What is the Shusui and why is it significant in the One Piece story?
Updated Feb 2026
The Shusui is a black blade - a supreme grade sword in the One Piece world's sword classification system - and one of the most historically significant weapons in the story. It was formerly owned by Ryuma, a legendary swordsman from the Wano Kingdom whose body is animated in the Thriller Bark arc, and Roronoa Zoro earns the sword by defeating Ryuma's animated corpse in single combat. The Shusui is considered a national treasure of Wano, and its significance in the story extends beyond its power as a sword into its symbolic role as a connection between Zoro and the lineage of great swordsmen in the One Piece world. Visually, the Shusui is distinguished by its black blade and the pattern of flower crests - the pattern resembles cherry blossom crests - visible along the flat of the blade. It is the most formally martial of Zoro's three swords, with a serious, traditional profile that contrasts with the cursed red Sandai Kitetsu and the personally significant white Wado Ichimonji.