Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Here is a simplified version of the story contents: Here is a lighthearted take on the story contents: Explore a different perspective:
In order to ensure that the Devil Fruit abilities seen in One Piece don’t end up becoming too overpowered, many of them come with their own unique drawbacks that help to make them a little fairer. While the majority of Devil Fruits have at least some kind of limitations to speak of, a few of these can be easily ignored by the host, though not everyone has been lucky enough to acquire a fruit that is this lenient.
In stark contrast, there have been many abilities that come with some pretty nasty drawbacks that can severely impact the person using them, both inside and outside of combat. That’s not to suggest that these abilities aren’t still strong; in fact, many of them are so absurdly powerful they require these weaknesses in order to give the opponent at least some way to counteract them. When taking a look at these specific One Piece Devil Fruits, here is how they match up in terms of the severity of their specific drawbacks.
8 Hobby Hobby Fruit
Sugar Can Never Grow Up To Be An Adult Due To Her Fruit
- User: Sugar
As someone who is able to turn other people into toys in the blink of an eye, Sugar would end up being an extremely useful ally to Doflamingo while he ruled over Dressrosa. Sugar was in charge of transforming anyone that Doflamingo deemed a threat into a defenseless toy, where they would be completely forgotten about by everyone who once knew them.
The downside to this fruit, however, is that it prevents Sugar herself from aging, which is why she still looks like a young girl despite being in her 20s. While there are many people in the world who may wish that they were able to go back to their youth every now and again, Sugar is always going to be treated like a child, no matter how much she matures as a person. At the same time, she also can’t become much of a fighter given her size and strength, so anyone who ever gets the opportunity to eat this fruit needs to have a long and hard think about whether its abilities are truly worth it.
7 Sand Sand Fruit
A Little Water Can Severely Weaken Crocodile's Sand Abilities
- User: Crocodile
It’s common knowledge that all Devil Fruit users are at least somewhat weak to water, but this applies even more so to the former Warlord of the Sea known as Crocodile. Crocodile would use his Sand Sand Fruit to terrorize Alabasta until he is eventually confronted by Luffy, who initially struggles to overcome the dangerous pirate’s sand attacks, resulting in him being defeated multiple times over.
In the end, though, it turns out that the Devil Fruit has a clear weakness, that being liquid. Either water or blood will quickly solidify Crocodile’s sand, making it much harder for him to both attack and defend when someone is prepared to deal with him. While there are many natural counters to Devil Fruits seen throughout the series, Crocodile’s specifically stands out because of how easy it is for someone to grab a bottle of water, and also how much blood is spilled during intense battles between pirates.
6 Sound Sound Fruit
Apoo's Music Can't Hurt Those Who Block Their Ears
- User: Scratchmen Apoo
Luffy and Zoro initially had a pretty hard time trying to get around Apoo’s Sound Sound abilities, but once they realized how it works, it didn’t take long for them to understand how to avoid its effects. Because Apoo needs his targets to hear his melody in order to deal any damage, if someone wants to simply plug their ears to avoid it, it will render his attacks completely useless.
Not only that, Apoo needs to pay close attention to the range of his ability, since anyone outside of his proximity will also remain resistant to its effects. Apoo doesn’t seem all that bothered about these weaknesses, considering most people are unfamiliar with his fruit and its finer details, but it’s definitely still big enough of a drawback to warrant him a space on this list.
5 Huge Huge Fruit
Sanjuan Wolf Can Grow To Epic Proportions, But Sometimes, It's A Little Too Big
- User: Sanjuan Wolf
Sanjuan Wolf was one of the prisoners Blackbeard was able to break out of Impel Down not long before the Marineford War officially kicked off. The first time fans see this beastly crew member is when he peaks his enormous head over the Marineford base while towering over everyone on the battlefield, with the implication being that he was some sort of giant.
As time has gone on, though, it’s been revealed that Sanjuan Wolf’s ability to grow large actually comes from his fruit, allowing him to expand to ten times the size of an average giant. This may be useful for wiping out villages and cities under Blackbeard’s command, but it makes it difficult for Sanjuan Wolf to move around, while also making him a clear target for enemies to aim at. Considering most of Blackbeard’s crew have abilities that allow them to get away from a dangerous situation quickly, Sanjuan Wolf’s enormous size can be more of a detriment than a strength in certain situations.
4 Flower Flower Fruit
Robin's Extra Limbs Can End Up Causing Damage To Her Main Body
- User: Nico Robin
Robin has been able to use her Devil Fruit in some pretty creative ways to help the Straw Hats out on their adventure, but using the ability for offense can end up putting Robin in serious danger. While being able to create a giant fist or foot to crush this swarm of enemies may seem powerful, any damage that is inflicted on these extra limbs will also be dealt to Robin herself, which is why she tends to prefer letting the monster trio handle most opponents.
While being able to create a bigger limb and obviously cover more ground, it also makes Robin easy to aim for, to the point where enemies don’t even need to target her main body to weaken her. Robin has been able to incorporate a more reserved fighting style so that she doesn’t risk putting herself in danger too often, but this is no easy task considering the plethora of opponents she and the Straw Hats are always coming up against.
3 Dark Dark Fruit
Blackbeard Can Absorb Literally Anything, But It Comes At A Severe Cost
- User: Blackbeard
Before Blackbeard even managed to get his hands on Whitebeard’s destructive Devil Fruit, he was already in possession of another powerful ability that allows him to control and manipulate Darkness itself. The way Blackbeard describes it, this ability can absorb literally anything, and though this means he can counteract other people’s Devil Fruits very easily, he does also make sure to preface that this means he himself will receive much more damage than the average human since he is unable to turn into darkness itself to escape.
This is actually shown in practice during the Impel Down arc, where Luffy sends Blackbeard flying with a single punch despite the fact that Blackbeard is three times the size of his opponent. Thanks to his impressive stature and durability, Blackbeard is at least able to take a lot of these hits head-on without needing to worry about being killed, but it seems highly likely this glaring limitation will become very relevant later on in the story.
2 Egg Egg Fruit
Tamago Requires His Opponents To Cooperate To Turn Into His Ultimate Form
- User: Tamago
Fans might remember Tamago as a member of Big Mom’s pirate crew who first shows up during the Whole Cake Island arc. This pirate possesses one of the most bizarre Devil Fruits in the entire series, which allows him to continue reviving himself into stronger forms, until eventually reaching his ultimate chicken variant, where he gains a tremendous boost to both his strength and durability.
The drawback to this, however, is that in order for the rebirth to actually happen, Tamago needs his egg to be cracked every time. To put it simply, if his foe simply refuses to partake in the fight or holds back the amount of damage they deal, it will essentially render the fruit useless, since he requires someone else to give him a good enough whack so he can re-emerge. The staggering strength of this fruit still helps to make it at least somewhat useful, but this is still a severe limitation that prevents it from being as effective as many of the other Big Mom pirates’ abilities.
1 Shadow Shadow Fruit
Moria's Living Corpses Can Be Shut Down, And Will Even Turn Against Him
- User: Gecko Moria
It only makes sense that Moria’s Devil Fruit would harbor a substantial number of vulnerabilities when taking into account how powerful it is in practice. By extracting people’s shadows and then infusing them into corpses, Moria was able to create an entire army of zombies to accompany him on his ship. The fruit is so strong that it would even propel Moria to the status of Warlord, but being able to actually maintain his lifeless army isn’t exactly as easy as it sounds.
All it takes is a little bit of salt to shut down Moria’s zombies entirely, considering that saltwater from the sea will dampen the effects of the fruit’s power. Not only that, but zombies who had a stronger willpower when they were still alive can be a lot harder for Moria to control, so bringing them back to life can be somewhat of a double-edged sword. Due to his extensive experience using the fruit in his pirate adventures, Moria has gained a good grasp of how to use it effectively, though it’s still an ability with more than a few glaring limitations that hold it back.
