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With the debut of Gear 5 in the latest episode of the One Piece anime, both anime-only fans and manga readers have now been exposed to all of Luffy’s forms so far. From his humble beginnings, relying on the Gum-Gum Pistol, Luffy has come a long way by the time he achieves what he calls his “peak” in Gear 5, the Awakening of his true Devil Fruit.
Likewise, Gear 5 represents the culmination of a 25-year journey which fans have been on with Luffy and the Straw Hats, whether as an anime enthusiast or a manga reader. Although many Luffy transformations in One Piece came before it, many fans do agree with Luffy that Gear 5, the awakening of his Mythical Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, is indeed his peak thus far.
However, with this proclamation of Luffy’s having finally made its way into the series’ television anime, many One Piece fans are now debating how all of Luffy’s transformations stack up. Interestingly, rather than focusing on the exact power scaling between the forms, discussion is primarily centered on which ones fans simply like the most.
Some of Luffy’s mainstay Gears in One Piece outranked by one-off forms from early series
7) Gear 4 Tank-Man
Possibly the least liked form of Luffy’s in One Piece is the Tank-Man form, deriving from the umbrella Gear 4 technique. The form appears only once to deal with a specific enemy in the form of Charlotte Cracker’s biscuit puppets. The form is essentially a result of Luffy eating so many of the biscuit puppets that he becomes massively round due to bloating from eating them.
In Tank-Man form, Luffy essentially becomes a defensive stalwart, being able to take on much more punishment than usual. Luffy’s body also becomes a weapon via the recoil from attacks made on him, which will rebound and blast opponents away to his rubbery body. Although the form is entertaining at the moment, there are likely very few fans who truly miss its use.
6) Gear 3
Gear 3 Luffy is an interesting case, especially in pre-time-skip. Despite being one of Luffy’s main forms for a few hundred chapters, it always felt like second fiddle to Gear 2. Although it gives Luffy impressive destructive power by making his limbs as big as those of a giant, there’s not much flair to the form beyond this for a majority of its time in primary use.
There’s also the pre-time-skip drawback of Luffy shrinking in size after using the technique, which many fans weren’t fans of, even if it was praised for its consequential nature. While the form isn’t necessarily disliked by fans, it is clearly a low contender in terms of overall fan reception and excitement.
5) Nightmare Luffy
Contrary to Tank-Man, Nightmare Luffy is a one-off form which fans universally praise and love. Despite its ranking in the lower half of this list, it’s far from a black sheep in the eyes of most fans, and simply loses points for being a one-off rather than a constant form. Nevertheless, the twist was welcomed by many One Piece fans and has lived on as one of Luffy’s most beloved forms.
Arguably, how situational the form is partially helps to make it so beloved among fans. The use of Gecko Moria’s own powers against him was a fantastic twist beloved by fans, as was the idea that Luffy reached a new peak against his toughest opponent to that point. The form also provided clear and heavy consequences for such power, albeit ones which were eventually mitigated by Zoro’s doing.
4) Gear 4 Bounce-Man
The Gear 4 Bounce-Man technique was the first of the Gear 4 family to be introduced in One Piece, debuting at the climax of Luffy’s fight against Donquixote Doflamingo. The form was universally loved upon its debut, being heavily praised for drawing inspiration from Luffy’s time on Rusukaina Island and incorporating the Haki techniques he learned during his training there.
The form’s power also impressed fans from the first punch, clearly utilizing Luffy’s rubber body in a way which neither Gear 2 nor Gear 3 had touched upon. On a similar note, fans loved seeing Gear 3 incorporated into this Gear 4 form via Luffy’s finishing move for the form, the Gum-Gum King Kong Gun. Overall, the execution, design, and power increase of the form helped to solidify it as an immediate favorite among fans.
3) Gear 4 Snake-Man
Despite having a much shorter debut than Bounce-Man, Gear 4’s Snake-Man technique likely is the preferred version between the two among fans.
While part of this may stem from how great the fight against Charlotte Katakuri is, the form also has a much sleeker look and a more exciting feel than Bounce-Man. Whereas the Bounce-Man form focused on slow, deliberate, and powerful punches, Snake-Man overwhelmed enemies with unpredictable attacks from all sides.
The form also shares the same incorporation of Haki and inventive use of Luffy’s body as the Bounce-Man form does, making it equally as lovable, visually speaking. Combined with the form’s impressive moves and Gear 2-like fighting style, it became an instant hit among many One Piece fans.
2) Gear 2
Despite its age and being the first powerup introduced for Luffy in One Piece, Gear 2 has aged like a fine wine, and undoubtedly remains one of the best and most favorite forms in the series. While part of this may stem from how impactful its debut was in Luffy’s fight against Blueno, its power and strength being on full display throughout the Enies Lobby arc is what truly solidified its legendary status.
The form is Luffy’s go-to as he struggles to fight against Rob Lucci for the sake of getting Nico Robin back, and it makes for so many memorable scenes. Arguably what comes to mind for everyone is Luffy refusing to go down while in the form, following up Lucci’s finishing move with a ferocious Gum-Gum Gatling. In addition to the principles of how the form works and why it's so overpowering, it’s undoubtedly a major fan-favorite.
1) Gear 5
Unsurprisingly, many One Piece fans do agree with Luffy that Gear 5 is indeed his peak so far, and likely will be for the rest of the series. Gear 5 does have a slight edge over the other forms, in that its narrative purpose is much more significant than any other form Luffy has had up to this point. However, even barring this fact, it still likely would remain a favorite among fans.
One of the biggest reasons why the form is so beloved among series loyalists is, ironically, why many in the general anime community trash the form. The goofiness and silliness of everything Luffy is and does while using the form is emblematic of both his character and the series as a whole.
For One Piece fans, Gear 5 is essentially everything they love about the series and Luffy in a neat, exciting, and truly mighty package.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
