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Babanuki from One Piece in a close-framed cel-shaded anime scene with a detailed environment
The provided image is an artist's interpretation made for this entry. Details may differ from official depictions. The character and franchise remain © their respective rights holders.

Babanuki

Character

Babanuki serves the Beasts Pirates as a Shinuchi and runs the Prisoner Mine in Udon during the Wano arc. A defective Elephant SMILE sprouted an elephant's head from his chest. After Tama tames him with a kibi dango, he turns into an ally of the samurai-led alliance.

Laugh: Paopaopapapapa
Occupation: Shinuchi; Warden of the Prisoner Mine
Affiliation: Beasts Pirates; Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance (disbanded)
Devil Fruit: Elephant SMILE
Japanese Name: ババヌキ
Devil Fruit Type: Artificial Zoan
First Appearance: Chapter 934; Episode 930
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Appearance

Babanuki is a towering, heavily muscled man with tan skin, long black hair, and a thick black beard. Two tusk-like fangs jut from his lower jaw, a feature he had naturally before ever touching a SMILE, and a pair of horns rise from his head as with many other SMILE users. He sports golden studded plates along his upper arms, gauntlets of purple and gold at his wrists, a broad round belt buckle, and dark yellow trousers. Because of the fruit he consumed, a yellow elephant's head protrudes from his chest.

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Personality

Running the Prisoner Mine, Babanuki shows a cruel streak, telling Hyougoro outright that a prisoner who cannot grind through the brutal labor for his meals deserves to die. He waves off the inmates' defiance as trivial, trusting the overwhelming power he and his subordinates wield. He takes his post seriously yet can be dull-witted, brushing aside Luffy's escape attempt until Queen forced him to react. At other moments he proves steadier than his superior, warning Queen against picking a fight with Big Mom over food and ordering his men to hold their fire so as not to enrage her. The elephant on his body has a taste for bananas, munching them while he barked commands. Once Tama tames him, he turns warm and loyal toward her, even feeding Queen a false report to protect her. His signature laugh runs Paopaopapapapa.

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History

Babanuki carries an Elephant SMILE, an artificial Zoan fruit that grew an elephant's head out of his chest; he can speak through it, though it sometimes acts on its own, and its trunk can fire explosive bursts of air strong enough to stun Luffy. Tie the trunk shut and the blast backfires, badly wounding him. Around four years before the main events he was posted on Onigashima, watching in shock with Nokokuwa Police, Poker, and Briscola as Yamato shattered the dragon statue symbolizing Kaidou's might. In the Udon Prisoner Mine he saw Daifugo punish Hyo and told the old man he deserved death if he proved unable to work, then was stunned by the force of the Seastone-cuffed Luffy's counterattack and struck him with an explosive sneeze. He stood beside Queen through the Sumo Inferno and the arrival of Big Mom, urging restraint as tempers flared. When Luffy rallied the prisoners, Babanuki loaded a cannonball-sized Excite Shot, but Luffy's Observation Haki let him knot the elephant's trunk so the shell detonated inside Babanuki and felled him. He survived, and Tama's kibi dango won his loyalty, prompting the false report to Queen. He was later overwhelmed when Admiral Ryokugyu assaulted the Prisoner Mine.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Babanuki in One Piece?

Babanuki is a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates who runs the Prisoner Mine in Udon during the Wano arc. A defective Elephant SMILE gave him an elephant's head growing from his chest.

Who defeated Babanuki?

Monkey D. Luffy defeated Babanuki by using Observation Haki to knot the trunk of his elephant head so that Babanuki's own explosive shot detonated inside him.

What Devil Fruit did Babanuki eat?

Babanuki consumed an Elephant SMILE, an artificial Zoan fruit that grew an elephant's head out of his chest. The trunk can fire explosive bursts of air, though tying it shut causes the blast to backfire on him.

What is Babanuki's role in Wano's Prisoner Mine?

Babanuki serves as the warden of the Prisoner Mine in Udon, showing a cruel streak by telling Hyougoro that prisoners who cannot work deserve to die. He answers to his superior Queen.

How did Tama win Babanuki's loyalty?

Tama tamed Babanuki with a kibi dango, turning him into a warm and loyal ally who later fed Queen a false report to protect her.

Sources & Information

Looking for more on Babanuki? The One Piece Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the One Piece anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

  • Movie pages: theatrical posters and key visuals, credited to Toei Animation and Toei Company.
  • Game pages: official box art for the One Piece console and mobile games, credited to Bandai Namco.
  • Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Eiichiro Oda.

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