Bara Bara no Mi

The Bara Bara no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to split their own body into pieces and control said pieces however they wish, as well as making the user immune to slashing attacks, making the user a Splitting Human (バラバラ人間). It was eaten by Buggy, albeit by accident as he originally intended to sell it.

Its power was first demonstrated, but not clearly explained, when Buggy lifted up and choked one of his subordinates via his dismembered hand.

Etymology

 * Barabara (バラバラ/ばらばら) is a Japanese onomatopoeia meaning disconnected/disperse/in pieces/asunder. Barabaraninaru (バラバラになる) means "to come/fall apart".
 * More specifically in relation to the fruit's workings, it can also refer to a body in pieces: e.g. barabarajiken (ばらばら事件) meaning "a murder case in which the victim is chopped into pieces".
 * In the VIZ manga, 4Kids, and Funimation dubs, it is called the Chop-Chop Fruit.

Appearance
The Bara Bara no Mi is an oval-shaped purple fruit (orange in the anime) composed of small spherical parts with swirls, and a green leafage sprouting on top of it. It was small enough to be held by one hand. Its overall appearance looks like an oversized raspberry or a miniature pineapple.

Strengths


The fruit's major strength, as demonstrated by Buggy, is that the user becomes permanently immune to damage from being cut or pierced, regardless of what form, including Haki-infused slashes. Instead of the body parts being permanently dismembered from such attacks, the dismembered parts of the user's body fully remain in the direct control of the user. They can then be freely manipulated to either execute unique attacks or reattach them back to the body's remaining portion. In the anime, Buggy has even demonstrated being able to re-constitute himself in a Logia-like manner after getting reduced to fine strips by Dracule Mihawk.

Aside from this passive immunity, the user can also manually split their body apart by themselves without the need of being chopped up by others in the first place. This is a convenient ability during battles since it allows the user to attack through enemy blocking attempts or avoid any incoming moves as long as they see it coming. The user is also able to live without being connected to vital limbs and organs of his body for long periods of time, as evidenced by Buggy's Crew Adventure Chronicles.

Additionally, the levitation effect given by the freeform control of the parts seems to extend to things in contact with the user, allowing them to bypass gravity by lifting objects regardless of how heavy they actually are for as long as Buggy has a firm grip on them. With this aspect of the Fruit's power, Buggy has shown to be able to easily lift individuals much larger (and probably heavier) than himself, such as the Blue Gorillas and Jinbe.

Weaknesses
Though the user is immune to slashing and piercing attacks, they are still susceptible to other forms of engagement, such as blunt attacks like punches and kicks. This can be mitigated by having the attacked body part "fly off" to deflect the force of the attack.

Also, even when a body part is separated, the user can still feel sensations of whatever happens to that part. This can be a major weakness even when the user is split up, as an enemy can do all sorts of things to the other body parts. This includes tickling, pinching, groin kicks, and tying up most of the user's body parts.



The user can only control his separated pieces up to a certain distance. If a part goes any further than a certain distance, the user loses all control of that part. This includes levitation and the user consciously using that body part altogether, though vital functions from that body part continue, as it is shown that one can survive with their abdomen outside of the radius. This distance is a 200 Bara Bara diameter sphere around the point where the person touches the ground. For the user to be able to levitate any of his body parts, his feet must stay on the ground at all times, as they are the only body parts incapable of levitation. This can be rectified a bit if someone else carries their feet, as it serves as a foothold for them to stand on. However, Buggy has been seen running in midair while separated at the waist. Whether or not this is a continuity error is unknown.

Additionally, in Impel Down, Buggy's head was drawn toward his body once his feet left the ground and his body fell down the hole to the second floor, as though his parts are connected by an invisible force. This somewhat conflicts with the mechanisms of his power when his head and body were separated and Luffy blasted his body away, but his head did not follow. This may be because his feet were with his head, not his body, at the time.

Other than that, the user is also affected by the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses.

Usage
Originally, after finding the fruit, Buggy intended to sell it in order to fund his search for an undersea treasure but ended up eating it by accident when Shanks startled him. Since then, Buggy has exploited the fruit's bestowed powers to help him obtain as much treasure as he can.



Buggy has used his fruit's powers for fighting, protecting himself (by either ejecting body parts before enemy impact or picking up other people as meat shields) and punishment towards those who fail or annoy him (usually by using his split-off hand to suffocate or hold them up in front of a cannon shot). By combining his splitting with his penchant for trickery and skill with knives, Buggy can easily catch opponents off-guard in case they attempt to block his moves. Because of this ability automatically triggering when his body is cut by external sources, Buggy is completely fearless towards any and all swordsmen, contrary to his usual cowardice against more powerful enemies. This aspect of his devil fruit means Buggy can sometimes surprise foes who think they may have successfully killed him.



During the aftermath of his defeat at Luffy's hands, Buggy was forced to travel around East Blue in a chibi-like form of sorts, consisting of only his head, hands, and feet, which greatly limited his capabilities. The rest of his body remained motionless until he managed to reunite with his missing parts and become complete once more.

After the timeskip, Buggy is shown using his Devil Fruit powers in conjunction with an oversized cloak to make himself appear much taller and more threatening, likely to better fit his new image as a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and leader of Buggy's Delivery, a strategy that he continued using when he formed the Cross Guild with Crocodile and Mihawk which led to him unwittingly being named one of the Four Emperors.

Buggy can also use this ability to gather intel by splitting off his ear and hiding it on other people.

Techniques
The named techniques that involve the Devil Fruit powers are as follows:




 * Bara Bara Ho (バラバラ砲): Holding a weapon, Buggy shoots his hands at the enemy. This was first seen being used against Zoro after he learned of Buggy's powers. This is called Chop-Chop Harpoon in the VIZ manga and 4Kids dub (and sometimes the Funimation dub) and Chop-Chop Cannon in the Funimation dub (and sometimes the VIZ manga).


 * Chi o Hau Bara Bara Ho (地をはうバラバラ砲): A variation of Buggy's Bara Bara Ho, Buggy shoots his hand across the ground in order to grab an opponent's legs. This was first seen being used against Zoro in an attempt to aid Cabaji's attack. Before it could reach its target, however, it was stopped by Luffy when he stomped on Buggy's hand. This is called Low Flying Chop-Chop Cannon in the VIZ manga and 4Kids dub, and Ground Hugging Chop-Chop Cannon in the Funimation dub.




 * Bara Bara Ho Kirihanashi (バラバラ砲切り離し): A variation of the Bara Bara Ho, Buggy adds 1/3 of his forearm to his fist, so that if the opponent attempts to stop the attack by grabbing the forearm, Buggy can simply detach his fist and continue the attack. Between his fingers, Buggy holds four knives in this attack. This was first seen being used to battle against Luffy. This is called Chop-Chop Harpoon-Separate in the VIZ manga and the 4Kids dub, and Chop-Chop Cannon-Separate in the Funimation dub.


 * Bara Bara Senbei (バラバラせんべい): Buggy first stomps on his shoes to make knives appear out of them before he performs this technique. He then throws his lower half cartwheeling on the ground towards an opponent, though in some forms of media, his whole lower half is able to actually levitate for a set amount of time. This was first seen being used against Luffy. This is called Chop-Chop Buzzsaw in the VIZ manga and 4Kids dub (and sometimes the Funimation dub), and called Chop-Chop Rice Cracker in the Funimation dub.


 * Bara Bara Kinkyu Dasshutsu (バラバラ緊急脱出): When there is an incoming attack aimed at his head, Buggy quickly separates his head from the rest of his body to avoid harm. This was first seen being used to escape from one of Luffy's attacks. This is called Chop-Chop Quick Escape in the VIZ manga and the Funimation and 4Kids dubs. It was at one point called Chop-Chop Quick Dodge in the VIZ manga and is later called Chop-Chop Emergency Escape in the Funimation dub.


 * Bara Bara Festival (バラバラフェスティバル): Buggy's ultimate attack, he separates all his body parts into tiny chunks and spins them around. Then he can either surround his enemy to block their escape, or pummel his enemy with his body parts at intense speeds. This attack also makes it difficult to hit Buggy while he is using it, however his feet remain on the ground during this move, leaving them open for attack. This was first seen being used to attack Nami for stealing his loot. This is called Chop-Chop Festival in the VIZ manga, 4Kids, and Funimation dubs.




 * Bara Bara Car (バラバラカー): Buggy uses a set of wheels and a bomb for a motor and uses his powers to reconfigure himself into become a small car for quick getaways. Buggy seems to be able to go about as fast as Alvida's Sube Sube Spur. This was first seen being used to chase after Luffy in Loguetown. This is called Chop-Chop Car in the VIZ manga and Chop-Chop Buggy in the 4Kids and Funimation dubs.


 * Kuchu Kirimomi Dai Circus (空中錐揉み大サーカス): Buggy detaches his hands and grabs onto an opponent with them before lifting them high into the air. He then turns them so that they are facing the ground before sending his hands flying in a corkscrew pattern back down to earth, throwing them on the ground with high impact. This was first seen being used against a Blue Gorilla in Impel Down. In the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Aerial Tailspin Big Top.

Non-Canon Techniques
During the battle between Buggy and the Kumate Tribe, the anime expanded the battle, and Buggy revealed several anime-exclusive techniques against them.


 * Bara Bara Hade ni Gattai (バラバラ派手に合体): A "flashier" attempt at recalling all his body parts, Buggy starts to chant "Bara Bara" ("Chop Chop" in the Funimation dub) endlessly while performing this move. The way that Buggy reassembles himself in this technique resembles the lengthy mecha combining sequences commonly found in Super Sentai series. This was first seen in the anime adaption of Buggy's Cover Story, where it was apparently used to escape from the Kumate Tribe. In the Funimation dub, this is called Chop-Chop Flashy Reassemble.


 * Bara Bara Kick (バラバラキック): Buggy detaches his lower half and simply kicks at the opponents. This was first seen being used against the Kumate Tribe in the anime adaption of Buggy's Cover Story. In the Funimation dub, this attack is called Chop-Chop Kick.


 * Bara Bara Punch (バラバラパンチ): Buggy detaches his fist and punches the opponent. This was first seen being used against the Kumate Tribe in the anime adaption of Buggy's Cover Story. This is called Chop-Chop Punch in the Funimation dub.


 * Bara Bara Carnival (バラバラカー二バル): Buggy detaches his upper half and clasps both hands together, then slams them down onto the opponent's neck. This was first seen being used against the Kumate Tribe in the anime adaption of Buggy's Cover Story. This technique is called Chop-Chop Carnival in the Funimation dub.

Past


At least 27 years ago, when Buggy was a pirate apprentice of the Roger Pirates, the crew came across the Bara Bara no Mi. Shanks told Buggy about Devil Fruits, how they granted superpowers in exchange for the user's ability to swim. Buggy, having recently taken a treasure map from another pirate ship that showed treasure at the bottom of the sea, showed no interest in eating one, but Shanks then informed him that they could sell for 100,000,000. Hearing this, Buggy took the Bara Bara no Mi and made a fake fruit resembling it, and consumed the fake before the entire crew. Later, in one of the ship's life boats, he gloated to himself about his plan: selling the fruit for enough money to go after the treasure. Shanks then appeared, startling Buggy, who hid the fruit in his mouth to avoid Shanks seeing it. He expressed relief before Shanks immediately came back and startled him again, making him accidentally swallow the fruit whole. Realizing what had happened, Buggy raged at Shanks, only to be horrified when the latter pointed out his treasure map falling into the ocean. He dove in to retrieve it, only to find that he was unable to move beneath the ocean's surface due to his Devil Fruit. He was saved thanks to Shanks diving in and getting him back on board. From thereon, Buggy decided that if he couldn't get the treasure under the sea, he would use his new powers to gather all the treasure on land instead. Even so, when he reunited with Shanks years later during the Summit War of Marineford, he commented that he still holds a grudge against his fellow pirate for indirectly causing him to lose out on the fortune that selling the fruit would have brought him.

Trivia

 * A fan asked Oda if Buggy's penis can split off and fly, which Oda confirmed.
 * According to Oda in response to a fan, if he made Buggy actually bleed while splitting apart, he would be too scary looking with all the blood gushing out everywhere.
 * Oda claimed early on in the manga's publishing that if he could eat any Devil Fruit, it would be the Bara Bara no Mi. However, during a later SBS when a fan asked what Devil Fruit Oda would want to eat, then suggested that it was the Suke Suke no Mi, Oda said he was right.
 * According to Oda, Buggy is immune to Donquixote Doflamingo's Torikago, as he can easily use his powers to slip past the slicing threads to escape unharmed.
 * When the Bara Bara no Mi's power is first demonstrated on one of Buggy's men, it gave the illusion that it essentially allowed the user to telekinetically strangle people, only to be revealed later that it was due to Buggy detaching his hand and then grabbing his target by the throat.
 * In the manga, the person covered his neck so the hand could not be seen. In the anime, however, it showed that some invisible force was holding his throat and lifting him off the ground, leading to confusion among viewers.
 * The Bara Bara no Mi can be considered the opposite of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. While Luffy is immune to blunt attacks (unless imbued with Busoshoku Haki in Luffy's case), Buggy is immune to slicing attacks.
 * This is also true for the Beri Beri no Mi, which can also split its user, Very Good, into several floating parts when hit by a blunt attack.
 * Furthermore, the Ope Ope no Mi can be considered an inversion of this fruit, as it can divide other people while the Bara Bara no Mi divides the user; however, Law has been seen using his fruit's power to remove his own heart whereas Buggy's split-off limbs are still vulnerable to damage.
 * A plushie was made of Buggy in his Bara Bara Car form.
 * Given that the Gomu Gomu no Mi was once a Mythical Zoan before being reclassified as a Paramecia, this technically makes the Bara Bara no Mi the first genuine Paramecia-type Devil Fruit introduced in the series.
 * The fruit inspired the official name of baramicin, a gene found in fruit flies that encodes a protein that splits into multiple parts.
 * The Bara Bara no Mi's capabilities, much like the Gomu Gomu no Mi, was altered in the the live action series version. While the user remains immune to being sliced apart, blunt attacks now have little effect as when struck they only serve to separate the struck section instead of causing pain; it also appears that the distance in which body parts can be controlled have been increased, and their feet don't need to remain on the ground to remain afloat, too.
 * New weaknesses have been added as when a section of the user's body is placed inside an enclosed crate they lose control of that part until it gets opened. It also appears that the user can only keep themselves segmented for a certain period of time before the remaining parts try and forcefully reform themselves.

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