Summary
During the first half of theOne Pieceseries, the Admirals were widely regarded as the most formidable force on the side of the World Government who would likely be among the final obstacles that the heroes would have to face in the Final War. Called the ultimate fighting force of the Navy, those in this position have ultimate authority over the organization and are some of the most powerful characters in the World Government.
However, as the series has gone on, many fans have felt that the importance of the Admirals in theOne Pieceworld has diminished compared to before, especially with the introduction of other powerful groups such as the Gods' Knights. In this article, let’s go over the common argument which states thatthe Admirals are underrated charactersnow, and see if there is any merit to it at all, as well as why this may not be the case.
Fleet Admiral
Akainu
When they were first mentioned in the story, the Admirals were built up to be the greatest enemies that heroes would have toface in the World Government. The very rank of Admiral is one of the highest in the Navy, giving the character an unprecedented level of authority and control over anyone who is ranked below them, with the distinct exemption of Garp.
Moreover, at least for the initial part of the story, the Admirals were built up as equals to the Yonko, with both forces being the greatest on the sides of the Navy and pirates respectively. As such, the true answer here is that both forces are equal for the most part, with there being a great deal of nuance involved with the proper ranking of these characters. Owing their strength primarily to their overpowered Devil Fruit abilities, the Admirals are still considered to be among the most powerful characters inOne Piece.
If people don’t live the right way, there’s no reason for them to live!
Although they may not be as outright dangerous or strong as someone like Kaido, the misconception that many fans have is that they are far below his level, when this isn’t at all the case. In truth, the nuance in strength does exist, with some Yonko being stronger than some Admirals, butthe margin isn’t massive on either side. A great example of this is Kizaru, who took on Luffy in his Gear 5 state without a moment’s hesitation, just like Kaido. Although both characters lost against him, their performances truly showed what they are capable of.
Of course, many have made the argument that Kaido was already greatly fatigued upon running a gauntlet against the Red Scabbards and Yamato before taking Luffy on, as well as being preoccupied with other things. This is true, but it should also be noted that Kizaru was also mentally nerfed in his fight due to having to kill his best friend, which was evidenced by him being the one to provide Luffy the food to reawaken his Gear 5.
Moreover, when Blackbeard invaded Amazon Lily and came across Rayleigh, he was too afraid to take on the legend, prompting his exodus from the island despite Rayleigh being far past his prime and even outright stating that he may not have beenable to take Blackbeard onbecause of his age. This is perfectly contrasted with the Sabaody arc, where Kizaru comes across Rayleigh on the island and doesn’t hesitate to fight against him on equal terms, which clearly shows that his power is, at least, equal to an old Silvers Rayleigh.
The main strength of the Admirals comes from their mastery of their Devil Fruits, which are all Logia types except for Fujitora’s Press-Press fruit. Logias are already incredibly strong, so when mixed with the Admirals' potent Haki, it makes them all a huge threat to deal with. This shows that, even to this day, the Admirals are still among the most powerful characters in the entire world.
So, Are They Underrated Characters?
The Truth of the Matter
The only reason why the sentiment of the Admirals being weak is a little popular among the fandom is simply because they aren’t seen in battle too much. Funnily enough, some of the greatest Admiral feats are against legends who are far past their primes,where Akainu fought Whitebeard, Kuzan fought Garp, and Kizaru fought Rayleigh. All of these fights were very even, causing many to mock the Admirals due to their inability to finish off old men past their prime.
However, nuance is taken out of these confrontations, since Whitebeard, Garp, and Rayleigh are all among the most powerful characters in history, and despite being past their best years, are still stronger than 99% of characters in the modern era. As such, it can be seen that the Admiral’s equal battles with these powerhouses build up their legend rather than take away from it, particularly Akainu, who was able to deal the most significant damage to Whitebeard, who is a man typically considered to be the strongest pirate in history with the power to destroy the world.
