What are Devil Fruits in the world of One Piece? The high seas are filled with gold and treasure, but when it comes to the world of the anime One Piece, there is something that is more sought after than all the berries a high bounty can offer– the mysterious devil fruits.
For longtime One Piece fans, devil fruits are a long-running staple in Luffy’s adventures and are a key component in why One Piece is considered one of the best anime of all time. But with Netflix‘s One Piece live-action series finally here, a swell of new pirate fans may be wondering why all of the One Piece characters are munching on strange and colorful fruit. Why can’t these super-powered folks swim? And why are devil fruits being mentioned left, right, and center as we see the Straw Hats search for Gol D Rogers’s treasure – the One Piece?
Below we go over what Devil Fruits in One Piece are exactly, breaking down their powers, weakness, and origins for all your anime-going convenience. Be warned, minor spoilers ahead!
What are Devil Fruits?
Devil Fruits are mysterious fruits that have been scattered across the world and give those who eat them superhuman powers. Every devil fruit has its own distinct power and characteristics. There are no duplicates when it comes to these fruity power-ups, making them not only powerful but also incredibly rare.
Devil fruits are literally valued for millions of berries, with all the top players in One Piece generally using them for their own benefit. Be it the four emperors of the sea, the seven warlords of the sea, or the marines, everyone wants and uses devil fruit powers.
Although no one knows exactly how many devil fruit there are in the world of One Piece, we do know that there are three main types: Zoan, Logia, and Paramecia. All are very different from one another, but no matter what type someone ingests, if you eat a devil fruit, you will be known as a devil fruit user.
But bear in mind that there are rules. If you eat devil fruit, you won’t be able to swim in the sea again. You can also only eat one devil fruit during your lifetime, or you’ll explode. And finally, once you die, your power will live on as your devil fruit will reappear in the world once again for someone else to take a bite out of it.
Origins of Devil Fruits explained
The exact origins of devil fruit haven’t been revealed just yet, but thanks to the One Piece manga, we do have some clues. In chapter 1069, fans meet Dr Vegapunk, who has a theory that devil fruits are manifestations of the desires for the evolution of mankind.
Basically, this means that all those times you’ve ever thought “I wish I could fly” or “I wish I had rubber limbs to reach the remote without leaving the couch” are things that can come true in the world of One Piece.
This makes sense since Vegapunk has also told us that devil fruit users don’t exist in the same realm of reality as the rest of us. The devil fruit powers are in a different dimension to ours, and therefore its users are technically unnatural beings. This is why devil fruit users can’t swim, as nature rejects and punishes them.
But as we said before, none of this is fully confirmed. Shanks has also mentioned how devil fruits are the incarnation of the sea devils in the past, so keep that in mind as a possibility, too, folks.
What are Devil Fruit weaknesses?
As mentioned above, the main weakness of devil fruit users is their inability to swim or use their powers in large bodies of water. And when the world of One Piece is essentially just sea with islands scattered around, that is a massive problem.
The sea literally paralyzes devil fruit users, and if you are sailing across the already dangerous Grand Line, you are in constant danger. And unfortunately, water isn’t the only way to stop devil fruit superpowers either. The Seastone can drain devil fruit users’ energy, making their abilities pretty worthless too. So even if you have superpowers, if your enemy is a devious tactician, you are still far from unbeatable.
Also, (and the worst weakness, in our opinion) devil fruit apparently tastes gross. Like, really bad. So is power worth an assault on your tastebuds?
What is Luffy’s Devil Fruit?
Ok, so here is where the One Piece anime and live-action One Piece series vary a bit. If you are still following the East Blue Saga, click away for spoilers! Luffy’s devil fruit is Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a Mythical Zoan-type fruit that allows Luffy to essentially turn into a god.
Initially, we all thought Luffy had the power of the Paramecia-type devil fruit, the Gomu Gomu no Mi. However, it turns out that the Gomu Gomu no Mi was renamed by the World Government to hide the truth of its immense power. So Luffy’s devil fruit got renamed and reclassified in order to hide the truth. But Luffy’s Gear 5 form essentially exposed everything.
If you are reading this guide after the One Piece live-action release date and have seen the first season, Luffy and the rest of the world are still unaware of his true potential. We also have a long way to go to see the truth unfold if Netflix decides to adapt every episode of One Piece.
In the meantime, fans can see Gear 5 by racing ahead; here is our guide on how to watch all of One Piece in order and all the One Piece filler episodes you can skip if you are planning a full-on marathon.
Or, if you want more 2D fun, here are our guides to the best anime characters and the best anime villains of all time. We also have articles on all the new anime heading your way and everything new on Netflix this month.