One Piece: Are The Admirals As Strong As Emperors?

One Piece: Are The Admirals As Strong As Emperors?

As an old salt who’s been sailing through the Grand Line for decades and witnessed more sea battles than I can count, let me tell you this: The Admirals of the Marines are no pushovers, they’re as tough as old barnacles on a ship’s hull! They’ve proven time and again that they can hold their own against the Emperors of the Sea.


In the world of One Piece, a system known as the ‘Three Major Forces’ maintains balance and order. These forces represent three extraordinarily powerful and influential groups, yet each is constrained by the other two to prevent any single group from gaining dominance. As portrayed in the series, the disintegration of one force results in a power struggle that can be exploited by another.

In this piece, we’ll explore whether the Admiral ranks can measure up against the mightiest pirates in the One Piece universe – namely, the Four Sea Emperors and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who are under the authority of the World Government. While the Warlords maintain a tenuous alliance with the World Government, the Admirals serve as their primary force to counteract their strongest adversaries. So, let’s delve into whether the Admirals can hold their own against these powerful pirates!

Who Are The Admirals?

The World Government’s greatest asset

One Piece: Are The Admirals As Strong As Emperors?

Known AdmiralsSengoku, Aokiji, Akainu, Kizaru, Fujitora, Ryokugyu
First AppearanceOne Piece, Episode 225, “The Man of Pride! Foxy the Silver Fox”
Story ArcLong Ring Long Land

In the Marine Corps hierarchy, the post of Admiral is almost the topmost, surpassed only by the Fleet Admiral. Those occupying this position are exceptionally strong Marines, primarily because of their exceptional command over their powerful Devil Fruits, combined with their skilled application of various types of Haki. Furthermore, they wield significant authority within the Navy as they can direct and command all those who hold lower ranks.

Initially appearing in the narrative, the Admirals were virtually invincible due to their extraordinary Logia Devil Fruit abilities. After a significant passage of time, two empty Admiral positions were eventually filled by Fujitora and Ryokugyu, with Akainu being promoted to Fleet Admiral and Aokiji leaving the Marine ranks following his loss against a former adversary.

The World Government calls these 3 (Admirals) ‘the ultimate military force’…

The strength of the Admirals:

Previously mentioned, the Admirals are the most formidable Marines within the entire structure, boasting of extraordinary Devil Fruits and Haki. Akainu, in particular, possesses a Logia fruit with unparalleled offensive power. This was evident when he inflicted a lethal wound on Whitebeard and ultimately killed Ace. Conversely, Kizaru is armed with the Light-Light fruit, granting him an extraordinary speed that places him amongst the fastest characters in the series. His ability to control and transform into light made him a force to reckon with, as he nearly single-handedly defeated the Worst Generation on Sabaody, showcasing his immense power.

Following them comes Fujitora, an Admiral who stands alone in not utilizing a Logia type fruit. Instead, his Paramecia ability grants him command over gravity, giving him tremendous power within the series. Despite not being quite as strong as the others, Ryokugyu remains exceptionally powerful, demonstrating this by defeating multiple Yonko Commanders simultaneously. Although Aokiji is no longer with the Marines, his strength ranks just below Akainu’s might, a fact underscored by his impressive feats and battles throughout the narrative.

Admirals vs. Emperors Of The Sea

How do they match up to the Yonko?

One Piece: Are The Admirals As Strong As Emperors?

In response to this question’s thematic interpretation, it’s evident that the Admirals have consistently been portrayed as the World Government’s counterparts to the Pirate Lords of the Sea, often referred to as the Emperors. This is demonstrated not just by their extraordinary powers and might, but also by the authority they wield, as they command vast numbers of Marine officers beneath them, much like how Emperors command pirate crews.

However, this question is not an easy one to answer. Due to the varying strength among Yonko, there are some that are far easier for the Admirals to take down than others. The best example of this is Buggy, who is one of the current Emperors, since he wouldn’t even be a challenge to even the weakest Admiral. However, on the other hand, there is Luffy. The events of the Egghead arc showed the true power of Gear 5, where Luffy was so powerful that he was merely toying with Kizaru, who is an Admiral feared by almost every pirate!

My wounds run deep. Just let me rest already…

The Battle of Marineford showcased the immense power of the Admirals, underscoring their role as counterparts to the Yonko, or Emperors. Despite Whitebeard being regarded as history’s strongest man, capable of destroying the world, Aokiji and Akainu confronted him directly. In fact, it was Akainu who inflicted fatal wounds on him, even obliterating half of his face!

Despite Akainu suffering significant harm during this encounter, his unwavering courage in challenging Whitebeard without any support reveals just how formidable the Admirals really are. In most of their appearances, apart from Marineford and Egghead, they’ve only displayed a small fraction of their full potential. This implies that their ability to inflict such extensive damage is a powerful demonstration of their immense strength.

In a reciprocal fashion, the rule of differing power applies here. This is because at the conclusion of the Wano arc, Shanks displayed an extraordinary use of Conquerer’s Haki in the series, managing to immobilize Ryokugyu from quite a distance, even though the Admiral had effortlessly taken out some of Wano’s most formidable characters. Although Ryokugyu didn’t faint because of this Haki display but was instead frozen solid, it underscores just how much stronger Shanks is compared to him.

To sum up, Admirals have traditionally been portrayed as formidable adversaries of the Sea Emperors. More frequently than not, they are depicted on par with each other. Despite Shanks using his Conqueror’s Haki to overpower Ryokugyu, Kizaru remained unscathed by Joyboy’s powerful Conquerer’s Haki, an ability that even sent the Gorosei fleeing back to their stronghold. This demonstrates that among the Admirals, there are some who surpass others in strength!

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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2024-09-27 22:35