The design for Kuzan’s face is based on the late actor Yusaku Matsuda. The character that the actor played in the TV series and movie “Detective Story” (Tantei Monogatari) even had a similar hairstyle, clothing and wore the same sleep mask design. Kuzan’s birthday is even based upon Matsuda’s.
Kuzan’s given name can mean “Nine Mountains” if written in kanji (九山 (Kuzan?)), a phrase repeatedly named in post-timeskip One Piece.
It was stated that all vice admirals possess Haki, so with a rank above vice admiral, Kuzan can also use the ability. During the Battle of Marineford, he was seen using his Busoshoku Haki to negate Whitebeard’s attempt to destroy the execution platform, by creating, with his fellow admirals, a shield combination of their three Haki.
His alias and other admiral aliases (Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru), are taken from Momotaro legends (Momotaro met Pheasant, Dog, and Monkey as friends to accompany him in his journey).
He is the first admiral (though technically former) to be shown in the time skip.
As a child, Kuzan had a grimace on his face. He wore a dirty light blue shirt and a purple pair of shorts with white stripes. He carried an umbrella tied on his back, a bottle of alcohol and a backpack. Also, his hair was curlier compared to his current hairstyle.
After the events at Dressrosa, Kuzan was seen reading a newspaper while his penguin, Camel, was cooking barbecue.
In the 4th Japanese Fan Poll, Aokiji is currently ranked as the 17th most popular character, making him the most popular of the Marines.
