Kuina

Kuina

Kuina (くいな, Kuina) is the late childhood friend of Roronoa Zolo. She is the daughter of Koshiro and she is the reason why Zolo developed the Three Swords Style technique.

Appearance

Voice Actor: Laura Bailey (English), Machiko Toyoshima (Japanese)

She has short, dark blue hair and dark brown eyes.

The Navy officer Tashigi bears a strong resemblance to Kuina (in appearance, personality, and sword style), to the point where it makes Zolo extremely uncomfortable around her. However, it is unknown if they are somehow connected.

Personality

She was always living with the knowledge that since she was a woman, it would only get harder as she gets older for her to compete with men and had been informed by her father of her future woes. Her gender would force her to give up the swordsman's life as she grew. Eventually, Zolo made her believe that it's willpower, not strength, that makes a swordsman.

Relationships

Friends/Allies

• Roronoa Zolo

Family

• Koshiro (father)
• unnamed mother (deceased)

Rivals

• Roronoa Zolo

Abilities and powers

Kuina was the strongest among her fellow trainees in her father's dojo, being able to overpower even the adults, leading to the other students to accuse her father of giving her special treatment. She had been known to use a one-sworded style of fighting. She also defeated the young Zolo 2001 times showing the great skill she has in using a sword. Since she died, it is not possible to know how strong she would have become.

History

Twelve years before the current storyline, she is seen briefly, training outside her father's dojo, attacking a pole with her sword.

Zolo fought Kuina regularly, but found that after 2000 fights he could never beat her. Zolo challenged her into fighting with real swords, in which she used her family's Meito Wado.

Kuina had come to the conclusion that Zolo would soon pass her in skill and strength. This is because she believed that boys grow up to be stronger than girls, and she noticed just how much Zolo had already caught up to her current skills. So, when she started growing breasts, she became discouraged. Zolo then told her that if he ever beat her, it was because of his skills. The fact that he was a boy and she was a girl didn't matter. It was his goal to be as good as her. They promised that one of them would become the greatest swordsman in the world.

However, the next day after making their vow, Zolo learned she had fallen down the stairs while trying to get a sharpening block and died. Zoro was angry with her, accusing her of running away from their promise. Finally, Zolo asked her father for the honor of taking the Wado with him. With this, Zolo promised to fulfill their shared dream of becoming the greatest swordsman to fruition and develops Three Swords Style so he may wield both Kuina's sword and his own.

Synopsis

it is assumed that the Kuina mother died, when it was very small, since it is absent in all the flashbacks of childhood Zoro

Major Battles

• Kuina vs. Zolo x 2001 (Won)

Anime and Manga Differences

When Zolo was young, he challenged every dojo he came across and claimed their signs. When he came across Kuina and her family's dojo, he finally met his match.

Her progress against adults and other students is shown more. It is also stated by her father that she began to surpass her status as a female because of Zolo's rivalry with her, although no such statement was made in the manga.

Trivia

• Like Tashigi, her name comes from a flightless bird. The fact she is named after a flightless bird is a reflection of herself. In regards to the bird itself, Oda stated: "though a bird cannot fly, it doesn't mean it never will."

See also

• Roronoa Zolo
• Wado

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