One Piece: Exploring Whether Yamato is an Awakened User of Devil Fruits

Yamato made their debut in the One Piece series during the Wano Arc, quickly garnering a fanbase within Eiichiro Oda’s revered pirate saga. Joining forces with Luffy and his crew during the Onigashima siege against Kaido, Yamato was motivated by a desire to honor the legacy of Oden.

Demonstrating exceptional combat abilities, it’s understandable considering Yamato’s lineage as the offspring of Kaido, famously dubbed the “World’s Strongest Creature.”Possessing mastery over all three forms of Haki, including the rare and illustrious Conqueror’s Haki, Yamato stands out as one of the select characters within the One Piece universe wielding this extraordinary ability.

Additionally, as a user of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit known as the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi no Makami, Yamato can morph into a divine wolf, endowed with otherworldly powers and enhanced physical prowess. The One Piece community has long speculated whether Yamato has awakened their Devil Fruit, a discussion reignited by intriguing revelations from the latest One Piece SBS.

One Piece Leaves Yamato’s Devil Fruit Awakening Ambiguous

The Enigmatic Steam

Lucci and Luffy's Awakened forms (Image via Toei Animation) — Lucci and Luffy’s Awakened forms (Image via Toei Animation)

Devil Fruit Awakening represents a heightened level of skill that enables characters in One Piece to unlock the full capabilities of their Devil Fruits, gaining new and superior powers. Achieving this state is no small feat, as only a handful of characters have been confirmed as possessing awakened abilities.

Information surrounding this unique power remains sparse. Particularly in the context of Zoan Devil Fruits, which allow transformations into animals or hybrid forms, many fans theorize that awakened users exhibit a distinct thin cloud of steam swirling around them, resembling a ring or scarf.

While Eiichiro Oda hasn’t explicitly linked this steam phenomenon to Devil Fruit Awakening, the notion has gained traction in fandom discussions, especially since many confirmed Awakened Zoan users display this characteristic.

Yamato's Devil Fruit transformation (Image via Toei Animation) — Yamato’s Devil Fruit transformation (Image via Toei Animation)

Characters like Kaku and Rob Lucci are enveloped in dark steam, while Gear 5 Luffy appears encircled by white steam. This might suggest that the steam’s color differentiates “evil”from “good”Awakened Zoan users. The Five Elders, in their devilish transformations, are also shrouded in rings of dark steam.

This supports the theory, painting the Five Elders as embodiments of malevolence. Conversely, when Yamato transforms into the hybrid form of Okuchi no Makami, they are surrounded by white steam, leading many fans to speculate about Yamato’s potential as an Awakened user. However, the situation may be more intricate than it seems.

Yamato’s Initial Devil Fruit Transformation

Interestingly, Yamato retains the presence of the white steam cloud even when solely in animal form, while Luffy, Lucci, and others only exhibit this during their hybrid transformations. This raises the possibility that, for Yamato, the steam is merely a byproduct of the Okuchi no Makami’s Mythical Zoan attributes.

Furthermore, Luffy showcased this steam phenomenon even prior to achieving Awakening through his Gear 5 evolution; his earlier Gear 4 form already featured an enigmatic cloud of white steam. The ongoing debate was further fueled when Oda revealed what Yamato’s Devil Fruit transformation looked like during their childhood.

In a recent SBS Q&A, Oda depicted Yamato’s full animal and hybrid forms as an 8-year-old. Remarkably, Yamato had consumed the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi no Makami years before the events currently recounted in One Piece.

Yamato as a child (Image via Toei Animation)

Contrast this with Yamato’s adult transformations, and it’s apparent that the child version lacks certain adult traits like sharp claws and fangs, albeit still showing evidence of that white steam. This may arguably contradict the idea of Yamato being an Awakened user, as it seems unlikely a child could attain such mastery. However, the conclusion on this matter remains open-ended.

Achieving Devil Fruit Awakening requires aligning one’s mental and physical capabilities with the fruit’s full potential, a tall order indeed. Thus, it seems implausible that a child could immediately reach the Awakened stage of a Devil Fruit they just acquired, especially when seasoned vigilantes have struggled to achieve this status.

That being said, it’s essential to note that while Devil Fruit Awakening remains rare, no timeframe for achieving it has been established. Potential is a significant factor, and Yamato’s inherent ability as a Conqueror’s Haki user—exhibiting this skill even in unconscious states at the tender age of eight—highlights that potential.

Devil Fruit Awakening is particularly rare (Image via Shueisha)

Despite Yamato’s youth, it is believed that Devil Fruits embody the aspirations of individuals. Hence, Yamato is ideally suited to connect with the essence of Okuchi no Makami’s Mythical Zoan, which transforms the user into Wano’s guardian spirit. Yamato’s lifelong commitment has been to protect Wano, echoing the noble intentions of Kozuki Oden.

From an early age, Yamato displayed genuine determination to safeguard Wano like Oden. However, while having the right mindset for transforming this Devil Fruit, the physical aspect is equally critical for achieving Awakening. Unfortunately, an 8-year-old’s physique may not suffice for such feats.

Interestingly, Luffy’s Devil Fruit evolution occurred post a life-threatening experience, and it’s reasonable to infer that Lucci and Kaku experienced similar trials during their CP0 training. Yamato has also encountered peril; there were occasions when Kaido’s torment nearly led to Yamato’s demise. Whether this was sufficient for a child to be primed for Devil Fruit Awakening remains uncertain but cannot be dismissed entirely.

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