One Piece: These Characters Have A Better Devil Fruit Than Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika

Ever since Luffy awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika during the raid on Onigashima, fans have debated if this mythical Zoan fruit is truly the most powerful Devil Fruit in One Piece. While it grants Luffy ridiculous cartoon-like freedom, elasticity, and imagination-fueled powers, there are several characters whose Devil Fruits arguably surpass it in sheer versatility, destructive capability, or narrative consequence.

In this deep dive, we’ll explore the best Devil Fruits in One Piece that rival or surpass Luffy’s in different contexts. From the reality-warping Ope Ope no Mi to the game-breaking Yami Yami no Mi, it’s time to question whether Luffy’s power is truly “the best.”

What Makes Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi: Nika Special?

Let’s clarify one thing first: Luffy’s Devil Fruit is no longer the Gomu Gomu no Mi — it’s been retconned as a Mythical Zoan-type that embodies the Sun God Nika, allowing him to become “the embodiment of freedom.”

• Type: Mythical Zoan
• Abilities: Rubber-like body, Toon Force logic, environment manipulation
• Awakened State: Gear 5 (cartoon physics, reality bending)

This fruit is unique because it’s tied to Joy Boy’s will and possibly the Void Century. It allows Luffy to do whatever he can imagine, and there’s seemingly no limit besides his creativity.

But that doesn’t make it invincible...

1. Law’s Ope Ope no Mi – The Most Broken Paramecia?

Trafalgar D. Water Law wields the Ope Ope no Mi, a Paramecia that allows him to create surgical “rooms” where he can manipulate anything — from organs to teleportation. Its surgical precision and massive battlefield control make it a nightmare to deal with.

Why it might be better:

• It can grant immortality (at the cost of the user’s life)
• Enables teleportation, object swapping, and spatial manipulation
• Bypasses conventional defenses (as shown in the fight against Big Mom)

In terms of sheer versatility and surgical damage, the Ope Ope no Mi is debatably more practical than Luffy’s chaos-fueled toon abilities.

2. Blackbeard’s Yami Yami no Mi – The Gravity of Darkness

Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) possesses the only known Logia-type that nullifies other Devil Fruit powers: the Yami Yami no Mi. It absorbs anything into darkness and allows him to cancel abilities on touch.

Advantages over Luffy’s fruit:

• Can nullify even awakened Devil Fruits
• Has gravitational pull and high destructive potential
• Allows Teach to combine it with another fruit (Gura Gura no Mi)

This Devil Fruit is so broken that Blackbeard became the only person to wield two abilities simultaneously — and both are destructive enough to sink islands.

3. Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi – The World-Breaker

Dubbed the "strongest Paramecia," the Gura Gura no Mi allows the user to create massive shockwaves capable of destroying marine fleets, islands, and even tilting the sea. It was wielded by Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) and later taken by Blackbeard.

Why it’s terrifying:

• Can cause earthquakes in the air, sea, or land
• Overwhelming physical damage potential
• Used to nearly destroy Marineford single-handedly

Luffy’s fruit may be wild, but Gura Gura no Mi's sheer raw power is still unmatched in traditional destruction.

4. Enel’s Goro Goro no Mi – The Forgotten God

The Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) is a Logia-type wielded by Enel, which grants control over lightning and the ability to move at lightning speed.

Why it deserves more hype:

• Massive AOE damage (100+ million volts)
• Observation Haki + lightning sensing = real-time radar
• Fastest mobility seen pre-time skip

Had Enel descended to the Blue Sea, he would’ve been a world-ending threat. The Goro Goro no Mi is arguably still one of the top five Logia powers in One Piece.

5. Akainu’s Magu Magu no Mi – Pure Destruction

Fleet Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu) uses this terrifying lava-based fruit. The Magu Magu no Mi grants the user lava-melting punches and near-immunity to physical attacks due to its intense heat.

Strengths:

• Lava burns through anything — even ice or steel
• Destroyed part of Marineford with one punch
• Injured Whitebeard and killed Ace

Against Luffy, the Magu Magu no Mi would pose a severe elemental threat, regardless of Gear 5’s cartoon defense. Fire beats rubber… especially lava-level fire.

6. Kaido’s Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu

Kaido’s Mythical Zoan fruit lets him transform into a giant Eastern dragon, giving him massive defense, flight, fire blasts, and elemental mastery. It’s one of the rare fruits that balances raw strength, endurance, and utility.

In his full form, Kaido could level entire islands — and he tanked multiple Gear 5 attacks before going down.

Why Luffy’s Nika Fruit Still Wins (Sometimes)

Luffy’s Devil Fruit has one unique edge: narrative freedom. It’s not bound by logic. It changes physics, slips through rules, and reflects Oda’s love for creativity. Gear 5 isn’t just strong — it’s meant to embody the will of liberation, and that makes it iconic.

But in real, technical matchups, several fruits surpass it in strategy, danger, or mastery potential.

Fan Reactions: “Toon Force Ain’t Always King”

According to Reddit threads like r/OnePiece and anime forums:

• “Yami Yami no Mi is scarier than anything Nika can do.”
• “Ope Ope no Mi with immortality surgery is god-tier.”
• “If Akainu had awakened his Magu Magu no Mi, Luffy would be fried.”

Many fans appreciate Gear 5’s fun, but argue that other Devil Fruits maintain better balance or raw danger. As of Egghead Island arc, debates continue around which fruit is strongest.

FAQs

Is Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika the strongest Devil Fruit?

Not necessarily. While it’s incredibly creative and versatile, other fruits like Ope Ope no Mi or Yami Yami no Mi offer more practical and strategic dominance.

Can Blackbeard defeat Luffy?

Possibly. His fruit combination and nullification abilities make him a unique threat even to Gear 5.

Will Luffy’s fruit evolve more?

Yes. Oda hinted that Gear 5 is not the final evolution of Luffy’s powers — it may scale up with imagination.

Is there any Devil Fruit stronger than Nika canonically?

None have been stated outright, but Gura Gura no Mi and Ope Ope no Mi are often called the “most dangerous.”

Conclusion

While the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika has taken the spotlight with Gear 5’s wild and joyful chaos, it’s far from the only top-tier Devil Fruit in One Piece. From Law’s surgical precision to Blackbeard’s darkness, there’s no shortage of fruits that challenge Luffy’s supremacy.

One Piece’s genius lies in this balance — strength isn’t just raw power. It’s how it’s used, and who uses it.