One Piece: Akainu’s Backstory is the Poetic Justice that Koby Might Never Get (Theory)
Admiral Akainu, currently known as Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, has never been a fan-favorite character in One Piece. Far from it, in fact. However, fans have been curious about his backstory ever since he appeared on screen.
As a severe and intimidating Marine Admiral, Akainu takes up the concrete ideology of Absolute Justice and embraces the narrow-minded viewpoint that all pirates are bad people who should be executed.
Although no one besides the creator, Eiichiro Oda, knows what will happen in One Piece’s final saga, fans are convinced that Akainu will play a major role. However, a Reddit post presents a new side to Akainu’s story that could very well be a possibility.
Fan Theory Suggests That Akainu’s Backstory Might Be Similar To Koby’s
Online users often theorize about Akainu’s past and the events that shaped him into the person he is. The basic premise of almost every idea is that “Pirates attacked his village and did some horrible stuff to him!” However, a Reddit user developed a far more precise hypothesis regarding his past. User Beenie-Weenie thinks that Koby and Akainu will have similar backstories, but there will be one significant exception.
According to the Reddit theory, a young and scrawny Akainu was forced against his will to work as a cabin boy aboard a pirate ship, where he endured daily mistreatment and was made to watch the atrocities these pirates committed. However, unlike Koby, Akainu had to save himself; he never had someone like Luffy come to his aid and prove to him that not all pirates are bad.
My Prediction for Akainu's Backstory
byu/Beanie-Weenie inOnePiece
As of this point in the narrative, Akainu’s past is still unknown. As a result, we are unaware of the factors that shaped Akainu into the man he is today. Akainu’s hate of pirates likely stemmed from a tragic occurrence that happened to him as a child. It has been speculated by readers that Akainu was raised on an island inhabited by pirates where degeneracy, theft, and corruption were common.
Because he was raised in an environment where he saw the horrors of pirates, Akainu developed a strong dislike of pirates and a strong conviction in Absolute Justice. Some claim that Akainu was living on a tranquil island when pirates attacked and killed his family members.
Whatever the situation or incident, it permanently changed Akainu’s understanding of justice, resulting in a binary perspective on good and evil, where pirates are always the bad guys.
Akainu’s Unshakeable Philosophy And Patriotism Makes It Improbable For Him To Have a Redemption Arc
The extent to which Akainu is prepared to go in order to uphold his belief in justice is what really makes him frightening. Akainu has a terrifying belief in Absolute Justice, a specific philosophy that holds that all pirates are evil and should be exterminated from the world, whereas many other Marines actually try to capture the bad guys, mostly pirates, in the hopes of improving the world. Akainu has shown his Absolute Justice on multiple occasions, the most famous of which is the Ohara incident.
When it comes to upholding his sense of justice, Akainu will stop at nothing. This is terrifying since Akainu is immune to any feelings of regret or guilt. The individual is willing to murder innocent bystanders as long as he can persuade himself that his actions were motivated by the quest for justice. This represents Admiral Akainu’s malice.
In addition to expressing his loathing of pirates, Akainu also shows a strong affinity of patriotism for the Marines. Akainu is a staunch supporter of the Marines and feels that every Marine officer ought to be willing to fight to the death for their unit. This is demonstrated in the Marineford arc when Akainu murders a Marine officer who wished to escape the conflict to see his family again.
Akainu is the product of an individual who has overdosed on the ideal of justice. A dehumanizing guy who commits immoral deeds for the sake of what he perceives to be the greater good. This is why it is highly improbable that Eiichiro Oda will give him a redemption arc.
