Blade,” and was made a National Treasure; Shusui’s black color was forged through his lifetime of battle (pp. 6–8). See Wano Ryuma And Shusui Names Encode The Forward Samurai Arc, Zombie General Ryuma Legendary Wano Samurai Who Slew A Dragon, Wano Was Once The Land Of Gold.

Posthumous — “god of the blade,” Shusui a national treasure (Ch. 954) — mentioned (deceased)

• Named “Ryuma, god of the blade”; his grave-sword Shusui is identified as a Wano national treasure whose theft is “a national tragedy,” and Hiyori arranges its return to his grave in exchange for giving Zoro Oden’s Enma (pp. 2-3). See Kin’emon Demands The Return Of Shusui Grave-Robbed From Ryuma Wano National Hero.

Posthumous — the grave-robbing dramatized (Ch. 969) — referenced (Oden flashback)

• The “God of the Blade’s” grave in Ringo was ransacked ~24 yrs ago during a Gecko-Pirates-vs-Animal-Kingdom-Pirates battle — the on-page origin of the grave-robbing that put his corpse and Shusui in Gecko Moria’s hands (p. 12). See Kin’emon Demands The Return Of Shusui Grave-Robbed From Ryuma Wano National Hero.

Notes