The Marines throughout the series have stood strong as one of the main antagonistic forces of the series, no matter what brand of Justice they fall under, at the end of the day they are enforcers of the Government’s will. While the Marines and their beliefs cover a vast spectrum, the symbol of Justice is a unifying force against piracy on the seas.
But what if that didn’t have to be the case? During the pre-skip the Admirals had served as the chief most powerful enforcers for the Government, and when the time-skip came we received two new Admirals who would have to fill that void. On one side we got Aramaki, the Government extremist, and on the other side we were introduced to one who would challenge their perception of Justice…
“Purple Tiger”
Issho
"You showed pity for my blind eyes, but I earned my lack of sight by my actions. I shut these lids on my own… saw too many things I didn't care for."
From our first look at Issho, one can see he deviates from the trend set by previous Admirals. They all wore fancy tailored suits that represented high-status, authority, and power. Fujitora by comparison is in very understated and modest robes and old fashioned sandals. His presence evokes less a sharp image of authority and more an image of humility, and the softer features alongside his blindness give him a less dangerous air to him than the previous trio.
The “purple” in his name more accurately translates to “Wisteria” which is a genus of flowers that in Japan are symbols of nobility and elegance. Though Oda claims he chose the name because it rolls off the tongue better than some of the other traditional shades of purple, it is quite appropriate for the character, and the color palette of purples in general are often tied to nobility and wisdom. There was a detailed effort placed into this design from his uniform to how he carries himself, but the groundwork for that was not laid by Oda, but rather the character who inspired him.
The Tale of Zatoichi
"You samurai are so full of yourselves. So long as you've got orders, you don't care what you do to people."
Zatoichi was one of Japan’s most iconic and prolific characters with 26 movies and 100 episodes over a 27 year span, it’s a franchise that more than left its mark on the industry, and stands among the most performances of a character portrayed by a single actor.
Shintaru Katsu plays the title character Ichi, the inspiration for Fujitora. The “Zato” part of his name is in reference to his status, he is low-class and he is blind, he is among the dredges of society that get looked down upon by the rest. He is a travelling masseur which in that era of Japan was one of the lowest positions one could have in society, and his disability was also typically looked down upon as wretched in that era.
The core of his character is about virtue and humility; a running theme in the franchise is power as a corrupting force, so it’s by design that the most noble and earnest character is the man who lives humility on the bottom rungs of society and embodies greater honor than the Samurai of the protected class. He often spins his status to his advantage, acting clumsy and putting on a performance of being much more helpless and clueless than he truly is, so that opposing forces will lower their guards around him. Ichi was also once a Yakuza who felt great remorse about the violent lifestyle of that criminal world and sought to find redemption. Despite being a master swordsman that can cut down small armies, he never draws first, using his blade as a means of defense and a tool for protecting others.
Another core aspect of his character is his role as a gambler, his incredibly heightened senses and near supernatural intuition allow him to manipulate and read the game to a level where those relying purely on sight can not. He brings order and control to a game stacked against him, but doesn’t use it to cheat or swindle, rather he often uses the gambling as a method to test the characters of the people he is up against. The core of his character is in challenging the corruption of the world around him, and using his perceived shortcomings as his strengths to help him do so. It should be clear where Zatoichi crafted the fundamental building blocks to the character of Fujitora…
Justice is Blind
“The military’s role in this scuffle is to minimize the suffering of the small folks.”
Much like Ichi, the character of Issho is introduced gambling with corrupt men trying to con him. Gambling is a core part of his character as well, but it would be a mistake to read into this and assume it means he is a character who enjoys taking risks and leaving things to fate. The actual point of the gambling is that Fujitora sees more clearly than anyone else in the room, he calls the correct result every single time. He sells the illusion of fate and chance while always remaining in perfect control of the situation; he knows before he calls which way the dice are going to roll.
Near the end of Dressrosa we get a brief look at the world from Fujitora’s perspective; he can not see the faces of the people around them, but he can hear their words and sense their feelings. He would know there are people murmuring in the restaurant about him being cheated, he can feel the intention of the men who are swindling him… but the gambling for him was never about the money involved. This was a test of character… he has tracked down the man the Government sent him to potentially capture; will this man ignore and do nothing when a blind man gets scammed in his vicinity, will he laugh and be amused by the crooks, or will he take a stand against the injustice? Before he decides his next move as an Admiral, the most important thing was to both assess the character of Luffy and to witness the corruption of the Donquixote Family, and only after he has a satisfactory answer does he set into motion.
This is our first look into the brand of justice that he follows, Humane Justice. He is of the belief that the people do not exist to serve the Government, but rather the Government should be there to serve the better interest of the people. They say that true justice is blind, that people should be judged impartially regardless of status. As a blind man he does not see the world in terms of pirates vs Government as other Marines do, but in terms of justice vs injustice and judging by the content of ones character. The Strawhats showed their kindness and he rewarded them with mercy during that arc. In contrast, Doflamingo, who was Government protected, was viewed as his enemy because of his corrupt and twisted heart.
But what if that didn’t have to be the case? During the pre-skip the Admirals had served as the chief most powerful enforcers for the Government, and when the time-skip came we received two new Admirals who would have to fill that void. On one side we got Aramaki, the Government extremist, and on the other side we were introduced to one who would challenge their perception of Justice…
“Purple Tiger”
Issho
"You showed pity for my blind eyes, but I earned my lack of sight by my actions. I shut these lids on my own… saw too many things I didn't care for."
From our first look at Issho, one can see he deviates from the trend set by previous Admirals. They all wore fancy tailored suits that represented high-status, authority, and power. Fujitora by comparison is in very understated and modest robes and old fashioned sandals. His presence evokes less a sharp image of authority and more an image of humility, and the softer features alongside his blindness give him a less dangerous air to him than the previous trio.
The “purple” in his name more accurately translates to “Wisteria” which is a genus of flowers that in Japan are symbols of nobility and elegance. Though Oda claims he chose the name because it rolls off the tongue better than some of the other traditional shades of purple, it is quite appropriate for the character, and the color palette of purples in general are often tied to nobility and wisdom. There was a detailed effort placed into this design from his uniform to how he carries himself, but the groundwork for that was not laid by Oda, but rather the character who inspired him.
The Tale of Zatoichi
"You samurai are so full of yourselves. So long as you've got orders, you don't care what you do to people."
Zatoichi was one of Japan’s most iconic and prolific characters with 26 movies and 100 episodes over a 27 year span, it’s a franchise that more than left its mark on the industry, and stands among the most performances of a character portrayed by a single actor.
Shintaru Katsu plays the title character Ichi, the inspiration for Fujitora. The “Zato” part of his name is in reference to his status, he is low-class and he is blind, he is among the dredges of society that get looked down upon by the rest. He is a travelling masseur which in that era of Japan was one of the lowest positions one could have in society, and his disability was also typically looked down upon as wretched in that era.
The core of his character is about virtue and humility; a running theme in the franchise is power as a corrupting force, so it’s by design that the most noble and earnest character is the man who lives humility on the bottom rungs of society and embodies greater honor than the Samurai of the protected class. He often spins his status to his advantage, acting clumsy and putting on a performance of being much more helpless and clueless than he truly is, so that opposing forces will lower their guards around him. Ichi was also once a Yakuza who felt great remorse about the violent lifestyle of that criminal world and sought to find redemption. Despite being a master swordsman that can cut down small armies, he never draws first, using his blade as a means of defense and a tool for protecting others.
Another core aspect of his character is his role as a gambler, his incredibly heightened senses and near supernatural intuition allow him to manipulate and read the game to a level where those relying purely on sight can not. He brings order and control to a game stacked against him, but doesn’t use it to cheat or swindle, rather he often uses the gambling as a method to test the characters of the people he is up against. The core of his character is in challenging the corruption of the world around him, and using his perceived shortcomings as his strengths to help him do so. It should be clear where Zatoichi crafted the fundamental building blocks to the character of Fujitora…
Justice is Blind
“The military’s role in this scuffle is to minimize the suffering of the small folks.”
Much like Ichi, the character of Issho is introduced gambling with corrupt men trying to con him. Gambling is a core part of his character as well, but it would be a mistake to read into this and assume it means he is a character who enjoys taking risks and leaving things to fate. The actual point of the gambling is that Fujitora sees more clearly than anyone else in the room, he calls the correct result every single time. He sells the illusion of fate and chance while always remaining in perfect control of the situation; he knows before he calls which way the dice are going to roll.
Near the end of Dressrosa we get a brief look at the world from Fujitora’s perspective; he can not see the faces of the people around them, but he can hear their words and sense their feelings. He would know there are people murmuring in the restaurant about him being cheated, he can feel the intention of the men who are swindling him… but the gambling for him was never about the money involved. This was a test of character… he has tracked down the man the Government sent him to potentially capture; will this man ignore and do nothing when a blind man gets scammed in his vicinity, will he laugh and be amused by the crooks, or will he take a stand against the injustice? Before he decides his next move as an Admiral, the most important thing was to both assess the character of Luffy and to witness the corruption of the Donquixote Family, and only after he has a satisfactory answer does he set into motion.
This is our first look into the brand of justice that he follows, Humane Justice. He is of the belief that the people do not exist to serve the Government, but rather the Government should be there to serve the better interest of the people. They say that true justice is blind, that people should be judged impartially regardless of status. As a blind man he does not see the world in terms of pirates vs Government as other Marines do, but in terms of justice vs injustice and judging by the content of ones character. The Strawhats showed their kindness and he rewarded them with mercy during that arc. In contrast, Doflamingo, who was Government protected, was viewed as his enemy because of his corrupt and twisted heart.
"You talk about necessary sacrifices to keep the Warlord's goin'?! You only say such a thing cuz you've never been one o' them!!"
While we lack details on Issho’s past, we do know that his blindness was self imposed because he saw too many horrors and atrocities, to the extent that he came to hate his own sense of sight. We also know at one point he was head of the Guards at Aoi Kingdom, and later branded a war criminal after being involved in its destruction. Similar to Ichi being a former Yakuza, it is likely that this Kingdom was corrupt and being part of it is where he was exposed to the darkness of the world and how much oppression and wickedness was being enforced by those in positions of authority, and that his hand in the destruction of the Kingdom was his redemption to atone and liberate the people in what is true Zatoichi fashion.
That history would put him in a position that enlightened him on the true nature of the sovereign powers, and ensure he would never again turn a blind eye towards the plight of the people. Trampling people’s rights and sacrificing them in the name of justice is inexcusable because true justice is upholding people’s rights and doing best by them. Justice without mercy is tyranny, and Fujitora is committed to rooting that out.
In Issho’s encounters with the Revolutionary Army, he tells them that their ideals and motives are more alike than they are different. They are both dedicated to wiping out injustices and opposing the corruption within the Government, but while the Revolutionaries oppose them as a separate external and oppositional force; Issho attacks it from within seeking to leverage his position to create lasting systemic reform. Because he still believes in Justice and the weight of the symbol, but sees the flaws in how it is enforced and how that can be improved upon. His is Justice in its most morally righteous form.
Crouching Tiger
While we lack details on Issho’s past, we do know that his blindness was self imposed because he saw too many horrors and atrocities, to the extent that he came to hate his own sense of sight. We also know at one point he was head of the Guards at Aoi Kingdom, and later branded a war criminal after being involved in its destruction. Similar to Ichi being a former Yakuza, it is likely that this Kingdom was corrupt and being part of it is where he was exposed to the darkness of the world and how much oppression and wickedness was being enforced by those in positions of authority, and that his hand in the destruction of the Kingdom was his redemption to atone and liberate the people in what is true Zatoichi fashion.
That history would put him in a position that enlightened him on the true nature of the sovereign powers, and ensure he would never again turn a blind eye towards the plight of the people. Trampling people’s rights and sacrificing them in the name of justice is inexcusable because true justice is upholding people’s rights and doing best by them. Justice without mercy is tyranny, and Fujitora is committed to rooting that out.
In Issho’s encounters with the Revolutionary Army, he tells them that their ideals and motives are more alike than they are different. They are both dedicated to wiping out injustices and opposing the corruption within the Government, but while the Revolutionaries oppose them as a separate external and oppositional force; Issho attacks it from within seeking to leverage his position to create lasting systemic reform. Because he still believes in Justice and the weight of the symbol, but sees the flaws in how it is enforced and how that can be improved upon. His is Justice in its most morally righteous form.
Crouching Tiger
"Are you tellin' me these cries of anger have fallen on deaf ears? Those ain't tears of sorrow... that's pure rage!! Does the World Government think itself to be God?"
Issho represents the animal zodiac of the Tiger, the qualities of the Tiger are courage, decisiveness, righteousness, and serving as natural protectors. They are symbols of strength and because of their sharp decisiveness, Tigers are often defiant and resistant against following orders, and can be known for being impulsive as well. Naturally this is greatly fitting for Issho who is a protective figure going against the grain of the Government’s will to enforce his actual ideals of what Justice should be. He accompanies this this with gravity, a force of grounded stability and a universal constant.
It would be fair to say that Issho likely has shown the most deep conviction of any Admiral. Whereas Kuzan before him had conflicted feelings and questioned the Government; Issho from the beginning saw the Government for what it was and the ideal that it could be. He saw the injustices and imperfections in the system and orchestrated a plan to bring about positive change.
I’m aware there have been criticisms around Issho for how he handled the Dressrosa incident : the belief that he was too hands off and he could have done, or that he gambled with the safety of the island. However, as mentioned prior, Fujitora only ever appears to be gambling, in actuality he is in control and seeing more of the picture than anybody else. He could have brought down Doflamingo on his own and been the savior, but then the Government would have been able to ride off as saviors of a situation that they caused and escape accountability, controlling the narrative to suit themselves.
He took the opportunity to expose the wrongdoings of the Warlord system in a way that the Government would not be able to walk back, he bowed his head and took accountability on behalf of the Government so that the whole world could see the flaws of the system and then leveraged that to turn the Nations against them at the Reverie. He only interfered in the extent to help minimize some of the casualties, but let the pirates deal with the situation to shine a spotlight on the issue. With that it could be said he made the biggest strides and global impact of any Admiral, as he was the driving force behind the dismantling of one of the three world powers.
On the side of the shortcomings, the impulsiveness of the Tiger is demonstrated comedically with him recklessly dropping meteors where he shouldn’t, also plays into the clumsy nature known for in the Zatoichi film. But we’ve also seen it manifest in the larger scale…
No Good Deed
Issho represents the animal zodiac of the Tiger, the qualities of the Tiger are courage, decisiveness, righteousness, and serving as natural protectors. They are symbols of strength and because of their sharp decisiveness, Tigers are often defiant and resistant against following orders, and can be known for being impulsive as well. Naturally this is greatly fitting for Issho who is a protective figure going against the grain of the Government’s will to enforce his actual ideals of what Justice should be. He accompanies this this with gravity, a force of grounded stability and a universal constant.
It would be fair to say that Issho likely has shown the most deep conviction of any Admiral. Whereas Kuzan before him had conflicted feelings and questioned the Government; Issho from the beginning saw the Government for what it was and the ideal that it could be. He saw the injustices and imperfections in the system and orchestrated a plan to bring about positive change.
I’m aware there have been criticisms around Issho for how he handled the Dressrosa incident : the belief that he was too hands off and he could have done, or that he gambled with the safety of the island. However, as mentioned prior, Fujitora only ever appears to be gambling, in actuality he is in control and seeing more of the picture than anybody else. He could have brought down Doflamingo on his own and been the savior, but then the Government would have been able to ride off as saviors of a situation that they caused and escape accountability, controlling the narrative to suit themselves.
He took the opportunity to expose the wrongdoings of the Warlord system in a way that the Government would not be able to walk back, he bowed his head and took accountability on behalf of the Government so that the whole world could see the flaws of the system and then leveraged that to turn the Nations against them at the Reverie. He only interfered in the extent to help minimize some of the casualties, but let the pirates deal with the situation to shine a spotlight on the issue. With that it could be said he made the biggest strides and global impact of any Admiral, as he was the driving force behind the dismantling of one of the three world powers.
On the side of the shortcomings, the impulsiveness of the Tiger is demonstrated comedically with him recklessly dropping meteors where he shouldn’t, also plays into the clumsy nature known for in the Zatoichi film. But we’ve also seen it manifest in the larger scale…
No Good Deed
“And what will happen to the balance of the Three Powers? Won't know that until we knock it down. But the more evil and iniquity you bring about... the higher the price on your head."
There is a recurring trend where the Admirals in the series have their brand of Justice challenged and Oda puts them through tests of character to see how true to their convictions they really are. Whether they will stand strong and abide by their brand, or if they waver and falter at the adversity.
Naturally the flaws and drawbacks of following Humane Justice is trying to do good in a world that is wicked is a quick way to produce a lot of enemies. Issho standing by his principles and refusing to waver have pitted him against many of his peers that should be standing alongside him as allies, from battling Ryokugyu because he helped free slaves of Mariejois, to being ostracized and banned from Marine bases by Sakazuki for making the Marines lose face by showing the world the truth behind Dressrosa.
Sadly even Issho’s most valiant and greatest achievement of dismantling the Warlord system resulted in the formation of the disbanded Warlords joining forces into a new Emperor crew who have declared war and issued bounties against the Marines as a retaliation. Because the corrupt systems in place don’t typically respond well when that power is challenged. Nonetheless, in Tiger fashion Issho has faced the pushback and scrutiny without fear or hesitation, and likely by the end of series he’ll have seen his efforts rewarded with a more just and humane world.
There is a recurring trend where the Admirals in the series have their brand of Justice challenged and Oda puts them through tests of character to see how true to their convictions they really are. Whether they will stand strong and abide by their brand, or if they waver and falter at the adversity.
Naturally the flaws and drawbacks of following Humane Justice is trying to do good in a world that is wicked is a quick way to produce a lot of enemies. Issho standing by his principles and refusing to waver have pitted him against many of his peers that should be standing alongside him as allies, from battling Ryokugyu because he helped free slaves of Mariejois, to being ostracized and banned from Marine bases by Sakazuki for making the Marines lose face by showing the world the truth behind Dressrosa.
Sadly even Issho’s most valiant and greatest achievement of dismantling the Warlord system resulted in the formation of the disbanded Warlords joining forces into a new Emperor crew who have declared war and issued bounties against the Marines as a retaliation. Because the corrupt systems in place don’t typically respond well when that power is challenged. Nonetheless, in Tiger fashion Issho has faced the pushback and scrutiny without fear or hesitation, and likely by the end of series he’ll have seen his efforts rewarded with a more just and humane world.
@SakazOuki @Kurozumi Wiwi @The White Crane @Wuuuke @silverfire @scoobie3 @AkainuTheGrimReaper @Apollo @Admiral Mou Bu @ZenZu @Extravlad @kurwa @haxxor @Blackbeard @Owl Ki @TheKnightOfTheSea @God Buggy @Sentinel @Tyki_Mikk @Veku @Sir Tuna Sandwich II @GoldDiamond @Dragon777 @Cadis Etrama Di Urek @Djordje @BaboonMihawk @Negan @Djordje @RyoQ @DarkestKnightofSpoilers @[No Name] @King7 @Darkrai1381 @DarkWitch @Mr. Anderson @Paragorn @Elder Lee Hung
