A cosplay of Roronoa Zoro from One Piece shows how dedicated fans can still give the live-action series a run for its money. The cosplay, which was uploaded online to Reddit, depicts the character after the time skip, showing fans what the swordsman would look like if taken straight from the current manga. While Netflix’s series is lauded for its faithfulness, photos like this show how much further the costuming can go to match Eiichiro Oda’s vision.

Photos of the cosplay were uploaded onto Reddit at r/OnePiece. The uploader – aptly named “real_roronoa_zoro” – boasts, “I want to be the most accurate Zoro cosplayer as possible.”

All things considered, given the excellent work at bringing the King of Hell to life, the cosplayer may very well live up to his ambitions.

Zoro Cosplay Captures Pirate Hunter Perfectly

Inclusion of Haki Effects Add Extra Touch to Images

Oda’s character isn’t shy about baring his chest, and real_roronoa_zoro wasn’t afraid of working for one worthy of the Pirate Hunter to capture the design. The cosplayer’s upload also includes his candid discussion of the effort involved, including years of gym exercise. It has paid off, however, with a body that convincingly looks ready for seaborne battle and adventure. Of course, one sacrifice to convenience seems to be real_roronoa_zoro’s decision to wear a bandanna over his head. While it still adheres to Zoro’s mystique, it also conveniently sidesteps the issue of trying to wear convincingly colored hair dye or a wig.

The extra touch, though, that shows the depth of the cosplayer’s desire for accuracy is the blackened skin and forearm in one shot, representing the hardening Busoshoku Haki the character employs, something further referenced by the purple smoke effects similar to what the anime uses. While the smoke and the blackened skin appear to have been added in post-production, it is still one more element that makes clear how badly real_roronoa_zoro wants to bring the post-time skip Zoro to life. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that this cosplay is likely the most accurate so far among One Piece cosplays.

Cosplayers Continue To Prove the Long Journey Live-Action Adaptations Have

While they have different production needs and practicality, live-action adaptations have a long way to go in the way of accuracy

Zoro’s current design only came about after some five hundred chapters or episodes, and an in-universe time skip. While fans are all too familiar with it now, it will likely be a very long time before Netflix’s live-action adaptation shifts its rendition of the King of Hell toward that image. Until then, fans have to rely on their own ingenuity to see what Zoro could look like in the flesh after two years of training; real_roronoa_zoro, however, does show that a manga-accurate Zoro isn’t impossible, even if it does require a body fit for a pirate, if nothing else.