Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. When he set out on his journey, he was extremely weak and in no shape to face the dangers of the Grand Line. Naturally, Luffy had to be given enough power-ups so that he could beat his opponents in One Piece.

Eiichiro Oda Quietly Sets Up Luffy's Next Transformation After Gear 5

Luffy could have another transformation after Gear 5. Oda has already set it up in One Piece.

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By Rei Penber

The first of them was the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, formerly known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi. For a long time, Oda had kept the secret of Luffy's Devil Fruit being a Mythical Zoan-type. Instead, he had led the One Piece audience to believe that the hero only had a measly Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Over time, Luffy began fighting more and more powerful opponents. Soon, he realized that his current strength wasn't nearly enough to get the job done. So, Luffy developed power-ups called Gears and began using them in battles. The most recent being Gear Fifth.

This post contains spoilers for One Piece.

Luffy's Gear Fifth Subverts Most Shonen Tropes

How Luffy's Gear 5 Can Rival Imu's Powers one piece

Luffy's Gear Fifth is the manifestation his desire to be free
It is a hotly debated topic in the anime community

When Luffy fought against Kaido, the strongest creature in the world, it became apparent that the former lacked the minerals to win. So, Oda had to step in and help the hero. At that particular point, almost every single power-up that had been given to Luffy was in line with the usual shonen standards.

Naturally, most fans had come to expect that Luffy's next Gear would be similar in design. However, Oda decided to make a drastic change. Instead of adhering to the common shonen tropes, Oda made Luffy's Gear 5th extremely goofy, and by doing so, he shocked the entire community.

Gear Fifth Is An Extremely Controversial Transformation

Luffy Could Get Even Stronger In The Fight one piece — Luffy poses while in Gear 5 form.

Obviously, manga readers knew about the transformation first, while anime-only fans learned about it much later, and both times, there was a great deal of discourse within the community. But when Luffy's Gear Fifth debuted in the anime, things got out of hand as other fandoms also came to know about it. As previously stated, most Shonen anime fans are accustomed to seeing the protagonist grow more serious and stronger, so they were rather taken aback by Luffy's transformation.

I Don’t Want To Conquer Anything. I Just Think The Guy With The Most Freedom In The Entire Ocean Is The Pirate King.

They felt that Luffy's transformation was against Shonen principles, which is why there was overwhelming disapproval from their end. But most One Piece fans agree that Gear Fifth is perfect for someone like Luffy. Not only does it make him strong enough to protect his friends, but it also captures his humorous side. Furthermore, it also encompasses his desire to be free and creative.

Luffy's Gear Fifth Is Arguably The Best Anime Transformation In Recent History

Luffy's eyes pop out when he's in Gear 5 - One Piece

While a lot of anime still don't feel strongly about it, they're likely to come around with time. Controversy aside, there is absolutely no question that Luffy's Gear Fifth is the best anime transformation in the last couple of decades. The design is unique, and the power that it grants is also rather special. Gear Fifth alters Luffy's appearance drastically. Upon entering this state, Luffy's hair, eyebrows, and clothes become white. His eyebrows become swirly, and he gains a cloud of white smoke around the back of his neck, which symbolizes Devil Fruit awakening.

Luffy's strength is also significantly increased to the point where he can fight someone as massive as Kaido's beast form. It's worth mentioning that in the fight against Kaido, Luffy increased the size of his fist so much that it dwarfed the entire island of Onigashima. An attack of such magnitude is dangerous to anyone, especially when it is imbued with Armament and Conqueror's Haki. In addition to enhancing his physical traits, the Devil Fruit also allows him to turn anything into rubber. Furthermore, Luffy can also change the size of his body to resemble that of a giant.

Luffy Needs To Master Gear Fifth In The Final Saga

While Luffy's current strength is impressive, he still needs to improve and master Gear Fifth in the Final Saga. In the Egghead arc, whenever Luffy ran out of stamina, he was immediately in danger and had to be rescued by one of his crewmates. While he survived both instances, there's absolutely no doubt that he can't continue like this in the Final Saga.

Luffy needs to learn to fully control Gear Fifth so that he isn't left on the brink of death after using it. There's a chance that it might happen in the Elbaf arc as Luffy is up against Imu and Holy Knights, but for that, fans will have to be patient.

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