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Shonen TCG · General
Reviewing
One Piece TCG
This OP-16 Three Admirals guide covers Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, the Marine Character cards that anchor Sengoku's Purple ramp deck.
TL;DR: Sakazuki (Akainu), Borsalino (Kizaru), and Kuzan (Aokiji) are Character cards (not leaders) that anchor Sengoku's Purple Marine ramp deck. They come in standard prints (for play), Super Alt-Art (OP16-065/073/063), and ultra-rare Manga Rares (the set's top chase: Sakazuki ~500k JPY). You need only the cheap standard prints to compete. As of July 2026, the deck sits in the format's mid-tier rather than among the top contenders.
Note: OP-16 released in Japan May 30, 2026, and in English on June 12, 2026. Card text below is confirmed from the official EN card list. Manga Rare prices reflect early Japan-market trading and remain volatile.
The Three Admirals are the heart of OP-16's Marine theme, and they are Character cards, not leaders:
They all play under Sengoku (OP16-060), the Purple Marine leader who ramps DON!! to deploy them ahead of curve. The Admirals are both the deck's competitive payoff and the set's headline collector chase.
GODEEPER: Want the deck the Admirals live in? The Sengoku guide covers the full Purple Marine ramp shell. OP-16 Sengoku Deck Guide
This is the single most common OP-16 confusion. Earlier community coverage (and our own pre-release content) sometimes treated Akainu as a leader. He is not. The Marine deck's leader is Sengoku; the Admirals are the Character payoffs you deploy.
Why it matters: you build the deck around Sengoku's color (Purple) and ramp plan, then slot the Admirals in as your high-impact Characters. Trying to build an "Akainu leader deck" is not a legal construction, Akainu is a card you play from your deck, not the leader you start with.
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TCG Deck Analyst
Former card game tournament organiser turned analyst. Covers One Piece TCG meta, deck efficiency, and card valuation. Builds spreadsheets for decks most people just play.
Disclaimer
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Ability text below is confirmed from the official EN card list.
Sakazuki / Akainu is the marquee Admiral, the removal-and-pressure piece that headlines the deck. On play, he cuts an opponent Character's power by 6000 until the end of their next turn, and he is the set's top chase in Manga Rare form.
Borsalino / Kizaru ramps DON!! on play, then can pay 2 DON!! at the end of your turn to stand back up and gain Blocker until the end of the opponent's next End Phase, giving the deck a defensive Admiral that survives to protect your board.
Kuzan / Aokiji ramps DON!! on play and can pay 1 DON!! to stop one opponent Character from using Blocker for the turn, opening attack lanes rather than closing them.
Together they form the "Three Admirals stand united" payoff: a Marine board of high-impact Characters that Sengoku ramps toward faster than a normal high-cost deck could.
The Three Admirals are Character payoffs, not leaders. Sengoku (Purple) ramps DON!! to deploy Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan ahead of curve.
Sengoku is Purple, OPTCG's DON!! ramp color. The plan:
The Admirals reward a Marine-heavy board, so the deck runs a near-pure Marine shell. You do not splash off-color cards, since that breaks both the color rule and the Marine synergy. The supporting cast bridges the early turns until the Admirals take over.
As of July 2026, Sengoku sits in the format's mid-tier rather than among the top OP-16 decks (Purple Enel, Blue/Green Luffy, and Purple/Yellow Rosinante lead the format). It remains playable for a skilled pilot who wants the Admiral payoff, but it currently lacks the consistency support to compete with the format's top contenders.
Each Admiral exists in multiple versions:
Key point for players: all versions play identically. Build with standard prints; the Super Alt-Art and Manga Rare versions are purely cosmetic upgrades for collectors.
Sakazuki is both the deck's marquee Admiral (standard print) and the set's holy-grail Manga Rare chase. For play, buy the cheap standard version.
SHOP: Chasing an Admiral Manga Rare, or just the standard prints? Check current OP-16 prices on TCGPlayer. Shop TCGplayer →
A practical note for players assembling the deck: the Admirals are the payoff, but the shell around them does the unglamorous work. You want Purple ramp enablers to reach the Admirals ahead of curve, cheap Purple Marine Characters for early tempo, Garp as a second pressure threat, and a counter package to survive while you set up. Think of the deck in two halves, the engine that ramps and protects, and the Admiral payoffs that win once deployed. A common beginner mistake is buying the flashy Admiral singles first and neglecting the enablers, which leaves you holding powerful cards you cannot deploy on time. Build the ramp-and-survive half first; the Admirals are only as good as your ability to get them onto the board while they still swing the game.
The Admirals sit at the intersection of competitive and collector demand, which is exactly why they hold value, but the two needs call for different purchases:
This dual demand is what makes a meta-relevant Admiral the most stable kind of card to own: two separate buyer pools support its price.
The Three Admirals carry OP-16 in both halves of the hobby at once. Competitively, they are the payoff that makes Sengoku's Purple ramp plan worth building, the high-impact Marine Characters you accelerate toward. As collectibles, they are the entire value story: the only three Manga Rares in the set and the most expensive cards by a wide margin. That dual role is rare. Most sets separate the best competitive card from the best collector card, but here the same trio is both. For a player, that means the cards you want for the deck are also the cards everyone is chasing, so demand for even standard prints stays healthy. For a collector, it means the Admirals are unusually safe long-term holds, supported by two independent buyer pools rather than one. Whichever side of the hobby you are on, the Admirals are the reason OP-16 matters, and the reason its sealed product and singles are likely to hold demand well past the launch window compared with a typical set.
GODEEPER: The Admiral Manga Rares are the set's headline chase. The dedicated guide covers pull odds and prices. OP-16 Admiral Manga Rare Guide
One Piece TCG OP-16 Guide: Set Review & Leaders (2026): Full OP-16 set overview, all six leaders, and key mechanics.
OP-16 Where to Buy & Pre-Order Guide: June 12 Launch: OP-16 where to buy and pre-order guide.
OP-16 Sengoku Deck Tech Week 1: Three Admirals Purple: EN week 1 results and the exact turn sequence for the three-Admiral activation.
One Piece TCG OP-16 Meta Report July 2026: Where Sengoku and the rest of the format stand as of July 2026.
OP-16 Most Expensive Cards: Where the Admirals rank in set value.
OP-16 All 6 Leaders Explained: Why the Admirals are Characters, not leaders.
OP-16 Collectors Guide: SEC, Manga Rare, Alt-Art Cards: How the Admiral chase cards fit into the set's wider collector market.
Q: Who are the Three Admirals in OP-16? A: Sakazuki (Akainu), Borsalino (Kizaru), Kuzan (Aokiji). Character cards that anchor Sengoku's Purple Marine deck and are the set's three Manga Rares.
Q: Are they leaders? A: No. They are Characters. The leader is Sengoku (OP16-060), who ramps DON!! to deploy them.
Q: What deck do they go in? A: Sengoku's Purple Marine ramp deck, alongside Garp (OP16-075) and cheap Purple Marine support Characters.
Q: What rarities? A: Standard (for play), Super Alt-Art (OP16-065/063/073), and the ultra-rare Manga Rare chase.
Q: How much are they worth? A: Manga Rares are the set's top value: Sakazuki ~500k JPY, Kuzan past 400k. Standard and Super Alt-Art cost far less. Volatile; verify live.
Q: Do I need all three to play Sengoku? A: You want the standard prints as payoffs, but not the Manga Rare or Super Alt-Art versions. Standard prints make a competitive deck affordably.
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