This groups' Devil Fruits in One Piece may be inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Stands
One Piece inspirations from other media are no surprise to anyone, given how many theories have surfaced on the internet. Be it the inspiration from old-school anime or from modern-day, Eiichiro Oda might have a full library through which he builds the world of his magnum opus. One such inspiration might be from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and it might concern the powers of the Holy Knights.
The Stand of Mannish Boy might inspire Saint Killingham's nightmare-creating powers. Similar would be the case for Sommer's thorn ability, inspired by Joestar's Stand; Shamrock, inspired by Iggy's Stand; and lastly, Gunko's ability, inspired by Joetaro's Stand. The source of all these stands might be a perfect inspiration for the true nature of the devil fruits.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga series and has the author's opinion.
One Piece: Exploring Jojo's Bizarre Adventure as the inspiration behind the Holy Knights' powers
The unveiling of the Holy Knights started with the commencement of One Piece's Elbaph Arc. Not only did the designs of these individuals showcase their authority, but they also defined their aura. Similar to the Holy Knights' appearances were their overpowered devil fruit abilities.
An interesting thing about the devil fruit abilities of these World Government agents was their resemblance to other media, which makes a lot of sense. So, let's explore the devil fruit abilities of One Piece's Holy Knights as inspired by Hirohiko Araki's magnum opus, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
The main power-scaling on which Jojo's Bizarre Adventure relies is the Stands, a superhuman ability manifested through a user's spiritual energy. The Stands were initially introduced through 'Bow and Arrow,' an unusual meteorite that was present on Earth in its dormant stage.
After years of research, scientists discovered that this meteorite could manifest supernatural abilities in selected individuals. Similar to the Stands are devil fruits, manifested randomly in the world, hiding inside some supernatural abilities. The newly introduced Holy Knights might have similar abilities to some Stands when discussing their devil fruit powers.
Saint Killingham's Dragon-Dragon devil fruit ability allows him to bring monsters from anyone's nightmares into reality. This ability might be inspired by Mannish Boy's Death 13 Stand, which could control anyone's dream world. Moreover, just like Killingham's ability, Death 13 requires its user to be asleep in order for the ability to work.
Saint Sommers' Thorn-Thorn devil fruit allows him to manifest invisible thorns around anyone. This ability might be inspired by Joseph Joestar's Hermit Purple Stand, which could entangle any opponent inside purple. Moreover, just like Sommers' devil fruit ability, Hermit Purple (or any other stand) isn't visible to the naked eye.
The mythical devil fruit of Shamrock's Cerberus sword allows it to summon a three-headed Cerberus (mythical creature) at will. This might be inspired by Iggy's The Fool Stand, which could summon a large dog-like being from sand anywhere in the world.
Lastly, Gunko's Arrow-Arrow devil fruit allows her to create bandage-like arrows and shoot them at point-blank range. This might be inspired by Jotaro Kujo's Star Platinum Stand, which could summon a colossal humanoid creature known for its precision in battle.
Analysis and final thoughts
Bow and Arrow, visibly golden arrows, might explain Imu's ability. As per popular belief, Imu could grant devil fruit abilities to others (as seen in the Gorosei and, presumably, the Holy Knights). As fans have already witnessed, Imu's abilities revolve around creating arrows. So, the similarities from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure might be more than just a coincidence.
Related Links:
- Peter Pan may be Oda's true inspiration for One Piece's Imu
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- Gunko's actions in latest One Piece spoilers all but confirm Oda's Germanic inspiration