All of Luffy’s Forms, Explained

Key Takeaways

• Luffy’s transformations are crucial power-ups during battles, with varying strengths and weaknesses.
• Gear 2 increases Luffy’s speed and strength but drains his energy quickly.
• Gear 5, Luffy’s latest form, grants near invincibility and the ability to manipulate objects.

Just like most other Shonen anime series, One Piece is no stranger to new transformations that act as power-ups for the characters. Though not as egregious and common as in many other franchises, transformations are often a major part of an arc, whether they serve to be an increase in the strength of a hero or even a villain. Due to this, they often have far more weight to them once they are shown as compared to other series.

As such, the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, has undergone quite a few of his own throughout One Piece. These transformations have often served as the difference-makers in the battles they’ve been used in, though they aren’t completely infallible. So, let’s go over all of Luffy’s various transformations and take a look at all of their strengths and weaknesses.

Luffy’s Base Form

The Standard State

Although this technically isn’t a form, this is essentially the state Luffy is in all the time and the one he used once he began his journey as a pirate, so it’s worth mentioning with the rest of them. Over the years, Luffy has gotten stronger and has learned to rely on more than just his Devil Fruit, which is why he can now use Haki masterfully. He applies this power to his regular attacks even in his base form.

Hero? No! We are pirates! I love heroes but I don’t wanna be one!

Due to this knowledge and power he has gained over the years, Luffy remains a formidable fighter even without realizing any of his transformations. However, this form alone could only get him so far, as he had to unlock a stronger state as early as the Enies Lobby arc against Blueno. Although this state is stronger than ever before due to Luffy’s ability to use Haki, it’s still fairly low on the power scale.

Gear 2 Luffy

Luffy’s First-Ever Transformation

The first transformation that Luffy ever showed in the series was Gear 2, which he used against Blueno during their fight on Enies Lobby. By controlling the blood flow in his body and making it travel faster to the various parts of his body, he provides these body parts with more oxygen and nutrients, making him far stronger and faster than before. Because of this, the increase in blood flow and oxygen that the body uses causes this form to release steam.

You won’t be able to catch me. Each of my techniques is going to the next level.

Due to Gear 2’s increased strain on the body, Luffy can’t use the form for too long since it uses up all of his food and energy reserves to maintain. Usage of Gear 2 makes him far hungrier than he usually is but can even paralyze him for a time if he uses it too much. This form made short work of Blueno but wasn’t strong enough to defeat Rob Lucci during their battle at Enies Lobby.

Gear 3 Luffy

Luffy’s Gigantic Transformation

Similarly to Gear 2, this transformation makes use of Luffy’s powers that have been given to him due to his rubber body’s unique properties. However, unlike Gear 2, this is less of a form and more of a temporary power-up, since it requires Luffy to use the air in his bones to inflate his arms to a gargantuan size. By biting down hard on his thumb, he creates an opening that allows him to blow the air into his bones to inflate the arm.

If it’s backbone you want, I’ll show you another tactic. Gear… Third!

Not only does his arm increase in size comparable to that of a giant, namely Oars, but it packs as much of a punch as it seems to, with Luffy being shown to be able to destroy entire buildings and huge structures with just one hit. In his fight against Rob Lucci, Luffy destroyed a substantial part of Enies Lobby when he knocked Lucci out of it. However, once he’s done using it, his entire body loses energy and makes him shrink in size, looking like a child and depleting his stamina.

Nightmare Luffy

A Powerful, One-Off Form

During the events of Thriller Bark, Gecko Moria proved to be an extremely dangerous threat for the heroes to face, to the point where even Gears 2 and 3 weren’t enough to defeat him. Although he was fairly weak on his own, his powers were quite formidable, though they also proved to be his downfall when Luffy managed to house 100 shadows to unlock his Nightmare Luffy form.

Oi, big idiot. What’re you supposed to be stomping? Nobody is under your foot.

This form was incredibly powerful from a physical standpoint, making Luffy far larger and giving him more physical strength than any of his other forms. This was seen in his climactic battle against Oars, where he used his incredible strength to stop Oars’ punch head-on and even throw him around. Though the form lasted for a very short amount of time, it goes down as one of Luffy’s strongest.

Gear 4 Luffy

The State With The Most Sub-Forms

Gear 4 is perhaps the most interesting of all of Luffy’s transformations because it includes several sub-forms within it, each with its own specialty in a combat situation. The defining characteristic of this form is the fact that this is the first of Luffy’s transformations that uses Haki, coating much of his body in Armament Haki to make his attacks do far more damage. Similar to Gear 3, Luffy inflates his body by blowing air into his arms, although this time, it affects the entire body rather than just one limb at a time.

You made my friends cry and made my crewmates mad. But you still haven’t fallen, so I will take everything upon myself! Gear… Fourth!

Unlike the other forms, Gear 4 has different states that emphasize different aspects of combat situations that Luffy can shuffle through to suit whatever situation he is in. For example, Boundman is a state that makes his body pretty buoyant but also gives his attacks a ton of power behind them, allowing him to simulate flight by kicking the air. On the other hand, Snakeman makes Luffy’s keeps Luffy close to the same size as his regular state, is far leaner, and gives his punches an incredible boost in speed and mobility.

Gear 5 Luffy

The Power of Sun God Nika

The greatest and still the most mysterious of all of Luffy’s transformations is his latest one; Gear 5. This is not only the most unique transformation in terms of powers and abilities, but also due to the near-invincibility that it grants Luffy while he is in this state, essentially gifting him the powers of the toon force, both offensively and defensively. Although Luffy’s only been shown using this form very briefly, the potential that it holds is limitless, considering that fans know next to nothing about it in the current setting.

This… is my peak. This is Gear 5!

Gear 5 made its debut in Luffy’s strenuous battle against Kaido, who was an enemy that proved to be far too much for Luffy to contend with, even in his strongest form at the time. After being pushed to the brink of death, Luffy’s Devil Fruit underwent an awakening and was revealed to be one of the most powerful Mythical Zoan fruits in One Piece, transforming Luffy into the state of Sun God Nika. In Gear 5, Luffy is able to do essentially anything he wants, putting the rubber properties of his Devil Fruit on any objects beside him. Although he couldn’t really damage the Gorosei, Gear 5 Luffy is currently the strongest known character in the entire series.

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