Following the latest One Piece episode that came out, we were given a break from all the serious fighting, and we go back to the occasional silly goofy mood that the series has. One Piece Episode 1071 shows Luffy’s new Gear 5 power, which complements his personality — as seen with him laughing and his eyes popping out while fighting. But what exactly does Luffy’s Gear 5 power do? Here is it fully explained.
Luffy’s Gear 5 Explained
Luffy’s Gear 5 is part of the awakening of his Devil Fruit, the Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit).
However, as mentioned in the meeting of the Five Elders, the Gomu Gomu no Mi has another name — the Hito Hito no Mi (Human-Human Fruit), Model: Nika. Previously, the Gomu Gomu no Mi was known as a Paramecia type. But the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika is an awakened Mythical Zoan type. As mentioned in the series before, Nika is the name of the Sun God. Legends say he will free the slaves from their suffering.
Gear 5 enhances Luffy’s rubber body properties, making him stronger and allowing him to fight more freely. Aside from having a rubber body, he can now transform the things around him into rubber, as seen when he deflected Kaido’s Bolo (Blast) Breath by bending a piece of the ground and using it as a shield. Luffy’s heartbeat also changes, beating to a rhythm that Zunesha calls the Drums of Liberation. With that, the user of this Devil Fruit is also called the Warrior of Liberation.
Luffy is also able to enhance the other Gears while in Gear 5. An example is Gomu Gomu no Gigant (Gum-Gum Giant), where Luffy becomes an actual giant. This is similar to Gear 3. Other techniques are variants of his previous techniques in the other Gears.
When Was Gear 5 Revealed in the Anime and Manga?
Luffy’s Gear 5 was revealed in episode 1071 of the anime.
Meanwhile, the Gear 5 debut in the manga was in chapter 1044.
Why is Gear 5 So Cartoony?
According to One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Gear 5’s inspiration is rooted in cartoons.
Specifically, Luffy and Kaido’s fight has references to Tom and Jerry. One Piece fans know that Oda doesn’t make the story completely serious, and adds a hint of comedy to the plot every once in a while. The cartoony fight contrasts Kaido’s seriousness and Luffy’s silly personality.
