Sakazuki

Ahoy! This here is the 12th Featured Article. “Sakazuki” has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.

For ceremony, see Sakazuki (Ceremony).

Sakazuki,^[7] formerly known by his admiral alias Akainu,^[1] is the current fleet admiral of the Marines, succeeding the previous fleet admiral, Sengoku.^[2] During the first half of the series, he was one of the three admirals,^[3] as the last one to debut.^[8] Upon becoming the fleet admiral, one of Sakazuki’s first decisions was to relocate Marine Headquarters into the New World in preparation for the New Pirate Age.^[9]

In the manga, Akainu was first mentioned by Nico Robin during the initial encounter with Aokiji.^[3] In the anime, he was mentioned earlier by vice admiral Jonathan during the anime-only G-8 Arc, which aired after Akainu had been revealed in the manga.^[8]

Sakazuki is perhaps the most strident follower of Absolute Justice in the entire series, to the point where his extremism prompted his fellow admiral Aokiji to oppose his promotion to fleet admiral and resign from the Marines after this effort failed.^[2] Because of his actions, Sakazuki is one of the main antagonists of the Marineford Arc and, after his promotion, he became one of the central antagonists of the series.

Appearance

Sakazuki is an incredibly tall, light-skinned, unusually muscular man (the most muscular of the former admirals and being on par with Sengoku and Garp). He’s about as tall as his fellow admirals, with a square-shaped face, very pronounced facial features, and short black hair. He stands at 306 cm (10′), making him taller than other massive characters like Jinbe, who is 301 cm. He usually wears a standard Marine cap and sports a crimson, double-breasted suit, decorated with what appears to be a pink rose on his left buttonhole. Unlike many high-ranking Marines, he does not wear a tie, but instead leaves his light red colored flower-patterned shirt unbuttoned, showing his muscular neck and part of his tattoo. He wears black gloves and black shoes.^[8]

The tattoo on the left side of his chest is black (light-blue in the anime), containing numerous images of flowers integrated into its design. Sakazuki’s tattoo has flame-shaped edges, and it extends from the admiral’s left shoulder to his hip, covering part of his back and ribs. He has another, smaller tattoo in the shape of a black sword on his right deltoids and a small part of the biceps.^[10] In the anime, his eye color is seen to be brown, and this was also shown in a colored drawing by Eiichiro Oda.

In his youth, Sakazuki wore an open red shirt, as well as a set of khaki pants held up with a loosely tied yellow-orange ribbed belt with a silver bullseye shaped buckle, and a pair of red sneakers. He also carried a katana on his back.^[11]

Twenty-two years ago at the Ohara Incident, he wore a simple white Marine cap under a dark gray hood that seemed to be a part of a cloak he wore beneath his suit, or Marine coat.^[1] Until getting off his chair in order to destroy an incoming iceberg during the Summit War of Marineford, his face was always hidden by the bill of his cap.^[12]

As a child, Sakazuki still had the grim disposition he retained as an adult. He also wore tattered clothes and carried a dagger. He wore a cap similar to the Marines’ cap he would don in the future, except it has the kanji for “justice” instead.

After the time-skip, as a result of his intense battle with Kuzan at Punk Hazard, the right side of Sakazuki’s neck and face are scarred, and a chunk of his right ear is missing. In addition to his injuries, he also grew a mustache and goatee. He has also replaced his trademark red suit for a white one, similar to what Sengoku wore when he was Fleet Admiral; however, Sakazuki still wears the same floral pattern shirt underneath and doesn’t wear his black signature gloves. He continues to wear the standard Marine cap, though unlike his predecessor’s, it does not have the life-sized seagull on top. He is also frequently seen smoking a cigar.^[13][14]

Gallery

Main Series

Sakazuki as a child.

Sakazuki in his youth as a marine, as depicted in the manga.

Color scheme of Sakazuki in the manga, using his Magu Magu no Mi abilities.

Sakazuki, age 33, as a Vice Admiral.

Sakazuki’s tattoos.

Sakazuki’s face up close before the timeskip.

Sakazuki’s face up close after the timeskip.

Video Games

Other

Personality

While he is a strong and capable leader who has done well to consolidate the power and prestige of the Marines, Sakazuki would be best categorized as an extremist and highly dogmatic. He is an adamant believer in Absolute Justice and is ruthless in his maintenance of it, his derived motto being “Thorough Justice” (徹底的な正義 Tetteiteki na Seigi^? ).^[15] He has a stern, dead-serious disposition, is grim, expressionless, and was the most ruthless out of three admirals pre-timeskip. This has given him a very fearsome reputation, but of greater concern is his dogmatism, which may end up making the Marines into a force that is worse than the enemies they hope to eliminate. Despite this disposition, Sakazuki seems to be able to restrain himself at times, having chosen to spare the life of Jewelry Bonney and her crew after they were left beaten and tied by the Blackbeard Pirates for the then-admiral to salvage, and letting his colleague Aokiji leave the Marines after he lost a ten-day duel for the position of fleet admiral.^[2]

— Sakazuki’s reason for destroying the ship of survivors during the Buster Call at Ohara.^[1]

During the Buster Call attack on Ohara, Sakazuki’s beliefs led him to go as far as destroying a refugee ship full of innocent people and Marines simply because of the slight possibility that a scholar could be hiding on board, an action that disgusted Vice-Admiral Kuzan (who called him a “fool” and an “idiot” for overdoing things). Sakazuki’s logic was that if even one of the scholars of Ohara had escaped with it, the entire mission would have been a failure.^[1] His extremism has given him a borderline, if not outright fanatic demeanor. He is incredibly rigid and absolute in his beliefs, showing little compassion for anyone or anything, and is ruthlessly willing to do whatever it takes to serve his own goals, no matter the cost. He mostly sees the Marines as an extension of himself and his own beliefs, willing to kill those who disagree with him, and showing little if any care for people placed under his charge. While this has made him extremely powerful and feared among pirates, the same fear inspires discontent and loathing by his own men, causing him to lose a very useful and powerful ally in Kuzan because of it. Garp was also enraged that his fanatic obsession for destroying pirates resulted in the death of Ace and the near death of Luffy, though it is unclear if a rift between them has further deepened or caused further dissent among Marines who believe in either’s viewpoint. The best example of his absolutism is when he attempted to kill Koby for his plea to stop the war, only to be stopped by the timely arrival of Shanks. His extremism also caused him to bar Admiral Fujitora from ever entering a Marine base due to his prostration in Dressrosa, though it was mostly because Sakazuki couldn’t stand to see his version of justice and honor shamed because his enemies showcased its own failure. Fujitora rightly pointed out that Sakazuki’s version of Justice had no credibility or honor in the first place if it was that fragile, which only inflamed Sakazuki’s rage further, seeing it as a personal slight.

Additionally, he has no tolerance for Marines who desert their posts, to which the only consolation he does offer is that they should not dishonor their families by running away.^[16] Caesar Clown also believed that Sakazuki would desire his ideas of mass-murder weapons and inhumane experimentation on prisoners, in contrast to the more pragmatic Sengoku.^[17] To Akainu, any Marine who is not willing to fight for justice is not worthy of being called a Marine. Despite all of this, even Sakazuki could not come to kill his former compatriot, Kuzan.^[2]

As Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki holds immense pride in the name of the Marines. For example, when he learned that Fujitora had let the world know of what transpired in Dressrosa, Sakazuki was furious. His pride is so great he would rather cover up the ordeal to ensure that the Marines are adamant and credible to his doctrine of Absolute Justice. This conceited behavior even led to him yelling at the Five Elders for declaring Doflamingo’s resignation from the Warlords of the Sea as a false report, as he knew the world’s confusion would damage their trust in the Marines as well as the Marines’ reputation.^[14] This shows that he does know the value of public trust, but thinks more in terms of the shame losing it brings to the Marines, rather than the morale and good standing of his men.

Despite his position as an admiral prior to promotion, Akainu is willing to lie to and deceive his enemies in order to achieve Justice. So far, Akainu’s manipulations have been incredibly successful, such as when he managed to deceive Squard through Sengoku’s master strategy,^[18] or insulting Whitebeard to get Ace angry enough to stop his attempt at escape.^[19]

He finds people who attempt to interfere with him as nothing more than irritating obstacles.^[20] Furthermore, he seems to be unafraid of older legends, as when Whitebeard told his men not to be intimidated by Garp due to the Marine being an old man, Akainu mocked Whitebeard’s comment, saying that Whitebeard was also from the same generation as Garp before attacking the Emperor.^[21] While other Marines such as Sengoku and Garp share a decent amount of respect for their accomplished enemies, Akainu has no such empathy, instead disparaging them at every chance he gets.

Prior to Sengoku making it public, Akainu was one of the few who knew that Luffy was Dragon’s son.^[22] It is unknown if he has some past relationship with Dragon, or if it was simply common knowledge among the higher ranking Marines that Dragon is Garp’s son. As such, Akainu deems that Luffy’s mere existence, due to being Dragon’s son, is enough to be a threat to the world and therefore must be eliminated.^[23] In fact, Akainu’s beliefs about heritage run deep enough that he declares that even if every other pirate escapes, he would personally ensure that neither Ace nor Luffy were allowed to leave the war alive due to their bloodlines.^[23] This conviction fueled Akainu to the point of actively hunting Luffy himself, even though Blackbeard was destroying Marineford at the time.^[24]

Sakazuki does not see it as the business of the World Nobles to interfere with the Marines’ activities and vice versa. This was proven during his confrontation with the Five Elders, where he disparages them for permitting the Celestial Dragons’ CP-0 to falsify Donquixote Doflamingo’s resignation from the Warlords of the Sea, even questioning whether the Five Elders are Celestial Dragons’ puppets.^[25]

Surprisingly, Sakazuki can demonstrate sense of caution in regards to battling pirates or causing disturbances in global affairs. This was seen when he didn’t attempt to attack Shanks when he arrived at Marineford to save Koby. Also, despite Borsalino’s request to travel to Wano Country to deal with the possible alliance of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, he declines it citing that Wano’s military strength is an unknown factor and they are not within their jurisdiction.^[26]

Relationships

Marines

As the Marine fleet admiral, Sakazuki has command over the entire organization. Marines respect him and used to call him “Admiral Sakazuki” most of the time, as opposed to his epithet.^[27]

Nevertheless, his ruthless adherence to “Absolute Justice” has made his colleagues fear and despise him, especially Aokiji, who called him a fool for taking things too far.^[1] In turn, Akainu will easily kill any Marines who contradict his beliefs, as he executed a soldier for leaving his post in fear, and even made an attempt on Koby’s life for voicing his objections for taking the war too far.

Kizaru

Upon Sakazuki’s rise to Fleet Admiral, Kizaru became a confidant to share his counsel, often offering helpful advice and being someone for him to share his personal frustrations over the growing threat of piracy, especially the Straw Hats. Kizaru has shown to be the closest thing Sakazuki has to a friend among the Marines.^{[citation needed]}

Aokiji

While it is unknown what their relationship was like before, Aokiji has had nothing but hatred for Akainu ever since his horrendous action during the Ohara Incident, calling him a fool for overdoing things. When it was announced that Akainu would succeed Sengoku as fleet admiral, Aokiji strongly opposed this and dueled him for the position. Their fierce battle ended after ten days with Sakazuki achieving victory. Refusing to serve under his former comrade, Kuzan decided to leave the Marines and resign from the position of admiral.^[2] Sakazuki responded to Kuzan’s decision with mockery and showed no concern for his activities.^[28]

Monkey D. Garp

Akainu also did not show any respect to Monkey D. Garp, despite the old vice admiral being a “hero” who was eligible for the position of admiral, due to him being from the previous generation, but mostly for sharing his lineage with criminals like Dragon and Luffy.^[21] Garp, in turn, tried to murder Akainu for executing Ace, and had to be restrained by Sengoku. It is unclear whether this has caused a further rift to develop between the two men or caused any problems within the Marines that prefer Garp or Akainu’s version of Justice.

Sengoku

Akainu did not seem to have any problems with Sengoku when he was his subordinate before the timeskip. This was seen when he grudgingly complied with Sengoku’s order to end all hostilities of the Marineford War and permitting the Whitebeard Pirates to leave. However, after succeeding Sengoku in his position as fleet admiral, he was annoyed by Sengoku’s amusement at Issho using a loophole to enter Mary Geoise and did not hesitate to insult him. That being said, he still respectfully addressed him when the Marines were discussing the bounties of the most notorious pirates.

Fujitora

Sakazuki’s relationship with Admiral Fujitora is also strained. Although they seemed to be on amicable terms previously, as he initially put an immense amount of trust in him since he believed that Issho can stop Law and Luffy, and Issho could address Sakazuki with the nickname Saka-san without it bothering him. This friendly status changed when Issho took matters into his own hands during the incident in Dressrosa, by putting his faith in pirates to defeat Doflamingo as well as bowing apologetically to King Riku for the World Government allowing Doflamingo to torment their kingdom for so long. Furious over Issho humiliating the Marines, and by extension Sakazuki himself, Sakazuki ordered Issho to kill Law and Luffy and reiterated that he wouldn’t allow any Marine bases to take him in until he accomplished that goal, which Issho was content with, as his opinion of the Marines and their sense of justice was disparaging.^[14]

Despite their quarrel, Sakazuki kept Issho in the loop of recent events such as the dissolution of the Seven Warlords system and the alliance between Kaidou and Big Mom. Issho even gave assurance that the new SSG will balance things out.^[29]

World Government

Sakazuki is shown to have absolute loyalty to the World Government and is an extreme follower of their doctrine of Absolute Justice. When Sengoku stepped down as Fleet Admiral, many in the upper echelons nominated him to be Sengoku’s replacement.

Five Elders

Even though he is loyal to the World Government, he was outraged when he was informed that the report given to Marine Headquarters about Doflamingo’s resignation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea was fraudulent. He even personally argued with the Five Elders concerning the matter.^[14] During that heated argument, Sakazuki criticized how much work they issued because of Doflamingo. Sakazuki even insulted, provoked, and mocked them, stating that they had been “walked over by the Celestial Dragons’ puppets”, testing his limits and showing that he does not agree with everything the Five Elders do. After Sakazuki complained to the elders about how Doflamingo’s actions would make him look as Fleet Admiral, they retorted that Sakazuki’s reputation does not matter to them. They also provoked him by bringing up his old colleague’s recent acts. However, Sakazuki did not fall for their taunts as he told them that Kuzan left the Marines when he became fleet admiral and it has nothing to do with them.

World Nobles

Despite his loyalty to the World Government, Sakazuki believes that World Nobles are not to interfere with the Marines’ activities and vice-versa. Because of this, he was outraged when he learned that the report given to Marine Headquarters about Doflamingo’s resignation from the Warlords of the Sea had been falsified by CP-0. This caused a heated argument between him and the Five Elders, during which he accused them of having being overstepped by CP-0, referring to the organization as “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”.

CP-0

Sakazuki seems to despise CP-0 and, during an argument with the Five Elders, he even refers to them as the “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”. In One Piece: Gold he has an argument with Rob Lucci about his requests for the Marines to support Gild Tesoro, provocatively asking him for how long CP-0 will be “Tesoro’s lapdogs”, to which Lucci replies that supporting Tesoro is necessary for CP-0’s mission and that, therefore, Akainu must “shut up” and comply with the order. This audacious answer angers Sakazuki, who tells Lucci to mind his words.

Enemies

Seven Warlords of the Sea

Even though the Warlords of the Sea were on the World Government’s side, Sakazuki saw them as nothing more than pirates and believed they could not be trusted. Despite this, Sakazuki saw them as a necessary evil and was unhappy that the Warlord system was abolished, but Admiral Fujitora believes the reason why Sakazuki thinks this way is because Sakazuki has never personally suffered from the Warlords the same way others have.

Whitebeard Pirates

As Akainu boldly insulted Whitebeard, he earned the wrath of Portgas D. Ace, who viewed the captain as a father figure. This made Ace lose his chance to retreat in an attempt to strike down Akainu in revenge, only to fail and ultimately lose his life at the hands of the then admiral.^[19] Akainu, in turn, viewed Ace as one of the two most dangerous individuals (the other one being Luffy) in the world, due to his father being Gol D. Roger.^[23]

Akainu feigned sympathy towards Squard to get him to betray Whitebeard,^[18] then brutally injured Whitebeard and killed Ace, which resulted in the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates directing their anger toward him, and the remaining commanders attempting to fight against him, even though they might have been killed. Whitebeard himself brutally injured Akainu (an example of this would be when Akainu was placed at the epicenter of a shock wave, courtesy of the Gura Gura no Mi) out of revenge for Ace’s demise. Akainu, however, views all pirates as criminals that are not allowed to exist, and the Whitebeard Pirates are no exception.^[30]

Edward Newgate

During the war at Marineford, Akainu tricked Squard into stabbing Whitebeard. When Whitebeard was unleashing his Gura Gura no Mi powers at the plaza, Akainu engaged him in combat, trying to prevent him from causing any more significant damage to Marineford. After he provoked and killed the second division commander Ace, Whitebeard brutally injured Akainu. During the ensuing conflict, Akainu burned off a portion of Whitebeard’s head.

Monkey D. Luffy

— Akainu addressing the Whitebeard Pirates as they impede his pursuit of Luffy.

Due to Luffy being the son of the Revolutionary Dragon, Akainu views him as the most dangerous threat to the world, along with Ace, and possesses an immensely dangerous obsession with ending Luffy’s life.^[23] After killing Ace and sending Luffy into a mental breakdown, Akainu hounded Luffy throughout the remainder of the war, insistent that he would not escape Marineford alive. To this end, the Admiral ignored all surrounding threats, and focused solely on taking Luffy’s life.^[24] Akainu showed frustration when Shanks’ intervention allowed Luffy to escape. Even though he failed to take Luffy’s life during the war, he managed to give Luffy an X-shaped scar that covers most of his chest. Furthermore, Akainu did the only thing that no one else could do in the entire series: completely break Luffy’s spirit.^[31]

Akainu always refers to Luffy as “Dragon’s son”, viewing him as a global-scale threat solely based on heritage, and that Luffy must be eliminated at all costs.^[22] Two years after the war at Marineford, he wasted little time in sending an admiral to capture or kill him.^[13] On the other hand, Luffy holds great hatred towards Akainu for killing his brother, although after learning of Akainu’s promotion, he was quick to return to his old carefree attitude after a brief moment of anger.

After Luffy defeated Doflamingo, Sakazuki was shocked and angry over the incident and during a heated argument with Fujitora, Sakazuki demanded him to arrest Luffy.

Jinbe

Akainu considers Jinbe a traitor after his resignation from the Warlords of the Sea and for cooperating with Luffy. Although he was more interested in taking Luffy’s life, he showed absolutely no mercy to Jinbe on the battlefield and attempted to kill him numerous times while Jinbe was protecting Luffy. Jinbe is aware of how dangerous Akainu is, and wasted no time in warning the Straw Hats about how ruthless the Marines have become under his command.

Crocodile

During the war at Marineford, the former Warlord of the Sea Crocodile became enemies with Akainu. When Akainu attempted to kill both Luffy and Jinbe, Crocodile intercepted Akainu by using Desert Grande Espada.

Jewelry Bonney

After learning of Jewelry Bonney’s whereabouts, Akainu said that the World Government had been worried due to her disappearance, and Bonney replied that she hates the World Government and the Marines.

Trafalgar D. Water Law

After learning that Law formed an alliance with Luffy, Sakazuki was deeply concerned with Law’s actions and sent Fujitora to Dressrosa to capture both him and Luffy. After his heated argument with Fujitora, Sakazuki ordered him to arrest Luffy and Law.

Shanks

Shanks intervened on Sakazuki’s attempt to kill Koby, while Sakazuki was shocked to see him at Marineford. Aware of Shanks’ threat, Sakazuki made no attempt to attack him though the latter earned Akainu’s fury because his arrival had allowed Luffy to escape his grasp.^[32]

Marshall D. Teach

Two years ago, when Blackbeard arrived at Marineford and stole Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit power, Akainu heard his speech but ignored him to pursue and attempt to kill Luffy which ended in failure. After the war at Marineford, Akainu was sent to deal with Blackbeard, but Blackbeard and his crew got away, due to knowing his threat.

Abilities and Powers

As fleet admiral, Sakazuki has total operational command of the Marines, with at present a mere six direct superiors to answer to: the World Government’s Five Elders and Commander-in-Chief.^[2][34] On top of any prior-held authorities as admiral (e.g., issuing special orders like the enactment of a Buster Call on any island he deems a threat, at any time, and granting others such privilege),^[3][35] Sakazuki can now fully lay down the organization’s strategy, deciding tactics and setting policy, discretionally assign and reassign forces to deploy globally in missions (including the admirals), promote or demote the lower ranks, and delegate any such powers as he sees fit; during the two-year timeskip, he exercised his authority to have the Marine Headquarters relocated to the New World^[36][2] as well as institute a global-scale draft.^[37]

Combat-wise, Sakazuki as an admiral (now fleet admiral) is among the world’s strongest figures, having been thought with his fellow admirals to constitute the World Government’s “Greatest Military Force” (i.e., the strongest single combatants that it can offer, feared by criminals the world over).^[3][8]

Sakazuki’s background, specifically as a black-hearted extremist, affords him a particularly fearsome repute even by admiral standards, as seen chiefly following the Summit War when Blackbeard, upon learning of Sakazuki’s presence aboard a Marine ship meant for negotiations, immediately fled off the island he dwelt on with his crew, noting their unreadiness to face the admiral despite Blackbeard, at that point, having come to wield two of the strongest Devil Fruit powers in existence and bolstered his crew with five of Impel Down’s most dangerous and powerful ex-prisoners.^[38]

During the Summit War, Sakazuki’s fighting prowess was well-established against Whitebeard, an Emperor and the world’s strongest man, whom the admiral matched up to in a head-to-head confrontation.^[39][40] However, a clear variance in power between the two was instantiated by a second, much briefer clash that saw Whitebeard (now serious and in rage over the admiral’s killing of Ace, albeit debilitated by grave injury) take down Sakazuki in a mere two blows, though the admiral did manage to deal a critical hit of his own therebetween, melting off a portion of the elder’s head,^[41] and Sakazuki was not out of commission for long after said skirmish.^[42]

Further in the war, Sakazuki proved himself firmly superior to Ace (one of Whitebeard’s strongest division commanders despite his age), effortlessly overpowering the young pirate in a clash when, beforehand, Ace had managed to fend off Kuzan more or less soundly (though in fairness, Sakazuki enjoyed the inherent superiority of his own ability over Ace’s, unlike the other admiral).^[43] Soon after Whitebeard’s rage-fueled onslaught upon him, Sakazuki reemerged in what still seemed perfect fighting condition, showing himself able to take down in no time, with utmost ease, a Revolutionary Army commander and deputy commander simultaneously,^[44] then another of Whitebeard’s commanders.^[45] Ultimately, Sakazuki proved to be so unstoppable that not even the likes of Jinbe (a former Warlord of the Sea), both Marco and Vista at once (two of Whitebeard’s strongest men), and later (despite Sakazuki’s injuries) the collective of most of Whitebeard’s commanders (minus Ace and Jozu), alongside some of Whitebeard’s subordinate captains and Crocodile (yet another ex-Warlord), could do anything more than slow down the admiral, merely stalling for time in Luffy’s escape from him. It took another Emperor, Shanks, to appear and personally stop Sakazuki for him to desist from his pursuit.^{[46][41][42][47][48]} Ultimately, Sakazuki left the war with no wounds other than those dealt by Whitebeard.^[49]

Sakazuki would later find his equal in then-fellow admiral Kuzan, their one-on-one duel on Punk Hazard seeing them evenly matched and meeting another blow for blow through most of a ten-day duration; while both men sustained grievous injuries, Sakazuki was the one to ultimately prevail and emerge as the victor, his longtime comrade left entirely at his mercy.^[2]

Leadership and Intelligence

Attesting to Sakazuki’s perceived leadership competencies and military acumen, he had many dignitaries of the government strongly push for him to succeed Sengoku as fleet admiral, over the latter’s personal nomination of Kuzan. While known, feared, and disdained by some for his hardline, over-the-top methods, Sakazuki’s prowess as a leader is undeniable. Indeed, as noted by Jinbe, the Marine HQ under him has supposedly grown far stronger, more determined than ever before despite the resignations of Kuzan, Sengoku, and Garp, thus bearing out Sakazuki’s capabilities.^[2]

Beside combat, Sakazuki is a shrewd manipulator, using whatever knowledge he holds of enemies to try to deceive them into doing what conforms with his goals. He feigned sympathy to Squard, exploiting his hatred of the late Pirate King to influence him into betraying his loyalty to Whitebeard,^[18] and later purposefully insulted Whitebeard’s honor to goad Ace into attacking him, successfully doing so as to prevent Ace from escaping,^[19] and killing him shortly after by aiming for his younger brother and letting Ace take the blow in the former’s stead.^[50]

Physical Abilities

Befitting an admiral, Sakazuki’s physical prowess is immense. His raw strength was enough for him to go up against and clash evenly with Whitebeard in close quarters—the “Strongest Man in the World” who, in his old age, could still overpower a giant’s strength easily.^[39][40] Sakazuki even held back a two-handed swing of the elder’s large naginata (which came clad in a quake bubble to massively enhance its striking force) using a single leg.^[51]

Perhaps most impressive, however, are Sakazuki’s vast durability and endurance, best illustrated by how not even two successive quake punches from Whitebeard hitting him point-blank (one his neck and another his midsection, and both coming imbued with Haki, further increasing damage) could keep him down, the second blow strong enough to split the island of Marineford in two as an after-effect (in retrospect, a relatively weaker version of the same quake attack had sufficed to incapacitate a vice admiral giant);^[41] Sakazuki retained not only consciousness thereafter but had more than enough strength left to keep on fighting without at any point evincing the slightest exhaustion or impediment by injury (with only some bleeding visible on his face).^[42][47][48] Another testament to his stamina, endurance, and willpower is Sakazuki’s face-off against Kuzan, wherein he equaled the other admiral for ten days total, in the process of which both men suffered heavy injuries; despite the sheer amount of time the duel took to settle, Sakazuki emerged the decisive winner over Kuzan.^[2]

Mobility-wise, the admiral has shown himself quite fast, propelling himself forward at great speeds. He can easily gain ground on others that are noticeably fast and in flight from him, as seen with Jinbe whom the admiral caught up with swiftly despite the former’s head start resulting from the powerful people trying to keep Sakazuki at bay.^[47]

Otherwise, the admiral has shown acute enough hearing to be able to perceive underwater movements from afar.^[52]

Devil Fruit

Further information: Magu Magu no Mi

Sakazuki ate the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that lets him create, control, and transform into magma.^[53] His magma is extremely hot, highly explosive,^[54][55] and thus well-suited for combat, allowing Sakazuki to burn, melt, and destroy anything in his path—in fact, among all Devil Fruits, Sakazuki’s is said to offer the greatest attack power.^[6]

Sakazuki’s primary method of combat is converting his arms into magma to launch burning punches (or clawed thrusts) that can easily penetrate human bodies,^{[56][43][57][46][41][47][48]} drastically enlarge his arms to throw forward giant magma fists meant to reach enemies farther away,^{[54][39][58][47]} and even launch multiple magma fists as a barrage of meteor-like projectiles, devastating the battlefield.^[59][55] Otherwise, he has been seen shaping his magma fist into a fanged dog head; a nod to his animal alias.^[40]

Beside the invulnerability of Sakazuki’s magma body against all but Haki attacks, its heat has enemies heavily discouraged from coming near and striking him physically, lest they be burned.^{[60][46][41][47]} Also, his powers bestow him high maneuverability; he can melt himself through anything in his path, even tunneling through the very ground, and can briefly fly using jet bursts of magma to propel himself.^[6][42][47]

Even for a Logia, this ability has great potential; when used excessively by Sakazuki for ten days, it warped the very climate of half an island, permanently rendering it a blazing inferno that embroils even the surrounding sea.^[61]

Weapons

Sakazuki was seen wielding a dagger as a child^[62] and a red-hilted katana during his youth as a Marine.^[11]

Haki

Further information: Haki

As a former Marine Vice Admiral, Sakazuki is a proficient Haki user.^[63]

Busoshoku Haki

During the Summit War, Sakazuki was seen using advanced-grade Busoshoku Haki to block and disperse a long-distance quake shockwave sent out by Whitebeard, by generating, with his fellow admirals, an emitted shield combination of their three Haki.^[64]

Kenbunshoku Haki

Sakazuki possesses the ability to use Kenbunshoku Haki.^[6]

History

Past

Sakazuki was born in North Blue.^[6] It was clear that he lived a rough childhood, as he already had a grim disposition, and a sense of justice showcased on the hat he wore.^[62]

Joining the Marines

The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.

At the age of 23, Sakazuki joined the Marines alongside a 26 years old Borsalino, and came under the tutelage of instructor Zephyr. The two were already considered “monsters”.^[5]

Concludes non-canon section.

A Storm in the Edd War

When the Marines learned that the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates were about to battle in the Edd War, three years before the death of the Pirate King, Sakazuki was seen in Marineford, walking with Garp, Kuzan, Saul and Tsuru, listening to the conversation about Garp’s efforts to capture Gol D. Roger.

Ohara Incident

He was known as Vice Admiral Sakazuki before his promotion, and was present at the Ohara incident, being one of the five vice admirals leading the Buster Call bombardment. He ordered the destruction of an evacuation ship of civilians and soldiers, claiming it needed to be destroyed in case even a single scholar managed to sneak on board.^[1]

At some point after the incident, Sakazuki was promoted to admiral and given the code name, “Akainu”.

Summit War Saga

Amazon Lily Arc

Vice Admiral Momonga mentioned to Boa Hancock that the three Marine admirals, including Akainu, would lead the Marines against the Whitebeard Pirates following the announcement of Portgas D. Ace’s execution.^[65]

Marineford Arc

Following the gathering at Marineford, Akainu was seen sitting beneath the execution platform of Portgas D. Ace with his fellow Marine admirals.^[8]

Akainu stepped into the battle when Jozu hurled a massive iceberg, displaying abilities to control volcanic rock by launching a fist made of magma to vaporize the iceberg and sending small burning rocks flying all over the place, destroying one of Whitebeard’s ships.^[54]

He was later seen confronting a Marine officer who was fleeing from the battle not wanting to die out of concern for his family. Akainu attacked, and brutally executed the Marine officer for this “cowardice”, much to the horror of Koby and Helmeppo who were watching (having nearly run into the admiral themselves while doing the same thing). Akainu then received a report on the Den Den Mushi that the preparations for Sengoku’s plan were set.^[16] Luffy’s arrival at Marineford had Admiral Akainu commenting that, as the son of Dragon, Luffy is one pirate who must be eliminated at all costs.^[22]

During the battle, following Sengoku’s orders, Akainu talked to Captain Squard, making him believe that Whitebeard had betrayed his allies, trading their lives for Ace’s. He demonstrated his words by making Squard notice that the Pacifistas attacked everyone in the bay except Whitebeard’s pirates, this being also part of Sengoku’s plan. He told Squard he does not agree with the plan of sparing Ace’s and Whitebeard’s life, and offered him the chance to save himself and his own crew if he killed Whitebeard. Because of his deep hatred for Gol D. Roger, who killed his first crew, Squard believed him and attacked Whitebeard,^[18] by stabbing him in the chest.^[66]

Whitebeard survived Squard’s attack, and forgave his ally and started a massive attack against the Marines, using his Devil Fruit’s powers. Akainu, along with Aokiji and Kizaru, managed to stop Whitebeard’s seismic waves directed towards the platform on which Ace was chained.^[67]

After the steel wall was finally raised around the pirates, Akainu started to attack the pirates with his Ryūsei Kazan, which melted Aokiji’s ice and destroyed the Moby Dick. Much later, when Luffy was hurled over the siege wall and landed before the execution platform, Akainu sneered before commenting on how bold the son of Dragon is.

After Whitebeard and his crew successfully entered the plaza, Whitebeard began to swing his naginata for another attack when Akainu intervened, and told him that the island would not hold out long if he kept doing that. Whitebeard then told him he should try and protect it. They then used their Devil Fruit powers and clashed with each other.

When Garp joined the battle, Whitebeard told his men that he is just an old man and that they should not be fooled. Akainu retaliated and said that Whitebeard himself was also of the same generation. The two clashed again, causing another rampage in Marineford. Akainu was angry at Whitebeard and shouted at him for destroying the city, and Whitebeard repeated what he said before and told him he should protect it. Suddenly, Whitebeard grabbed his chest and coughed up a massive amount of blood. Akainu commented on how Whitebeard can not escape the effects of old age and took full advantage by landing a devastating blow on Whitebeard’s chest with molten magma.

Luffy unleashed a wave of Haoshoku Haki, which saved Ace from the second execution attempt, while Akainu noticed that Luffy used his power unconsciously. When Ace was finally freed, Akainu assured his men that there was nothing to worry about, since the two pirate brothers were going to be captured again and executed. He then confronted Luffy and Ace, and provoked Ace into attacking him by disparaging Whitebeard. After Ace’s attack backfired, Akainu said that his magma can smother Ace’s fire and was thus able to injure Ace despite his Logia intangibility, making him his natural enemy. He went on to state that both Luffy and Ace deserved to be executed due to their parentage and attacked Luffy, but Ace threw himself in the way. Ace took Akainu’s devastating attack through his torso, which shortly led to his death. Akainu then burned Jinbe as the latter attempted to protect Ace from a strike to the head. Marco and Vista attacked him with their haki, and he commented on how much of a nuisance they were.

Enraged at the death of Ace, Whitebeard attacked Akainu, striking him from the back with a crippling blow. Akainu got back up and attacked back, burning off a portion of Whitebeard’s head. Whitebeard then gave the admiral another devastating blow, sending him falling into a crater. Akainu, having survived Whitebeard’s onslaught, tunneled underground and reappeared in front of Jinbe as he was making his way to the escape ship with Luffy in tow.

Akainu demanded Jinbe to hand over Luffy, but Jinbe refused, stating that he will protect Luffy with his life. Akainu then prepared to attack, but Ivankov appeared and blasted Akainu with a Hell Wink. He later heard Blackbeard as he declared to the entire world that the age of Blackbeard had begun. Despite Blackbeard’s grave announcement and his newly acquired power, he still chose to blindly continue pursuing Luffy. Akainu then subdued Ivankov and Inazuma and resumed chasing after Jinbe and Luffy, which ended in him piercing through Jinbe and straight towards Luffy with his magma, critically injuring both of them.

When he was prepared to finish them off, Crocodile repelled him and got Luffy and Jinbe out of the admiral’s reach. Akainu then prepared to face off against Crocodile and the Whitebeard Pirates. He took down Curiel and went into a blind rage yelling to the marines to not let pirates roam this earth.

He, along with the whole battlefield, was stopped by Koby as he yelled for the fighting to stop. Akainu was outraged at this and attacked Koby, only to have his punch blocked by Shanks. Akainu was angered, because Shanks’s interference had caused Luffy to escape his grasp. After Aokiji and Kizaru’s failed attempts on Luffy’s life and Sengoku complying with Shanks’ demands to end the Whitebeard War, Akainu was very displeased.

Post-War Arc

When the Blackbeard Pirates’ raft was damaged because of the size of Sanjuan Wolf, Marshall D. Teach took Jewelry Bonney and her crew as a means of exchange with the World Government for a new ship. The Marines did not seem to accept the exchange, since Akainu was sent to the island. Blackbeard and his crew escaped, and left Bonney behind. Akainu faced Bonney, and said that the World Government had been worried due to her disappearance, and Bonney replied that she hates the World Government and the Marines.^[38]

During the Timeskip

A Rise in Rank

Sakazuki was nominated for the position of fleet admiral after Sengoku had retired. Kuzan, however, was against the idea of having him become the new fleet admiral and the two admirals battled each other for the position on Punk Hazard. The battle lasted for ten days,^[2] and their respective powers caused Punk Hazard to permanently be frozen on one half and burning on the other.^[61] In the end, Sakazuki ended up as the victor of that battle, although both men were seriously wounded. Sakazuki, however, decided to let Kuzan live because they were comrades.^[2]

His new leadership has given the Marines a stronger sense of Absolute Justice. Not wanting to serve under Sakazuki, Kuzan decided to resign from the Marines. After becoming fleet admiral, Sakazuki decided to relocate the Marine Headquarters to the New World in exchange for the Marine branch.

As fleet admiral, Sakazuki instituted a mandatory draft to bolster the forces of the Marines; Admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu were recruited in this draft.^[37]

The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.

3D2Y

When Byrnndi World and the World Pirates make their return and threaten the Government, Sakazuki and the Marines, summoned by Buggy, ambush World’s ship and began to attack it, in which Sakazuki does heavy damage with his magma powers.^[68]

Dressrosa Saga

One Piece Film: Z

After Borsalino informed him of Z’s return, Sakazuki ordered a summit meeting at the new Marine Headquarters. He was enraged of hearing the news of the Dyna Stones being stolen and the destruction of the Marine base at Firs Island. Reluctantly, he dispatched Borsalino and six vice admirals to eliminate him and the Neo Marines, while quietly wishing that he did not have to resort to killing their former instructor.^[11]

Concludes non-canon section.

Dressrosa Arc

After Donquixote Doflamingo supposedly renounced his title of Warlord of the Sea and Luffy and Law formed an alliance, Sakazuki was seen with the other high-ranking marines discussing the next course of action. After he declared that he would not let Law and Luffy do whatever they wanted, Sakazuki asserted that the situation would be cleared in a day and noted that he had sent Admiral Fujitora to take care of it.^[13]

Later, Sakazuki communicated with Fujitora via Den Den Mushi to inform him that the report given to Marine Headquarters regarding Doflamingo’s resignation was fraudulent, and noted the situation was infuriating, and that he was heading to Mary Geoise to confront the Five Elders about it.^[69]

Sakazuki later had a meeting with the Five Elders and a heated argument broke out between them. After learning that the false news about Doflamingo leaving the Warlords of the Sea was by the order of those above them, he angrily asked the Five Elders why the whole world had to be misled for Doflamingo’s sake, noting that if an incident like this were to occur again, he as fleet admiral would be disgraced. The Five Elders ignored him, saying that they were not concerned with his reputation as the Marines are only the public face of the World Government. When he was told that the case had been left to the Cipher Pol, Sakazuki retorted that even the Five Elders had been walked over by the “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”. The Five Elders responded in anger, blaming Sakazuki for Kuzan joining Blackbeard. Sakazuki replied that Kuzan’s actions after he left the Marines were not his concern. Suddenly, a Marine interrupted the meeting and reported about what transpired on Dressrosa.

Sakazuki then contacted Fujitora and scolded him for allowing the true news of what transpired at Dressrosa to spread throughout the world without the consent of those in the higher echelons. He angrily told Fujitora that he should know what it means for him to admit fault, and that he should have reported it before taking action. Fujitora replied if he had done so, the incident might have been covered up. Sakazuki suggest that cover-ups were needed in order to save the face of the World Government. Fujitora stated that he does not want to be made into a hero for something he did not do, and that the World Government needs to take responsibility for their actions. Sakazuki shouted that it is a matter of credibility and trust and Fujitora had disgraced the face of “Justice”, but Fujitora responded, rightly, that if Justice was so easily shamed and fragile, the credibility and trust Sakazuki was worried about was nonexistent in the first place. This response infuriated Sakazuki further as it meant his power was hollow and empty. In his anger, Sakazuki then demanded Fujitora to bring back the heads of Luffy and Law as recompense for his actions at Dressrosa, and forbade Fujitora from entering any Marine base until he carried out this order.^[14]

Four Emperors Saga

The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.

One Piece Film: Gold

In Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki received a report from Rob Lucci about the Marines sending forces to aid Gild Tesoro. Sakazuki was not happy about serving a pirate, but Lucci replied that the World Government had motives of its own.^[70]

Concludes non-canon section.

Levely Arc

While reading the newspaper detailing Luffy’s exploits at Totto Land, Sakazuki received a report that Komane, the princess of the Lulusia Kingdom was kidnapped by pirates, making him furious and questioning why the escort allowed that to happen.^[71]

He was later enraged to hear that Fujitora arrived at Mary Geoise when he had not yet claimed the heads of Luffy and Law, and refused to consider the admiral’s reasoning. When Sengoku popped his head through the doorway and asked him if being fleet admiral was difficult, Sakazuki told him to shut up.^[72]

After the Marines intercepted a communication between Big Mom and Kaidou, Borsalino asked if he should go to handle the situation. Sakazuki told him to wait because they did not know the strength of Wano Country’s forces.^[73]

The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.

One Piece: World Seeker

Suspicious about what’s happening on Jail Island, he eventually landed on the island and fought first against Luffy, then Sabo. Their battle is interrupted by Fujitora, as the island needs to be evacuated.^[74]

One Piece: Stampede

Sakazuki ordered the convocation of a Buster Call in order to eliminate the great threat that was Douglas Bullet and exterminate all the pirates of Delta Island. At the end of the film, he was enraged by the escape of the Supernovas from that place.^[75]

Concludes non-canon section.

Wano Country Arc

After the Warlord system was abolished, Sakazuki spoke to Fujitora via Den Den Mushi and explained that the timing was bad due to the pirate alliance of the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates. Sakazuki later interrupted a meeting Sengoku was holding and said that the Marines were leaving Wano Country alone due to not having enough manpower to deal with both Big Mom and Kaidou. Sakazuki and Sengoku then talked about Kozuki Oden.^[29]

Major Battles

Filler Battles

• Sakazuki vs. Squard

Translation and Dub Issues

Sakazuki’s alias, “Akainu”, means “Red Dog” in Japanese. His real name Sakazuki (盃) means “sake cup”.

Anime and Manga Differences

The anime-only vice admiral Jonathan is said to be Sakazuki’s protege, but unlike his mentor who is a pure believer in Absolute Justice, Jonathan believes more in Moral Justice.

In the anime, the events of the Summit War of Marineford after Whitebeard’s death are touched upon showing massive explosions rocking Marineford, sending nearby pirates flying back. Large geysers of magma are shown showering the escaping New World Pirates. His efforts to pursue Luffy are consistently stalled by Marco deflecting all of his attacks and the Whitebeard Pirates forcing him back with a barrage of bullet and cannon fire, at which he comments is irritating.

Merchandise

Sakazuki has been a choice character in several series of merchandise. He has been featured in the Portrait of Pirates Figuarts Zero, One Piece DX Figure, One Piece High Spec Coloring Figure, Ichiban Kuji One Piece and Super Modeling Soul One Piece lines. But also in the World Collectable,One Piece Super Effect, One Piece Amazing Log Collection,Deformeister Petit One Piece,One Piece Super Deformed Figures, Anichara Heroes, One Piece Full Face Jr. and the One Piece Logbox series.

Video Games

Playable Appearances

Enemy Appearances

• One Piece Romance Dawn: The Dawn of the Adventure
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors
• One Piece: World Seeker

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In One Piece Premier Show 2011, Akainu and the other admirals come to the Marine island where the Straw Hat Pirates try to rescue Nami and Robin. They leave after Bentham, disguised as a Marine, tells them that Charlos has been injured and needs to retreat.
• Akainu appears in Super Kabuki II: One Piece during the retelling of the Marineford Arc.
• An image of Sakazuki appears in the first One Piece Water Spectacle show.
• Sakazuki appears in the Nami and Marineford versions of the Hungry Days commercials.
• One of the guests on One Piece Variety: I Will be the Pirate King TV dresses up as Sakazuki during one of the show’s skits.

Trivia

• The way Sakazuki’s character design is drawn resembles the famous late Japanese actor, Bunta Sugawara. Akainu’s real name, Sakazuki, is apparently based on the three movies of Bunta Sugawara with “Sakazuki” in the title. Even Sakazuki’s birthday is based on Sugawara’s.^[76]
• His favorite foods are white rice and red pepper.
• His nickname, along with the other admirals’ (Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru), are taken from Momotaro legends (Momotaro met Pheasant, Dog, and Monkey as friends to accompany him in his journey).
• According to an interview with Eiichiro Oda, Sakazuki is so strong that, if he were to become the protagonist, he could end the One Piece series within a year.^[77]
• In the 5th fan poll, Sakazuki ranked 47th.
• Before his full appearance was revealed, many non-canon sources had attempted to depict Sakazuki after the timeskip, which would later turn out to be highly inaccurate to his actual appearance in the manga. In these sources, his face is depicted as being totally intact, as well as having identical attire to the clothing he wore before the timeskip in non-canon sources, including One Piece Film: Z, Wake up!, Hard Knock Days and Super Grand Battle.^[11] In One Piece Film: Gold, Sakazuki is depicted with the scars on his face but he still wears his pre-timeskip clothing.
• In the spin-off manga One Piece: Kobiyama Who Looks Like Koby – Two Piece in a Pod, one of the characters, Akaishi Papa, is a man who resembles Sakazuki.

References

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