Characters in One Piece manga have powers, but there is also the amazing part where these powers can be amplified in different gears to achieve a bigger impact when necessary. For characters like Luffy, his power can go as high as gear 5 as we read in the 1044th chapter of the manga, and we have seen this in the 1071th anime episode which was released in July 2023.
The rare use of Luffy’s gear abilities at Gear 5 is probably because of how lethal it is. At Gear 5, Luffy’s body becomes very rubbery, enabling him to stretch to abnormal lengths to either launch or fend off an attack. It also extends to everything he touches, he can stretch anything in defense of himself or other things.
When Does Luffy Use Gear 5?
After many episodes of wondering just what Luffy can do when he ups his power to the fifth gear, he eventually gives a worthy demonstration during the very intense battle with the Governor General of the Beasts Pirates Kaidou, who is also one of the powerful emperors ruling over the New World. Kaidou came up with a plot in which he raised a crew that took over the island country Onigashima in the Wano Country while plotting to depose of its legitimate leaders and introduce radical changes having already done as they pleased for years.
The breakdown of his evil, ruthless, and unsavory plans was to make Onigashima an inviting place for lawless pirates who are interested in challenging the world government. These plans put him in direct opposition to Luffy and led to the ultimate battle between them where Luffy had to deploy his Gear 5 powers and abilities to defeat him.
What Chapter Does Luffy Use Gear 5?
In the 1044th chapter of the 103rd volume of One Piece Manga titled Warrior of Liberation, we witnessed the magnificent Gear 5 of Luffy’s powers. The chapter which has a total of 17 pages and was received by fans of the manga on the 28th day of March 2022 under the arc of the Wano Country that is all about the fight to remove Kaidou and his evil conspirators from Onigashima.
The intensity of the fight would test both Luffy and Kaidou with Luffy battling to stay alive until he whips out the fifth gear of his powers which immediately revives him and has him proudly declaring that he can fight for as long as it takes.
Luffy GEAR 5 !!! pic.twitter.com/qO2QF6kaIl
— One Piece Spoils (@OPspoiler_) March 23, 2022
Luffy’s Use of Different Gears
| Gear | Description | First Appearance (Anime Episode) | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gear Second | Enhances Luffy’s speed and strength by pumping blood faster through his body. | Episode 272 | – Increases speed and power significantly. – Steam emanates from his body. – Signature move: Jet Pistol. |
| Gear Third | Inflates his bones with air for gigantic, powerful attacks. | Episode 288 | – Massive, bone-based attacks. – Shrinks to a “chibi” form temporarily after use. – Signature move: Gigant Axe. |
| Gear Fourth: Boundman | Compresses and enhances muscles with Haki for explosive power and speed. | Episode 726 | – Utilizes Armament Haki. – Bouncy, unpredictable fighting style. – Signature move: Kong Gun. |
| Gear Fourth: Tankman | A defensive form of Gear Fourth, inflates body further to absorb attacks. | Episode 806 | – Unmatched defense. – Overwhelms enemies with a rebound effect. – Signature move: Cannonball. |
| Gear Fourth: Snakeman | Focuses on speed and flexibility for agile, continuous attacks. | Episode 870 | – Increased agility. – Extends attacks with unpredictable trajectories. – Signature move: King Cobra. |
| Gear Fifth: Nika (Awakening) | Awakens his Devil Fruit powers, granting cartoonish abilities and godlike strength. | Episode 1071 | – Defies physical logic (cartoonish effects). – Extreme power and flexibility. – Signature move: Bajrang Gun. |
When Will Luffy Gear 5 Be Animated?
One Piece anime has come a very long way since the series began, successfully airing well over a thousand episodes that have kept fans glued to their screens and wanting more. However many are still expectant about when we get to witness the 5th Gear of Luffy’s powers and abilities which will happen in the 1071st episode of the series.
From the schedule of release, viewers in Japan were the first set of people to catch the full gist on the 23rd of July 2023. Other countries around the world will follow suit soon after Japan on the likes of Crunchyroll streaming platform. The expectation is that we will see his use Gear 5 starting from episode 1071 but it will not stop there because the fight and battle will extend beyond one episode. Also unlocking it will see flashbacks follow.
Luffy Gear 5 Abilities
Luffy’s Gear 5 power gives him a whole new range of mind-blowing abilities like greater strength, speed, and durability, fast recovery rate which applies even when he is so badly injured that he is unconscious. With it, he can spin his legs so fast that he can run with so much friction, enough to generate a fire left in his wake. It enhances what he can do with the rubbery nature of his body like enlarge his limbs, hands, and muscles to such an extent that he can grab and fling about the great dragon, Kaidou, with ease.
[Let finish things, Kaido!]Here’s @Leizdg’s genga of Gear 5 Luffy that I colored in for him. All credit goes to him. Please go follow him, he’s really great!#ONEPIECE #gear5 #Genga pic.twitter.com/djhUztLDgQ
— Ja-Ya (Migrating to BlueSky) (@JaYaMangaka) May 26, 2022
Gear 5 also means that he can emit a huge blast of willpower known as Haoshoku Haki and blast several opponents away at the same time. But it takes a lot of energy to use and as such, once the user is through, he or she is left quite weakened, which reflects on their body.
