Best Den Den Mushi Designs In One Piece

For those who are unfamiliar with the Den Den Mushi, this refers to the small snails that occasionally appear throughout the One Piece story, which are used as a means of communication between two people. In other words, they are essentially the mobile phones or walkie-talkies in the world of One Piece, but what most people remember these quirky little animals for is their designs, which somehow always seem to closely resemble the person who is speaking into them.

As any One Piece fan will know all too well, Eiichiro Oda loves getting experimental and wacky with his character designs, and this certainly includes the Den Den Mushis. From the weird to the bizarre, all the way to the downright terrifying, these are among the most eye-catching and memorable Den Den Mushi designs that have shown up throughout the series so far.

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Rob Lucci’s Den Den Mushi

Lucci’s Den Den Mushi Sports A Leopard Shell And A Menacing Face

While it’s usually the snail’s face that Oda will focus on when creating the design of a Den Den Mushi, now and again, he will also decide to play around with the shell, as is the case with the snail belonging to CP-0 member Rob Lucci. With the entire shell being yellow and patterned with small streaks of black, it’s clearly a reference to Rob Lucci’s Leopard Zoan fruit, which allows him to turn into the same animal when in combat.

As if that wasn’t already a big enough indication as to who this snail belonged to, it also sports the same black facial hair and marking that can be seen on Lucci’s face, along with an intimidating scowl which always appears on the face of its owner. Oda cleverly made an effort to weave in several small but subtle comparisons to Lucci’s character design, which is why this Den Den Mushi deserves a spot on the list.

7

Imu’s Den Den Mushi

A Snail Just As Mysterious As Imu

Almost every major character in One Piece has their own personalized Den Den Mushi snail, but when someone hasn’t even been fully shown to the audience yet, how exactly does Oda go about creating one? In the case of Imu, he achieved this by making it so the Den Den Mushi was shrouded in a cloud of darkness, just the same as Imu always is any time he shows up on screen, but he also comically decided to make the top of its shell absurdly long.

When Imu was first introduced in the series, the one characteristic many fans picked up on was its elongated head, so it’s hilarious that Oda decided to use this as the main way to differentiate the evil mastermind’s snail from the others.

6

Sengoku’s Den Den Mushi

An Older Den Den Mushi Who Has Clearly Seen Better Days

Most of the Den Den Mushi seen throughout the series come across as very young, energetic, and full of life, but considering they always need to resemble their user, this wouldn’t exactly make sense for some of the older characters that show up every so often. This is why Sengoku’s snail looks a lot different from many of the others. Not only does it always have a very sleepy and tired facial expression, but when looking closely, there are even small marks and scratches on the snail’s shell, implying that it’s been used to transmit calls for many, many years.

Somehow, the snail even managed to grow the same facial hair as the former Fleet Admiral, making it look even more like a worn-out veteran who has been through the ringer on more than a few occasions. It’s nice to see Oda getting a little more experimental with this snail as a way to emphasize the feelings Sengoku had when he was finally forced to retire.

5

Law’s Den Den Mushi

Cool, Calm, And Collected, Just Like His Master

Many Den Den Mushis contain small characteristics and features that relate to their speaker, but Law’s snail takes this to a whole new level. Not only can it be seen wearing Law’s iconic white and black spotted hat, but it even has the Heart Pirates logo stuck onto its own body.

The similarities don’t end there, though, as Oda decided to also give this snarky snail drooped eyes, which always makes it seem like it’s half awake, and this can certainly be applied to the man who inspired it. Law’s Den Den Mushi may not be very over the top in its presentation, but the fact that it’s a spitting image of Law himself makes it an incredibly funny creature to look at up close.

4

Doflamingo’s Den Den Mushi

Doflamingo’s Snail Dons The Iconic Glasses And Pink Fur That Have Become Synonymous With The Character

Alongside his absurd strength and endless charisma, Doflamingo is also well known for his very flamboyant and exaggerated fashion sense, which has carried over to his Den Den Mushi. It would be impossible for this snail to not wear the same shade as its master, considering how important they are to the character, so the way it pulls this off is by attaching each lens to the snail’s eyes, giving it these bright red eyeballs which pierce the soul of anyone it looks at.

Of course, it couldn’t be a Doflamingo Den Den Mushi without also carrying around the bright pink feathers that have become such a staple of his appearance. Even the snail’s shell has been given a very deep, rouge color palette, which feeds into the fiery aesthetic of Doflamingo and Dressrosa in general.

3

Blackbeard’s Den Den Mushi

Just As Crude And Unflattering As The Man Himself

It seems as though Blackbeard’s Den Den Mushi is always having just as much fun being an infamous criminal as its captain, as it can always be seen with a giant smile on its face and a very arrogant look in its eyes. In keeping with Blackbeard’s aesthetic, the snail is also missing a few teeth and has managed to grow the same knotted beard as its master, alongside a black hat which can be seen resting above its shell.

In terms of showcasing the personality and behavior of its users, this Den Den Mushi does an excellent job of giving onlookers a clear picture of what Black Beard is all about. It’s crude and unflattering, yet also difficult to look away from; the perfect representation of the pirate who has become one of the most wanted criminals in all of One Piece.

2

Capone’s Den Den Mushi

Only Oda Could Make A Mafia Boss Snail Look This Good

Oda clearly loves replicating Capone’s mafia-inspired design onto as many other characters as possible. For example, during the Whole Cake Island arc, Capone and Lola would reveal that they had a baby together, only for the child to look completely identical to Capone, even having a pacifier in the shape of a cigar. In the same vein, Capone’s personal Den Den Mushi is just as savvy and stylish as its inspiration.

With a sleek black top hat and a short and sharp mustache, it’s remarkable that Oda managed to make a literal snail look like it just slithered out of a meeting with the mafia, only for it to look this cool. It’s unfortunate that Capone’s Den Den Mushi only appears once or twice throughout the series, as this is undoubtedly one of the most bizarre yet eye-catching designs of the snails seen in the series.

1

Big Mom’s Den Den Mushi

Big Mom Ensured Her Snail Was As Flashy And Stylish As Possible

While the majority of the Yonko seen in One Piece don’t exactly care about their appearance all that much, the same cannot be said about Big Mom. With her bright pink hair and giant colorful pirate hat, it’s very easy to spot Big Mon from a distance, and the same applies to her flashy Den Den Mushi. It’s honestly hilarious how far Oda went in trying to replicate Big Mom’s appearance with this grandiose and bombastic snail.

From the giant red lips to the absurdly large cap, all the way to the white feathers poking out from behind, it’s clear a lot of effort went into making this snail stand out from the rest. It even wears the same demeaning facial expression that can often be seen splashed across Big Mom’s face any time she’s talking down to her children, which emphasizes that the person on the other end of the line isn’t exactly someone looking to negotiate.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)