Manga
The power that made Luffy the strongest One Piece character
The battle with Kaido and the Wano arc are coming to an end, all thanks to Luffy’s new transformation, the Gear 5, awakening from the Gomu Gomu fruit.
It’s been 17 years since Luffy surprised us all with Gear 2, his first major power-up. To give you an idea, we were in the Enies Lobby arc and we were in chapter 387 of the manga (in the anime it happens in episode 272). From there to Gear 3, also called Gia sado, it was only a few months. Nine years passed between Gear 3 and Gear 4, but it was worth the wait. We will never forget the moment when Eiichiro Oda pulled it out of his sleeve during the battle with Doflamingo, one of the best battles in the series. And now, another seven years later, we are witnessing another historic moment for One Piece.
In the past few months, Luffy has reached Gear 5 and the result has left no one indifferent. This is not just another gear, but the awakening of the Gomu Gomu Fruit. In other words, according to the logic of the series, we are at its maximum potential. Everything suggests that this Gear 5 could be the final transformation of the man destined to become the King of the Pirates. For that reason alone, it had to be up to the task, and boy, was it up to the task. You could say that Luffy has become the strongest character in One Piece.
Kaido 4 – 0 Luffy
What do we base such a statement on? Very simple: the fight between Kaido and Luffy has finally reached a level playing field. Not only that, but it’s started to swing to the Mugiwara side, and the end of the Wano arc seems closer than ever. Gear 5 was the key to the balance. With the awakening of his fruit, Luffy has begun to hold his own against Kaidou of the Beasts, arguably the strongest character left in the New World. Or have you forgotten how the One Piece narrator introduced him?
“This is a man who challenged the Marines and Four Emperors and was caught 18 times - and endured over a thousand tortures. He was sentenced to death forty times. When he was hanged, the rope snapped. When put under the guillotine, the blade cracked… When skewered, the spear broke. Ultimately, he sank nine different prison vessels. Meaning none of these people were able to kill him! And that included he himself.”
We are talking about a pirate who jumped off Skypiea to commit suicide, but survived. A pirate who has never lost a single battle. The highest bounty after Gol D. Roger and Barbablanca.
The murderer of Kozuki Oden. A monster who can turn into a dragon and fights drunk to see if he can make things a little better. A guy who knocks Luffy down four times before Luffy starts to warm up to him.
Cooler? No, more fun
Many fans expected to see an all-black Luffy covered in armor haki. Many others supported the theories of a “Tiger Man” form or the Monkey King version of Luffy for years. But Eiichiro Oda managed to surprise us once again. Gear 5 is true to the original spirit of One Piece. Nothing more edgy or .... “badass”. On the contrary, Luffy’s new power is the most ridiculous of all in terms of design and possibilities.
This transformation is humor and joy, laughter and fun. Roughly speaking, when Luffy activates it, he can’t stop laughing, he turns everything around him into rubber, even people, and he has become a sort of Cartoon Network cartoon, as paradoxical as that may sound for an anime. He is more exaggerated than ever. A cartoon.
Physical changes, Luffy as sun god.
On a physical level, the first thing that stands out is the bleaching of Luffy’s hair. In the first images, it seemed to melt or be on fire, which led to associate it with the yellow color, like Super Saiyan, but it has already been confirmed that it will be white, as well as his eyebrows. What is certain is that he will wave as if he were on fire.
In addition to the change in the hair, there is the appearance of a haki cloud around the neck that goes under the armpits. It gives him the appearance of a Greek hero, a pantheon god, and it makes sense. With the introduction of the G5, it was revealed that the Gomu Gomu fruit is actually called the Hito Hito: Nika Model, and Nika is just that, a god. Specifically, he is the sun god in One Piece folklore.
Nika was given this title because he metaphorically shone a light around the world. Wherever he went, he rescued enslaved people, bringing smiles to their faces and celebrating with them to the sound of the so-called “Drums of Liberation”. In Gear 5, these are the final physical changes of a Luffy transformed into Nika. He never stops laughing, and his heart beats like those drums with every beat.
His new powers: Gigantism and Lightning Catching
When first introduced, the Gear 5 is defined as “the world’s most ridiculous power,” and its only limit is the wearer’s imagination. Now that Luffy is little more than a caricature, he can shape-shift into any form and dodge almost any attack. Hit him with a spiked mace? It doesn’t affect him. His body wraps around it and adapts to it. A dragon eats him? It inflates its biceps and flees, like Kratos in the mouth of the Hydra from God of War.
Its other great ability is the same as that of the other fruits when they awaken. It turns everything around it into rubber, just like Doflamingo turned things into strings. It turns the ground into a trampoline to avoid being hit, or lifts it up and rolls it around to return an attack with it. Its function is not only defensive, but also comical. Luffy can’t control it, and when it affects the rest of the Straw Hats, who are suddenly transformed into caricatures, the results are hilarious.
But undoubtedly, the greatest display of power with this feature was seeing Luffy pick up a bolt of lightning and throw it like he was Zeus himself. That and the ability to push the Gear 3 to the limit. With the Gia Sado, he would occasionally grow an arm or a leg, but now he completely transforms his body. Luffy becomes a giant, a titan capable of destroying everything before him, even the island of Onigashima where he fights Kaido. Thanks to this, he has launched his ultimate attack against Kaido, the Rubber Monkey God Gun.
Impact and Future
Gear 5 has raised many questions among fans. Why did Luffy’s fruit change its name from a Paramecia to the mythological Zoan? Why was the Gorosei looking for this fruit? Has Luffy’s fate changed from luck, effort and willpower to fate? Does Luffy share a personality with the Sun God? Are Luffy, Nika and Joy Boy the same person, like the Holy Trinity? When Luffy’s heart stopped during the fight with Kaido, just before he woke up, what happened? The one who woke up... Is it still Luffy or someone else?
Eiichiro Oda has a lot of work to do, but having followed his career for the past 25 years, it’s clear that he has a plan and deserves a vote of confidence. As for those wondering how Luffy will improve from now on, the answer seems simple. Mastering Gear 5 will take time and he’s sure to discover new strategies and possibilities before battling Blackbeard, Akainu and the rest of the enemies on his way to Laugh Tale. “The only limit is your imagination”, remember? What there is no doubt about is that Luffy has become the strongest character in One Piece.