Hello everyone! Recently, we've been cracking down on Mythical Zoan applications and trying to bring them up to snuff. As a means to help, I am deciding to make a blog as a sort of template to follow. Some of the main things we are looking for and need are:
- The name of the mythical figure or creature you are adapting
- A link or source for the mythical creature you are adapting
- The model of the myth (Hito, Saru, Neko, Inu, etc.)
- The physical and mythical ability you want for the fruit and what it's connected to from the myth you are adapting
- Basic idea of the user
I'll go through the steps and explain a bit of what we are looking for. At the end, I will write out an example application with a fruit I made in the past.
Application Needs[]
Name and Information[]
First step is we need to know the name of the idea you are adapting. Are you adapting a Greek god? Are you adapting a Korean mythical creature? Are you adapting an American folktale? Give us the name. I am adapting the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca! I am adapting Fenrir wolf from Norse mythology!
Next step is provide us a link with the mythical idea. This isn't college, you can use Wikipedia! This just gives us easy access to ideas of the mythical figure and shows us you likely did some research as well - be it a straightforward adaption or more conceptual. I will provide three links to different mythical figures from different sources. Summarize some to the key ideas of the figure for us.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raet-Tawy
- https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Zeus.html
- https://yokai.com/meppoukai/
Model Considerations[]
Up next is the model. Mythical Zoans must be tied to a base creature. Some of them are straight forward, such as the Fenrir clearly being an Inu Inu. Some creatures may vary though! An easy example is the Raijuu. In its myths, it is sometimes shown as a dog, a tiger, a monkey, and so many other creatures. Choose the one that most suits you and your interests. I made a version of the Raijuu and it was an Ushi Ushi for it sometimes being a Kirin (which is itself sometimes an Uma Uma or an Uo Uo for other traits it has). Meanwhile, the owner here chose the more common Inu Inu and that's perfectly fine!
For a massive point on models, look at how gods are represented. God fruits are easy to cast as a Hito Hito model, they are often simply superhumans. However, look at what animals represent said gods. Tezcatlipoca can be shown as a man, but is the god of jaguars. As such, it may be more fun and interesting to make it a Neko Neko fruit. Zeus is a white haired man, but his symbols include the eagle and the bull. As such, it could be a fun idea to consider going with a Tori Tori or an Ushi Ushi. Horus and Ra are literally bird headed men, so just make that the Tori Tori hybrid!
I stress this because the simple animal parts - a bird's wings or a bull's horns - can be used to expand your character's kit beyond just the mythical power. Further, it's simply more interesting than a human with a human model fruit. Consider these things as you should, ideally, be planning the fruit's user alongside the fruit itself.
Abilities[]
We often break MZs into a physical and mythical ability. The physical ability is relatively simple, what is its improved trait that a standard Zoan may not possess. For example, I have prior made a fruit for the Tezcatlipoca as a Neko Neko model. All cats have claws, most are sharp (sorry cheetahs). I took a trait of Tezcatlipoca, the god of obsidian, and made its claws into obsidian. Just a physical trait to amp its danger.
However, the name of the game is often the mythical power. We all like cool powers and Mythical Zoans give us that and some cool forms. Big thing is we only allow one mythical abiltiy! That means if your mythical god can control both storms and earthquakes, a la Poseidon, it is time to choose one or the other.
The main thing we need is for you to give us the mythical ability you are granting it. For a straightforward example, the Raijuu and Thunderbird are two animals associated with electricity. They just generate and use that element for combat. Nothing wrong with that, my Kirin fruit is the same way.
However, feel free to try and use as aspects of a myth for a less straightforward ability. One of my Mythical Zoans here is Fenrir. In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a massive, impervious wolf that sires two suns. During Ragnarok, Fenrir is destined to consume Odin and his sons the sun and moon. As such, my Fenrir is able to produce dark energy that consumes what it comes across and takes on those traits - just a more conceptual version of the dogs do in the myth.
One more suggestion, do something to integrate the myth into the world of One Piece as well! Fenrir alone is fine, but it's not normally in the story. Sometimes it can just exist, like the phoenix or kirin, but the more specific a myth is the better it is to tie into the world. I set the Fenrir up, for example, as a guardian deity in Elbaf. This just makes it feel more organic in the story.
Last bit, make it make sense! The ability should easily and understandably connect to the mythical figure. Zeus is one of the most famous gods in all of mythology with several powers. He is most often shown as a god of lightning. If you tried to make him a solar god based off a few smaller cults referring to him as a sun god, you will need to do a LOT more to justify that and it would just be hard to approve overall since his most typical feature is weather.
User[]
Knowing a bit about the user of the fruit is good and helpful. Not only does it show that you have a more thorough idea than "I want this myth because it's cool", but it also gives a chance for us to offer ideas that might help or improve the application. This doesn't mean you have to have their whole history here and now planned out, but the outline just makes everything feel more solid.
Example[]
Hello staff team! Today, I want to apply for a Mythical Zoan based on Tezcatlipoca, a very important god in Aztec mythology. Here are some resources I used to research him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezcatlipoca https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tezcatlipoca https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/gods/god-of-the-month-tezcatlipoca
In short, Tezcatlipoca was a highly significant god in Aztec mythology. He was the god of many things: jaguars, obsidian, the night, darkness, war, and hurricanes. Tezacatlipoca was involved in the creation of the universe, using his leg to bait a primordial monster into attack so him and the other gods could slay it and fashion the earth from its remains. He went on to become the first sun, but shined only as a partial sun from losing a leg. He got booted from the sky, which pissed him and and made him kill the first form of humanity. The god went on to mess with the next three suns before finally calming down towards the fifth and current sun in Aztec myths.
As a god, it would be easy to make him into a Hito Hito no Mi. However, I wish to capitalize on one of his symbols and forms being the jaguar, one of the largest and most ferocious animals in the Americas. As such, it shall be the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Tezcatlipoca. For the physical ability, I want him to have hyper sharp claws. As the god of obsidian, a form of volcanic glass, I think giving him black claws with the sharpness of glass is fitting. Makes him able to slice nearly anything, but they are also fragile and breakable. For the mythical ability, I want to merge two ideas. He is the god of darkness and the first sun. Scientifically, we know the sun is a massive star with a huge gravitational field. Further, in canon, the Yami Yami no Mi - the darkness logia - essentially acts as a gravity fruit of sorts and supplies devil fruit negation. I want to take the idea of the darkness being a force of gravity, but without the fruit negation as I know that idea is banned.
As for the user, I want to make them into a captain of a new rookie crew. I want to grow them over time, so they are not fully aware of the powers the have at the start, similar to Luffy. As time progresses, they will learn the true nature of their fruit and how it's connected to their home island, supposedly warding off other dangerous creatures and is seen as a protector. This will lead them to wanting to build a powerful crew and return to their home island to make it into a formidable power - at the cost of being seen as a pirate safe haven.
Conclusion[]
Mythical Zoan apps aren't that hard, just be ready to provide information and details. I kept my example relatively brief and simple. Maybe it would be approved, maybe it won't, but it hits the details we are often looking for. Best of luck and I hope you have a great day!