Why did Fujitora blind himself in ‘One Piece?’

Fujitora, or Issho, is one of the most powerful people the Straw Hats have encountered throughout their journey searching for the One Piece. His strength is all the more impressive given his blindness, a condition he gave himself no less.

Some time during the two-year time skip, Fujitora rose to the rank of Admiral before finally meeting the Straw Hats during the Dressrosa arc. Initially, Luffy believed he was an ordinary (albeit very strong) old man, but it was soon revealed Fujitora was an Admiral who possessed a powerful Devil Fruit power.

The Press-Press Fruit gives him the ability to manipulate gravity within a certain radius. He generally calls upon this power with his sword and is capable of pulling large objects – such as meteorites – toward him at a high speed from as far away as space. His control over gravity allows him to press opponents deep into the earth, and can prevent them from escaping.

Even without his incredible Devil Fruit power, Fujitora is a strong swordsman and accomplished Haki user as befitting his rank of Admiral. Given his incredible battle prowess, it’s hard to believe he could be blinded; let alone blind himself.

Hard as it is to believe, Fujitora chose to blind himself as part of his own personal brand of justice, as he believed some evils were not meant to be seen. Although he typically views his blindness as a good thing, Fujitora says he wishes he hadn’t blinded himself, as he wished to see Luffy toward the end of the events of the Dressrosa Arc.

Like all Marine Admirals, Fujitora has his own personal justice to which he adheres. Fujitora follows Moral Justice, and enacts this justice primarily through protecting innocents and actively hunting down criminals. This desire to eradicate evil extends toward the Marines and the World Government itself, and Fujitora wishes to weed out corruption from these entities all together.

That being said, he isn’t naive. Fujitora has aligned himself with those he views unsavory in order to accomplish his goals (though he does let them know he fully intends to capture them later). After all the evil he has seen in the world, he believes blinding himself to be a blessing. His strong sense of justice helps balance out his fellow Admirals and helps him shake things up on occasion; Fujitora led the charge to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a practice.

Not much is known about him, but it’s likely he will continue to be a major player as One Piece continues.