DUDE, WATCH IT ASAP! You will see a lot of nuance to Kizaru and Kuzan to it, its the ULTIMATE Marine fanservice in the series imo. It was made with so much heart, passion, love etc. It's such a tragic watch and they got Avril Lavigne to cover a certain song by Nickleback for the very ballsy ending and that shit makes me CRY especially with how much of a fucking tragic GOAT Zephyr is. Fucking Toei cooked IMMENSELY with THAT FILM!
Zephyr is such an amazing character but without spoiling it, Kuzan and Kizaru have fucking amazing scenes in it too. I cannot emphasise that enough, it adds a lot of depth to them. It's why I became especially such huge fanboys of both of them too, its like another Fujitora in Dressrosa type thing but this was before that arc.
Fun fact, Kuzan sings a song called Kaido in it ironically and even more ironically on top of that, in Pirate Warriors 4, he comes to Wano to help take down Kaido and he does help too lmao! But as part of the BBP ofc.
I'm working on a Kuzan character analysis atm, should help make him more understandable as a character? Also Film Z is a secretly a HUGE Akainu upscale if you think laterally/outside of the box, wink wink.
Thanks! I did some research trying to find their backstories. Fuji was straightforward but Kuzan was really hard....you may be right on Kuzan's potential tragic end.
That's the second time you've mentioned the dual personality thing, how does that work exactly? Like an alter ego?
Like what's the difference between each Admiral and his true self? Is it a big gap?
Imo if I understand it right, Fuji is the Admiral who is truest to himself. Ryokugyu and Aramaki might end up having the biggest gap if my hunches are true.
Similar to the real world home vs work personalities
This is Kizaru the natural calamity government human weapon (actual scary panel)
While this is good old uncle Borsalino
We see him switching masks a couple times in Egghead
Like when Saturn got hit by Kuma he lost all hesitation and actually went for the kill on Kuma Bonney and VP, when minutes earlier he fed Luffy in order to stop Saturn and himself
Akainu for once as a marine carries himself honorably, has brotherly bonds with Kizaru and Fujitora, cares about family as seen when he executed the deserter, spared Aokiji, slandered the Whitebeard pirates for cowardice, raised the morale of marines after Ace escaped etc
So we can clearly see traits of a great leader who can do good
But the reality is different, on the field he’s a menace who’s ready to look past these values to uphold the law which he’s brainwashed to think is supreme in order to maintain peace and exterminate evil piracy. There’s a lot more to unfold for his character, he’s definitely a changed man after taking office lol
DUDE, WATCH IT ASAP! You will see a lot of nuance to Kizaru and Kuzan to it, its the ULTIMATE Marine fanservice in the series imo. It was made with so much heart, passion, love etc. It's such a tragic watch and they got Avril Lavigne to cover a certain song by Nickleback for the very ballsy ending and that shit makes me CRY especially with how much of a fucking tragic GOAT Zephyr is. Fucking Toei cooked IMMENSELY with THAT FILM!
Zephyr is such an amazing character but without spoiling it, Kuzan and Kizaru have fucking amazing scenes in it too. I cannot emphasise that enough, it adds a lot of depth to them. It's why I became especially such huge fanboys of both of them too, its like another Fujitora in Dressrosa type thing but this was before that arc.
Fun fact, Kuzan sings a song called Kaido in it ironically and even more ironically on top of that, in Pirate Warriors 4, he comes to Wano to help take down Kaido and he does help too lmao! But as part of the BBP ofc.
I'm working on a Kuzan character analysis atm, should help make him more understandable as a character? Also Film Z is a secretly a HUGE Akainu upscale if you think laterally/outside of the box, wink wink.
That's quite a glowing recommendation. I'll check it out when I get the time then!
I actually thought Kizaru didn't do much outside of some fight scenes but if you say it did a lot for him then for sure I should try it.
Would love to see your Kuzan analysis, pls tag me for sure when you post it and I will definitely read it if I haven't been abducted by aliens by then.
Similar to the real world home vs work personalities
This is Kizaru the natural calamity government human weapon (actual scary panel)
While this is good old uncle Borsalino
We see him switching masks a couple times in Egghead
Like when Saturn got hit by Kuma he lost all hesitation and actually went for the kill on Kuma Bonney and VP, when minutes earlier he fed Luffy in order to stop Saturn and himself
Akainu for once as a marine carries himself honorably, has brotherly bonds with Kizaru and Fujitora, cares about family as seen when he executed the deserter, spared Aokiji, slandered the Whitebeard pirates for cowardice, raised the morale of marines after Ace escaped etc
So we can clearly see traits of a great leader who can do good
But the reality is different, on the field he’s a menace who’s ready to look past these values to uphold the law which he’s brainwashed to think is supreme in order to maintain peace and exterminate evil piracy. There’s a lot more to unfold for his character, he’s definitely a changed man after taking office lol
That's a pretty cool concept and I'd say it makes sense to what the Admirals are.
They're basically "fallen heroes" who serve the side of "justice" but lost their way.
Makes sense that their WG assigned names represent their corrupted selves that were made that way through years of serving the WG/other experiences and the true personalities are within waiting to be unchained.
That's quite a glowing recommendation. I'll check it out when I get the time then!
I actually thought Kizaru didn't do much outside of some fight scenes but if you say it did a lot for him then for sure I should try it.
Would love to see your Kuzan analysis, pls tag me for sure when you post it and I will definitely read it if I haven't been abducted by aliens by then.
The fight scene is the important part with Kizaru, I cannot say more for spoilers. That's the most emotional part of the film right there. It's one of the reasons I fiercely stan and defend Kizaru too. In the same ways Kidd is grossly misunderstood by most of the fandom, so is Kizaru too. Kizaru is the sad jester/monkey of the clowns, the burdened one. The man who wanted a simple, clear life of joy, got anything but that. A man of light buried eternally in darkness ironically. Stuck in a metaphorical black hole of corruption and duty he cannot escape etc. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, yellow monkey/Kizaru etc ofc.
Gladly man, it's funny you should say that, as I've just finished it finally, I kept making some tweaks to it as I thought of new stuff and with my OCD perfectionism or w/e too lol:
Also the music I was listening to as I wrote this and I recommend to listen to as you read it, especially on certain parts of this:
The Ice-Cold Truth: A Bitter Cold Deep Dive into Kuzan
Kuzan is arguably the most layered and thoroughly misunderstood character in One Piece. He is not a traitor, and he certainly isn't a lazy coward. He is a man who saw the rotting, hypocritical core of the world's most powerful institution and chose to walk a brutal, lonely path to tear it down.
The Blueprint: Yusaku Matsuda
Eiichiro Oda built the Marine Admirals on the backs of legendary Japanese actors. Kuzan is a direct homage to the late, iconic Yusaku Matsuda. Understanding Matsuda is the master key to understanding Kuzan.
The Look and Attitude: In the series Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story), Matsuda played Shunsaku Kudo, a private eye with a curly afro, sharp suits, a scooter, and a sleep mask. Kudo acted incredibly goofy and lazy, but it was all a front. Beneath the slack jaw was a highly competent, razor-sharp investigator with a strict moral code. This is the exact origin of Kuzan’s design and his "Lazy Justice."
The Rogue Operator: In the Game film trilogy, Matsuda played an independent hitman navigating a corrupt, cynical underworld where trust did not exist. This mirrors Kuzan’s current era perfectly: a lone wolf operating outside the law, allied with the Blackbeard Pirates, relying solely on his own strength.
The Rulebreaker: In the 1989 Hollywood film Black Rain, Matsuda played a terrifying rogue Yakuza boss who completely rejected the traditional rules of his superiors, causing massive upheaval. This reflects Kuzan’s total rejection of the World Government and Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.
The Ultimate Sacrifice: While filming Black Rain, Matsuda was secretly dying of cancer. He actively delayed his medical treatment just to finish the role, passing away shortly after at age 39. This heavy, real-life tragedy bleeds into Kuzan's character—a man who sacrificed his career, his reputation, and his physical body (his leg) for his unyielding beliefs.
The Origin: Burning Justice
Kuzan did not start out as a cynic. Oda's sketches show him as a rough, impoverished kid scraping by with a bottle and an umbrella. When he joined the Marines, he was a zealot. He bought into the system completely.
His original personal motto was "Burning Justice." He was passionate, fired up, and believed without a shadow of a doubt that the World Government was the absolute right side of history.
The Catalyst: The Tragedy of Ohara
The Buster Call on Ohara is the exact moment Kuzan’s worldview shattered.
He watched his colleague, Sakazuki (Akainu), order the complete destruction of a civilian evacuation ship just to ensure absolutely no scholars escaped. Kuzan realized right then that absolute authority breeds absolute tyranny. The institution he dedicated his life to was willing to cross unforgivable lines to protect its secrets.
This is also where he confronted his friend, Jaguar D. Saul. People routinely assume Kuzan killed him, completely ignoring the obvious facts. Kuzan used a highly specific attack called "Ice Time Capsule." It was a stasis technique designed to preserve Saul. He froze his friend to keep him safely out of the Marines' crosshairs. The perfectly preserved frozen giant prisoners later seen on Punk Hazard proved exactly how this stasis works.
The Shield: Lazy Justice
After Ohara, Kuzan dropped "Burning Justice" and adopted "Lazy Justice."
He is not actually lazy. The laziness is a deliberate, calculated shield. By acting slow, aloof, and unbothered, he buys himself time. It gives him the necessary buffer to observe situations, analyze orders, and decide for himself if an action is actually moral before executing it. It is his quiet rebellion against the blind, unquestioning obedience the Marines demand.
The Mentor's Shadow: Zephyr and Film Z
To truly get Kuzan, you have to look at how he treats his former instructor, Zephyr (Z). Kuzan respected Z's core values so much that he even drank his favorite sherry.
In Film Z, when Zephyr goes rogue, Kuzan does not act like a government attack dog. While Kizaru "happily" shows up to exterminate his old teacher under orders, Kuzan operates independently. He refuses to fight Zephyr. Instead, he quietly guides the Straw Hat Pirates to intercept him, ensuring the world is saved without dirtying his hands with his mentor's blood.
At the end of the film, Kuzan uses a massive ice wall not to attack, but to physically shield Zephyr’s surviving students (Ain and Binz) from the Marines so they can safely mourn. He represents the empathy the World Government lacks.
The Breaking Point: Punk Hazard
When Sengoku retired, he nominated Kuzan to take his place, knowing Kuzan had a real moral compass. The higher-ups in the World Government wanted Akainu.
Kuzan could not allow Akainu’s merciless "Absolute Justice" to control the entire military. He pushed back, leading to a ten-day deathmatch on Punk Hazard. It was a violent clash of completely incompatible ideologies that permanently altered the island's climate.
Akainu won, but he spared Kuzan's life. This goes against Akainu's entire mantra. Sparing Kuzan came down to a mix of deep-rooted comradeship from decades of serving together, and the reality that taking Kuzan's leg and defeating him was enough to establish dominance without killing a peer.
The Iceberg and the Titanic: The Blackbeard Alliance
Defeated and disillusioned, Kuzan left the Marines. Joining Marshall D. Teach seems insane, but it is a highly calculated move packed with incredible symbolism.
The Blackbeard Pirates are officially structured as the "Ten Titanic Captains." Historically, what sinks the Titanic? An iceberg. The symbolism of Kuzan (the ice) infiltrating a crew of "Titanics" is brilliant foreshadowing of their ultimate downfall.
Furthermore, Blackbeard’s crew is actively hunting powerful Devil Fruits, making almost the entire upper echelon of the crew Devil Fruit users. This is a massive, fatal liability. If their ship goes down at sea, a crew of pure Devil Fruit users will inevitably sink and drown like anchors. Kuzan, who can instantly freeze the ocean and stand on it, is the only man immune to this weakness.
He holds their absolute survival in his hands.
Kuzan explicitly stated to Teach that he wants the freedom to pursue his own agenda. By wearing an Emperor's flag, Kuzan gets access to the criminal underworld and intelligence networks. He is using them just as much as they are using him.
The Double Agent: The Masterclass of Hachinosu
Kuzan’s true allegiance was put to the ultimate test during the invasion of Hachinosu. His actions here strongly point to him being a rogue vigilante or a double agent, carefully maneuvering to protect the innocent while maintaining his deep cover.
The Fight with Garp: When fighting his former mentor, Kuzan was heavily nerfed by his own emotions. Garp even explicitly calls him out for "wavering." Kuzan was holding back the entire time. When Garp suffered a critical injury, Kuzan's response was to freeze him. Just like with Saul on Ohara, this was not a finishing blow—it was a tactical stasis. By freezing Garp, Kuzan instantly halted the blood loss, stabilized his mentor, and successfully subdued him to satisfy the Blackbeard Pirates, all without breaking his cover. He took Garp off the board safely.
The Freezing of Hibari: Hibari is heavily theorized to be Akainu’s daughter, largely due to her speaking in the exact same distinct Hiroshima dialect as the Fleet Admiral. Kuzan effortlessly freezing her mid-battle is one of his most layered, calculated moves in the series.
First, it neutralizes her safely. If she had remained active on a chaotic battlefield surrounded by ruthless monsters like Catarina Devon and Vasco Shot, she would have been in severe, immediate danger. By instantly freezing her, Kuzan claimed her as his target, effectively placing a "do not touch" sign on her and protecting a young Marine from the rest of his crew.
Second, it serves as a bitter, ice-cold warning to Akainu. It forces the Fleet Admiral to see exactly what he is risking by allowing his own blood to operate in the New World. It is Kuzan's way of proving that Akainu's "Absolute Justice" cannot protect the people he actually cares about when they step into the territory of Emperors.
"Ocean Guide" and Wano Irony
Kuzan's character song is a heavy, mournful track about the sea guiding the souls of fallen Marines. The Japanese title for the song is "Kaidō" (海導), meaning "Guide of the Sea."
It proves Kuzan still holds massive respect for the core ideal of a Marine—protecting the innocent—even if he despises the actual organization. This makes his appearance in Pirate Warriors 4, where he ironically shows up in Wano to help crush the Emperor Kaido, incredibly fitting. When freed from bureaucracy, Kuzan actively targets the biggest threats alive.
The Bitter Cold Lore: Giants and Imu's Tomb
There is a massive, dark connection between Kuzan’s powers, the frozen giants on Punk Hazard, and the giant Straw Hat in Mary Geoise.
Deep inside Punk Hazard, ancient giants are completely frozen in the walls of ice. Meanwhile, deep in Pangea Castle, Imu keeps a giant Straw Hat frozen in a massive freezing chamber to preserve it.
The World Government has a long history of putting ancient Void Century relics "on ice" to hide them. If the Government's ultimate method of hiding the truth is freezing it, Kuzan is the one man alive capable of easily unfreezing it.
The Endgame Player: True Motivations
In Chapter 1121, Oda drew a massive double-page spread showing the final contenders for the One Piece and the fate of the world. Kuzan is positioned directly opposite Koby. Koby represents the hopeful future of the Marines trying to do good from within. Kuzan represents the disillusioned past who stepped outside the law to force real change.
Kuzan’s long-term goal is not to make Teach the Pirate King. His goal is to find the truth of the Void Century that Ohara burned for. By aligning with Blackbeard, Kuzan is ensuring he makes it to Laugh Tale.
He wants to uncover the exact secrets the World Government is desperate to hide. Whether that means eventually sinking the "Titanic" captains, using his powers to unfreeze the ancient weapons the Government hid away, or bringing the truth to the masses, Kuzan is positioning himself to be the man who permanently shatters the World Government's absolute control.
Also have a bonus section I forgot to put in and also please forgive any mistakes, its almost 5am here and my insomnia is giving me hell lmao:
The Legacy of the Fist: Garp, Kuzan, and Koby
To fully grasp the tragedy and depth of Kuzan’s defection, you have to look at his profound connection to Monkey D. Garp and Garp's current protégé, Koby. This dynamic is the emotional core of the Marines' generational shift, representing three entirely different stages of belief in the system.
The First Disciple: Kuzan’s Inherited Will
Long before he was an Admiral, Kuzan was Garp’s first true protégé. He begged Garp to train him, and Garp responded by making him punch battleship hulls without Haki or Devil Fruit powers. Kuzan deeply admired Garp, specifically because Garp constantly refused promotions to Admiral just so he could maintain his freedom and avoid being directly controlled by the Celestial Dragons.
Kuzan inherited Garp’s rebellious, fiercely independent streak. However, while Garp managed to compartmentalize the World Government's atrocities and stay within the system to do good, the tragedy of Ohara completely broke Kuzan’s ability to do the same. Kuzan is the student who realized his master's compromised position was no longer tenable.
The Final Disciple: Koby’s Unbroken Faith
Koby represents exactly who Kuzan used to be before the world broke him. Koby is Garp’s ultimate masterpiece—a young, fiercely compassionate Marine who still believes the institution can be a pure force for good. Just like Kuzan, Koby trained by punching battleship bags. He inherited Garp's overwhelming, raw physical power and his dedication to protecting the weak.
If Kuzan is the ghost of the Marines' past—a man who saw the darkness and stepped into it to fight it—Koby is the bright, undeniable future of the Marines trying to reform the light from within.
The Tragedy of Hachinosu: A Clash of Ideologies
The invasion of Hachinosu is a masterclass in storytelling because it forces these three generations into a violent collision.
When Kuzan steps up to fight Garp, it is deeply personal. Garp is fighting the student he failed to keep in the light. Kuzan is fighting the mentor whose flawed system he ultimately rejected. And Koby is forced to watch the terrifying reality of what a "Good Marine" can become if the World Government pushes them too far.
The "Wavering" Fist: During the clash, Garp explicitly screams at Kuzan that his "resolve is wavering." Kuzan is emotionally nerfed. He doesn't want to kill the man who raised him.
Passing the Torch: The climax of the battle perfectly illustrates their dynamic. Kuzan uses his ice to subdue and freeze Garp (a tactical stasis, secretly preserving his mentor's life), satisfying the Blackbeard Pirates without actually murdering his hero. In doing so, he allows Koby—the true future of the Marines—to escape.
In that single, bitter-cold moment, Kuzan essentially passes the torch. He removes the old guard (Garp) from the board safely, accepts his own permanent role in the shadows as a rogue operator, and ensures the new generation (Koby) survives to build a better version of the organization he left behind.
That's a pretty cool concept and I'd say it makes sense to what the Admirals are.
They're basically "fallen heroes" who serve the side of "justice" but lost their way.
Makes sense that their WG assigned names represent their corrupted selves that were made that way through years of serving the WG/other experiences and the true personalities are within waiting to be unchained.
That's exactly it. The codenames are to remove their humanity, detach them, make them just be objects/soldiers who follow orders. Conquest in Invincible is an amazingly written, nuanced, tragic example of this, the (lmao I tried to say anime) animated tv show really did him justice too. (Pun intended I guess?) Winter Soldier in Marvel is probs another example but I've not seen the Captain America films except Civil War so can't comment really, but the whole brainwashing and forced to evil deeds as a completely obedient soldier puppet will definitely resonate ofc.
It's also ironically hilarious as Conquest is somewhat like the Garp of Invincible at least lmao. Maybe a lot like him too but way more brutal, bloodthirsty etc and just nihilistically depressed, but a similar role and strength and such I mean.
Yeah the timeskip probably was done to give Oda time to prepare to take the story in a whole new direction and thus genre somewhat at least. Nika is definitely a retcon despite what people insist. Now the live action is suddenly adding it into early arcs, to try to make it seem like it was planned and foreshadowed all along, revisionism, cultural gaslighting or w/e lmfao.
Yeah I'm not super keen on that Shanks idea either, it feels a little forced but I get it too. Shanks is Irish to me and I will base my own headcanons for him on that.
Oda himself said he didn't know how Luffy would beat Kaido and that it can't be a "bigger punch". He was blatantly stalling and trying to buy time before that. Goda's angels will try to gaslight you that Oda who planned a 5 year story that got way bigger, more successful than he ever imagined and could dream of, suddenly had this 30 plus year plan for every inch of the story, for over 1000 characters and with no retcons, plot holes etc. Dare I mention a certain someone whose name begins with L who will argue this fiercely until the heat death of the universe too unironically.
Yeah the timeskip probably was done to give Oda time to prepare to take the story in a whole new direction and thus genre somewhat at least. Nika is definitely a retcon despite what people insist. Now the live action is suddenly adding it into early arcs, to try to make it seem like it was planned and foreshadowed all along, revisionism, cultural gaslighting or w/e lmfao.
Yeah I'm not super keen on that Shanks idea either, it feels a little forced but I get it too. Shanks is Irish to me and I will base my own headcanons for him on that.
Oda himself said he didn't know how Luffy would beat Kaido and that it can't be a "bigger punch". He was blatantly stalling and trying to buy time before that. Goda's angels will try to gaslight you that Oda who planned a 5 year story that got way bigger, more successful than he ever imagined and could dream of, suddenly had this 30 plus year plan for every inch of the story, for over 1000 characters and with no retcons, plot holes etc. Dare I mention a certain someone whose name begins with L who will argue this fiercely until the heat death of the universe too unironically.
The issue with trying to fit Shanks into this whole "mythological" angle, is that Shanks was created since the start of the series, and when Oda retconned during the TS Luffy into Jesus and Imu into Satan, I don't think Shanks cleanly fit into that "mythological" framework.
But he obviously will still play a big role within the whole Pirate King/Raftel storyline as that was planned from the start.
The fight scene is the important part with Kizaru, I cannot say more for spoilers. That's the most emotional part of the film right there. It's one of the reasons I fiercely stan and defend Kizaru too. In the same ways Kidd is grossly misunderstood by most of the fandom, so is Kizaru too. Kizaru is the sad jester/monkey of the clowns, the burdened one. The man who wanted a simple, clear life of joy, got anything but that. A man of light buried eternally in darkness ironically. Stuck in a metaphorical black hole of corruption and duty he cannot escape etc. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, yellow monkey/Kizaru etc ofc.
Gladly man, it's funny you should say that, as I've just finished it finally, I kept making some tweaks to it as I thought of new stuff and with my OCD perfectionism or w/e too lol:
Also the music I was listening to as I wrote this and I recommend to listen to as you read it, especially on certain parts of this:
The Ice-Cold Truth: A Bitter Cold Deep Dive into Kuzan
Kuzan is arguably the most layered and thoroughly misunderstood character in One Piece. He is not a traitor, and he certainly isn't a lazy coward. He is a man who saw the rotting, hypocritical core of the world's most powerful institution and chose to walk a brutal, lonely path to tear it down.
The Blueprint: Yusaku Matsuda
Eiichiro Oda built the Marine Admirals on the backs of legendary Japanese actors. Kuzan is a direct homage to the late, iconic Yusaku Matsuda. Understanding Matsuda is the master key to understanding Kuzan.
The Look and Attitude: In the series Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story), Matsuda played Shunsaku Kudo, a private eye with a curly afro, sharp suits, a scooter, and a sleep mask. Kudo acted incredibly goofy and lazy, but it was all a front. Beneath the slack jaw was a highly competent, razor-sharp investigator with a strict moral code. This is the exact origin of Kuzan’s design and his "Lazy Justice."
The Rogue Operator: In the Game film trilogy, Matsuda played an independent hitman navigating a corrupt, cynical underworld where trust did not exist. This mirrors Kuzan’s current era perfectly: a lone wolf operating outside the law, allied with the Blackbeard Pirates, relying solely on his own strength.
The Rulebreaker: In the 1989 Hollywood film Black Rain, Matsuda played a terrifying rogue Yakuza boss who completely rejected the traditional rules of his superiors, causing massive upheaval. This reflects Kuzan’s total rejection of the World Government and Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.
The Ultimate Sacrifice: While filming Black Rain, Matsuda was secretly dying of cancer. He actively delayed his medical treatment just to finish the role, passing away shortly after at age 39. This heavy, real-life tragedy bleeds into Kuzan's character—a man who sacrificed his career, his reputation, and his physical body (his leg) for his unyielding beliefs.
The Origin: Burning Justice
Kuzan did not start out as a cynic. Oda's sketches show him as a rough, impoverished kid scraping by with a bottle and an umbrella. When he joined the Marines, he was a zealot. He bought into the system completely.
His original personal motto was "Burning Justice." He was passionate, fired up, and believed without a shadow of a doubt that the World Government was the absolute right side of history.
The Catalyst: The Tragedy of Ohara
The Buster Call on Ohara is the exact moment Kuzan’s worldview shattered.
He watched his colleague, Sakazuki (Akainu), order the complete destruction of a civilian evacuation ship just to ensure absolutely no scholars escaped. Kuzan realized right then that absolute authority breeds absolute tyranny. The institution he dedicated his life to was willing to cross unforgivable lines to protect its secrets.
This is also where he confronted his friend, Jaguar D. Saul. People routinely assume Kuzan killed him, completely ignoring the obvious facts. Kuzan used a highly specific attack called "Ice Time Capsule." It was a stasis technique designed to preserve Saul. He froze his friend to keep him safely out of the Marines' crosshairs. The perfectly preserved frozen giant prisoners later seen on Punk Hazard proved exactly how this stasis works.
The Shield: Lazy Justice
After Ohara, Kuzan dropped "Burning Justice" and adopted "Lazy Justice."
He is not actually lazy. The laziness is a deliberate, calculated shield. By acting slow, aloof, and unbothered, he buys himself time. It gives him the necessary buffer to observe situations, analyze orders, and decide for himself if an action is actually moral before executing it. It is his quiet rebellion against the blind, unquestioning obedience the Marines demand.
The Mentor's Shadow: Zephyr and Film Z
To truly get Kuzan, you have to look at how he treats his former instructor, Zephyr (Z). Kuzan respected Z's core values so much that he even drank his favorite sherry.
In Film Z, when Zephyr goes rogue, Kuzan does not act like a government attack dog. While Kizaru "happily" shows up to exterminate his old teacher under orders, Kuzan operates independently. He refuses to fight Zephyr. Instead, he quietly guides the Straw Hat Pirates to intercept him, ensuring the world is saved without dirtying his hands with his mentor's blood.
At the end of the film, Kuzan uses a massive ice wall not to attack, but to physically shield Zephyr’s surviving students (Ain and Binz) from the Marines so they can safely mourn. He represents the empathy the World Government lacks.
The Breaking Point: Punk Hazard
When Sengoku retired, he nominated Kuzan to take his place, knowing Kuzan had a real moral compass. The higher-ups in the World Government wanted Akainu.
Kuzan could not allow Akainu’s merciless "Absolute Justice" to control the entire military. He pushed back, leading to a ten-day deathmatch on Punk Hazard. It was a violent clash of completely incompatible ideologies that permanently altered the island's climate.
Akainu won, but he spared Kuzan's life. This goes against Akainu's entire mantra. Sparing Kuzan came down to a mix of deep-rooted comradeship from decades of serving together, and the reality that taking Kuzan's leg and defeating him was enough to establish dominance without killing a peer.
The Iceberg and the Titanic: The Blackbeard Alliance
Defeated and disillusioned, Kuzan left the Marines. Joining Marshall D. Teach seems insane, but it is a highly calculated move packed with incredible symbolism.
The Blackbeard Pirates are officially structured as the "Ten Titanic Captains." Historically, what sinks the Titanic? An iceberg. The symbolism of Kuzan (the ice) infiltrating a crew of "Titanics" is brilliant foreshadowing of their ultimate downfall.
Furthermore, Blackbeard’s crew is actively hunting powerful Devil Fruits, making almost the entire upper echelon of the crew Devil Fruit users. This is a massive, fatal liability. If their ship goes down at sea, a crew of pure Devil Fruit users will inevitably sink and drown like anchors. Kuzan, who can instantly freeze the ocean and stand on it, is the only man immune to this weakness.
He holds their absolute survival in his hands.
Kuzan explicitly stated to Teach that he wants the freedom to pursue his own agenda. By wearing an Emperor's flag, Kuzan gets access to the criminal underworld and intelligence networks. He is using them just as much as they are using him.
The Double Agent: The Masterclass of Hachinosu
Kuzan’s true allegiance was put to the ultimate test during the invasion of Hachinosu. His actions here strongly point to him being a rogue vigilante or a double agent, carefully maneuvering to protect the innocent while maintaining his deep cover.
The Fight with Garp: When fighting his former mentor, Kuzan was heavily nerfed by his own emotions. Garp even explicitly calls him out for "wavering." Kuzan was holding back the entire time. When Garp suffered a critical injury, Kuzan's response was to freeze him. Just like with Saul on Ohara, this was not a finishing blow—it was a tactical stasis. By freezing Garp, Kuzan instantly halted the blood loss, stabilized his mentor, and successfully subdued him to satisfy the Blackbeard Pirates, all without breaking his cover. He took Garp off the board safely.
The Freezing of Hibari: Hibari is heavily theorized to be Akainu’s daughter, largely due to her speaking in the exact same distinct Hiroshima dialect as the Fleet Admiral. Kuzan effortlessly freezing her mid-battle is one of his most layered, calculated moves in the series.
First, it neutralizes her safely. If she had remained active on a chaotic battlefield surrounded by ruthless monsters like Catarina Devon and Vasco Shot, she would have been in severe, immediate danger. By instantly freezing her, Kuzan claimed her as his target, effectively placing a "do not touch" sign on her and protecting a young Marine from the rest of his crew.
Second, it serves as a bitter, ice-cold warning to Akainu. It forces the Fleet Admiral to see exactly what he is risking by allowing his own blood to operate in the New World. It is Kuzan's way of proving that Akainu's "Absolute Justice" cannot protect the people he actually cares about when they step into the territory of Emperors.
"Ocean Guide" and Wano Irony
Kuzan's character song is a heavy, mournful track about the sea guiding the souls of fallen Marines. The Japanese title for the song is "Kaidō" (海導), meaning "Guide of the Sea."
It proves Kuzan still holds massive respect for the core ideal of a Marine—protecting the innocent—even if he despises the actual organization. This makes his appearance in Pirate Warriors 4, where he ironically shows up in Wano to help crush the Emperor Kaido, incredibly fitting. When freed from bureaucracy, Kuzan actively targets the biggest threats alive.
The Bitter Cold Lore: Giants and Imu's Tomb
There is a massive, dark connection between Kuzan’s powers, the frozen giants on Punk Hazard, and the giant Straw Hat in Mary Geoise.
Deep inside Punk Hazard, ancient giants are completely frozen in the walls of ice. Meanwhile, deep in Pangea Castle, Imu keeps a giant Straw Hat frozen in a massive freezing chamber to preserve it.
The World Government has a long history of putting ancient Void Century relics "on ice" to hide them. If the Government's ultimate method of hiding the truth is freezing it, Kuzan is the one man alive capable of easily unfreezing it.
The Endgame Player: True Motivations
In Chapter 1121, Oda drew a massive double-page spread showing the final contenders for the One Piece and the fate of the world. Kuzan is positioned directly opposite Koby. Koby represents the hopeful future of the Marines trying to do good from within. Kuzan represents the disillusioned past who stepped outside the law to force real change.
Kuzan’s long-term goal is not to make Teach the Pirate King. His goal is to find the truth of the Void Century that Ohara burned for. By aligning with Blackbeard, Kuzan is ensuring he makes it to Laugh Tale.
He wants to uncover the exact secrets the World Government is desperate to hide. Whether that means eventually sinking the "Titanic" captains, using his powers to unfreeze the ancient weapons the Government hid away, or bringing the truth to the masses, Kuzan is positioning himself to be the man who permanently shatters the World Government's absolute control.
Also have a bonus section I forgot to put in and also please forgive any mistakes, its almost 5am here and my insomnia is giving me hell lmao:
The Legacy of the Fist: Garp, Kuzan, and Koby
To fully grasp the tragedy and depth of Kuzan’s defection, you have to look at his profound connection to Monkey D. Garp and Garp's current protégé, Koby. This dynamic is the emotional core of the Marines' generational shift, representing three entirely different stages of belief in the system.
The First Disciple: Kuzan’s Inherited Will
Long before he was an Admiral, Kuzan was Garp’s first true protégé. He begged Garp to train him, and Garp responded by making him punch battleship hulls without Haki or Devil Fruit powers. Kuzan deeply admired Garp, specifically because Garp constantly refused promotions to Admiral just so he could maintain his freedom and avoid being directly controlled by the Celestial Dragons.
Kuzan inherited Garp’s rebellious, fiercely independent streak. However, while Garp managed to compartmentalize the World Government's atrocities and stay within the system to do good, the tragedy of Ohara completely broke Kuzan’s ability to do the same. Kuzan is the student who realized his master's compromised position was no longer tenable.
The Final Disciple: Koby’s Unbroken Faith
Koby represents exactly who Kuzan used to be before the world broke him. Koby is Garp’s ultimate masterpiece—a young, fiercely compassionate Marine who still believes the institution can be a pure force for good. Just like Kuzan, Koby trained by punching battleship bags. He inherited Garp's overwhelming, raw physical power and his dedication to protecting the weak.
If Kuzan is the ghost of the Marines' past—a man who saw the darkness and stepped into it to fight it—Koby is the bright, undeniable future of the Marines trying to reform the light from within.
The Tragedy of Hachinosu: A Clash of Ideologies
The invasion of Hachinosu is a masterclass in storytelling because it forces these three generations into a violent collision.
When Kuzan steps up to fight Garp, it is deeply personal. Garp is fighting the student he failed to keep in the light. Kuzan is fighting the mentor whose flawed system he ultimately rejected. And Koby is forced to watch the terrifying reality of what a "Good Marine" can become if the World Government pushes them too far.
The "Wavering" Fist: During the clash, Garp explicitly screams at Kuzan that his "resolve is wavering." Kuzan is emotionally nerfed. He doesn't want to kill the man who raised him.
Passing the Torch: The climax of the battle perfectly illustrates their dynamic. Kuzan uses his ice to subdue and freeze Garp (a tactical stasis, secretly preserving his mentor's life), satisfying the Blackbeard Pirates without actually murdering his hero. In doing so, he allows Koby—the true future of the Marines—to escape.
In that single, bitter-cold moment, Kuzan essentially passes the torch. He removes the old guard (Garp) from the board safely, accepts his own permanent role in the shadows as a rogue operator, and ensures the new generation (Koby) survives to build a better version of the organization he left behind.
That's exactly it. The codenames are to remove their humanity, detach them, make them just be objects/soldiers who follow orders. Conquest in Invincible is an amazingly written, nuanced, tragic example of this, the (lmao I tried to say anime) animated tv show really did him justice too. (Pun intended I guess?) Winter Soldier in Marvel is probs another example but I've not seen the Captain America films except Civil War so can't comment really, but the whole brainwashing and forced to evil deeds as a completely obedient soldier puppet will definitely resonate ofc.
It's also ironically hilarious as Conquest is somewhat like the Garp of Invincible at least lmao. Maybe a lot like him too but way more brutal, bloodthirsty etc and just nihilistically depressed, but a similar role and strength and such I mean.
Thanks so much! Oh FR? I've not heard of that, but that sounds interesting, what a name! Oda will definitely be taking huge inspirations from these movies ofc. Fun fact, the Zatoichi films which Fujitora is based on ofc, have some very interesting titles....
Also he and Akainu have AMAZING character songs too:
Arriving at Hell’s casino, I bet on justice
The world is divided into odds and evens
I should be able to see nothing, but
Malicious faces are so easy to spot
Scoundrels filling these pubs
And degenerated justice will never change
Rassera Rassera Rassera Rassera
No need to rush, now’s not the time
The Nebuta tiger is unmoved by deception
The business of karma
Rassera Rassera, depends on the answer
Rassera Rassera, of the raging tiger
Arriving in this territory of respect, I sheathe my sword
The heavens see all
Give your body to the festival
Indeed, with an uplifting spirit
Life is full of good and evil
But there is no difference between heavy and light
Rassera Rassera Rassera Rassera
No need to rush, now’s not the time
The Nebuta tiger hides its fangs
The moment when all becomes transitory
Rassera Rassera, with no fear of the gods
Rassera Rassera, the tiger roars
Rassera Rassera
Scoundrels filling these pubs
And degenerated justice will never change
Rassera Rassera Rassera Rassera
No need to rush, now’s not the time
The Nebuta tiger is unmoved by deception
The business of karma
Rassera Rassera, depends on the answer
Rassera Rassera, of the raging tiger
Misa’s note:
Nebuta is a summer nighttime festival in Aomori. Nebuta refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called “haneto” dance around in time with the chant “Rassera”. https://misachanjpop.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/nebuta-no-tora-one-piece/
*The autumn leaves are a beautiful magma color.
After you saw the autumn leaves, you returned to the route.
It reminds you of family.
After you ate maple manjuu, you returned to work.
Be sure not to live disgracefully.
Once you fall behind,
you can't take the frontlines for your whole life.
Holding up thorough justice,
invincible, it's kill or be killed.
Battle without honor!
The villains you hate push you too far.
Abuse! Come, blow out the flame.
The red hot magma..
is prepared.
After you saw the carps fighting, you returned to the route.
It beats at your bravery.
After you ate lots of oysters, you returned to work.
You fight with those guys towards that sea.
Once you feel fear,
you can't win against yourself for your whole life.
The alarm ringing on the wanted poster,
burning, it's catch or be caught.
Battle without honor!
It's a fate where pirates don't prosper.
We'll win! Come, roar out, color it.
This naval bond...
is kicking about.
Battle without honor!
The villains you hate push you too far.
Abuse! Come, blow out the flame.
The red hot magma..
is prepared.
If you say I “won't run away,”
you're already living, don't give up,
you idiots!*
Bonus Kizaru one too:
Doflamingo and Zoro have amazing songs too. I think Crocodile too? All their voice actors sing their songs.
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