Zoan

Zoan (ゾオン, Zōn) is one of the three Devil Fruit types. This type of fruit allows the user to transform into another species and inter-species hybrid forms at will. Zoan types are especially effective in close combat. The term was first used when Dalton's Devil Fruit was used to attack Wapol.

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 * —About the Zoan Devil Fruits.

Effects
Zoan Devil Fruits allow the user to transform into another species. This type of fruit provides three basic forms:


 * Human Form (人型, Hito-gata): The user's natural form prior to consuming the fruit.
 * Human-Beast Form (人獣型, Jinjū-gata): A hybrid form, combining both the original and the fruit-bestowed species into an unusual form (usually in a bizarre way where the size is greatly exaggerated).
 * Beast Form (獣型, Kemono-gata): A fully transformed form.

However, through training, it is possible for Zoan users to unlock different transformations (for instance, Marco, who could transform selective parts of his body, and Chopper, who could transform into at least seven different forms even without the use of a Rumble Ball). The only known hybrid forms of human users shown so far that were not bipedal is the Snake-Snake Fruit series (as snakes do not have legs). Another effect shown is that for many different known Zoan users, when in a half-human half-animal hybrid, sometimes the user tends to get bigger than they originally are, even to giant proportions.

Inanimate Object Zoan
Inanimate objects have been shown to be able to "eat", or otherwise consume Devil Fruits. The technique used to make objects "eat" a fruit was developed by Dr. Vegapunk, and has not yet been revealed, but is not limited to solid materials, as gaseous slime can also be used as a medium. So far, Zoan is the only type of Devil Fruit that inanimate objects have been shown as being able to absorb. Only five cases of this have been seen so far: Mr. 4's bazooka Lassoo (Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund), Spandam's sword Funkfreed (Elephant-Elephant Fruit), Ceaser Clown's pet slime Smiley (Sala-Sala Fruit, Model: Axolotl), and — non-canonically — Shuzo's bazooka Alpacacino and Patrick Redfield's pen Pato (Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Raccoon Dog).

Objects that have ingested a Zoan fruit gain the mobility and intelligence of the animal they turn into. This can be a drawback as the object can also feel pain as well as become susceptible to diseases. In the animal form, they can be intimidated, as seen when Franky threatened Funkfreed. Inanimate object Zoans also seem to be very loyal to whomever owns them.

Strengths
The Zoan fruits primarily improve physical abilities and allow the user to use his or her three forms to adapt to a situation during a fight to find the form that gives the biggest advantage.

Zoan powers are usually utilized for their hybrid form, as this form enhances the physical statistics of the user by combining positive attributes from both the user and the physical-level equivalent of the Zoan species. Zoan fruits are thus favored among already strong users who prefer to enhance their physical abilities for the use of martial arts, such as Kaku. This can help create new fighting styles. Another rather minor advantage is that depending on the scenario, a Zoan user can go undetected by simply changing the physical form they have to one unfamiliar to those around them. It also offers the element of surprise when the foe has little experience with fighting that particular form.

In their hybrid form, Zoan users experience enhanced senses, as this form uses a combination of both the user's and the fruit's abilities. Skilled Zoan users are also capable of using their powers to shape-shift out of harm's way; this is particularly useful, especially when the Zoan's body has been restrained, as Chopper demonstrated so many times (such as Chopper switching from heavy point to the smaller brain point to dodge a strike).

In addition to an increase in physical strength and enhanced senses, some Zoan users may have a special ability affiliated with the animal their fruit is based off, such examples are:
 * Chopper's human type Zoan grants him increased intelligence and the ability to speak human language.
 * Pell's bird type Zoan allows him flight.
 * Ms. Groundhog's Day's mole type Zoan allows her to tunnel through the earth.
 * Rob Lucci's leopard type Zoan gives him sharp claws and teeth, and so does Jabra's wolf type Zoan.
 * Boa Marigold's king cobra type Zoan allows her to spit venom.
 * Pekoms' tortoise type Zoan grants him a protective shell.

This fruit type is also useful for applying to objects such as guns or swords, giving an otherwise inanimate object life and increasing its value to the owner of the item. The method of application is however, as of yet, unknown.

Zoans could be considered among the seemingly least impressive type of Devil Fruits, as they primarily rely on brute force and some of them are physically very weak animals (such as a Dachshund). However, it is also the type that was most extensively experimented on so far, even leading to the creation of man-made Zoan Fruits.

However, rare Zoans such as those labeled "Mythical" can be considered as impressive and as powerful as Logias and may even display some attributes of the Paramythia and/or Logia classes to generate rare and incredible powers combined in one person. An example is Marco's rare ability as a phoenix to instantly regenerate from any wound, making him more than equivalent to Logia users in damage tolerance as well his ability to generate his own certain element: the blue phoenix flames.

Another type of the rare Zoans is one labeled as "Ancient," such as X. Drake's Zoan Devil Fruit. He is able to transform into a large dinosaur, which explains the label of "Ancient." Ancient Zoans are supposedly stronger than regular Zoan users.

Awakening
Like all Devil Fruit abilities, Zoan types can also be "awakened", attaining the ability to be stronger, faster and tougher than normal. This also includes faster recovery time, which functions involuntarily even when the user is unconscious. However, Awakened Zoan fruit users have shown no sign of complex thought, seemingly acting out on instinct and power. They are always in a form similar to their animal form, and yet they are somehow able to stand erect and hold weapons. Four of the five Jailer Beasts are all classified as such users, with the fifth one being unknown.

Weaknesses
Physical powers granted are restricted to just the capabilities of the proportionate physical equivalent of the animal they are able to transform into. In hybrid form, these strengths of both species may be combined, but again seems to be just a mixture of both forms. While it is true that they enhance the strengths of the consumer, they rely primary on the consumer's already-established fighting skills and capabilities. Some users such as Pierre demonstrated little improvements in their capabilities overall. Therefore, depending on what species the user is and what the fruit has to offer, a Zoan fruit's abilities may end up nothing more than a physical change of appearance to that particular consumer. However this does not mean the fruit itself was worthless, as all Devil Fruits are subject to fate on who consumes them. As demonstrated by Kaku, when a Zoan Devil Fruit is first consumed, the most difficult task may prove to be simply learning how to fit the change of physical appearance to the fighting styles already known to the user. Kaku himself also seems to have little control at first over what form he took, in one case landing in the wrong form during the fights at Enies Lobby.

Like the Paramythia, Zoans may leave their users as "freaks" in their hybrid form due to the way that the combination of both physical forms is mashed together. Both Chopper and Kaku in particular were considered freaks due to the strange way their hybrid forms had materialized, with Chopper being considered a "monster" even by his family and Kaku ending up mocked for his heavily cube-like body.

Furthermore, inanimate objects brought to life through the use of Zoan fruits become living creatures that need to be fed and groomed. Also, these once-inanimate objects gain their own free will and basic life's weaknesses, such as Funkfreed being threatened by Franky and Lassoo contracting a cold.

If an animal ate a Zoan-class Devil Fruit that is exactly the same as their original species (such as a human eating the Human-Human Fruit), it would result in a complete waste, as they gain no transformation whatsoever, yet acquire all the typical weaknesses of Devil Fruit users.

Sub-Classes
Among the Zoan Devil Fruits and users, some of them can be categorized together into common types with common traits depending on what type of animal they turn into.

Carnivorous Zoan
The Carnivorous Zoan (肉食の動物系, Nikushoku no Zōn-kei) As stated by Tony Tony Chopper, are animals of more predatory and bloodthirsty than others by nature and as such tend to be better adapted for combat. Users that turn into such animals are naturally more aggressive and powerful in physical combat, and may have useful features, such as claws, to aid in a fight. One of the most extreme examples of such a Zoan user is Rob Lucci, who went as far as to maul his opponent in full-leopard form.

Ancient Zoan
The Ancient Zoan (「動物系」古代種, Zōn-kei Kodaishu) As stated by Scratchmen Apoo, is apparently a much rarer type of Zoan Devil Fruit which allows the users to transform into ancient and extinct animals, such as prehistoric reptiles like dinosaurs. The first Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit power that has been shown is X. Drake. His dinosaur transformation can also be classified as carnivorous. The second one, Jack, ate a Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a mammoth. It was also implied that the Ancient Zoan users are physically stronger than normal Zoans; the two known users have certainly shown size and destructive powers far more powerful than an average Zoan-class user, Drake easily biting into a Pacifista's armor, and Jack destroying buildings with one swing of his trunk.

Mythical Zoan
The Mythical Zoan (「動物系」幻獣種, Zōn-kei Genjūshu) fruits are an exceptionally rare and immensely powerful type of Zoan Devil Fruit and is said to be even rarer than Logia Devil Fruits. Unlike the other types of Zoan Devil Fruits, this type of fruit may be the only one considered impressive, owing to its rarity and the unique powers it bestows upon the user. They allow users to transform into mythological creatures (which may have special abilities that are comparable to Paramythia and Logia Devil Fruits), the sorts of which could be regarded as the subject of legends and the like. Only two canonical Mythical Zoan fruits have been shown so far, belonging to Whitebeard's 1st division commander, Marco "The Phoenix" and Sengoku with his Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha, both of whom are considered extremely strong and immensely powerful individuals. Two non-canonical Mythical Zoan users are Pato with his Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Raccoon Dog and his owner Patrick Redfield with the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire.

Artificial Zoan

 * Main article: Artificial Devil Fruits

In the Punk Hazard Arc, it is revealed that Dr. Vegapunk attempted to create his own Devil Fruit. However, the resulting fruit was a failure. Momonosuke found the failed Devil Fruit and ate it out of hunger. As a result, he was transformed into a Chinese dragon, though he has shown little to no control over the ability. After that, Caesar Clown succeeded in designing specialized Artificial Devil Fruits which he named "SMILE", but is only able to produce Zoan types. They are created through the substance concocted by Caesar known as SAD. Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, uses them to create an army of Zoan users in collaboration with Doflamingo. Unlike normal Devil Fruits, these artificial Devil Fruits don't have the typical swirl pattern on them, but they have ring patterns instead. The fruit developed by Vegapunk also had these ring patterns.

Other information
While most Zoan users can only use the three forms, the Straw Hat Pirates' doctor Tony Tony Chopper can utilize more forms for a given amount of time with the aid of the "Rumble Ball", which he developed. It is unknown if other Zoan users can also be affected by the Rumble Ball as Chopper is the only one who has eaten it. However, consecutively eating two or three Rumble Balls in under six hours can cause disastrous results, as the tampering with a Devil Fruit's powers is not something meant to be done. After the timeskip, Chopper does not need a Rumble Ball for his six transformations; only one for a special transformation.

Other scientific research has been done on the Zoan-class Devil Fruit, by Dr. Vegapunk, who has found a way to apply the fruit and the fruit's powers into an inanimate object. This gives the object new life, and is usually applied to weapons, creating mobile weapons with their own minds. Only Lassoo, Funkfreed, and Smiley have been confirmed to have undergone this. Outside of the manga canon, Alpacacino and Pato are other examples of inanimate objects consuming Zoan fruits.

A majority of the Zoan Devil Fruits also come in different "models" that result in variations of the animal. For example, the Dog-Dog Fruit has Jackal, Dachshund, and Wolf models, the Ox-Ox Fruit has Bison and Giraffe models, and the Snake-Snake Fruit has Anaconda and King Cobra models. Even for fruits without a model, there may be other fruits within the same series that do have one: an example is Chopper's Human-Human Fruit and Sengoku's Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha. Sengoku's fruit is also unique in that rather than turning him into a living being, it transforms him into an animate golden statue, making it rather unique among the Zoan-class.

Ox-Ox Fruit series:

 * Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison
 * Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe

Human-Human Fruit series:

 * Human-Human Fruit
 * Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha

Bird-Bird Fruit series:

 * Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon
 * Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Eagle (One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase)

Dog-Dog Fruit series:

 * Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund
 * Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal
 * Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Wolf
 * Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Raccoon Dog (One Piece: Unlimited World Red)

Cat-Cat Fruit series:

 * Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Leopard

Elephant-Elephant Fruit series:

 * Elephant-Elephant Fruit
 * Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Model: Mammoth

Snake-Snake Fruit series:

 * Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Anaconda
 * Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: King Cobra

Sala-Sala Fruit series:

 * Sala-Sala Fruit, Model: Axolotl

Bug-Bug Fruit series:

 * Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Rhinoceros Beetle
 * Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Hornet

Bat-Bat Fruit series:

 * Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire (One Piece: Unlimited World Red)

Single model series:

 * Mole-Mole Fruit
 * Turtle-Turtle Fruit
 * Horse-Horse Fruit

Translation and Dub Issues

 * The name "Zoan" for these types of Devil Fruit likely comes from zoanthropy. Zoanthropy is a term that refers to metamorphosis of humans into animals, a term that is interchangeable with therianthropy.
 * The Japanese term Genjūshu has been translated wrongly as "Crypto Zoan" or "Cryptic Zoan" though 幻獣種 literally means "mythical beast type".

Trivia

 * According to Pell, there are five known types of abilities that allow the users to take flight, and that his Bird-Bird Fruit is one of them.
 * One Piece Green: Secret Pieces revealed an early concept of Margaret, who was intended to have a black cat model of the Cat-Cat Fruit, and Inazuma who was intended to be a Zoan Devil Fruit user who could turn into a crab.
 * The Zoan class was the last of the three types of Devil Fruit to be introduced in the story as well as the first type shown to be capable of "awakening".
 * Both canon Mythical Zoan users introduced so far have an epithet related to their transformation.
 * The Egg-Egg Fruit, an unclassified Devil Fruit eaten by Tamago, is the only Devil Fruit not to be a Zoan yet allow the user to transform into an animal (in this case, evolve from an egg form into a chick, then a chicken).
 * Going by the naming convention that Paramecia comes from the microbe Paramecium, Zoan shares a similar name to the microbe Protozoan.