Summary
- Admiral Fujitora is the most respected marine in One Piece, and even Luffy and Zoro admire him
- Fujitora never carried the shady ideology of the marines and become a puppet of Marine
- Unlike Sakazuki and Kizaru, Fujitora had never been a puppet doll to the five elders, helping them in eradicating the innocent people for the sake of the void century secret
In One Piece, Fujitora (Issho) is perhaps the most morally nuanced and admirable character among the ranks of the Marines. Unlike most of his predecessors and contemporaries, Fujitora does not blindly obey orders or bow to the World Government hierarchy. Rather, he opposes it, specifically it’s the problematic Warlord System. The Warlord System was established as a means by which the World Government could ensure balance on the seas by aligning itself with strong pirates, providing them legal immunity in return for loyalty and authority. But Fujitora loathes the Warlord System for what it stands for – a dangerous compromise that jeopardizes innocent lives.
The Warlord System
The Warlord System gives violent and unscrupulous pirates freedom in the guise that they do good for the World. They are free to sail the seas, fight wars, and even get to govern nations with impunity, as long as their actions will do good for the World Government. Fujitora recognizes this for what it is – a morally bankrupt system that gives up on justice in favor of convenience and power.
Fujitora's Ideology towards Justice
To Fujitora, the mere concept of giving power to criminals to keep the peace is a contradiction to the Marines’ purpose. His whole system of beliefs is centered on protecting the innocent, enforcing justice, and doing what is right, even if it involves going against the World Government itself. In contrast to admirals like Sakazuki, who are bound by “Absolute Justice” and instill order with fear and violence, Fujitora takes a softer but more resolute route. He thinks that justice can never be at the expense of morality and that real peace cannot be established on a corrupt and false foundation.
Fujitora’s Character Development in the Dressrosa Arc
This is particularly seen during the Dressrosa Arc. Upon seeing the atrocities carried out by Donquixote Doflamingo, a Warlord who was under the World Government’s protection, Fujitora is filled with anger and guilt. Doflamingo had enslaved a whole country, ruined lives, and constructed a criminal empire with the very organization designed to prevent individuals like himself from protecting him.
Fujitora, grasping the magnitude of the injustice, takes a drastic and historic step: he bows in apology to Dressrosa’s people, shaming the World Government in public. It was an act that caused ripples in the Marines’ ranks and marked his utter repudiation of the corrupt practices that enabled Doflamingo to ascend.
The Fall of the Warlord System
He later votes to eradicate the Warlord System outright at the Marineford Summit. He is one of the forces that push for its elimination, pushing for a new world order in which pirates cannot use government-granted titles as a way to hide behind. His position isn’t purely political — it’s personal. Fujitora blinded himself years earlier than he became an admiral as a penance for past errors and for once turning a blind eye to injustice. This act of self-punishment speaks volumes about the extent of his remorse and his evolution into a person who no longer accepts moral compromise.
Is his hate for the Warlord System connected to his backstory?
His disdain for the Warlord System is also based on his history. Before his ascension to Admiral, Fujitora was a man who received orders and obeyed a system that he later came to understand was flawed. Through his experiences, he learned to strive for true justice, justice that does not equate with convenience or political strategy but instead with truth, empathy, and fairness. His blindness, in an ironic twist, is a metaphor for his clarity. He doesn’t have to experience the world to understand what’s wrong and what’s right. His moral direction is steadfast, and he won’t let power or stature influence his morals.
The Most Honorable Admiral in One Piece
Fujitora’s transformation from loyal soldier to ethical reformer makes him perhaps the most interesting character in One Piece. He is a man who knowingly walked away from power to defend the powerless. His unwavering insistence on standing by his principles, particularly concerning the safety and respect of ordinary individuals, makes him the most ethical Admiral throughout the series.
The downfall of the Warlord System is a significant point in the story of One Piece, and Fujitora’s part in bringing about such change cannot be exaggerated. The changes he enacted showed the way that justice had to be envisioned in a society on the edge of collapse. He demonstrated that true strength does not reside in so-called power alone but in finding the heart of courage to stick up for good, even with the entire universe against you.
