Shimotsuki Ryuma was a legendary, world-famous samurai hailing from the Shimotsuki Family of Wano Country, who lived during Wano’s “Country of Gold” era centuries ago. He was revered for his mastery of swordsmanship that earned him the title Sword God, as well as his feat of slaying a dragon. He is also the direct ancestor of Shimotsuki Ushimaru.

Two decades before the beginning of the story, Ryuma’s consecrated grave in Ringo was ransacked and his corpse and sword stolen by Gecko Moria. Eventually, his corpse was reanimated by Brook’s shadow and turned into a General Zombie to serve Moria on Thriller Bark, leading to the possessed Ryuma becoming an antagonist of the Thriller Bark Arc, until his defeat at Roronoa Zoro’s hands.

He is the same Ryuma from Oda’s previous one-shot manga, Monsters.