One Piece: What is Bartholomew Kuma's Devil Fruit? Powers and abilities explained

Bartholomew Kuma is one of the most underrated anime characters in One Piece, and he could be held responsible for making the Straw Hat Pirates what they are today. It all happened during the Sabaody Arc when Kuma went berserk and tossed the Straw Hat Pirates into different corners of the world.

Kuma also served as the model for the Pacifista, the robots used by the World Government to fight pirates. This could mean that Bartholomew's natural build is stronger and sturdier than normal humans.

Kuma has the power of the Nikyu-Nikyu devil fruit and is responsible for some of the most iconic moments in One Piece. In this article, the abilities of this devil fruit will be discussed, as well as what makes it so good.

---

One Piece: Explaining the devil fruit of Bartholomew Kuma, the Nikyu-Nikyu fruit

Kuma as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Bartholomew Kuma ate the Paw-Paw Paramecia devil fruit, which allowed him to repel anything with the help of his paws, which were also granted due to this devil fruit.

It can also act offensively by making paw-like bubbles of compressed air to attack the enemy. Kuma's devil fruit can also seclude the pain and fatigue of a person into a single bubble, making it a very versatile devil fruit.

Bartholomew Kuma is a former warlord of the sea introduced during the Jaya Arc for the first time in episode 151. Just like his name (Kuma=Bear), he just has the build of a bear as he is ginormous and doesn't speak much.

Kuma was first seen engaging in a battle during the Thriller Bark Arc when he invaded the island. Thanks to his devil fruit powers, he blew away Perona with a single touch.

Kuma as seen using his devil fruit abilities (Image via Toei Animation)

Kuma ate the Nikyu-Nikyu, or in simple words, the Paw-Paw Paramecia devil fruit. This allowed him to repel anything with the help of the paws. When Kuma made his first official appearance during the Thriller Bark Arc, he used this devil fruit to the fullest against the Thriller Bark Pirates and the Straw Hats.

His first devil fruit ability was his 'Pad Ho,' which translates to Pressure Cannon. Kuma compresses his surrounding air, turning it into the form of a paw-like bubble and directing it at the enemy. He used it against the Thriller Bark Victim's Association, which was rebelling against Gecko Moria. Bartholomew's attack rendered them immobile for a while.

An extension of Pad Ho is Tsuppari Pad Ho, which translates to Slapping Thurst Pressure Canon. With this ability, Bartholomew rapidly palms forward into the air, creating multiple paw-shaped bubbles moving toward the enemy. Kuma used this technique against the Straw Hat Roronoa Zoro.

Puni, which translates to Squish, is Kuma's basic defensive ability that involves avoiding attacks using his paws. This attack was not named in the manga series and only uttered in the anime series.

Ursus Shock is the ultimate technique of Kuma's devil fruit, which translates to Bear Impact. This involves Kuma compressing a large amount of air between his paws for a good amount of time, resulting in a tiny paw-like bubble.

He then throws this toward his enemy, and the compressed air suddenly expands, creating an explosion-like effect. This technique could counter Little Oars Jr. during the Marineford arc as it gravely injured the ancient giant.

Kuma extracting the pain and fatigue out of Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

One of the unique abilities of Kuma's NIkyu-Nikyu devil fruit involves him pushing out the pain and fatigue of a person, as he demonstrated during the Thriller Bark arc of One Piece against Monkey D. Luffy. As Luffy was lying defeated on the ground, Kuma was about to kill him until Zoro interrupted.

Kuma offered to leave if Zoro could handle Luffy's pain. Zoro couldn't understand what he said but complied as one of Luffy's most devoted followers.

Kuma used his paws to extract Luffy's pain and fatigue in the form of a red paw-shaped bubble. After Zoro touched it, he suffered a lot, leading to the iconic 'Nothing Happened' scene.

---