The Soru Soru no Mi is by far one of the most overpowered Devil Fruits in One Piece. Recently in our segment titled Ope Ope no Mi: One Piece’s Strongest Devil Fruit? we cover what just might be the strongest devil fruit in the world of One Piece. However, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of competitors. As Eiichiro Oda continues to build this universe like the Byzantines built Constantinople, the series has continued to mature. Along with the animation styles changing since the 1990s, the subject matter has become progressively darker and metaphorical. Big Mom is the harbinger of much of this in her prime, so what exactly is the Soru Soru no Mi? How has this Devil Fruit changed the way we look at the nature of power? Has it really changed anything at all? We’ll venture out into the cosmos to figure it out.
Who Originally Owned The Soru Soru no Mi?
The Soru Soru no Mi, or the “Soul-Soul Fruit,” has not been a weapon for kindness. Well, it might have been, but there’s no clear indication for that to be the case. In fact, the fruit once belonged to Carmel, also known as the “Mountain Witch” or “Holy Mother.” She is a child trafficker, and she founds the Sheep’s House on Elbaf. After manipulating the Giants for the World Government. She turned her shop into what could be identified as a military brainwashing facility. The primary objective was to groom these “adopted” children into loyal Marines and Cipher Pol Agents. One of her first successes would come to be known as John Giant.
Anyway, along this road, Carmel would stumble across a five-year-old girl named Charlotte Linlin, who she inexplicably took a liking to. As Charlotte grew, Carmel was right there to defend her. However, after a failed fasting on Elbaf, Carmel had to fix Charlotte’s mess by using the Soru Soru no Mi. She did this by throwing a fragment of her soul into a fire caused by Linlin, but they end up having to leave Elbaf.
What Can The Soru Soru no Mi Do?
The Soru Soru no Mi, also known as the Soul-Soul Fruit, is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. At its core, the Soru Soru no Mi enables its users to interact with people souls. Extracting the souls of living beings, both humans and animals alike. These extracted souls take on tangible forms and are stored within various inanimate objects or homies. Which are objects or creatures infused with a fragment of a soul. This process not only gives the user immense power but also offers them a degree of control over the souls themselves. It is also one of the most detailed fruits in the anime and manga. This is going to be a long one.
The Successor: The Disappearance of Carmel and The Birth of Big Mom
Carmel relocated her children to a different island. Where they began a new in another Sheep’s House, striving for a semblance of normalcy. However, not long after settling, she engaged in negotiations with a Cipher Pol agent. They propose that they purchase Linlin, believing her potential as a formidable Marine soldier. On the occasion of Linlin’s sixth birthday, Carmel and the inhabitants of the Sheep’s House orchestrated an extravagant celebration. Yet, during the moment Linlin indulged in the croquembouche they had meticulously prepared, an inexplicable event unfolded. Carmel and all the other children mysteriously vanished. This enigmatic event hints at Carmel’s demise, particularly given the eerie transfer of her Devil Fruit abilities to Linlin.
There are two figures in the series that witnessed Carmel’s fate, but the answers are cryptic at best. What makes the incident even more mysterious is that Charlotte still hangs a picture of Carmel in one of her main rooms. When Brook broke it, the woman went completely berzerk. So, whatever the case may be, it is clear that the true successor of the Soru Soru no Mi is Big Mom. And boy, has she put these soul-snatching powers to work.
The Strength of The Soru Soru no Mi
As stated, the Soru Soru no Mi’s unique power, vividly demonstrated by Big Mom, revolves around the manipulation of souls. This crazy ability is harnessed through the elicitation and extraction of the souls of individuals who harbor fear or trepidation toward the user. This is key. The process involves seizing these souls once they envelop the target’s body and forcibly removing them. This not only results in the victim’s life essence being purloined but also inflicts a significant toll on their lifespan. The extent of this theft is entirely within the user’s control, enabling them to siphon away decades of existence with a mere inclination or, conversely, a mere fraction of time. So, in other words, it’s one of the most terrifying fruits in this reality.
Furthermore, the user possesses the extraordinary capability to imbue souls into objects created by other Devil Fruits. A prime example of this is Big Mom’s capacity to breathe life into Perospero’s candy creations, granting them self-awareness and autonomy.
What Are Homies in One Piece?
The infusion of soul fragments into objects brings forth entities known as “homies.” These homies not only acquire human-like intellect but also gain the gift of speech. Inanimate items, when enlivened with souls, transcend their inactivity, becoming capable of independent movement and even assuming an upright stance. The user’s dominion extends to nearly any entity, be it plants, minerals, edibles, or living beings outside standard humanoids. Big Mom reveals that the power of the resulting homie is intrinsically tied to the strength of the soul from which it originates. Hence, souls extracted from – let’s say “soulful” individuals yield more potent homies.
These homies are intrinsically subservient to the user, owing to their reverence towards the user’s soul. This dynamic further establishes the user’s ability to amass a legion of devoted subordinates with each extracted soul. The user can also allocate fragments of their own personal soul to craft “special homies,” provided with heightened power and capabilities compared to their regular counterparts.
Incarnation
Beyond this, the user can produce their own soul in the form of enigmatic, roughly human-sized entities referred to as “Incarnations.” These Incarnations possess a modicum of sentience and are proficient in the art of soul extraction, further cementing the user’s dominance over the realm of souls. In other words, this can lead to a theoretically infinite chain of possession. As a side note, the Soru Soru no Mi can also have regenerative properties, as seen when Big Mom has to repair part of her anatomy. She just plants a soul fragment into the damaged area, eventually healing the wound.
Soru Soru No Mi Weakness
As stated in the intro, this is an overpowered fruit. If this was an ability in Super Smash Bros., the game would have to have a preset spam limit. Why? It’s pretty obvious; the ability to manipulate and control souls is like a Queen in chess the ability to also move like a knight.
So, despite its incredible power, the Soru Soru no Mi possesses several notable limitations. Firstly, the user must be in close proximity to their target to extract their lifespan; this requires physically grabbing and pulling the soul out of the target’s body. It’s easy to draw a parallel to that Shaman in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom that does the “Kalima” heart-yanking move. Furthermore, while soul fragments can be infused into animals, plants, and lifeless objects, they cannot be integrated into other individuals or corpses.
The Issue With Homies… As Strong As They May Be
When a soul is implanted into a homie, it holds the memories of its original owner. If these memories are triggered or warped, the homie will carry out the associated actions, causing confusion. Homies, being fully sentient beings, are susceptible to physical pain and fear, rendering them vulnerable to injury or even death when subjected to sufficiently lethal attacks. Additionally, as stated, the restriction persists that these fragments cannot be infused into other people or deceased bodies.
The most significant setback, however, lies in the requirement that the target must harbor at least a slight fear of the user for their soul to be pulled. Those who feel no fear whatsoever towards the user remain completely immune to soul extraction. It kind of gives insane plot armor to the series’ protagonists. This has been a topic of debate among fans everywhere and has infuriated those who enjoy harder magic in their favorite fictional worlds.
The Impact Of The Soru Soru no Mi
The Soru Soru no Mi’s power, in essence, revolves around the concept of souls and the manipulation of life forces. It grants the user dominion over life and death, making them a formidable force in the world of One Piece. The ability to steal and transfer lifespans, control homies, and communicate with inanimate objects provides the user with a unique and versatile skill set that can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on how it is wielded. In the hands of a capable and ruthless user like Big Mom, this Devil Fruit becomes a force to be reckoned with, capable of reshaping the very fabric of the One Piece world. One can only imagine how it will manifest if the Charlotte Children’s predictions are to be believed regarding the fate of their mother.
