A rotor blade of an axial compressor includes: a blade root; and a blade leaf. The blade leaf has: a flow inlet edge, a flow outlet edge, a pressure side extending between the flow inlet edge and the flow outlet edge and a suction side extending between the flow inlet edge and the flow outlet edge, which together define a blade profile of the blade leaf in Cartesian coordinate values x, y and z such that first and second profile coordinates, or the coordinates x and y when joining via continuous arcs, each describe a smooth profile section on a radial section height along a third profile coordinate, or the coordinate value z, and the joining of the radial profile sections with a smoothing function describe the blade profile of the blade leaf.