One Piece sets up a new devil fruit class that surpasses mythical zoans

One Piece introduced the concept of Devil Fruits as a power system in Chapter 1 of the story on July 18, 1997. Since then, the creator of the series, Eiichiro Oda, has greatly expanded this system, introducing various classes, such as Paramecia, Logia, Zoan, and other subcategories such as Ancient and Mythical Zoan, among others. While most Devil Fruits found in the world of One Piece fall under these categories, One Piece's Elbaf Arc climax, specifically Chapter 1179, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19 on April 6, 2026, revealed the power of Nerona Imu's Akuma no Mi. This Devil Fruit surpasses all other classes found in the world of One Piece and is in a class of its own, making it the most unique Devil Fruit found in the world of One Piece.

Nerona Imu's Akuma No Mi breaks devil fruit classes and surpasses mythic zoans

Until recently in One Piecethe rarest Devil Fruit subclass was the Mythical Zoan, which was introduced in Chapter 553 of the August 10, 2009, Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #37-38 story, featuring Marcos Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix. The Mythical Zoan class was officially introduced to be even rarer than Logia and just as impressive, if not more so. Over the years, the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits have continued to eclipse even the likes of Logia and have created quite a legacy for themselves.

“A Devil Fruit type is even rarer than Logia! The Mythical Zoan Class!” — Kizaru explains the rarity in Mythical Zoans, One Piece Chapter #553

The vast majority of the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits that have been introduced in One Piece recently, such as Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, Loki's Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr, and even Risu Risu no Mi, Model: Ratatoskr, revealed in One Piece, which are revealed in One Piece in average chapter 1183 to surpass the average 1183 Fru term. of powers and special abilities. Even so, all of these Devil Fruits still exist and function within the classes that Eiichiro Oda has established over the years.

With the reveal of Nerona Imus Akuma no Mi in the 2026 Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Eiichiro Oda has now officially introduced a Devil Fruit class that far surpasses the others and is in a league of its own. Nerona Imus Akuma no Mi is incredibly special. Of all the Devil Fruits found in the world of One Piece, it offers the greatest firepower. However, it is not the firepower of this ability that makes it unique. In fact, it is the very classification introduced in Chapter 1179 that sets it apart from all other fruits in the world, including the extremely rare Mythical Zoans.

Why Imu's Akuma no Mi does not belong to any Devil Fruit Class

The main reason Nerona Imus Akuma no Mi surpasses all other Devil Fruit classes is its special name. All Devil Fruits found in the world of One Piece are named in Kanji. But “Akuma no Mi” has a unique name written in Katakana, which sets it apart from the others. Unlike all other Devil Fruits found in the One Piece world, all Devil Fruits have a double naming pattern, such as Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model Nika; Eustass Kid's Jiki Jiki no Mi; or even Blackbeard's Yami Yami no Mi.

All fruits found in this world, created by Eiichiro Oda, have a double name pattern. Imu's Akuma no Mi is the only one with a singular name pattern. And that's not all; the name itself carries the meaning of “The Devil's Fruit”, indicating that it is the ultimate Devil Fruit ability that exists in the world and breaks the normal classes that exist.

Loki: So your power is God's dominance? I think you mean a contract with the devil!

Imu: God? Devil? What is the difference?

— Imus Akuma no Mi explanation in One Piece Chapter #1181

More than that, Nerona Imu's Akuma no Mi powers are also clearly unique in how they work. On the surface, this devil fruit appears to be a mythical zoan, as it allows Imu to transform into the devil god of the world. But the way the forces work is unique. imu does not seem to have a full Zoan or a hybrid form. Instead, he simply has a devil transformation and a variety of powers that don't fit into any specific category.

For example, Imu has the ability to use a grimoire in battle. This grimoire consists of a plethora of spells that have different effects on the enemies, making it quite deadly. In addition to that, Imu can also contract with other people, and again this ability does not fit in the Mythical Zoan class and is more of a sign of a Paramecia Devil Fruit. Likewise, Imu can also harness the power of Domi Reversi, which again does not have a clear classification. Finally, the unique ability to manipulate black flames of Omen, which was officially revealed in One Piece Chapter 1180 on April 20, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21, makes it even more strange. Eiichiro Oda also did not confirm the classification of Akuma no Mi, making it a unique Devil Fruit and putting it in a class of its own.

“The Omen is my military power! A power that exists within all living things!” — Nerona Imu explains the Omen, One Piece Chapter #1181

One Piece's most unique Devil Fruits alongside Akuma no Mi

Image via Toei Animation

Nerona Imus Akuma no Mi is the most unique Devil Fruit in the world One Piece at the moment, but along with that there are others that break some rules of Devil Fruits. For example, Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is unique in that, despite being a Mythical Zoan, it exhibits the characteristics of a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Luffy's Mythical Zoan Awakening should only give him a transformation, but, as Kaido noted in Chapter 1045, released on April 4, 2022, in WSJ Issue #18, this Devil Fruit ability also allows him to transfer his powers to his surroundings.

“Since you can transfer your power to your surroundings, it is safe to assume that you have awakened your Paramecia Fruit. But something is wrong! Transformations like these are typical of a Zoan Awakening!” — Kaido explains Luffy's special Devil Fruit Awakening, One Piece Chapter #1045

Not only that, but Luffy's fruit also allows him to transfer his powers to other living beings with his awakening, making him the only person to do so in the entire series, breaking quite a few laws for Devil Fruits in the process.

Alongside Luffy, there is Charlotte Katakuri to consider, whose Devil Fruit is the only one in the entire series to belong to the Special Paramecia category. Considering that Eiichiro Oda has already broken quite a few rules for Devil Fruit classes, it's likely that Imus Akuma no Mi will break quite a few of them as well, while also establishing a class of its own.

All the latest chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda can be read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.