Vinsmoke Judge

Vinsmoke Judge (ヴィンスモーク・ジャッジ, Vinsumōku Jajji), also commonly well-known as "Garuda" (ガルーダ, Garūda), is a fictional character and deuteragonist from the One Piece series. He is the king of the Germa Kingdom, the supreme commander of the Germa 66, and the patriarch of the Vinsmoke Family. He is also a skilled scientist, and a former research partner to the leading World Government scientist Vegapunk.

Due to his actions, he is the secondary antagonist during the first half of the Whole Cake Island Arc and one of the central antagonists of the Four Emperor Saga. However, he and his children became allies of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Firetank Pirates after realizing Big Mam deceived and intended to assassinate them.

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 * —Vinsmoke Judge.

Appearance

 * Voice Actor: Not Known (English), Hideyuki Hori (Japanese), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (German), Not Known (Finnish), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (French), Not Known (Latin American Spanish)

Appearance
Judge is a large man with long golden hair which reaches his waist. He has a long and thin black mustache which spikes upwards, a thin and small beard, and a prominent cleft chin. He is yet to be seen without his golden warrior's helmet. However, his golden helmet was destroyed during his clash with Big Mam.

The Young Past Days
Thirteen years ago, Judge wore an outfit similar to the one he wears in the present, but with different coloring.

Post-Timeskip
He usually wears his Raid Suit, which is composed of a gray robe with the number "66" on the bottom front, a large orange cape, a belt with the number "66" on the buckle, dark gloves, and boots with jet propellers that allow him to levitate in the air once activated.

At the Tea Party, Judge changed into a dark suit, comprised of a dark shirt, light tie, dark trousers, and a dark double-breasted jacket. On top of the suit, he wore a light, single-shoulder royal cloak clasped in front of his neck.


 * Hair Color: Golden
 * Skin Color: Not Known
 * Eye Color: Black
 * Age: 41 (debut), 43 (after timeskip)
 * Birthday: March 9th
 * Height: Not Known
 * Weight: Not Known

Personality
Judge exhibits a typical royal hauteur, holding the firm belief that royalty is meant to be served, not to serve others. He disowns his third son, Sanji, after learning about Sanji's "disgusting" habit of cooking for others (which he equates with serving others). It has been shown that he passed these attitudes down to his children, as his other sons use the same rationale to justify bullying Sanji, and his daughter is similarly proud of the status and privileges of being born into royalty. As part of this pride, Judge is preoccupied with recapturing the past glories of the Vinsmoke Family; for this reason, his lifelong ambition is to retake the entire North Blue, as his ancestors once did. Ironically, it was his desire for power that nearly led to the deaths of himself and his family when Big Mom deceived him in forming an alliance only to betray him and nearly kill him.

He has proven that he will not hesitate to use any means to accomplish his goals, including genetically modifying his children into superhumans, and going as far as to tell his wife that he was content with turning their sons into monsters, as long as they win wars. When his wife maintained her opposition, he forced her to undergo the surgery which would instill the modifications, and he was furious at his third son when he failed to exhibit any enhancements from the surgery. As Sanji prepared to leave the family, Judge gave him only one condition: that Sanji never associate himself with Judge or the Vinsmoke name again, since he considered Sanji his greatest failure and shame.

As a king, Judge has exhibited significant political astuteness. He understood the full implications of Doflamingo's fall from power, including its impact on the war on Broc Coli Island. He also weighed up Germa's current privileges within the World Government against the benefits of an alliance with Big Mam, before deciding that losing the right to attend Reverie was far exceeded by gaining the manpower to retake North Blue. He is naturally cautious when making major political moves, and is conscious not to make commitments without taking measures to avert potential difficulties; when dealing with Big Mom, he sought out his estranged third son specifically because any threat or danger to Sanji would not affect him, and he planned to hold Pudding hostage in the Germa Kingdom to prevent Big Mom from backstabbing him after the wedding. However, Judge still underestimated Big Mom's capacity for betrayal, as he was unaware of her plans to double-cross him before the wedding is even concluded. Even though he put up a cautious defense when dealing with pirates, he nevertheless believed that even criminals such as them would have some honor in keeping with their deals, and became horrified when this view was betrayed.

Judge has also exhibited great respect for strength, and the privileges that come with its exercise. He believes that men should speak with physical force alone, and flaunts his own power and accomplishments by hanging an image of himself victorious in the Conquest of Four Nations as interior decoration inside his castle. This view also colors his attitude towards his children, as he only values them when they prove such strength; for this reason, he refused to intervene as his other sons constantly and viciously bullied Sanji when they were all children. By contrast, he doted on all his other children, whose superhuman physical strength became obvious even as children. Even after 13 years of estrangement, after which Sanji returned to the Germa Kingdom with significantly improved physical strength that surprised even him, Judge still refused to acknowledge Sanji as his son.

In addition, Judge has proven that he is capable of immense cruelty. He was not simply content with demoralizing his son in front of his siblings, but further punished Sanji by putting a metal mask over his face and locking him up in a dark cell within the family's castle. After 13 years apart, his only reason for seeking Sanji out was to use him as a political pawn to further his goals. He even threatened the life of Zeff (the man who took Sanji in after Sanji left the family) and placed exploding wrist-cuffs on Sanji's hands (the things Sanji values the most), to ensure Sanji cooperated with the wedding. The only time he has shown an interest in Sanji's safety was in preventing Niji from attacking him, because he still needed Sanji to seal the political alliance. His cruelty is further shown in the anime. During the Conquest of the Four Nation, Judge completely disregard the four defeated kings' pleas for mercy by kicking them before executing them ruthlessly. Despite his cruelty, however, Judge claims that he is not inhumane enough to kill his children, regardless of his feelings toward them. Despite considering Sanji as an utterly worthless son and a disgrace to the Vinsmoke Family, Judge chose to condemn his third son to life imprisonment instead of putting him to death. When Sanji decided to leave, Judge allowed Sanji to flee the Germa Kingdom, believing that Sanji would never survive on his own on the high seas.

While Judge believes that the strong has the right to oppress the weak, he hypocritically shows great fear and despair when he is subjected to the short end of such treatment. When the Charlotte Family revealed Big Mom's plan to massacre his entire family and rendered them powerless with Charlotte Perospero's binding candy, Judge became horrified and sank into despair, weeping in the face of imminent doom and lamenting that his lifelong ambition of taking back North Blue would be beyond his reach. While crying, Judge was mocked by Ichiji, a child that he ensured would be strong and have no emotion, while also seeing Niji and Yonji simply accepting death without any resistance and even laughing about it. Seeing this flaw in their engineered apathy, Judge accusingly stated something is wrong with them, being unable to see that it was his own selfish and arrogant actions that removed their capacity to feel emotions.

Afterwards, he would be surprised when Sanji (the son he scorned for years) goes out of his way to save him from death, despite all the pain Judge put him through. When freed by Sanji, Judge was forced to comply with his third son's order to retreat, though he expressed annoyance at having to follow the latter's commands. Judge later questioned Sanji over his rescue of them despite his hatred for them. After explaining that he did not want to disappoint his father figure, Sanji then angrily disowned Judge as the latter looked at him in silence and appeared to recognize the depths of the pain that he put Sanji through. Somewhat humbled by Big Mom's betrayal and acknowledging the debt he owed Sanji, Judge solemnly promised to never interfere with Sanji's life nor threaten his mentor as he offered to fight off the Big Mam Pirates to give Sanji and his friends an opening to escape.

When Judge confronted Big Mom, he showed some honor as he acknowledged his dream of retaking the North Blue was overreaching as he cursed Big Mom for deceiving him.

Friends/Allies

 * Straw Hat Pirates
 * Monkey D. Luffy
 * Nami
 * Firetank Pirates

Family

 * Vinsmoke Sora (wife; deceased)
 * Vinsmoke Reiju (daughter)
 * Vinsmoke Ichiji (1st son)
 * Vinsmoke Niji (2nd son)
 * Vinsmoke Sanji (3rd son)
 * Vinsmoke Yonji (4th son)

Neutral

 * Zeff
 * World Government
 * Vegapunk
 * Caesar Clown

Enemies

 * Big Mam Pirates
 * Big Mam
 * Charlotte Perospero

Physical Abilities
As the supreme commander of the infamous Germa 66, Judge has tremendous physical strength and extraordinary fighting skills, fighting evenly with his son Sanji, a powerful martial artist who has defeated powerful opponents such as Bentham, Jabra, Wadatsumi, and even Yonji, a genetically enhanced Germa commander. Despite his large physique, Judge has extremely sharp reflexes, able to keep up with Sanji's agility and defend against his fast kicks without much effort. He is capable of jumping extremely high, a feat he further enhances with jets affixed to the back of his boots, and his men in Germa 66 were awed to see his power on display. He has tremendous durability, as he was able to easily withstand Sanji's extremely powerful kicks that can shatter large boulders, steel, and even the incredibly hard body of a Pacifista, and could even grab hold one of Sanji's legs, which was enhanced by the intense heat of his improved Diable Jambe technique, without showing any signs of pain. Despite his physical prowess, Judge still reverted to using underhanded tactics to defeat his son. However, he has yet to demonstrate any of these capabilities without his raid suit. After the Big Mom Pirates revealed their treachery, Judge claimed that they would not be able to have their way with him if he had his raid suit. In spite of his skills, he was no match for Big Mam, who defeated him easily.

He also has knowledge of Haki, as he recognized it when his son used it against him. In spite of his cowardly behavior at the thought of death, he seems to possess a strong enough will as he was able to withstand a burst of Big Mam's Conqueror's Haki and remain conscious from her screams.

Political Powers
As king of the Germa Kingdom, Judge has authority over his subjects, and is an attendee at Reverie. Additionally, however, Judge seems to possess an unusual degree of power either within or over the World Government itself, as he can both influence the Navy's bounty process, and issue certain orders directly to them. Currently, it is unknown whether these political powers are common to all royal families; however, this seems unlikely, as Nefeltari Nebra (king of Alabasta) was nervous about the Marines discovering that his daughter had travelled with the Straw Hat Pirates, while Judge, by contrast, openly ordered a change to the condition of capture for a member of the same crew.

Judge also has authority over Germa 66 as its supreme commander, giving him command of a very powerful military force. Judge once led his army in a conquest that vanquished four North Blue kings, further demonstrating his might. These positions and past actions have made Judge infamous throughout the Underworld.

Scientific Expertise
Once renowned as a brilliant scientist, Judge worked alongside Vegapunk in an illegal weapon research and development team over 21 years ago. Together with Vegapunk, Judge was able to discover the blueprints for the creation of life itself, attributed as the "Bloodline Elements". A highly skilled geneticist, Judge has advanced knowledge of cloning and gene manipulation techniques, being able to conduct his research of the Lineage Factor by himself even after the World Government's capture of Vegapunk.

His children and the soldiers of Germa 66 are among Judge's genetic experimentation achievements. His daughter and sons were genetically modified as children to have limitless physical potential (although due to Sora's interference, Sanji's modifications were neutralized), while his soldiers are artificially manufactured and programmed to be loyal and fearless. Aside from cell biology, Judge also has exceptional knowledge of military technology developed by the Germa Kingdom. He is able to expertly use his scientifically modified weaponry such as a spear for extreme offense and boots for enhanced agility and mobility. This allows him to fight evenly with Sanji.

Weapons
Judge wields a spear. He also possesses other of the Vinsmoke Family's advanced technology, which he has used to modify both his spear, boots and gauntlets, along with other pieces of armor. However, his modified spear was shattered by Big Mam.

Attacks

 * Electromagnetic Crack (電磁クラック, Denji Kurakku; also literally also meaning "Electromagnetic Crack"): Judge firs electrifies his left foot and kicks his opponent with it.
 * Blaster (ブラスター, Burasutā): Judge kicks his opponent and uses the jet at the back of his boot to accelerate his foot, increasing the power of the kick.
 * Electromagnetic Shaft (電磁シャフト, Denji Shafuto; literally meaning "Electromagnetic Shaft"): Judge concentrates electrical energy at the tip of his spear, blasting away his opponent.

Past
Sometime in the past, Judge worked alongside Vegapunk, as part of the rogue research group that discovered the Bloodline Elements. When the World Government caught wind of this research, they deemed it a threat and Vegapunk was arrested. Judge managed to escape the Government's grasp and continued the research in the Germa Kingdom.

At another point in the past, Judge led Germa 66 in an event known as the Conquest of Four Nations, in which he vanquished four kings in the North Blue.

Before the birth of his children, Judge married Sora, thereby crowning her queen consort of the Germa Kingdom. She later gave birth to their first child and only daughter, Reiju, before conceiving fraternal quadruplet sons. Before their sons were born, Judge argued with his wife about giving them modifications. Judge was only concerned about giving his sons power, even if it meant making them emotionless, and forced his wife to undergo surgery against her wishes. After his sons' birth, Judge was pleased when Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji displayed their enhancements but was puzzled by Sanji's "peculiar" behavior.

When his five children were very young, Judge revealed his ambition for them to lead Germa 66 into battle and began training them. While Sanji's siblings excelled at their exercises and their bodies evolved, Sanji continually lagged behind due to his body remaining human, which greatly disappointed Judge. One day, Judge caught Sanji cooking and warned Sanji that he would need to cease his habits and train even harder if he wanted to catch up with his siblings. He then threw the food out of the palace window as he told Sanji to never make another meal again, causing Sanji to cry.

Eventually, Judge determined that Sanji would never develop the enhanced abilities of his siblings, and decided to erase his existence by putting an iron mask on him and locking him in a dungeon. He then staged a state wake to "mourn" Sanji's passing, informing the kingdom that Sanji had died in an accident.

Despite his scorn for Sanji, Judge allowed him to be fed. As his four other children made great progress with their training, Judge expressed how proud he was and gave them a hug. Eventually, he decided to wage some wars in the East Blue. After the Germa Kingdom crossed the Red Line into the East Blue, Judge ran into Sanji after he escaped his cell. Sanji declared that he wanted to leave the kingdom, something that Judge was actually pleased to hear. He allowed Sanji to go on the condition that he never tell anyone about their relationship.

During timeskip
When he wanted to form an alliance with the Emperor, Big Mam, Judge did not want to marry off any of his precious children into her family. He then remembered about Sanji and decided to bring him back. After Sanji gained his first bounty, Judge sent the Navy and bounty hunters after his son. However, due to the poor depiction of Sanji in his wanted poster, the hunters ended up going after Duval instead. When Sanji's wanted poster was updated to show his true face, Judge increased his bounty by 100,000,000 berries and changed the condition of the bounty for Sanji from "Dead or Alive" to "Only Alive".

Zou Arc
Judge and Big Mam initiated an alliance between Germa 66 and the Big Mam Pirates, with Sanji being arranged to marry Big Mam's 35th daughter, Charlotte Pudding, to officially form the alliance.

Canon

 * Germa Kingdom vs. four unnamed nations
 * Judge vs. four unnamed kings (unseen)
 * Judge vs. Vinsmoke Sanji
 * Judge vs. Charlotte Lingling and Zeus

Notes & Trivia

 * In the Navy comic strip, Sola, Warrior of the Sea, there is a brief scene of Sola facing Germa 66. On Germa's side is a large man wearing a helmet (although it is a Roman-style Centurion helmet) and holding his cape out like wings. This figure may be a fictional representation of Judge, with the wing-like cape being an allusion to his epithet, Garuda.
 * The names of the members of the Vinsmoke Family, based off those that are currently known, appear to follow the pattern "(number) + j + vowel". Vinsmoke Judge's name in romaji contains the -ji (ジ) suffix used for the known male members of the family.
 * "Garuda" is a mythical bird in Hinduism and Buddhism, known as the king of birds and the first bird. The kanji used for Judge's epithet, "Garuda" (怪鳥) literally means "Mysterious Bird", and is a term with the literal kanji reading either "Kechou" or "Kaichou".
 * Despite disowning Sanji as his son and Sanji disowning Judge as his father, Sanji is ironically the only child with Judge's hair color and facial hair.
 * In the Simulcast subs, Judge is referred to as 'Generalissimo' by his subordinates, which is the highest ranking military position possible, with command over all land, sea and air units.