In the last few months, the One Piece manga has had some huge surprises that have shocked and amazed fans once again. Even after 25 years, Eiichiro Oda still knows how to surprise people.
The GEAR 5 change that Luffy went through was one of these surprises.
Since GEAR 4 was shown in Dressrosa, fans have been wondering when the next gear will be released.
Almost every fan expected the next gear in Wano, but no one expected it to be done the way it was and to come with so much story.
Oda has done it again—he has taken the floor out from under us.
Now, that doesn’t mean that people didn’t have doubts about this idea. Some people thought that any more power-ups would just be useless and that Luffy should think of clever ways to beat Kaido and all the other bad guys.
The idea ran the risk of making One Piece into a classic shonen story like Dragon Ball Z, where the main character gets power-ups one after another to fight even bigger threats.
Luckily, Oda didn’t let us down. He used the power-up in a way that makes it important to the story’s ending saga and changes the way we looked at Luffy from the beginning.
Did Luffy Get Gear 5 in One Piece?
In the One Piece comics, Luffy does use Gear 5 when he fights Kaido.
As Luffy and Kaido fought on the roof of Onigashima, they got ready for what they thought would be their last blows.
The World Government told the CP0 boss to stop the fight right before Luffy’s “Overkong Gun” and Kaido’s “Thunder Bellow Bagua” were about to meet.
He stopped Luffy from moving with “Tekkai” (Iron body), so Luffy had to face Kaido’s full attack.
Kaido thought Luffy was dead because of this, and Momonosuke’s claim that Luffy’s “voice” had gone away only added to his belief.
As these things happened, Zunesha showed up near Onigashima and told everyone that “Joyboy” was coming as we saw Luffy change.
When Does Luffy Get Gear 5?
The first time Luffy changes into gear 5 is at the end of One Piece chapter 1043.
Then, in Chapter 1044, a series of jaw-dropping truths about Luffy’s devil fruit and his current state were revealed. The chapter ended with the truth about Luffy’s “awakened” GEAR 5 form.
Most people think that for Luffy to awaken, he had to be on the verge of dying, which allowed his heart to start beating again and gave him access to new powers.
We’ll talk more about these later in the piece.
What is Luffy’s Gear 5?
Luffy’s GEAR 5 is the awakened form of the mythical zoan devil fruit Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika, which was once called the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
In this state, Luffy’s clothes and hair turn white, and white clouds float around his head and neck. His eyes glow with white pupils that look like rings.
You could almost say that Luffy looks like God because of how his devil fruit makes him look. After all, his food is named after the Sun God ‘Nika’ and is based on him.
Zunesha says that Luffy’s heartbeat now has a musical beat that she calls the “Drums of Liberation” because of how it sounds. Luffy’s ties to ‘Nika’ have been hinted at since the Skypeia arc.
The user’s personality is one of the most interesting things about this change. Luffy is said to have gotten this devil fruit from Joyboy, which explains why he is so happy and friendly.
The waking only makes the user more carefree and gives them “freedom” without any limits.
What Does Gear 5 Luffy Look Like?
When Luffy uses the fifth gear, not only do his powers suddenly get stronger, but he also looks a lot different.
Luffy’s hair, eyebrows, and almost all of his clothes, except for his shoes and belt, turn a bright white. A big white cloud is floating around his neck, which adds to the white theme.
Also, you can’t help but notice that Luffy’s pupils are red and that his white eyelashes are bushy and wavy. But when Luffy gets out of gear 5 mode, he goes back to his normal look.
Luffy’s Gear 5 Powers & Abilities
When the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika is awakened, the user’s body, which was already flexible, gets stronger and more free to move around.
People who eat this fruit can fight however they want and make others happy. People have called it “the most ridiculous power in the world” because of these things.
In GEAR 5, Luffy can turn anything into rubber and move it around as he wants. It also makes everyone and everything around him look like a cartoon version of themselves.
People on the Live floor of the Skull dome were knocked out by Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki, which shows that a lot of Haki can be released in this form.
GEAR 5 can use the skills of any of Luffy’s other gears without him having to blow off any of his limbs or pump his heart faster.
He can make his arms and legs big enough to grab Kaido in his Dragon form, and in an instant, he can grow as big as a giant.
Luffy was also very smart when he turned the ground below him into rubber to block Kaido’s deadly “Blast Breath” attack. He also blew up Kaido’s body along with his own so that they could both escape when Kaido ate them both.
Luffy could also use his skills to grab a real bolt of lightning and throw it at Kaido, making a punch as big as the island of Onigashima. Its name says it all: there is no power more silly than this one.
The things Luffy can do with GEAR 5 are crazy, and its possibilities are almost endless. Oda has a lot more in store for One Piece fans, so I’m sure we’ve only seen a small part of his new abilities. Things look better than ever for One Piece.
Gear 5: Primary Techniques
Here are some of the most well-known things Luffy can do with his Gear 5:
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant (Gum-Gum Giant): This is how Luffy can turn into a giant.
- Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun (Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun): Luffy can make his fist as big as the Onigashima island and can use both the weapon and conqueror’s haki for this attack.
- Gomu Gomu no Fusen (Gum-Gum Balloon): As the name suggests, when Luffy uses this move, he can turn into a balloon.
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket (Gum-Gum Dawn Rocket): Luffy can thrust his hand into an opponent’s belly like a rocket.
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip (Gum-Gum Dawn Whip): Like a whip, Luffy can stretch out his leg and kick his opponent in a way that twists.
- Gomu Gomu no Mogura Pistol (Gum-Gum Mole Pistol): When Luffy hits the ground with his fist in Gear 5, a piece of the ground close grows into a tentacle-like arm and attacks his opponent from the side.
Gear 5: Situational Techniques
In the manga, we saw Luffy use different skills based on what was going on. Here are some of these methods:
- Gomu-Gum Lightning: Luffy changes a lightning bolt’s qualities so he can grab it and throw it at his enemies.
- Gomu Gomu no Dasshutsu Rocket (Gum-Gum Escape Rocket): When Luffy was stuck inside Kaidou’s body, he pulled his arm out of Kaido’s eyes and grabbed his nose to swing out of Kaido’s body.
- Gomu Gomu no Nawatobi (Gum-Gum Jump Rope): When Luffy is in his giant form, he can grab an enemy, stretch them out, and use them as a jump rope.
FAQs
Does Luffy ever reach Gear 5?
Yes, at the end of the Wano Country arc (chapter 1044), Luffy does wake up his devil fruit and unlock Gear 5. Fans who only watch anime will have to wait a little longer, but the version will be out soon.
Is there Luffy Gear 6?
Right now, Luffy’s Gear 5 gives him the most power. So, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Luffy’s Gear 6 any time soon. Maybe Luffy will get the key at the end of the game. But, to be honest, we don’t know anything for sure right now.
Is Luffy Gear 5 the strongest?
Yes! Luffy’s Gear 5 is, of course, the most powerful thing he can do. Right now, he can do ANYTHING with his devil fruit skills because, when he uses Gear 5, he turns into the Sun God Nika, which makes his devil fruit the strongest one in the world.
Will Luffy go to Gear 5 in the movie Red?
Yes! During the end of the One Piece Film: Red, there was a secret scene that showed Luffy’s Gear 5. Even though it was just a quick look to tease fans.
What episode is Luffy Gear 5?
The first time we saw Luffy’s Gear 5 was in the manga episode 1044. So, based on how the current show is going, we could see Luffy’s Gear 5 in any of the episodes between 1065 and 1070.