A soul (魂, tamashii?) is the immaterial life essence of a person. Within the world of One Piece, the existence of souls is a proven scientific fact and observable phenomenon, particularly through the influence of Devil Fruit abilities.
Overview[]
People—humans and other humanoid races—are confirmed to possess souls. A soul is homologous to a person's lifespan (寿命, jumyō?), and partial loss of soul (and thus lifespan) can be survived at the cost of a shortened life.[1] Upon death, a soul travels to the "land of the dead" (黄泉の国, yomi no kuni?, also translated as "underworld" and "afterlife").[2]
The appearance of Lao G's soul, escaping from his body.
Although a soul is normally invisible, it may be made visible through a Devil Fruit ability. When visible, a soul typically appears as a smoky wisp of varying color (from green to blue, to whitish-purple) or may match the physical characteristics of its owner. A soul may also come with additional will-o'-the-wisps surrounding it,[3] or even a halo over its head. In at least one known instance, a soul has appeared visible to others without the influence of a Devil Fruit power, that being Lao G's soul when it nearly departed to the afterlife in the middle of battle, due to his advanced age.[4]
A scholar in the West Blue has measured that people lose 21 grams upon death, supposedly making this the weight of a human soul.[5]
Devil Fruit Abilities[]
There are two Devil Fruits in particular whose powers are known to influence souls: the Yomi Yomi no Mi and the Soru Soru no Mi.
Brook's soul returns from the land of the dead.
The Yomi Yomi no Mi allows for the ability user's own soul to return from the land of the dead post-mortem and re-possess their body, bringing the user back to life.[2] In addition, the user's soul is imbued with a powerful energy to allow it to exist in the world of the living regardless of the body's condition after death, lets the user temporarily separate their soul from their body akin to astral projection, and influence other people's souls slightly via music. Thanks to a seemingly continuing connection to the land of the dead, the user's soul can also emit a coldness intense enough to freeze, referred to as the Chill of the Underworld (黄泉の冷気, Yomi no Reiki?).[6]
Big Mom's Devil Fruit gives her the ability to directly interact with, and extract, souls.
The Soru Soru no Mi grants the ability to manipulate souls, whether it be the user's own or those of other people. The user can remove a person's soul from their body, either fully or in part, if they are afraid of death (by speaking to the human soul's attachment to life),[7] with partly removed soul being measured in years of lifespan. The soul can then be inserted into inanimate objects or animals, making them anthropomorphic beings known as Homies.[1]
The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.
Fire Float[]
The Fire Float (流し火, Nagashi Hi?) is a ritual performed on the anniversary of somebody's death. It is believed that it guides the deceased's soul back to the underworld. The ritual consists of crafting small boats made of bamboo leaves, lighting a candle in them, and setting them afloat in a river. If the boats capsize, it is believed that the deceased's soul will wander aimlessly for a year.
It is unknown how widespread this ritual is, but it is at least performed in Shimotsuki Village.[8]
The ritual appears to be based on the real-world Tōrō Nagashi, a similar ritual performed at the Obon festival.
Concludes non-canon section.
Trivia[]
- A soul's weight being 21 grams is a reference to a 1907 study by Duncan MacDougall called the 21 grams experiment. In real life, this study is considered pseudoscience.
- A shadow is said to be like "another soul" that stays with a person from life to death. When manipulated through power of the Kage Kage no Mi, a shadow separated from its owner will retain the individual's personality and skills.[9]
- Among the Ope Ope no Mi's abilities is the "transplanting" of personalities, which may in fact constitute a swapping of souls (though it has not been explicitly confirmed as such).[10]
- At one point during the Raid on Onigashima, Roronoa Zoro is mysteriously confronted by a figure resembling the Grim Reaper.[11] While the exact nature of this encounter has yet to be explained, this entity, if indeed real, would further corroborate the existence of souls, as its primary purpose in real-world mythology is to collect souls as a psychopomp.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 83 Chapter 835 (p. 15-16) and Episode 796, Pound names and explains the powers of the Soru Soru no Mi.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 46 Chapter 443 (p. 7) and Episode 338, Brook's Devil Fruit's name is revealed.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 64 Chapter 629 (p. 18) and Episode 549.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 77 Chapter 771 (p. 7-8) and Episode 710.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1072 (p. 9) and Episode 1104, Vegapunk mentions the weight of a soul.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 643 (p. 7-9) and Episode 565, Brook explains the true extent of the fruit's ability.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 86 Chapter 863 (p. 7) and Episode 833.
- ↑ One Piece Novel — ZORO Chapter 1.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 47 Chapter 455 (p. 6-9) and Episode 349, Brook reveals the name of Moria's fruit and explains how it works.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 76 Chapter 761 (p. 8) and Episode 700, Doflamingo explains the Ope Ope no Mi's "Personality Transplant Surgery".
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 103 Chapter 1038 (p. 5).
External links[]
- Soul – Wikipedia article on souls as a religio-philosophical concept.
- Life expectancy – Wikipedia article about (average) lifespans.
[]
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||