Admiral Greenbull's final One Piece fight will see his philosophy broken by those it hurts most

Modified Jun 08, 2024 00:30 GMT

One Piece: Greenbull's place in the narrative (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece boasts one of the biggest and most complex casts of characters in modern-day shonen. Although most of these characters have been well explored in the manga, Greenbull, one of the new Marine Admirals, has remained a mystery. Greenbull is one of the most hyped characters, making his unexpected appearance towards the very end of the Wano arc.

Following his appearance, Greenbull simply incapacitated the remaining members of the Beast Pirates and then engaged Momonosuke and a few other alliance members in combat. Although Greenbull appeared for only a few episodes, his place in the overall narrative has continued to be theorized by the fandom.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for One Piece.

One Piece: Admiral Greenbull's philosophy

Greenbull as shown in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Greenbull, one of the new Marine Admirals in One Piece, had been a figure of anticipation and hype throughout the series. His actual appearance, which occurred towards the end of the Wano arc, provided a mix of surprises and insights into his character, but he ended up being swiftly defeated by Shanks. However, this brief encounter did not fully diminish the complexity and thematic significance that Eiichiro Oda imbued in Greenbull.

At first glance, Greenbull appears charismatic yet lazy, preferring to sit and chat with Fujitora rather than carrying out orders to make him leave. This initial depiction contrasts with the common perception of bulls as quick to anger.

Those born under the sign of the Bull are typically seen as hard-working and dependable. These traits, combined with the Western astrological interpretations of the Earth-sign Taurus, suggest a character who enjoys nature, peace, tranquility, and all things sensual. Despite this, Greenbull appears to lean more towards the enjoyment of comfort and pleasure rather than hard work and dependability.

To understand the underpinning of these traits, we look back to Greenbull's actions in Wano. When he attempted to attack Luffy, he went out of his way to also take out the remnants of the Beast Pirates. This shows that while Greenbull might not seem particularly hard-working, he is prideful about his power, status, and reputation.

Shanks as shown in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Greenbull's worldview and philosophy are best explained in chapter 1054, where he angrily proclaims that the Celestial Dragons are gods and countries unaffiliated with the World Government have no rights. His philosophy is an extreme take on "Natural Order," where social hierarchies are necessary and inequality is natural. Interestingly, Enel, another character from the series, also held a similar philosophy, aiming to restore "the laws of nature."

This suggests that Greenbull's love for all things pleasant is underpinned by a worldview that sees prejudice as necessary to maintain such privileges. The belief that "prejudice breeds stability" starkly contrasts with the philosophy of Eustass Kid whose punk-themed worldview is rooted in his and Killer's upbringing in an unaffiliated country in South Blue.

Eustass Kid as shown in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

They are victims of the same prejudice that Greenbull sees as necessary for stability, showing two opposing sides of the status quo. Oda uses Greenbull to represent the duality of nature's destructive and healing powers. Characters like Dr. Hiriluk highlight nature's healing aspect, valuing the continuation of a country's spirit through its people's will.

On the other hand, Greenbull misuses his power to oppress when it could be used to foster health and prosperity. Oda seems to be setting the stage for Greenbull's future role to revolve around the destabilization of the "Natural Order."

This makes him a natural enemy for characters like Eustass Kid or revolutionaries like Dragon. It would be fitting for Dragon to defeat Greenbull, demonstrating the flaw in his philosophy and reinforcing the series' theme of resistance against oppressive power structures.

Final thoughts

The current Egghead Island arc focuses on introducing the Gorosei and uncovering the secrets behind the Void Century. Although Dragon was seen preparing for an operation in Egghead, it remains unclear if he will appear there. Oda might be saving Greenbull's character arc for the next arc.