Groups are an essential part of anyanime, whether they be a collection of heroes or villains. They produce an interesting dynamic in the story and are, more often than not, a powerful force to be reckoned with.One Piecehas its fair share of groups, including the Straw Hat Pirates, Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors of the Sea. The last two are part of the three great powers inOne Piece, with the previous being the three Admirals of the Marines who protect the sea from dangerous pirates.
While there are always three at a time, there have been a total of eight confirmed admirals inOne Piece. Defined by their sense of justice, every member needs strength, as they are the Marines' strongest superpowers. With so many powerful characters, this list willrank every current and former Admiral in their prime based on anime information only. It will list the rankings based onknown feats, characters defeated/fought, and potential/speculation. This list will not include Monkey D. Garp since he was never a fully-fledged Admiral, even though he would be number one on this list otherwise.
First Appearance: ‘One Piece Film: Z’ (2012)
Starting this list is probably a controversial pick, not because of his strength, but because fans are undecided if he is canon or not. Technically, his past is canon, but the movie he featured in is not, meaning it is difficult to gauge his strength. Zephyr, also known as Z, was the main villain inOne Piece Film: Zand the leader of the Neo-Marines. Leaving because of a failed system, Zephyr created a rogue group to destroy the New World by activating a volcano that would wipe out the dangerous sea.
Since the events ofOne Piece Film: Zaren’t canon, fans have nothing to base Zephyr’s strength on besides hypothetical arguments and some information about his past. While he was pretty impressive in the movie, he did lose to Luffy, but this doesn’t reflect his canonical power.He trained most of the current admiralsand was considered to be up there in strength with Sengoku, but he has too little-known feats to be any higher on this list, even though he is one of thebest anime movie villains.
7Aramaki (Ryokugyu)
First Appearance: One Piece Episodes #882
Aramaki, better known as Ryokugyu, meaning Green Bull, is one of the current Admirals inOne Pieceand the most recent member to be introduced. He and his powers were shrouded in mystery for a long time until he revealed himself in Wano, one of thebest arcs inOne Piece. He got into a major fight during the Reverie and invaded Wano to capture Luffy, but the last fans saw him, he captured Edward Weevil, a former warlord of the sea.
As the most recent addition to the admirals, fans wouldn’t expect him to have that many fights, but he quickly showed off all his skills in many fights. He brawled with Fujitora, and while fans didn’t see it, they can assume it was a stalemate. He also had an even battle with members of the Revolutionary Army. His most impressive feat isquickly dispatching the Wano Samurai as well as the King and Queen. However, Shanks put him in his place, so while his plant-based devil fruit is powerful, he can’t stand with the best of the best.
6Issho (Fujitora)
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #630
Some fans may not be pleased with Issho’s ranking, but their love for the character shouldn’t sway his spot on this list. Like Ryokugyu, Fujitora is one of the current admirals, making his appearance known during Dressrosa. Despite being blind, he can handle most characters inOne Piece, especially as he wields a devil fruit that can manipulate gravity. He has a humane sense of justice, which conflicts with Akainu but allows him to think differently, including his proposition to abolish thestrongest seven warlords inOne Piece.
As stated in the previous entry, Fujitora and Ryokugyu fought the Reverie, which most likely ended in a draw, proving he is at least as strong as another admiral. His devil fruit alone warrants a decent spot on this list, asthe power to manipulate gravity has incredible potential. However, Fujitora has also proved helpful in a fight, even though fans haven’t seen him explicitly defeat anyone. He has fought powerful characters, including Luffy, Trafalgar Law, Sabo, Zoro, and Karasu, all ending in a draw, provinghe can fight toe-to-toe with anyone.
5Borsalino (Kizaru)
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #398
The final current Admiral is Borsalino, also known as Kizaru, who is also the last remaining previous-generation Admiral who didn’t get promoted or quit. His lazy style of justice doesn’t do him any favors, but this effortless strength proves to be a thorn in the side of everyone he has fought. He has appeared as a main antagonist in Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford and is currently on his way to Egghead Island to deal with Luffy and Dr. Vegapunk.
While fans are sure to get a better grasp of his strength when the anime returns, Kizaru hasn’t shown many feats recently, but he still earns a decent spot because of what fans saw during the pre-time skip and his potential strength. Heeffortlessly defeated most members of the Worst Generationand fought on par with Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the King of the Pirates. This, matched with his impressive performance in Marineford, makes him one of thebest villains inOne Piece.
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #0
Many fans might be unaware of Kong, the current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government and former Fleet Admiral. While fans don’t know if he was an admiral, it makes sense to assume he was since he used to be a Fleet Admiral. He has barely appeared in the series, but many fans believe he is Garp’s father and, therefore, Luffy’s great-grandfather. While this is just speculation, it is all fans have to go off of.
Kong is one ofOne Piece’s greatest mysteriesbecause there is barely any information surrounding him, including his strength. However, he ranks this high purely on speculation alone, as the Fleet Admiral must be incredibly powerful. He commanded a great deal of respect from Garp and Sengoku andwas the Fleet Admiral during Roger and Whitebeard’s era, meaning he is definitely a powerhouse.
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #151
Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral of the previous generation but is now retired, serving as an Inspector General. He was alive during Roger and Whitebeard’s rule, serving as an admiral during this time, meaning he encountered the two more often than he would have liked. He kept Garp in check and managed the Marines well for the most part. His reigning sense of justice protected the world and kept it safe, making him one of themost likable marines inOne Piece.
It’s unfortunate that most of Sengoku’s fights are behind closed doors, but fans got a taste of his power during Marineford, where he battled Luffy, Ace, and Blackbeard. He fought the entire Blackbeard crew for hours, proving he could handle multiple enemies simultaneously. However, his most impressive feats are hismany fights against Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, some of the most powerful characters inOne Piece. Fans can assume Sengoku is no longer in his prime, which should tell them that he was a beast in his prime.
2Kuzan (Aokiji)
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #225
Kuzan, also known as Aokiji, is arguably the most interesting and beloved Admiral who wields an overpowered devil fruit that controls ice. Running into Luffy during Water 7, he would show what the admirals are made of, easily beating the captain. He has a complicated relationship with many characters, including Robin, Akainu, and Garp. After fighting in Marineford, he would battle against Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral but would ultimately lose and join the Blackbeard pirates.
Serving under Blackbeard, one of thestrongest Emperors inOne Piece, fans can assume he is currently in his prime, which is why he lands above Sengoku. Pre-time-skip fights don’t matter too much for power scaling, but he proved to handle strong characters, including Whitebeard, Marco, and Ace, meaning he can likely still keep up with them. His recent fights includeDoflamingo, Cracker, and, most impressively, Garp. While he did get help to beat an injured and out-of-prime Garp, that is still a ridiculous feat, which makes Aokiji excel in the second spot.
1Sakazuki (Akainu)
First Appearance: One Piece Episode #278
Finally, ranked as the most powerful Admiral and arguably the strongest Marine, Sakazuki, more commonly known as Akainu. He was one of the previous-generation admirals and earned the title of Fleet Admiral after his fight with Aokiji, making him a prominent figure and one of the main antagonists inOne Piece. With a thorough sense of justice, Akainu plans to wipe villainy from its roots, making him one of the most hated characters inOne Piecewith his ruthless approach.
While some fans would argue Sengoku deserves the top spot because of his legacy and prime potential, Akainu is the current Fleet Admiral and main villain, meaning he is guaranteed to be one of the strongest characters even if fans haven’t seen his full strength. Most of his fights happened before the time skip and during Marineford, where he showcasedimpressive strength, durability, battle IQ, and mastery over his devil fruit when he fought Whitebeard on par. Fans will see a fight of his soon when the anime returns, but his most recentwin is against Aokiji, proving he is the strongest current Marine and one of themost powerful characters inOne Piece.
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