Oda Reveals The Real Inspiration For Luffy’s Gear 5 

Luffy has shown tremendous growth in One Piece as of late, and the Wano arc was the most significant one for him in this regard. Here, Luffy learned to tap into some of the most significant forms of this power. Not only did Luffy learn how to utilize the power of Ryuo, but, in the battle against Kaido, he went on to tap into the power of Supreme King Haki as well. To take things one step further, he also went on to awaken his Devil Fruit, and this gave him access to the true power of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, or in other words, what Luffy calls Gear 5.

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Clearly, Gear 5 is one of the most unique powers that fans have seen not just in One Piece, but in manga as a whole, and Oda has officially revealed the inspiration for this incredible power to the fans now.

How Luffy Awakened Gear 5 And All Its Powers

• Luffy Tapped Into Gear 5 After Nearly Dying
• Gear 5 Is What Luffy Calls Devil Fruit Awakening

Luffy awakened Gear 5 during his fight against Kaido atop the roof of Onigashima in the Wano arc. Here, Luffy advanced all of his Haki types. While his Observation Haki was already great, Luffy gained further mastery over this power, and at the same time, took his other forms of Haki to the next level as well. But, despite Luffy having these Haki upgrades, especially the Color of the Supreme King, he was not able to defeat Kaido, and this just goes to show that the King of Beasts was not easy for him to take down at all. Yet, this was one wall that Luffy wanted to surpass at all costs, which is why he didn’t mind pushing himself beyond all limits. This eventually led to Luffy awakening his Devil Fruit.

In order to truly awaken one’s Devil Fruit, the body and mind need to catch up with the ability. Luffy had taken his Devil Fruit capabilities to the next level with his ingenious creativity. However, he truly needed to understand the core of his Devil Fruit powers and his body needed to catch up with these abilities as well. Luffy took his strength to the next level, all the while understanding the true core of his Devil Fruit powers, and ended up Awakening his fruit, which gave rise to Gear 5. With the power of Gear 5, Luffy’s body was far more rubbery than ever before, and at the same time, far more powerful. He turned into the Warrior of Liberation, bringing laughter and joy wherever he went. Luffy could also essentially do just about anything that he wanted, as he was limited only by his imagination. Such was the power of Gear 5.

Essentially, Luffy can go about breaking any law of physics, or do things that are seemingly impossible, as long as he deems it being possible himself. Gear 5 is one of the most ridiculous powers to ever exist, and this ability is one that even the Five Elders have been after for about 800 years now. In the battle against Kaido, Gear 5 and Oda’s creativity shone quite a lot. Fans got to see Luffy do things such as turn Kaido into a skipping rope, turn himself into a massive giant, grab lightning bolts from the sky, run in mid-air, and create island-sized fists, among other things. Clearly, this power-up is absolutely staggering and one that makes Luffy a fighter like no other in One Piece.

Oda’s inspiration For Gear 5

Oda Reveals Tom and Jerry To Be Gear 5 Inspirations

Given how unique Gear 5 is, fans have been wondering as to what inspired Oda to introduce this transformation in the story. After all, no other transformation in One Piece or other Shonen come close to it. Usually, Shonen transformations are powered by rage, and they essentially see a serious tone being set for whatever battle is being fought. But, Gear 5 did the exact opposite. For some fans, this was a deal-breaker. However, for the vast majority of One Piece fans and those who understand the core of Luffy’s character, gear 5 is quite easily the greatest power-up that Oda could have come up with. Now, Oda has revealed the inspiration behind this power-up as well.

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise to the fans that the inspiration for Gear 5 are Tom and Jerry. Throughout the battle against Kaido, fans could easily see many similar comedic scenarios playing out and that certainly was a nod from Oda towards this popular cartoon. At the core of Luffy’s character, Oda envisions a childlike personality who will never bend to any rules and does what he wants. Luffy is childish, funny, and at the same time, an individual with a massive heart. As such, a power up that sees him bring out these qualities to the absolute fullest is perfect for him. Be it running in mid-air, turning people into rubber pizzas, grabbing lightning, Or running in mid-air by turning his legs into wheels, Luffy can do it all, simply because that is how he views the world around him to be.

Is Gear 5 Luffy’s Best Power-Up?

Gear 5 Is The Best One Piece Power

Undoubtedly, Gear 5 is Luffy’s best power up and one that Oda couldn’t have handled any better. There’s no power up that complements Luffy’s character better than Gear 5, and no other ability could have enhanced Luffy’s personality as much as this ability did. Throughout the battle against Kaido, this was quite evident to the fans, and if that wasn’t enough, then fans got more glimpses of this power throughout the Egghead Arc as well. Of course, there are certain fans who wish Geat 5 to be more serious. Against stronger enemies, Luffy will have to put on a serious face as well, but that should not be a problem, because fans clearly saw Luffy do exactly that in his battle against Kizaru and the Elders.

Luffy is going to goof around in battles whenever he can, but, when the situation calls for it, he can be serious as well, despite having the power of Gear 5. It is all about how Oda wants to utilize this incredible ability in the face of danger that matters. After all, he is a masterful writer and he knows how to balance things out properly. For Luffy, this form where he is at his freest is truly the pinnacle of his entire character, and might just be the best transformation not just in One Piece, but an entire manga as a whole.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1136, is set to be January 19, 2025.

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Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122