Issho

Issho (イッショウ), more commonly known by his alias, Fujitora (藤虎), is an admiral in the Marines.

He was first mentioned by Sakazuki when the latter was discussing plans to deal with Luffy and Law in the Dressrosa Arc.

Appearance
Fujitora is a blind man with only the whites of his eyes showing. He has a cross-shaped scar on the left side of his forehead that stretches over both eyes. He has short dark hair, mustache and beard. He seems to be very tall, a trait shared with other admirals.

He sports a Marine coat draped over a light-colored cloak and a kimono which is held up by a dark-colored belt. Issho wields a shikomizue (a Japanese swordstick) that doubles as a cane for his blindness and wears geta sandals.

Personality
Issho appears to be a reasonable man that is very trusting of people, as seen when he believed that he kept on losing at roulette. The moment he was told that he was being cheated and that the swindlers tried to kill Luffy for telling, he retaliated mercilessly and believed that being blind spared him from looking at the corruption in the world.

He exhibits concern about the safety of innocent civilians more than his desire to arrest and punish criminals.

He is also responsible about collateral damage he inflicts, as when he caused a massive crater while attacking the swindlers, he immediately compensated the destruction to the shop owner. He appears to follow his own ideals instead of adhering to the Marines' doctrine of Absolute Justice.

However, he seems to enjoy gambling and is not entirely serious on his duties, as he was playing roulette even when he was supposed to apprehend Luffy and Law.

Abilities and Powers
As an admiral, Issho has command over the many thousands of soldiers under his rank, his status being second highest within the entire Marine organization, just underneath Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. He also has the right to enable a Buster Call on any island he deems to be a threat, as well as grant lower ranking World Government agents such a privilege. The fact that he was given this rank upon joining the navy speaks volumes of his power.

In terms of combat strength, Issho is considered to be one of the strongest individuals within the entire World Government structure, as an admiral is considered the "Greatest Military Power". Fujitora is at least strong enough to have Sakazuki's confidence in dealing with Monkey D. Luffy, a notorious pirate, and Trafalgar Law, a powerful Shichibukai.

Devil Fruit
When exacting retribution on Doflamingo's thugs that were cheating him because of his blindness, he used an unknown Devil Fruit power to create an unseen force of such intensity that it caused the cheaters to be pressed heavily against the floor, which caved in to create a gigantic hole as a result.

His unknown Devil Fruit also allows him to create a force that affects objects, such as causing a meteor to fall from the sky, as well as create a circular barrier to protect himself.

Haki
It was stated that all Marines ranked vice admiral or higher possess Haki, so as a higher ranked officer as well as leader of the Marines, Issho can also use the ability.

Weapons
Issho wields his shikomizue (a sword blade placed in a cane-like mounting) in tandem with his Devil Fruit ability. The connection between these two factors has yet to be explained. Other than that, his swordsmanship level is unknown.

Due to his blindness, Issho uses the cane outside of battle to check his surroundings as he walks.

Past
Not much is known about his past, but sometime during the two years the Straw Hats were separated, he was promoted to admiral.

Dressrosa Arc
Fujitora was dispatched by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki to deal with Luffy and Law.

He was first seen in a restaurant in Acacia, gambling with some of Doflamingo's men that were cheating. Luffy called the thugs bluff and helped Issho. After giving his thanks to Luffy, he unsheathed a sword from his cane. As the thugs were crushed and collapsed into a hole in the ground, he said that being unable to see the world's filth could be considered an advantage of being blind. Everyone stood in awe after his display of power, the crew speculated that he must definitely have some Devil Fruit ability and Luffy immediately asked outright who exactly he was. Issho laughed and stated that for both their sakes it would be unwise to reveal who he is. As he walked off, he gave the bartender a piece of paper and told him to forward all the damage claims to the address on it.

He was later seen as a spectator at the Corrida Colosseum. He was apparently scouting out all of the big names competing in the monthly tournament, and told his subordinates that they should leave. He requested three battleships and a large number of medical officers and said that he would go to Green Bit first. Then, he asked his subordinate about the number of spectators as well as the populations of the town and country. When his subordinate asked why that was needed he replied that before counting the number of enemies they should count the number of people needing protection.

At Green Bit, Fujitora was seen leading his men to the southern beach where Law and Caesar were present. On the way, he was contacted by Sakazuki, who informed him that Doflamingo's resignation was a false report. Issho and his subordinates arrived at the exchange site at the same time as Doflamingo.

Trivia

 * Fujitora has the same naming scheme (color + animal) as the three admirals before him.
 * He is the first Admiral to be introduced after the timeskip.
 * His appearance seems to resemble Shintaro Katsu, more specifically his role as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman. The similarities are as follows:
 * They carry a shikomizue (cane-sword) for both walking and battle.
 * Both have a love for gambling.
 * Fujitora and Ryokugyu's animal aliases(Bull-Tiger) are the representation of the Northeast temple in Momotarō legend where the ogre that Momotarō must kill lives.

Site Navigation
Isshō Issho Issho