One Piece: Devil Fruit Awakening Explained!

In the world of One Piece, only a select few can have Haki, but Devil Fruit is different. Devil fruit is a much more feasible option.

Among those who get their hands on them, only a few are capable of unleashing the true power of devil fruits.

When achieved, they are called Devil Fruit Awakenings. In this article, we will discuss the awakening of different types of devil fruit, which are Zoan and Paramecia.

Unfortunately, we have not seen the Logia Awakening yet in the series. But when we do, we will write an article on it. So stay tuned.

If you are unaware of what these types are, check out our Devil Fruit article here.

Without wasting any more time, let’s get into the article.

What Is Devil Fruit Awakening?

Devil Fruit Awakening is the next step in awakening the powers of devil fruits, and it is very rare for anyone to awaken them. Even the Yonko Kaido, the “Strongest Creature,” has not achieved awakening.

In chapter 1046, upon witnessing Luffy’s devil fruit awakening, Kaido shares an interesting insight regarding these awakenings.

He states that the devil fruit awakening happens when the body and mind of its user catch up to their own powers.

Thus, achieving awakening provides more refined control and also unlocks new abilities that would not have been possible before.

In chapter 785, Doflamingo says,

“There is another stage entirely to the powers of a Devil Fruit: awakening!

It’s very rare, but some powers can awaken and affect objects aside from the wielder!”

Alluding to the new abilities gained through the awakening.

These new abilities depend on the type of devil fruit the user has. So let’s see what the awakening for each type of devil fruit is like.

Paramecia Awakening

The first paramecia devil fruit was displayed by the Warlord of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo, during his battle with Luffy and Law.

When Paramecia devil fruit powers awaken, it allows the user to use their fruit powers in a way that was not even imaginable before.

Regarding Doflamingo’s awakening, Luffy notes that such a feat makes it no longer appear to be the power of a mere Paramecia.

Awakening allows paramecia users to spread their power beyond themselves and towards the environment around them.

Simply speaking, they can alter the properties of the material around them to those of their devil fruit.

We see Doflamingo and Katakuri showcase this with their Ito Ito no Mi and Mochi Mochi no Mi.

After awakening, Doflamingo could convert his surroundings into strings by extending his power. Similarly, Katakuri also converted his environment like a mochi against Luffy.

Aside from affecting their environment with their devil fruit, users also gain new abilities. Upon awakening, Eustass Kid was able to apply inverse magnetic polarities to other non-metallic objects to make them attract each other.

Zoan Awakening

When a Zoan-type devil fruit awakens, it grants its user higher strength, speed, and durability than in its unawakened form.

These abilities include quicker recovery, which works even if the user is unconscious. However, these also come with higher risks.

When awakened, the innate nature of the Zoan will consume the user’s personality and turn them into a simple-minded man-beast.

In chapter 544, we saw the jailer beasts of Impel Down undergo awakening, but they did not show any signs of complex thoughts.

They seemingly acted out of instinct and power and resembled their full beast form with some human-like features.

It is important to note that it has not been confirmed if they lost themselves to the full-beast form during awakening or consciously chose that form.

Although, during Egghead’s arc, when Rob Lucci and Kaku showed their awakening, they retained their personalities.

As such, it may also be possible to attain a new, powerful transformation known as the awakened form, which is divine in appearance.

Mythical Zoan Awakening

Not much is known about them, as there is only one mythical Zoan fruit user who has undergone awakening.

He is the user of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, Monkey D. Luffy.

In chapter 1044, when Luffy awakens his devil fruit, we learn that his devil fruit is not Gomu Gomu no Mi but Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.

Unlike other Zoans, Luffy doesn’t lose his personality or thoughts. However, just like Zoans, upon awakening, his strength, speed, and durability increase. He also recovers from exhaustion much quicker.

Moreover, it seems like his complexion changes along with the color of his clothes. The awakening allows Luffy to freely change his shape and size however he wishes.

Something interesting also happened, which made even Kaido question what Luffy’s fruit actually was.

Just like a paramecia-type devil fruit awakening, Luffy was also able to affect his environment and instill his rubber attributes in it.

This is evident with how he jumped on the ground as if it were a trampoline and with him literally grabbing and throwing lights.

We hope this helped you understand the devil fruit awakening better. Stay tuned if you wish to learn more about Awakening when the manga reveals more about it.

Also, for shonen-related news and theory explanations, check out our articles.