Borsalino

Borsalino (ボルサリーノ, Borusarīno), more commonly known by his alias Kizaru (黄猿, Kizaru), is a fictional character and antagonist of the One Piece series. He is an admiral in the Navy.

He first appears at Sabaody Archipelago when Luffy knocks out a World Noble, attracting the attention of the Navy and causing them to dispatch the admirals to the aid of the World Nobles. He leads the navy in the battle against the Straw Hat Pirates, along with his comrade Sentomaru. He fights against the old pirate Silvers Rayleigh, while the former first mate of Gol D. Roger holds Kizaru off to buy the Straw Hat Pirates time for escape. After Kuma Bartholomew sends the pirates flying away, Kizaru questions why he let them escape, to which no answer was given.

He was first mentioned by Robin during the initial encounter with the Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma. Because of his actions, Kizaru can be considered one of the secondary antagonist of the Sabaody Archipelago Arc and one of the major antagonists of the Navyford Arc. After on of the Admirals, Aokiji resigned from the Navy and Akainu was promoted to fleet admiral, Kizaru is the only remaining admiral from the previous trio.

"Without power, you can try all you want, but there's no saving you."
 * —Borsalino.

Appearance & Biography

 * Voice Actor: Ray Hurd (English), Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (German), Not Known (Finnish), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (French), Not Known (Latin American Spanish)

Biography
Navy admiral also known as Kizaru. His real name is Borsalino.

With the power of the Logia Devil Fruit, "Glint-Glint Fruit", he can him fire a powerful beam of light from his hands and feet, and move and attack with the speed of light. Normal attacks do not damage him.

Between the opposing ideas of Akainu and Aokiji, he adopts the neutral motto of "Unclear justice".

Appearance
Kizaru is an incredibly tall man, roughly the same size as the other two former admirals, Aokiji and Akainu. Kizaru is a middle aged man with a moderate amount of wrinkles on his face, black hair, and a very thin beard. He is older than the other two admirals, a fact that reflects on his looks. Among the Admirals of the previous generation, he alone has the slimmest build among them.

The Young Past Days
As a child he wore a large yellow striped hat, much like his older self's suit, a yellow vest and he still had his grin that he maintained through out his life. In his early days as a Navy he wore a knit cap with the Navy emblem on it, sunglasses and also a normal Marine jacket with a striped undershirt.

In his youth, he wore a Navy skull cap and he had no facial hair.

Twenty-seven years before the start of the series, he wore a typical Navy cap and his beard was not as full as it is currently. He also lacked the gold amber-tinted sunglasses, shirt, and tie, which he was last seen wearing.

When he was seen stationed at Navyford as a vice admiral thirteen years before the start of the series, he was sporting a large dark grey hat, dark gloves and was smoking a cigarette. His trademark pinstriped suit was light grey, matching his tie, while his thin beard was not yet present.

Pre-Timeskip
His standard outfit consists of a yellow striped suit with a Navy coat draped over his shoulders like a cape, his arms not in its sleeves. Kizaru also wears pure white shoes, gold-amber tinted sunglasses, and a dark green shirt with a mauve tie under his yellow suit. He also seems to have or carry around a tiny Black Transponder Snail on his left wrist, like a wristwatch, underneath the sleeve of his suit. He is generally seen wearing a relaxed grin on his face.

Post-Timeskip
Howver for a time, his appearance after the 2 year timeskip in the anime deviated from that in the manga, as his character reappeared in the anime before being reintroduced in the manga, where he was given a different design that what Eiichiro Oda eventually decided to use for the manga. In One Piece Film: Z, he was shown wearing a different pinstripe suit, and instead of a collared shirt and tie, had on a viridian green turtleneck. The appearance he also had here was also seen on his half-completed wax likeness statue made by Diego in Episode of Luffy and used for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 and One Piece: Unlimited World Red. This served as his acting post-timeskip appearance, until he made his first actual appearance after the timeskip in the manga in Chapter 802, which saw him in a pinstripe suit similar to the one shown for his anime appearances, but not entirely sharing the same design, nor was it the one he had worn before the timeskip. He also continued wearing a collared shirt and tie instead of a turtleneck.


 * Hair Color: Black
 * Skin Color: Not Known
 * Eye Color: Black
 * Age: 56 (debut), 58 (after timeskip)
 * Birthday: November 23rd
 * Height: Not Known
 * Weight: Not Known

Personality
Kizaru seems to be very laid-back and easygoing, speaking rather slowly and occasionally drawing out the last word of his sentences, which is strange considering this behavior is in direct contrast with his Devil Fruit power. He takes everything lightly regardless of the severity of the moment. In surprising, perilous and unexpected situations, he is apparently never shocked and even when a pirate fired a bullet at him, he seemed to be focused only on calling his subordinate. He even asked the offenders where his subordinate was. After uprooting a mangrove tree, he laughed to himself that the force he used was a tad excessive.

Usually, his manner of speaking is slow and lax, frequently beginning sentences with a drawn out "Ooh" (generally upon observing something that has piqued his interest), and ending them with a drawn out "Ne".

He is also completely calm and cool-headed, even in tense situations, such as when Basil Hawkins appeared unharmed by his attack, or when Silvers Rayleigh appeared. He speaks in a politely sarcastic manner and is very mocking towards his enemies, such as mocking Luffy for being too weak. He often taunts and belittles his foes in and out of battle, such as taunting Whitebeard about Luffy being too feeble to lead the charge towards the execution platform.

Unfortunately for the World Government, he can be quite absent-minded and irresponsible, judging by the fact he used a lot of power in a kick directed at the escaping pirates, knocking down the surface part of a Yarukiman Mangrove tree, and tried to call Sentomaru with a Black Transponder Snail, which is only used for intercepting communications. He also seems to prefer his own name, Borsalino, rather than his alias.

After Luffy sent Charloss flying during the Sabaody incident, Kizaru, along with the other two admirals, Aokiji and Akainu volunteered to be dispatched by Sengoku to deal with the nobles' predicament, partly to fulfill his duty as an admiral and because he was under the impression that a trip down to the Archipelago to expel the pirate threat would be mostly relaxing and was seemingly disappointed when Rayleigh Silvers came out to confront him.

If nothing else, Kizaru appears to be more lax than Aokiji, such as when Luffy, Jimbei and Law escaped from Navyford, he completely dropped the matter, his attitude regarding it being that of a carefree reaction.

However, while he never has expressed any sympathy for or against the philosophy of Absolute Justice, Kizaru's careless behavior displays a lack of mercy towards his enemies, particularly pirates whom he has targeted. Kizaru even decided to apprehend Silvers Rayleigh, who had retired from piracy over twenty years earlier, simply because, as a member of the Roger Pirates, his crimes could not be forgiven. Following the events of the Sabaody Archipelago, Kizaru and the other admirals arrested 500 pirates. Also, he sees the Seven Warlords of the Sea as nothing more than pirates, even if they are on the World Government's side. Even when Little Oars Jr. was bloody and dying after having lost a leg, Kizaru showed no slightest mercy and simply offered to go ahead and shoot Little Oars Jr. through the head. As revealed by the author himself, his motto is "unclear justice" (どっちつかずの正義, Dotchitsukazu no Seigi).

Kizaru often comments that some of the abilities of his opponents are quite frightening. One instance was after he witnessed the Curséd Fruit abilities of three Supernovas, he referred to them as monsters, although he was otherwise unfazed by them. Another was after he tried to directly attack Whitebeard, First Division Commander Marco intercepted his attack with ease which made Kizaru point out how scary the Whitebeard Pirates were. When Luffy was launched towards the execution platform and stood before all three admirals, Kizaru commented that this youth was "scary".

The most recent occurrence was when Ben Beckman aimed a gun at him, although in that case Kizaru said it sarcastically and still succeeded in getting in an attack while Beckman was shocked that he was not done yet. Since Kizaru always delivers such admissions of fear with a deadpan expression on his face and his usual lackadaisical tone of voice, it is never clear if he is mocking his opponents or if he is being serious.

Friends/Allies

 * Navy
 * Sentomaru
 * Bilić
 * Zephyr

Neutral

 * Seven Warlords of the Sea
 * Bartholomew Kuma

Enemies

 * Basil Hawkins
 * Straw Hat Pirates
 * Roger Pirates
 * Silvers Rayleigh
 * Whitebeard Pirates
 * Edward Newgate
 * Marco

Abilities and Powers
As a Navy admiral, Kizaru must have at least above-average leadership and co-ordination skills (in organizing large regiments of Navy soldiers easily and efficiently, as seen by his commands towards the "Giant Squad" to keep vigilance of the skies for incoming assault, as well as structuring "Buster Call" fleets). As an admiral, Kizaru has command over the many thousands of soldiers ranked lower than him, his status being second highest within the entire Navy organization, just below Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. He also has the power to initiate a Buster Call on any island he deems to be a threat, as well as grant lower ranking World Government agents such a privilege. As an admiral, he has the authority to revoke a Warlord's title.

His presence, along with Akainu and Aokiji's at Sabaody Archipelago was enough to cause a panic on the island and make the entire population flee from the island, including the Eleven Supernovas. He was able to defeat four of the Supernovas on Sabaody Archipelago with great ease, though arguably, a Pacifista aided him somewhat at the time. He was even able to fight Whitebeard alone.

His extraordinary speed and precision along with his fighting prowess makes him one of the most dangerous fighters within the World Government and Navy, fitting his title of admiral. Even as a vice admiral, Kizaru was quite strong, quickly and effortlessly defeating Arlong.

Physical Abilities
As a Navy admiral, Kizaru is one of the strongest fighters within the World Government and Navy. He possesses great physical strength, capable of holding down Whitebeard's bisento with just one foot, and is capable of fighting Rayleigh and Whitebeard equally despite their Haki abilities. Kizaru got struck by a "Haki"-wielding Marco, and sustained little damage from the physical blow. His power-scaling places him comparable to Akainu, who managed to deflect blows from Whitebeard with difficulty.

He also has extremely acute hearing, being able to hear activity underwater before the Whitebeard War began. He possesses great physical durability, as shown when he was kicked to the ground by Marco without even receiving a scratch.

He also has great accuracy and precision, as shown when he shot and destroyed the key to Ace's shackles whilst it was still in Luffy's hands at a fair distance.

Devil Fruit

 * Main article: Glint-Glint Fruit

The Glint-Glint Fruit (ピカピカの実, Pika Pika no Mi; literally meaning "Fruit of the Glint-Glint"), meaning either 'glimmer' or 'light', a Logia-type Devil Fruit power, that possessed by Kizaru, grants him the powers of the element of light, turning him into a Light Human (光人間, Hikari Ningen). As a Logia-user, he is able to let objects pass through him and reconstruct his body from energy particles. He is capable of moving and attacking at the speed of light, and all of his offensive and defensive attacks are based on the very element of his Logia power, light, such as firing energy blasts from his fingertips or feet with extreme accuracy and precision. His power is very destructive, causing huge explosions and can easily destroy buildings. He also has the ability to reflect himself, essentially moving from one location to the next at the speed of light. Due to this fruit's power, Kizaru is possibly the fastest man in the world.

He can also make an energy sword out of pure light, which can stand up to heavy Haki-based attacks, as seen when he was fighting Rayleigh Silvers.

Kizaru has named several of his abilities after the three great treasures of Japan.

Techniques
The named techniques that are used by Borsalino that involve the Devil Fruit are as follows:
 * Sacred Yata Mirror (八咫鏡, Yata no Kagami): Borsalino forms light between his hands, and reflects it off any surface he wishes. He then transforms into the light in order to get to his desired location. It was first seen used against Apoo Scratchmen.


 * Amaterasu (天照, Amaterasu): Borsalino points his index and middle finger into the air or at his enemies (in the form of a peace sign), and emits a powerful flash of light, blinding his opponent, or any enemies in the vicinity. This was first used against Basil Hawkins, aimed directly at the pirate's eyes. It was not named in anime and manga but named in One Piece: Pirate Warriors. It is named after Amaterasu, the Shinto goddess of the sun and universe.


 * Sword of the Heaven's Clouds (天叢雲剣, Ama no Murakumo): Borsalino forms a long, very sharp sword out of light and solidifies it, similar to Admiral Aokiji's "Ice Saber" technique. It was first used against Silvers Rayleigh. In One Piece Film: Z, Borsalino uses this attack as a shield of sorts to ward off Z's attacks.


 * Eight Shaku String of Sacred Jewels (八尺瓊曲玉, Yasakani no Magatama): Borsalino crosses his arms in front of him and uses both hands to fire a torrent of deadly light particles, causing extreme damage to whatever they hit. Borsalino can control the spread of the attack, limiting it to a single person or covering an extremely wide area. It also has great piercing properties, penetrating a thick layer of ice and then piercing deep into the water with ease. It was first used against Whitebeard but was blocked by Marco. He used it again with a much wider spread in a failed attempt to strike down the Heart Pirates' submarine, though the bolts managed to pierce a thick layer of Aokiji's ice and travel deep into the ocean. It is named after the Yasakani no Magatama, though the term "yasakani" is also an archaic term for "a large jewel".


 * Cave of Heaven Rock (天岩戸, Ama no Iwato): A video game only special attack, debuted in One Piece: Gigant Battle, and has yet to make an appearance in the actual mainstream series. Borsalino shoots a powerful massive laser beam from his feet in the form of a monkey head. It is named after the Amano-Iwato, the cave of Shintou mythology.


 * You're dying now!!!: Kizaru shoots a beam of light from his foot. While it isn't named in the series, it is named in One Piece: Burning Blood.

Haki

 * Main article: Haki

It was stated that all vice admirals possess Haki, so with a rank above vice admiral, Kizaru can use that ability.

He was seen using his Armament Haki to negate Whitebeard's attempt to destroy the execution platform, by creating, with his fellow admirals, a shield combination of their three Haki.

Swordsmanship
Kizaru has shown considerable skill with a sword with his Sword of the Heaven's Clouds, which is a sword of light produced by his Devil Fruit. He is able to duel Silvers Rayleigh to a draw despite his loss of intangibility.

Joining the Navy
At the age of 26, Borsalino joined the Navy alongside a 23 year old Sakazuki, and came under the tutelage of instructor Zephyr. The two were already considered "monsters".

A Storm in the Edd War
Not much is shown about Borsalino's past. He is briefly seen 27 years ago in the background when Garp and Sengoku were discussing how to deal with the Edd War battle between Gol D. Roger and Shiki. His position at that time is unknown, but it can be said that he was already among high rank officers, as he was wearing the Navy coat and his trademark yellow suit.

Fisher Tiger's Time
While the Sun Pirates were wreaking havoc on the seas, Strawberry has reported to Vice Admiral Borsalino that Rear Admiral Kadar's ship had been sunk. Borsalino commented on how troublesome and scary the Sun Pirates were while acting calm as usual.

After learning the ambush attack on Fisher Tiger at Foolshout Island, Arlong went to that island to avenge him. Kizaru, who happened to be there, effortlessly defeated him. Borsalino then taunted Arlong and was surprised to hear that Tiger Fisher was dead, before saying that he was going to take him somewhere. He then brought Arlong to G-2 for interrogation.

Canon

 * Borsalino vs. Arlong
 * Kizaru and a Pacifista vs. Basil Hawkins, Urouge, X Drake, and Scratchmen Apoo
 * Kizaru vs. Roronoa Zolo
 * Kizaru vs. Silvers Rayleigh
 * Navy and Seven Warlords of the Sea vs. Whitebeard Pirates and Allies
 * Kizaru vs. Marco
 * Kizaru vs. Monkey D. Luffy
 * Kizaru vs. Namur, Kingdew, Izo, Fossa, and Speed Jiru
 * Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu vs. Monkey D. Luffy
 * Kizaru vs. Rakuyo
 * Kizaru and Onigumo vs. Marco
 * Kizaru vs. Whitebeard

Non-Canon

 * Kizaru vs. Z (on Firs Island)
 * Kizaru vs. Z (on Piriodo)

Translation and Dub Issues
Borsalino's alias, "Kizaru", is Japanese for "Yellow Monkey".

Notes & Trivia

 * The model of Kizaru's face is the Japanese actor, Kunie Tanaka. Along with that, Kizaru's clothes, real name, Borsalino, and birthday, are apparently based on a movie character that Kunie Tanaka played in his youth. The character Borsalino from the old Japanese film Truck Yarō (トラック野郎), wore a suit and sunglasses similar to Kizaru's design.{
 * When first mentioned by Robin, Kizaru's silhouette was seen wearing some kind of large hat. It's a reference to the Italian hat company Borsalino, from which Kizaru's real name is apparently derived. In Chapter 622 it is shown that Kizaru wore this hat while he was still a vice admiral.
 * Kizaru's lazy and easy-going demeanor is something of a reference to the main characters' approach to crime from the 1970s French film Borsalino.
 * His epithet, along with the other admirals' (Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru), are taken from Momotaro legends (Momotaro met Pheasant, Dog, and Monkey as friends to accompany him on his journey).
 * Three Kizaru's techniques, Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), Ama no Murakumo (天叢雲劍) and Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊曲玉) are names taken from the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan.
 * In the 5th Japanese Fan Poll, Kizaru is the 44th most popular character in Fairy One Piece Tail.
 * When he appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago, he was riding on a cannon ball, which could be a reference to Baron Münchhausen.
 * Similarly to Akainu, Kizaru was also depicted in non-canon sources with a post-timeskip appearance that later proved inaccurate to his actual appearance, including Episode of Luffy, One Piece Film: Z, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2, One Piece Tail: Unlimited World Red and One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. In these sources, Kizaru is seen wearing a turtleneck under his suit rather than his usual shirt and tie, which he continued wearing after the timeskip in the manga. However, unlike with Akainu - this design came from a sketch drawn by Oda for the movie, which is odd - considering that the sketch he provided of Aokiji's post-timeskip design for the film was accurate to his appearance in the manga.