One Piece: Did Tony Tony Chopper eat a Devil Fruit? His abilities, explained

One Piece is a series with a lot of likable characters but very few can compete in that department with the doctor of the Straw Hats crew, Tony Tony Chopper. From his adorable design to his innocent and good-natured personality, Chopper has become a fan-favorite ever since he made his debut in the series. The doctor of the Straw Hats Crew was first seen during the events of the Drum Island arc and was on his quest to become a doctor capable of curing every disease out there.

Of course, one of the first things that people ask when they see Chopper for the first time is what he actually is. While One Piece has a lot of unique character designs, the vast majority of them, besides the Fishmen, are humans. So the doctor's appearance was very surprising to see at first, although that holds a very strong connection to the Devil Fruit he ate before his entrance in the series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Explaining how Tony Tony Chopper ate a Devil Fruit and how his abilities work in One Piece

Chopper is a reindeer who was born and raised on Drum Island in the Grand Line and gained humanoid features because he ate the Human-Human Fruit.

This is a Zoan type which gave him human reasoning and features, thus becoming a very unique person in the One Piece universe as he is not fully a human being nor fully an anime, which was a problem he dealt with during most of his life.

This is why Chopper can talk, behave, and rationalize like any other person but he can also understand what other animals say, which is something that has been shown time and time again during his adventures with the Straw Hats. Thanks to his knowledge of medicine, he has also been able to come up with experimental substances known as Rumble. This allows him to shape-shift into more humanoid and animalistic forms, depending on what he needs.

Of course, most One Piece fans already know that the use of Rumble comes at the cost of taking a huge toll on Chopper's body. At least before the timeskip, there was the risk of him turning into his Monster form. This resulted in him losing his mind and becoming a destructive animal.

It was during his training in the timeskip that he managed to gain full control of this transformation. That being said, this decision by author Eiichiro Oda has had its critics because they argue it removed a danger factor from Chopper's strongest form.

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The use of Chopper across the story

Chopper in the Wano arc (Image via Toei Animation).

As mentioned earlier, Chopper is a fan-favorite in the One Piece community and most fans grew to love him from the moment his past in Drum Island was presented. There is also constructive criticism regarding how Oda has used the character since the timeskip. Part of the reason for that criticism is connected to the aforementioned case of his Monster form, which went from imposing and terrifying to comedic.

Chopper was always a character with adorable features and funny moments but Oda has emphasized those traits of his during most of the New World portion of the story. He is often sidelined to just being comedic relief. In reality, however, Chopper was capable of having great depths as one of the kindest members of the crew, as was shown during his role in the Thriller Bark arc. He was also a reliable fighter, as was shown during the Enies Lobby arc when he defeated a member of the CP9 on his own.

There is a perception in the fandom that Chopper has been flanderized and is difficult to disagree with that statement. While he is still capable of some good moments from time to time, his character has suffered a regression in recent arcs.

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Final thoughts

Tony Tony Chopper ate a Human-Human Devil Fruit, which is why he has humanoid features, can talk, and rationalize like any other person in the One Piece universe. He can change his form through the consumption of his experimental substances known as Rumble.