Ito Ito no Mi

The Ito Ito no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to create and manipulate strings, making the user a String Human (糸人間). It was eaten by the former Warlord of the Sea Donquixote Doflamingo.

Its power was first seen in the Jaya Arc and then several times afterward, but not named or explained in any way until the Dressrosa Arc.

Etymology

 * Ito (糸) means "string" or "thread" in Japanese.
 * In the Funimation adaptations, it is called the String-String Fruit.

Appearance
The Ito Ito no Mi is a gourd-shaped, pale lilac-colored fruit with the swirl pattern typical of Devil Fruits embedded all over it and a curly, fuchsia stem on its top.

Strengths


The user is bestowed with the power to generate and control white, wafer-thin, razor sharp strings attachable to seemingly any surface (even non-solid targets such as clouds) from seemingly any part of the user's own body (even the innards), though mostly seen protruding from the palms and fingertips, for many diverse purposes, such as manipulating people's movements in a way reminiscent of how puppeteers control puppets by connecting the strings to their spines, swiping the strings to slice through things like body parts and weapons similar to piano wire or monomolecular wire, attaching them to clouds for aerial transportation, and creating masses of bundled-up, compressed strings for various constructs such as ropes usable as whips, bullets, clones, a humongous cage-like force field or a massive spider web defense. Generally, it is unknown if there is a limit to the length and quantity of the strings producible.

Doflamingo himself called his Devil Fruit powers versatile when explaining his ability to perform an emergency stitching of his internal organs after getting them heavily injured by Trafalgar D. Water Law's Gamma Knife, thus rescuing himself from an eventual death. Apart from that, the strings can be imbued with Busoshoku Haki, increasing their strength and allowing them to bypass Devil Fruit-based defenses, such as Smoker's Moku Moku no Mi's intangibility.



The strings possess such enormous durability and tensile strength that extremely few things and people can cut, tear or otherwise damage them; not even multiple of Issho's meteorites coming crashing down one after the next damaged the strings that formed the bars of a Torikago in the slightest, not even burning them, instead being carved up; However, it is possible to overpower the bodily control of Parasite, as shown when Monkey D. Luffy managed to do so by activating Gear Fourth, causing the parasitic strings to snap off his body in a way that made it unclear if they took damage from that; in the anime, Luffy's various Gear Fourth attacks were also potent enough to swiftly disperse the strings, such as those of Goshikito and even of Overheat.

At the same time, the strings' thinness makes it almost impossible to see them with the unaided eye, making it extremely difficult to avoid their path; most people who do not know of Doflamingo's power become completely unaware of how their bodies are moving against their will. The sharpness of the Ito Ito no Mi's strings is such that Doflamingo can cut through the flesh and bone of a giant as huge as Little Oars Jr., firearms, the back of Bobby Funk (even a Busoshoku Haki-infused Axe simply broke when swung against Bobby's back), and reinforced concrete with ease, all seemingly without being enhanced with Busoshoku Haki.

Additionally, if "awoken", the Ito Ito no Mi's power also allows the consumer to transmute parts of the surrounding area, like the ground and buildings, into strings as well, something which, according to Luffy, makes it no longer resemble the powers of a "mere" Paramecia.

Weaknesses
As stated by Law, one of this ability's weaknesses is that the user cannot travel mid-air (with what Doflamingo dubbed Sora no Michi) when there are no clouds in the sky. Also, the strings seem to be incapable of cutting Seastone (a nigh indestructible material that nullifies Devil Fruit powers). Busoshoku Haki also helps others with preventing the strings from cutting, as seen when Roronoa Zoro, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Issho managed to use their Haki on their weapons and attempt to push back Doflamingo's Torikago without them taking damage. Also, the strings will disappear into thin air if the user loses consciousness, as seen when the Torikago surrounding Dressrosa gradually vanished after Luffy had defeated Doflamingo. Besides that, the user is still affected by the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses.

Usage


Doflamingo usually bends his fingers to move his strings as he pleases for manipulating people like puppets, having even shown himself capable of using Parasite to control many dozen people at the same time without visible effort, or slicing his targets.

Doflamingo mainly uses this motor-skill manipulation power to force comrades among enemies or civilians to fight and even kill each other, while himself sitting at the sidelines and watching to his amusement. When faced with multiple opponents, he may use his string clones in addition to his puppets, using both against a single opponent to create a 2-vs.-1 situation or make them fight alongside him for combo potential.

Doflamingo's main offensive capabilities lies in his use of the strings to cut his targets and destroy their weapons, to the point where he managed to cleanly sever Little Oars Jr.'s right leg in one swift motion and decapitate Crocodile, someone with immensely trained reflexes (though Crocodile might have not evaded on purpose due to his Logia powers, which protected him from harm). Later, Doflamingo was shown to be well capable of cutting a Logia type by brutally injuring Smoker with Goshikito by infusing his strings with Haki. When Issho brought down a meteorite on Green Bit, Doflamingo crossed his strings to form a net, slicing half of the rock into cubic pieces to protect himself. Additionally, he can compress the strings to create such constructs as a giant whip or even a clone of himself, capable of fighting alongside him, moving its mouth and transmitting his voice to appear to be talking and unraveling for Torikago, his ultimate technique.

Aside from offense and defense, Doflamingo can also use his strings to stitch together his internal organs if they are damaged, acting as a form of first aid.

Awakening
Doflamingo has completely mastered his powers of the Ito Ito no Mi and has thus managed to achieve the rare phenomenon of "awakening". This allows him to transform the ground and buildings around him into strings for him to use in for his attacks and defense, extending his range and attack volume.

When utilizing awakening, Doflamingo tends to stay on the ground, shaping his strings into sharp, attacking tentacles and then unleashing them down on targets. Awakened strings can also be infused with Busoshoku Haki, granting Doflamingo extra offensive power.

Techniques



 * Parasite: Doflamingo attaches his strings onto his targets' spine at the base of the neck and manipulates their movements like marionettes; usually, only single strings seem to attach to them, at least when more than one is targeted. The controlled can still control their head, but everything below the neck is manipulated by Doflamingo, as seen when the controlled are still able to talk and make their own facial expressions, which contradicts their forced actions. Although Doflamingo is commonly seen moving his fingers in a similar manner to how a marionettist manipulates a marionette while controlling people (it visually mimics the marionette cross with a few alterations (both middle and pinky fingers are extended while the index and the ring finger are curved back at the upper digits while the thumb sticks out)), it does not seem to be necessary, due to the fact that he can control many individuals at the same time (which also makes it seem that Doflamingo does not have to concentrate on the control(s) at all) and, in the anime, he was able to control with both hands in his pockets. While just barely visible, the strings used with this technique are so strong that they can completely and instantly disable the likes of the physically extremely strong "Diamond" Jozu and Sanji, even keeping his victims trapped floating mid-air, and none of his shown victims were able to resist at all. That was until Luffy managed to break free from the control by getting the strings to snap off his body by the sheer brute strength of his Gear Fourth being activated (interestingly, in Luffy's case, more strings were attached). The technique was first seen used to force Vice Admiral Mozambia to attack Vice Admiral Stainless during the Jaya Arc, and its name was revealed during the Dressrosa Arc in the flashback during Doflamingo's takeover of Dressrosa eight years before the start of the series, when he demonstrated the ability to take control of King Riku and many of his soldiers at the same time from far away. In the Funimation adaptations, the technique is called Parasite String. This attack was incorrectly named Marionette (マリオネット) in One Py Berry Match and One Piece: Burning Blood.


 * This technique can be enhanced when used in combination with the Torikago, to the point that those "marionette" strings can spread all across the entirety of Dressrosa in the cage's confines and control an extremely large number of people simultaneously without any apparent strain on Doflamingo, causing extreme mayhem.




 * Sora no Michi (空の道): Doflamingo attaches his strings to clouds, allowing him to move through the air. He was first seen using the technique to travel from Dressrosa to Punk Hazard, but there were not enough clouds for him to be able to complete the journey. When Doflamingo was attacking the Straw Hats and Law at Green Bit, Law instructed the Straw Hats to sail along a route without any clouds, as doing so would prevent Doflamingo from pursuing them.




 * Goshikito: Doflamingo swipes his hand to slash his target with five strings coming out from his fingers. In the anime, the strings initially appear to be of a mere spider web white color, although a shimmering of colors within each string can be seen; this is changed later on, making each string one solid distinct color: red, yellow, green, blue and purple. Also, when Issho brought down a meteor, Doflamingo used a similar technique by crossing two Goshikito together to form a net-formation, though smaller in comparison and, unlike Kumo no Sugaki, able to slice through matter. It was first clearly shown being used against the G-5 Marines on Punk Hazard during their short confrontation and named when Doflamingo used it against Sanji during the Dressrosa Arc.The name of this attack comes from the color change strings display when reflecting light. In the Viz Manga, it is called Penta-Chromatic String. In the Funimation adaptations, it is called Pentachromatic Strings.




 * Overheat: Doflamingo shoots a thick rope made of condensed strings from his palm and whips it at the target. Overheat's range can go from the sky of Green Bit all the way to Dressrosa, a distance of many kilometers, and is strong enough to cut through a building at that range. It was first seen being used in his fight against Sanji in an attempt to finish him off. The anime has an added effect of the whip, exuding high amounts of heat, causing it to glow a fiery orange and steam. In the Funimation subs, the first time it was used, it was called Overheat, but the second time (in the same episode) it was called Excess Whip String. Going forward, the former name is exclusively used. The Funimation dub exclusively uses the first name. In the video game One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, Doflamingo stretches the rope far back, then slams it onto the ground causing a powerful explosion upon impact (but not before binding up his foes first with Parasite); the rope can be fired at tremendous speed and with no obvious warning.


 * Tamaito: Doflamingo points at his opponent with his index finger and fires a small bundle of strings from it, as if he were firing a gun; he can shoot multiple rounds from both hands simultaneously. It was first seen being used in the fight against Law on the iron bridge. It was used earlier in the anime, when Doflamingo was chasing Law on Green Bit. The attack's power and effect are similar to Shigan, but it has the advantage of the longer range of a normal gun.




 * Black Knight: Doflamingo forms a clone of himself made entirely out of compressed strings. The technique was used to survive Kyros' attempted decapitation, with Viola remarking that she had never seen it before herself, suggesting that it is rarely used given her ability to see everything going on in Dressrosa. Doflamingo has shown great skill in manipulating his clone to orchestrate combined attacks with his real body, such as a double Goshikito or unravel it for use of Torikago. Apparently, the clone is very physically strong, able to simply swat a Jet Pistol from Luffy. Finally, since the clone consists entirely of strings, it does not feel pain and nor does it carry physical pain back to Doflamingo, unlike other devil fruit copies. Viola called the clone Marionette, Law similarly referred to it as a "string puppet", Trebol referred to it as Ito Joker (糸ジョーカー) when he asked Doflamingo where it had flown off to after one of them confronted Luffy and Law, and the technique was formally named when the real Doflamingo created a clone in his battle against Law and Luffy. In the anime, during Doflamingo's final battle against Law and Luffy, the clone glows sky blue to violet and the strings are visible as white flashes to distinguish it from the real thing. In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, the clones have strings attached to them (like an actual marionette) which serves as a visual cue allowing the player to tell the difference between the Black Knight string clones and the real Doflamingo. In One Piece: Burning Blood, it appears under the name Tread Clone.




 * Torikago (鳥カゴ): Doflamingo's ultimate technique. He exudes immense amounts of strings from the center of a palm or a previously created string construct like a string clone, unravelling it, which shoot high into the sky as a concentrated beam. When high enough, they diverge to rain down to all sides in an umbrella-like fashion to cover a large area, even the whole of Dressrosa, creating a gargantuan, razor-sharp wire-domed force field, slicing absolutely everything that passes through it, from cutting physical things to even severing such immaterial things as the signals of Den Den Mushi to the outside. The singular bars are incredibly strong, with even multiple mountain-sized meteorites being unable to dent them, let alone breach through them. The Torikago will remain standing as long as Doflamingo is conscious and, should he desire, he can cause the cage to slowly but surely close in, eventually cutting anything inside apart, as when he desired for the "endgame" after his entire crew (sans Trebol and himself) were defeated; Doflamingo can freely control the shrinking rate. The cage does not contract towards its original center point: instead, it slowly converges on Doflamingo's position as it shrinks. With enough physical force, the Torikago's advancement can be halted for a brief duration. Logically, one can also escape the Torikago if one is immune to cutting damage, as Buggy would be able to do so via his Bara Bara no Mi powers. Generally, the Torikago is Doflamingo's last resort for any desperate situation where he cannot allow anyone in the area to escape, such as when he prevented his brother from escaping from him with the Ope Ope no Mi by covering a portion of Swallow Island (unaware at the time that it was already eaten by Law) more than a decade before the start of the series, or in the event that, during the Dressrosa Arc's midpoint, Sugar fainted, the effects of the Hobi Hobi no Mi on Dressrosa's citizens were cancelled and the reconverted people rebelled, so that he could kill everyone so no one would reveal the country's dark secrets. In the Funimation adaptation, it is called Birdcage.


 * Fulbright: Doflamingo creates five detached strings from his hand and throws them downwards to impale his target from above. This attack was first used against Law in their second encounter at Dressrosa's royal palace. In the anime, a similar unnamed attack was used against Law during their battle at the bridge.




 * Kumo no Sugaki (蜘蛛の巣がき): A defensive technique. As the name implies, Doflamingo creates a huge web made of string that protects him from incoming projectiles. This was first used to block a massive piece of the Dressrosa Royal Palace, thrown at him by Law's powers during their final fight. In the anime, he can layer them on top of one another and they can easily withstand Busoshoku Haki-enhanced Gear Second and Gear Third techniques while merely being pushed back, rather than being damaged in any way. In the Funimation dub, it's called Spider Web.




 * Itonoko (糸ノコ): Doflamingo creates a string from the heel of his foot and attaches the other end to his leg. Holding the opponent down with his arms, he then uses the taut string as a saw to sever the opponent's limb. The produced cut is rather jagged, making it very hard to reattach any severed limbs. This was first seen used to cut off Law's right arm in their second encounter, and named by Trebol. This attack gets its name from the real world cutting tool called the fretsaw, which consists of a metal frame and a thin blade held under tension. In the Funimation subs, this technique is called the String Saw. In the Funimation dub, it's called the Leg Saw.


 * Shufuku Sagyo (修復作業): Doflamingo uses his strings to stitch together his internal organs have they been injured, acting as a rudimentary form of first aid; however, this is only a temporary measure as this does not heal him, just minimizes further damages (this was evidenced during the final stage of his battle with Luffy, when Doflamingo was still suffering some pain of Law's Gamma Knife time after). It was first used to treat the devastating effects of Law's Gamma Knife. The anime depicted the necessity for Doflamingo to repeatedly renew the strings for the recuperation to last, being shown to repeatedly touch his stomach with his open palm to do so.


 * Athlete: Doflamingo attaches several long strings to his foot and kicks his opponents, cutting them. This was first seen used against Luffy in their final fight, who, despite blocking the blow with his arms while also using Busoshoku Haki, still took damage and fell into Trebol's trap.

Awakened Techniques

 * Break White: Doflamingo creates two large, thick sheets of string that wrap around his opponent and crush them. This was first used during Doflamingo's fight against Law and Luffy, to attack Luffy in mid-air, but Luffy managed to avoid it, although in the anime it demonstrated some sentience as it continued to attack Luffy after it missed him the first time.




 * Off White: Doflamingo creates two large masses of strings from the ground near him before swiping at an opponent with them. This was first used to counter Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Double Culverin in their final fight. In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, Doflamingo uses this technique to defend against Luffy and Sabo's Gomu Gomu no Heat Magnum, however the attack manages to burn through the strings.


 * Billow White: Doflamingo turns several buildings into towering masses of strings before sending them at an opponent. This was first used against Luffy in their final fight.


 * Ever White: Doflamingo kneels and touches the ground with his hands before turning a vast amount of the surrounding area into string. This was first used against Luffy in their final fight. The literal kanji reading is "Unabara Shiranami"; "shiranami" (lit. white wave) is not only a term for a whitecap/white-crested wave, but also a term for a thief. This is Doflamingo's only technique with the "-ito" suffix that does not contain the kanji for string/thread.




 * Flap Thread: Doflamingo condenses the vast amount of string from Ever White into countless points infused with Busoshoku Haki, which he refers to as a "Thousand Arrows" (千本の矢), before sending them at his opponent in the formation of two wings. It is possibly a homage to his childhood while he was being tortured as someone wanted to fire a thousand arrows at Doflamingo and his family. This was first used against Luffy in their final fight.


 * God Thread: Doflamingo summons sixteen thick, Busoshoku Haki-infused bundles of string that form sharp points, which he refers to as "Sixteen Holy Assassin's Bullets" (16発の聖なる凶弾), and sends them at his opponent in a piercing formation. It is possibly a homage to his childhood while he was being tortured as a father cried out that the Celestial Dragons shot his son sixteen times with a pistol; Doflamingo's cruel way to mock said father, as well as showing how much he desperately wants to regain his title as a World Noble. This was first used against Luffy at the end of their final fight, but was broken through by his King Kong Gun. In the anime, this attack, enhanced by Busoshoku, was able to pierce into Luffy's King Kong Gun, slightly, but was incapable of stopping it. In One Piece: Burning Blood, it appears as Doflamingo's Ultimate Attack and after God Thread skewers the opponent the threads explode outward.

History


When Doflamingo was ten years old, he awakened his Haoshoku Haki, knocking out a mob set out to torture him. Four young people—Vergo, Trebol, Diamante, and Pica—who would be the future elite officers of Doflamingo's crew, became awed by the rise of one who they deemed worthy to be their new king. Trebol offered Doflamingo power to be their king and to kill everyone who offended him, which took the form of the Ito Ito no Mi and an obsidian black pistol with luxurious gold plating (an ordinary pistol in the anime).

Trivia

 * Several of the named techniques are puns, ending with "ito" (string/thread) in the Japanese pronunciation.
 * In One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World, Donquixote Doflamingo is considered a Paramecia Devil Fruit user. This was long before his powers were revealed to be from the Ito Ito no Mi.
 * This is the first Paramecia Devil Fruit revealed to be awakened.
 * The Ito Ito no Mi is similar to Leo's Nui Nui no Mi, as they both revolve around using threads, albeit on a truly massive scale.
 * In the anime, the Awakened techniques display a pink or purple aura around the strings. The same goes for the Black Knight technique.

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