The CGI for the Bara Bara no Mi in the recent live-action was eye-catching.
The Bara Bara no Mi is one of the countless Devil Fruits hiding throughout the world of One Piece. To those well-acquainted with anime and manga, these mystical fruits grant their consumers superhuman powers. If you’re coming from the live-action – and you aren’t versed on the topic – just know that something might get a bit spoiled. There is a lot that goes into devil fruit, and the Bara Bara no Mi is a treasure trove of information. So let’s analyze the Bara Bara no Mie from its origin, to its weaknesses, to its owner, and everything in between.
How Was The Bara Bara no Mi Discovered?
The Bara Bara no Mi was discovered by Buggy the Clown, a notorious pirate. Now holding the position of Emperor, among the Four Emperors in the One Piece narrative. Buggy stumbled upon this unique fruit, unaware of its potential. This tends to be a trend in the series. Like cavemen, these characters gormandize everything in their path until they stumble upon hidden powers. Just generalizing of course. There’s actually a funny story behind this one.
Failing Upwards
During Buggy’s time as a pirate apprentice with the Roger Pirates, the crew stumbled upon the Bara Bara no Mi. Shanks, one of the crew members, educated Buggy about the enigmatic Devil Fruits, explaining how they bestowed incredible powers upon their consumers while depriving them of the ability to swim. Despite recently obtaining a treasure map that hinted at riches submerged beneath the ocean’s depths, Buggy displayed no personal interest in consuming such a fruit. Instead, he harbored a strong desire to sell it for profit.
With cunning intent, Buggy decided to craft a counterfeit fruit closely resembling the Bara Bara no Mi. In a pivotal moment, he boldly consumed the counterfeit fruit in front of the entire crew. To conceal his true intentions from Shanks, who had been watching closely, Buggy concealed the genuine fruit within his mouth. He exhaled a sigh of relief, believing he had successfully deceived Shanks. However, fate had other plans in store for him. As if on cue, Shanks returned unexpectedly, catching Buggy off guard once more. Startled by Shanks’ sudden reappearance, Buggy involuntarily swallowed the real Bara Bara no Mi, sealing his destiny and forever altering the course of his pirate journey.
Meet Buggy, He Who Wields Bara Bara no Mi
Buggy the Clown, whose real name is Buggy D. Clown, is the infamous pirate who gained fame in the world of One Piece. Buggy is a comical and charismatic character who has used his Devil Fruit powers to great effect throughout the series. His distinctive appearance, which includes a red nose and colorful jester-like attire, adds to his memorable character design.
Buggy’s cunning and resourcefulness combined with his Devil Fruit abilities have made him a formidable adversary at times. He has used his powers for both comedic purposes, such as entertaining his pirate crew with his ability to detach his body parts, and strategic advantages in battles and confrontations. Buggy’s status as a former member of the Roger Pirates, under the legendary Gol D. Roger, gives him additional credibility in the One Piece world, despite his often bumbling and cowardly behavior. His dream is to find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, and he has been on a quest to achieve this goal throughout the series.
The Power of The Fruit
The primary ability granted by the Bara Bara no Mi is the power to disassemble the user’s body into pieces, turning them into a “chop-chop human”. The user can split their body into floating segments, typically resembling jigsaw puzzle pieces. These pieces can be rearranged and controlled by the user’s will, allowing for a wide range of applications and strategic advantages in combat and other situations. We’ll get into this shortly.
What Type is The Bara Bara no Mi?
Paramecia Devil Fruits encompass a broad range of abilities, defying the laws of nature and biology in the One Piece universe. These fruits grant their users powers that are often linked to altering their bodies or manipulating their surroundings in unique and unconventional ways. These alterations can be both advantageous and burdensome, depending on the individual’s creativity and adaptability.
Paramecia’s powers are incredibly diverse. They include the power to stretch one’s body like rubber (Gomu Gomu no Mi), create and control elements like fire (Mera Mera no Mi), and manipulate the environment (Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, which floats objects in various ways). Some Paramecia users can attain an advanced state known as “Awakening”. In addition to everything else, it allows them to extend their abilities to the environment around them. For instance, Doflamingo, the user of the Ito Ito no Mi, could transform buildings into strings.
Just Like Magic: Other Abilities
As briefly stated above, the Bara Bara no Mi users can break themselves into multiple segments, with each part still retaining its full functionality. In other words, this means they can separate their limbs, torso, and head while remaining conscious and capable of independent movement. By separating their lower body segments and propelling them, the user can effectively “fly” by floating in the air. This aerial mobility provides a significant advantage in combat and helps the user evade attacks or reach inaccessible places.
The Catch: What Are The Weaknesses of The Bara Bara no Mi?
Using this ability comes with certain limitations. When a body part separates, the user can still experience sensations related to that part. Furthermore, while the user becomes impervious to slashing and piercing attacks, they remain vulnerable to other types of assaults. Some of which are blunt force impacts like punches and kicks.
In order for the user to make any of their body parts levitate, they must keep their feet firmly planted on the ground, as their feet are the only body parts incapable of levitation. It’s worth noting that during a particular incident in Impel Down, Buggy’s head was inexplicably drawn toward his body when his feet left the ground, causing his body to fall to the second floor as if an unseen force connected his parts.
The Impact On the Story
The Bara Bara no Mi is one of the many examples of One Piece’s ability to inject intrigue. The powers they give our favorite characters contribute so much to the plot. In many cases, we don’t even recognize the impact! Outside of the obvious elemental significance, they often guide arcs to a very satisfying conclusion. This devil fruit sits way up on that list, and we look forward to discussing more in future segments!
