What Ranks Do The One Piece Marines Use In Command Structure?

I love geeking out about the military lineup in 'One Piece'—the Admirals are some of my favorite power cards. If you're asking who actually held (or holds) the Admiral rank in canon, here's the short roster with a bit of flavor from my point of view. Borsalino (Kizaru) — Admiral. He’s been an Admiral for a long stretch in the story, famously lazy-sounding but insanely dangerous thanks to his light Logia powers. I still grin every time his casual attitude contrasts with how wrecking he is in a fight. Kuzan (Aokiji) — Admiral (formerly). He was one of the three Admirals pre-time-skip. After his duel with Sakazuki (Akainu) over the fleet admiral seat, he resigned and left the Marines, so he’s no longer an Admiral in canon. Sakazuki (Akainu) — Admiral (and later Fleet Admiral). He was an Admiral during Marineford and then won the duel against Aokiji to become Fleet Admiral. His promotion and brutal absolutism changed the Marine hierarchy and tone massively, which still affects the story later. Issho (Fujitora) — Admiral. Introduced post-time-skip during the Dressrosa arc, Fujitora is blind and uses gravity-based powers. I loved how his moral complexity shook up the usual Marine image—he’s an Admiral with nuance. Ryokugyu (Green Bull) — Admiral. He’s the other Admiral introduced or emphasized post-timeskip; his environmental/unique vibe (and the mystery around him when he first appears) made him stand out. Between those five names, you’ve covered the major canonical characters who have held Admiral rank. Quick note: Sengoku was Fleet Admiral before the big time-skip and Garp is famously a Vice Admiral, so they’re important Marines but not Admirals in the same sense. If you want, I can point you to the key chapters/episodes where each Admiral truly makes their mark—I always end up rewatching Fujitora’s first big scene when I want to feel dramatic energy again.

Sometimes I get the itch to overanalyze characters, and Tsuru is one of those delightfully slippery ones. In 'One Piece' she’s painted as a calm, calculating Vice Admiral who sits comfortably in the old guard—so her relationships mostly read as pragmatic alliances more than warm friendships. With the higher-ups like Sengoku she carries obvious deference and trust; they share the same institutional mindset and she’s the sort of person who willingly plays the long game for the World Government. That makes her a reliable pillar during operations like the big confrontations in 'Marineford' and the tense political moments at 'Reverie'. With fellow admirals and vice admirals she’s layered: respectful of power, but not starry-eyed. She can trade barbs with more impulsive types and quietly steer the more fanatic marines away from reckless eliminations. Among subordinates she projects a slightly maternal, moralizing vibe—partly because her methods (and her Devil Fruit) let her be manipulative in ways others can’t. That combination of cold strategy and soft rhetoric creates relationships built on obedience and calculated loyalty, rather than outright affection. I like to think she’s the kind of person who earns respect quietly and keeps receipts mentally—very useful in a bureaucracy that’s always on the verge of collapsing into chaos.

I've played 'One Piece Scientist Simulator' extensively, and joining the Marines isn't a direct feature, but the game lets you interact with them in cool ways. You can conduct research that the Marines might purchase or even collaborate on projects like weapon development. The game focuses more on the science side of the 'One Piece' world, so while you can't enlist, your creations can influence Marine operations. For example, I once developed a weather-controlling device that the Marines used in a mock battle. If you want military action, try 'One Piece: Pirate Warriors' for direct combat roles. The simulator is about brains, not brawn.

There’s a real hierarchy of pressure and payoff among the Marines in 'One Piece' right now, and if you squint at every arc and panel you can map out who’s truly carrying the institutional heavyweights. Top of the pile has to be Fleet Admiral Sakazuki — his Magma fruit and brutal mindset make him the sort of force that changes oceans just by moving. Below him are the three admirals who, together, form the backbone of Marine firepower: Borsalino (Kizaru) with his light-speed Pika Pika no Mi attacks, Issho (Fujitora) whose gravity-based Zushi Zushi no Mi is deceptively versatile, and the mysterious Ryokugyu (Green Bull), whose entrance felt like a show of raw, unpredictable strength. Those four are the core that any pirate captain thinks twice about confronting. Digging into each one feels like watching different fighting philosophies. Sakazuki is sheer, stonelike force — relentless, unforgiving, and tactically ruthless. Kizaru is all about range and timing: he can end fights before they start if the field is right. Fujitora is weirdly poetic for a Marine; his gravity powers make him both a crowd-controller and a battlefield surgeon, and his moral compass sometimes makes him act differently than pure orders. Green Bull is the wildcard — we’ve seen glimpses, hints of plant-like territory control and stamina that suggest he’s built for long, weird brawls rather than one-punch finishes. Beyond those big four, there are legendary figures and rising stars who complicate the picture. Monkey D. Garp still casts a shadow — even semi-retired, his Haki and raw fist-power are legendary in-universe, and any list of Marine threats should nod to him. Then there’s the newer generation: officers who’ve shown real growth in the New World, plus solid mid-to-high commanders like Smoker who reliably punch above their rank. The Marines’ strength isn’t just Devil Fruit power; it’s organizational reach, intel, and the way Haki-trained veterans support newer fighters. If I had to pick the absolute top-tier trio in a vacuum, I’d put Sakazuki first, then Kizaru and Fujitora, with Green Bull dangerously close behind — but matchups and setting matter way more than titles. A fight on an open sea, a cityscape, or under some weird island gravity would tilt the field entirely. As a fan, I love watching how Oda uses those differences to make every Marine encounter feel unique and tense, and I keep dreaming about hypothetical bouts between these giants.

I've been watching 'One Piece' on and off for years, and one thing that always jumps out is how the anime layers personality and atmosphere onto the marines in ways the manga sometimes leaves purer or starker. The anime uses voice acting, music, and color to nudge your perception: a line delivered with a gravelly voice and a swell of strings can make an admiral feel cosmic and terrifying in a way a single panel in the manga can't. Conversely, bright background music and chibi expressions in filler moments can undercut that same character and make marines feel more human, even goofy. Beyond sound, the anime often slows scenes down or stretches them with extra frames and reaction close-ups. Battles that are quick in the manga become cinematic set pieces in the anime—think of how the Marineford sequences linger on faces and flags, giving us more time to sympathize with or despise individual marines. There are also anime-original scenes that show daily life inside the Navy, little conversations in barracks, training montages, or flashbacks that flesh out secondary marines who otherwise might be two-dimensional in the source. That humanizing effect is a double-edged sword: it can make the Navy seem nobler or more tragic, depending on the music and framing. If you want to spot the differences, watch the same arc back-to-back in manga scan and anime adaptation and pay attention to pacing, color, and sound cues. I still get a different vibe from characters like Garp, Akainu, or Aokiji between mediums—the anime loves to dramatize and personalize them, for better or worse.

Man, the first time I saw Borsalino in 'One Piece' I laughed at his slow, almost bored way of speaking—then watched him vaporize entire squads and realized this guy isn’t just chill, he’s deadly efficient. From my perspective, the simplest reason he became an admiral is that he’s the kind of raw, uncontestable strength the Marines need at the top. The Pika Pika no Mi doesn’t just give him flashy beams; it gives unmatched mobility and firepower. In a world where sea kings, pirates, and logia users run wild, having someone who can move and strike at the speed of light is a strategic asset you can’t ignore. But there’s more than power. I also think his personality fits the World Government’s needs: cool, detached, and not driven by ideology the way some admirals are. He doesn’t grandstand about justice or mercy—he performs orders with a kind of amused professionalism. That makes him reliable in a political sense, which matters as much as strength when promotions to admiral are on the line. So for me it’s a mix: unbeatable ability, tactical usefulness, and political reliability. Watching him in big set pieces always feels like seeing a blunt instrument that the Navy learned how to wield perfectly, and I kind of love that.

Honestly, the detail that always bugged me during re-reads of 'One Piece' is how little we actually know about Borsalino's early training. Eiichiro Oda never shows a flashback of where he learned to be a Marine, so there’s no canonical island or academy explicitly named as his training ground. From what I’ve pieced together in forums and late-night debates with friends, the safest thing to say is that his pre-Marines life is left vague on purpose — it makes his sudden calm, almost lazy menace feel more mysterious. Thinking like a fan, I tend to imagine him going through the equivalent of a Marine academy or intensive base training, the same pipeline many lower-ranked officers follow, then rising fast because of raw talent (and presumably a Devil Fruit). That said, there’s no published line in the manga, databooks, or 'SBS' columns that pins him to a specific training site. It’s one of those gaps that keeps us speculating — and comparing him to other admirals whose origins are also sketchy — which is half the fun. I still hope Oda gives us a little flashback someday, but until then, he’s delightfully unknowable to me.

The 'Strongest Lunarian' in 'One Piece' is feared because he embodies raw power combined with untouchable defense. His fire-based abilities let him incinerate entire fleets while his wings grant aerial dominance no Marine ship can match. The real terror comes from his durability - he shrugs off cannonfire like rain and regenerates faster than admirals can land decisive blows. Historical records in the series hint Lunarians once ruled the Red Line, making him a living relic of a race that could topple civilizations. Marines don't fear him just for his strength, but because he represents a threat their entire system couldn't erase.