Just like devil fruits and Haki, Luffy’s Gears have always been one of the most popular things in One Piece, and now that Luffy Gear 5 has debuted, it has reinforced that Luffy’s powers are the best!
Since Enies Lobby arc and his battle against Blueno, Luffy has been using Gears, uniquely utilizing his devil fruit powers. Each Gear gives Luffy a different power and augments his body differently. Gear 2nd allows his blood to pump faster, making him move quicker and attack better. Gear 3rd allows him to expand sections of his body by blowing air in them for larger attacks.
Gear 4th allows Luffy to turn into two forms. Gear 4 Bounceman gives Luffy a massive and bloated body using aspects of both Gear 2 and 3, then Gear 4 Snakeman is the complete opposite, where Luffy has a sleek and slim look, more focused on speed than strength.
Each of these Gears displays a massive upgrade for Monkey D. Luffy in terms of power level, and they all debuted in crucial moments throughout the series. From using Bounceman against Doflamingo to Snakeman against Katakuri, each Gear shows how much stronger Luffy has gotten.
That’s why when Gear 5 was revealed, One Piece fans knew something crazy was coming. And it debuted at the exact time that fans speculated, in Luffy’s toughest fight yet, against Kaido. Luffy had already seemingly used everything his devil fruit had to offer, meaning its awakening was next up!
And when Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation happened, it literally shattered all expectations as it was unlike anything that fans were hoping for. However, what we got is absolutely fantastic as it was the perfect power for someone like Monkey D. Luffy!
What is Luffy’s Gear 5 Transformation?
Gear 5 is a drastic change from any of Luffy’s previous transformations. Rather than turning into something completely different looking like Gear 4 Snakeman and Bounceman, Luffy just looks like himself with some extra features.
Gear 5th is a display of freedom within Luffy. He has now opened up his heart, and his devil fruit has awakened. In this form, he is free, capable of doing whatever he wishes.
In Gear 5, Luffy’s design is quite crazy. This form is basically his devil fruit awakening, where Luffy’s body transforms with his iconic black hair turning into curly white hair, and his outfit also changes, going from a red shirt and blue pants to a fully white attire. Luffy’s eyebrows also change, and clouds surround his body.
Luffy’s personality is also expanded in this form. We all know Luffy wants to have fun, right? He gets serious at various points in the series, not smiling at all, but most of the time, he is usually pretty happy-go-lucky. Gear 5 takes that nature and amplifies it to a whole another level.
Luffy becomes like a kid in a playhouse. He is laughing, running around, having fun, and beating up his opponent while doing so. His new powers allow him to do pretty much anything in the space of his imagination, so it’s safe to say Luffy is incredibly strong while being the “person with the most freedom.”
How Did Luffy Unlock His Gear 5 Technique?
Gear 5 was a long time coming for fans, but not in the way they expected it. Everyone was waiting for Luffy’s next technique, especially after learning Advanced Armament Haki earlier during the Wano Country arc and figuring out how to use Advanced Conqueror’s Haki in his fight against Kaido.
For years there had been theories surrounding Luffy, his devil fruit, how he could come up with his Gears, and what Oda would do with the character going forward.
The Gears, in particular, have always been unique to Luffy. I always wondered how he could do all the things he did with a devil fruit that gave him a rubbery body. However, we did get an explanation of why Luffy could come up with various techniques with the revelation of what Luffy’s devil fruit actually was!
Since the Skypiea arc, fans have been comparing Luffy to the Sun God Nika, the God that the Skypiea residents worshipped. Luffy is known for freeing people in the series. From saving the citizens of Alabasta Kingdom and Dressrosa Island, during the Alabasta and Dressrosa arc, from their respective tyrannical rules to saving countless people throughout the series. He is a man of freedom, joy, and, most importantly, friendship.
Luffy brings people together, just like Sun God Nika. So, when Gear 5 was initially revealed, all these theories came true.
During his final battle with Kaido towards the end of the Wano Country arc, Luffy is defeated by Kaido. He is seemingly killed, and his heart stops beating. At this moment, the “Drums of Liberation” begin to beat once again, and so does his heart. Luffy’s devil fruit achieves awakening, thereby unlocking a brand new form, the Gear 5th form, which would become Luffy’s peak form!
“I can do everything I wanted to do!! I think I can fight a bit longer… My heartbeat sounds so funny!! This is the pinnacle of what I can do!! This is… Gear 5!!!” – This is what Luffy says after achieving his devil fruit awakening.
Luffy calls this ability Gear 5th as he has no idea what happened, but the audience is told that this is the awakened form of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika!
That’s right, all along, Luffy’s devil fruit was actually the Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit called Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and not the Paramecia-type devil fruit, Gomu Gomu no Mi, that we know from the beginning. The name of the fruit was changed as a cover-up by the Five Elders of the World Government as they wanted to bury the existence of the devil fruit and its powers!
Luffy’s Gear 5 Abilities and Powers:
After awakening the devil fruit, Luffy’s heartbeat sounds like the drums of liberation, and his latest Gear technique and transformation debuts! Immediately after resurrecting in the Gear 5 form, Luffy fights Kaido again, displaying immense power.
This form can do anything Luffy wants if his imagination allows it. He now has the power known as “Toon Force” in the animanga community. This means he has the logic of a cartoon character, and because of his devil fruit awakening, he can put this logic on anything around him.
After struggling against Kaido for a long time, Luffy overpowers him in this form initially. Luffy turns Kaido’s dragon form into a jump rope and swings him around, even catching a lightning strike in his hand and attacking Kaido with it. He can also use his surroundings to his advantage, as he used the floor of Onigashima island to block a fully charged Blast Breath from Kaido!
Luffy’s strength, speed, and stamina increase in this form, allowing him to overpower Kaido with relative ease. With the cartoon logic and looney tunes kind of powers, Luffy can basically do anything he wants, as long as he can imagine it.
However, Luffy Gear 5 is still a beginning, as Luffy hasn’t mastered this form. We see him getting tired and drained during his fight with Kaido, and until Luffy completely masters this form, he might not be able to defeat powerful opponents in the series.
We also see Luffy use this power again against an awakened Rob Lucci, whom he battled back in Enies Lobby. Here Luffy displays even more abilities, such as turning his surrounding space into a slingshot, creating sunglasses out of his hair, and even destroying Lucci without taking a single hit.
In the short time since the Gear 5 debuted, Luffy has shown us a glimpse of this power. Here’s everything that Luffy has done so far in the short time since he’s unlocked this new transformation!
Luffy’s Gear 5 Achievements:
- This awakened fruit grants its user’s rubber-like body increased freedom and strength, allowing them to fight however they please.
- Luffy has become a “Warrior of Liberation,” bringing joy and liberation to those around him.
- The Five Elders even described this fruit as “the most ridiculous power in the world.”
- Besides his iconic straw hat and sandals, Luffy’s hair and clothes turn white, his eyebrows change shape, and a cloud appears around his body.
- Due to being an awakened Zoan fruit, Luffy has increased speed, durability, and strength.
- His durability is insane, as he could tank a Blast Breath from Kaido, the strongest creature in the world.
- Luffy can still use the powers of Gear 3rd in this state, changing the size of his body parts and even his whole body.
- Luffy was also seen catching a lightning bolt out of the air, throwing it at Kaido, and using Kaido’s dragon form as a skipping rope after becoming a giant.
- His rubbery powers can also be transferred to the environment around him, similar to what we saw with Doflamingo and Katakuri.
- Luffy can affect his surroundings so much that he even turns those underneath him in the stage hall into cartoon-like characters. Nami and the crew were seen to stretch their eyes out of their skulls and act differently.
- Despite how strong the form is, it has an insane energy drain, thanks to Luffy’s inexperience.
- Luffy can be seen to visually age when the form runs out but immediately turns back into Gear 5 once he’s gained his breath and recovered his energy enough.
This was a list of some things that Luffy could do during his Gear 5 transformation. Some fans are wondering if Luffy’s awakened powers can bend reality too, but that’s not been confirmed yet.
Luffy’s Gear 5 Techniques:
And with a new Gear 5 transformation, Luffy also uses many insane techniques in his fight against Kaido and later against Rob Lucci. Some of these techniques we have seen him using in his past forms, while some are new. Below is a list of all the Gear 5 techniques we have witnessed Luffy use so far!
- Gomu Gomu no Fusen (Gum Gum Balloon): When Kaido swallowed him, he inflated his entire body and gained quite a bit of buoyancy, like a helium balloon, attacking and hindering Kaido’s dragon form’s movement.
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant (Gum Gum Giant): He literally grows to the size of a giant, being able to stomp on Kaidou for a second.
- Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun (Gum Gum Bajrang Gun): This technique is the Gear 5 equivalent to King Kong Gun. After growing his arm to the size of Onigashima and imbuing it with Armament and Conqueror’s Haki, Luffy punches Kaido. Kaidou manages to respond and even contest his attack momentarily before succumbing to it.
- Gomu Gomu no Dasshutsu Rocketto (Gum Gum Escape Rocket): Luffy used Gomu Gomu no Fusen to stretch Kaido’s eyes and himself to launch himself out of Kaidou’s mouth. Yeah, look it up, it did happen!
- Gomu Gomu no Nawatobi (Gum Gum Skipping Rope): Using Gomu Gomu no Fusen, a gigantic Luffy grabbed Kaido’s Dragon form and used it as a skipping rope.
- Gomu Gomu no Kaminari (Gum Gum Lightning): Fighting Kaido, he gives a lightning bolt the properties of rubber so he can actually grab it and then hurls it at Kaido.
- Gomu Gomu no Mogura Pistol (Gum Gum Mole Pistol): He uses this technique in his fight against Rob Lucci’s awakened form where he punches his fist to the ground, and a tendril of the floor stretches and hits his opponent.
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket (Gum Gum Dawn Rocket): Used against Rob Lucci, Luffy throws himself in his surrounding, uses his awakened powers to bend the structures further, and then launches himself at his opponent at full speed to slam a fist into them.
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip (Gum Gum Dawn Whip): Luffy twists his body, stretches his leg, hardens it, and swings it into his opponent’s face. He then lets his body rapidly untwist to add explosive power to his kicks.
Is Luffy’s Gear 5 The Strongest?
Now that we have seen Gear 5 a few times in the story, it’s safe to say that it’s the strongest form in Luffy’s arsenal and might be the strongest one he gets. From here on, Luffy can only get stronger by perfecting his Haki, mastering his devil fruit awakening, and maybe expanding his imagination.
At the end of the day, Gear 5 is as strong as Luffy’s imagination. Luffy could end up using more Haki in the form, but Gear 5 is most likely his final transformation for the series.
Similarly to how Kaku and Rob Lucci awakened their Zoan devil fruits, Luffy’s Gear 5 is the pinnacle of his devil fruit’s power. Yes, he can learn more techniques and widen his imagination, but this is the end of the road for his transformations.
While we don’t know the ins and outs of a devil fruit’s awakening just yet, especially Zoan fruit’s, it’s safe to say that Luffy has achieved his final form. Maybe a rumble ball could do something to Luffy, but we will have to wait and see for that one!
This also means that Gear 6 isn’t happening unless Luffy thinks his new power is another Gear. Realistically, at some point in the story, Luffy will learn about his fruit and what Gear 5 truly is.
Conclusion
Despite Luffy using Gear 5 twice in the series so far, our knowledge of it is still very limited. As the series progresses and Eiichiro Oda shows us more of this form, we will learn more about it! This form has changed our entire perception of the One Piece anime and manga series and came at such a critical time.
Things are changing in the One Piece world. Blackbeard has defeated Law, Shanks has destroyed the Kid Pirates, Garp is fighting Kuzan, and the Straw Hat Pirates are leaving Egghead Island. Everything is coming to a head, and we don’t know what’s next. One thing we are sure of, though, is that Luffy’s Gear 5 has brought a massive change in the world of One Piece, rattling the Five Elders and Imu!
As the One Piece journey continues, things will get crazier! Gear 5 will play a significant role in what comes next because we still need to hear the other side of the story regarding Sun God Nika and Joy Boy.
We hope to find out more as the series carries on and Luffy gets a step closer to becoming the next Pirate King! Luffy’s Gear 5 form has already debuted in the One Piece manga. The anime adaptation is next, and we’ll soon see the form in its full glory in the One Piece anime too!
Also Read: How to Watch One Piece in Order?
