According to a One Piece theory, Chopper cannot awaken his Devil Fruit until and unless he accepts his true identity which is foreshadowed by Oda.

SUMMARY

One Piece fans have been waiting for the Devil Fruit awakening of Chopper for a long time.
However, according to a One Piece theory, Chopper might never awaken his Devil Fruit.
His Devil Fruit awakening is connected to the longest running joke Eiichiro Oda has placed on his character.

The awakening of Devil Fruits in One Piece has become a recurring concept as the series gets closer and closer to its conclusion. Eiichiro Oda is in the process of clearing out all the major mysteries introduced within the narrative, and the origin of Devil Fruits and their different aspects recently saw some major revelations through Vegapunk in the Egghead Island arc.

Devil Fruits | Credit: Toei Animation

Within the Straw Hat Pirates, two out of the four Devil Fruit users have awakened their powers. The remaining members are Brook and Chopper. Chopper’s Devil Fruit awakening is a specially awaited moment of One Piece that fans have been anticipating since the Wano arc. However, it looks like Chopper’s awakening might not come anytime soon.

According to a popular One Piece theory, Devil Fruit awakenings only happen when the desire of the Devil Fruit user syncs with the manifestation that led to their creation. Therefore, there is speculation that Chopper’s Devil Fruit awakening will only occur when he finally accepts the longest-running joke that Oda has kept going on about Chopper being a raccoon.

The Speculated Concept of Devil Fruit Awakening

During the Egghead Island arc, Vegapunk explained his theory about how Devil Fruits are a possibility of human evolution that someone desired or dreamed about to their full extent. The wishes regarding these dreams and desires were so powerful that they eventually got manifested into Devil Fruits and hence became one of the most significant powers in One Piece.

When Vegapunk’s theory about the Devil Fruits was revealed, One Piece fans instantly connected it to the concept of Devil Fruit awakenings. This gave rise to the speculation that the Devil Fruits can only be awakened when the manifestation that led to their creation matches up with the mindset of their current user in One Piece.

This theory feels quite logical as it fits perfectly with how Vegapunk viewed the creation of Devil Fruits and the awakenings that happened within the One Piece narrative. From Lucci to Luffy, all the awakenings showed signs of synchronization between the Devil Fruits and their users.

The True Reason Chopper Isn’t Able to Awaken His Devil Fruit

A One Piece theory correlating to the above-mentioned theory was shared on Reddit by u/gnostiphage, which states that Chopper might not be able to awaken his Devil Fruit at all.

The theory states that Chopper’s Devil Fruit is not Hito Hito no Mi, but it actually is Inu Inu no Mi: Model Tanuki (raccoon), which connects to the running gag about Chopper’s true identity.

Chopper’s Monster Point | Credit: Toei Animation

The theory points out that while Chopper is a reindeer, the Devil Fruit he ate was actually connected to the raccoon dog joke that Eiichiro Oda has kept going on for the longest time. Therefore, until and unless Chopper accepts the fact that he actually is a raccoon dog, he will not be able to awaken his Devil Fruit power at all.

While the theory has a lot of plot holes, it does form a decent connection between the only logical Devil Fruit awakening theory and Chopper’s inability to awaken his Devil Fruit. Irrespective of that, Oda might soon clear out the upcoming power-ups for the Straw Hat Pirates as the final One Piece war comes closer.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.