Who is Admiral Kizaru in One Piece? Explained

One of the most important groups of characters in mangaka Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga series is the Marines. More specifically, the Marine Admirals are especially significant for the roles they play in both the pre- and post-timeskip sections of the series. One of the Admirals who has become especially important in the post-timeskip specifically is Admiral Kizaru.

As a Marine Admiral, Kizaru represents the pinnacle of human strength which the Marines have to offer. Kizaru is also considered by many to be the strongest current Admiral and the second-strongest of the group’s members seen in-series. Likewise, this means he plays an instrumental role in establishing the Marines as legitimate antagonistic threats.

While the Admirals aren’t given a singular specific role or task in One Piece, they can be viewed as the Marines’ trump card against any pirate activity. The Sabaody Archipelago Arc best showed this, with Kizaru’s presence and Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit alone causing all pirates present to flee in fear of, if not be outright beaten by him.

The Admirals are also the Marines’ first call to deal with the Yonko (Four Emperors), the four strongest pirates in the world. The Marineford Arc particularly highlights this, with Kizaru and then-Admiral colleagues Akainu and Aokiji being called in to defend the city against then–Yonko Whitebeard and his forces.

His role in Luffy’s journey to find the One Piece

While the above may satisfactorily explain Kizaru’s general role in One Piece, it doesn’t touch on his role in the main narrative following protagonist Monkey D. Luffy. The aforementioned Sabaody Archipelago Arc is where Kizaru and Luffy first cross paths. Here, Kizaru and his forces are responsible for the Straw Hats’ first defeat and subsequent two-year hiatus.

Luffy, however, reunites with Kizaru shortly thereafter during One Piece's Marineford Arc. Here, Kizaru stands as an unavoidable barrier in Luffy’s goal of rescuing his adoptive brother Portgas D. Ace from execution. The two only cross paths briefly in the arc, but it’s nevertheless a significant moment in Luffy’s journey to become the King of the Pirates.

In the post-timeskip portion of the series, Kizaru’s role is heavily distanced from Luffy until the events of the Egghead Arc. Here, Kizaru travels to the titular island with a massive Marine force in tow, which includes Gorosei member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. Shortly after beginning his force’s assault, Kizaru and Luffy begin fighting on Egghead’s Labophase.

Although Kizaru initially has the advantage, Luffy regains it with his Gear 5 form and even knocks Kizaru out of commission shortly. However, this is also where Kizaru’s noncommittal “Unclear Justice” comes into play. Despite Luffy being his enemy as a Marine, he gave the pirate food so he could regain his strength and potentially save the life of his friend, Vegapunk.

The two don’t have a particularly significant interaction after this, mainly just fighting with no meaningful words exchanged that weren’t mid-combat jabs at one another. However, Kizaru does eventually choose to stay down after taking an attack from Luffy, showing some allegiance to him likewise despite their opposed positions.

In summation

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One Piece’s Admiral Kizaru is both one of the series’ strongest fighters period, and one of its strongest Marine Admirals in general. His ability to fight on par with the likes of Gear 5 Luffy demonstrates this, as does his Admiral title in and of itself given what it represents. His powerful Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit also cements him as one of the series’ strongest combatants.

Kizaru also plays a significant role in Luffy’s personal journey and the series’ core narrative likewise. While this role is arguably more meaningful and prevalent in the post-timeskip series, he’s also very relevant to Luffy’s story in the pre-timeskip as well. Overall, Kizaru is not only one of the strongest, but one of the most narratively important characters in One Piece.

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