Highlights
- The Bara Bara no Mi in One Piece allows users to split their bodies to avoid cutting attacks & control body parts independently.
- Buggy, the current user, can levitate body parts, use them for attacks, & evade danger creatively with his Devil Fruit abilities.
- Despite being immune to cutting attacks, Buggy is susceptible to blunt force, and his powers can be comedic yet effective in battles.
Used as both a serious combat ability and a constant source of running gags in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, the Bara Bara no Mi — or Chop-Chop Fruit — was one of the first Paramecia-type Devil Fruits to be introduced in the series, wielded by Buggy the Clown. Having played a significant role in some of the series’ most iconic moments, the Bara Bara no Mi is as memorable as it is entertaining, especially in the hands of its current user.
A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to split their body into pieces, the Bara Bara no Mi has provided ample comic relief throughout One Piece’s many sagas and cover stories. That being said, its power is not to be underestimated, given how Buggy has channeled its properties in innovative ways. Ever since he mistakenly ate it after being startled by Shanks, this Devil Fruit has become a signature feature of Buggy’s character, and a huge reason behind why he has forever endeared himself to One Piece’s fandom.
What Are The Bara Bara No Mi’s Abilities?
True to its name, the Bara Bara no Mi permits its users to break up their bodies into individual pieces, without experiencing any pain or actual damage to said body parts. In turn, this also makes them permanently invulnerable to cutting or slashing attacks, rendering bladed weapons useless against them for the most part. Hence, after consuming this Devil Fruit, the user becomes a Splitting Human.
Once dismembered, the individual segments of a user’s body can still be controlled by them, as long as they are not sealed within a container or taken a certain distance away from them. This affords them the opportunity to execute a varied range of attacks which extend their reach and range. Moreover, body parts can be attached and detached as the user sees fit, without any impairment to their bodily functions.
Evoking the image of a large raspberry or a small pineapple, the design of the Bara Bara no Mi features spherical parts with the traditional swirls seen on Devil Fruits in One Piece, coupled with a leafy stem. Originally, Buggy sought to sell the Devil Fruit after learning about its high value during his voyage with the Roger Pirates, but he ended up accidentally ingesting it after being surprised by a young Shanks.
The Power Split Up One’s Entire Body
On one hand, the Bara Bara no Mi’s ability to split Buggy’s body and nullify all cutting attacks allows him to circumvent barriers or effectively dodge enemy maneuvers without much difficulty. In certain instances, Buggy has also been shown using it to evade threats in a manner similar to the intangibility of Logia-type Devil Fruits in One Piece.
Upon being separated, all of Buggy’s body parts — save for his feet, which must remain grounded — can be controlled in a way that defies gravity, allowing them to levitate freely. This opens up a multitude of options in combat, especially since the levitation effect can be extended to other targets, as long as Buggy has a strong grip on them. For instance, Buggy has been shown lifting objects and individuals far heavier than him on several occasions. He can also detach body parts to spy on targets and gather information.
Conversely, Buggy can still feel everything that happens to his separated body parts, which leaves him very vulnerable if any one of them is taken hostage by an enemy. However, he is extremely effective against most swordsmen, with Haki being the only known way to use a cutting attack against him. The versatility of Buggy’s Devil Fruit powers have also led to him being unwillingly forced into acting as a decoy, or providing a means of transportation with his levitation abilities.
How Does Buggy Use His Devil Fruit?
Buggy has developed a considerable amount of control over his Devil Fruit powers, by virtue of having possessed them for decades. Generally, his Devil Fruit is quite effective in most combat situations, due to the limited number of ways in which his body can be damaged by opponents. Alongside his knife skills and penchant for misdirection, he is adept at catching adversaries off-guard when they think they have defeated him.
During his introduction in the Orange Town Arc, Buggy’s most prominent attack was his Bara Bara Ho (Chop-Chop Cannon), which involved firing his hands towards a target while holding weapons in them. The speed and range of this attack made it quite a challenge to contend with in the early arcs of One Piece. He also has a variant of it known as the Chi o Hau Bara Bara Ho (Low Flying Chop-Chop Cannon), which serves the purpose of grabbing a target’s legs.
Next, Bara Bara Ho Kirihanashi (Chop-Chop Cannon-Separate), sees Buggy firing one-third of his forearm along with his fist while holding four knives. If an opponent tries to grab his arm, Buggy can simply detach his fist and propel it forward, attacking a target at close range. Bara Bara Senbei (Chop-Chop Buzzsaw) has Buggy hurl his entire lower half in an opponent’s direction while cartwheeling, after stomping on his shoes to make knives appear from them.
In terms of evasive maneuvers, Buggy’s Bara Bara Kinkyu Dasshutsu (Chop-Chop Quick Escape), allowed him to detach his head to avoid a dangerous incoming attack at a moment’s notice. Similarly, his Bara Bara Car (Chop-Chop Car), also grants an avenue for quick getaways, where he uses a set of wheels along with a bomb for a motor, to propel himself away from danger at high speed.
Among the two most powerful attacks in Buggy’s arsenal, his Kuchu Kirimomi Dai Circus (Aerial Tailspin Big Top), takes advantage of his levitation abilities, by launching his arms at an opponent to lift them into the air. Buggy then turns them around and sends them flying downwards in a corkscrew spiral, to enhance the impact with which they hit the ground.
Finally, the Bara Bara Festival (Chop-Chop Festival) is Buggy’s ultimate technique, where he splits up his entire body into different parts, and then spins them around at high speed, before pummeling his opponents with a flurry of attacks. This move is extremely difficult to avoid, and it is hard to counter Buggy. Luckily, since his feet must remain planted on the ground, they serve as a singular target to help in disrupting the barrage of attacks delivered by his other limbs.
The Limitations Of The Bara Bara No Mi
Despite being immune to cutting attacks, Buggy’s body parts are quite susceptible to blunt force, which means that punches and firearms are fair game against him. He has also developed a solution to this, by having his body parts “fly off” right before the moment of impact. Just like other Devil Fruits, he is also vulnerable to seawater, Seastone, and attacks infused with Haki.
Buggy is unable to levitate his feet unless someone carries them for him. His body also appears to be drawn to his head whenever his feet leave the ground, although depictions of this limitation have not always been consistent. Another weakness comes from confining separate parts of his body in containers such as barrels or boxes, which limits the amount of limbs he can use at a time.
After the Orange Town Arc, Buggy spent a considerable period in a chibi-esque form as he hunted down and reclaimed his other body parts. From this, it can be observed that even in spite of the Bara Bara no Mi being a versatile and effective Devil Fruit in a variety of situations, its abilities have often been portrayed in a comedic light, in keeping with the personality of the character who wields it in One Piece.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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