One Piece Luffy’s Gear 5 Wiki, Powers, Technique, Abilities, and Side Effect Explained

Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling manga One Piece has reached the Final Saga. Along with the story, the Straw Hat crew grew stronger along with their enemies. Our protagonist Monkey D. Luffy is no exception.

Fans of One Piece have been eagerly waiting for Luffy’s upgrade, and their patience was rewarded in the Wano Country arc with the introduction of Gear 5. Luffy achieved this incredible power during his final battle with Kaidou on Onigashima.

“Gear Fifth,” is Luffy’s upgraded form obtained through the awakened power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which enhances his rubbery body. This form grants Luffy the ability to manipulate and transform his surroundings, similar to the abilities of a Paramecia’s awakening. Here you will learn everything about Gear 5.

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The Evolution of Luffy’s Gear Series:

To explain the existence of Gear Fifth we have to go back to the start. As Gear Fifth is the culmination of his previous all gears so we must explore Gear Second, Third, and Fourth before entering the Fifth Gear. So let’s go back through the origins quickly.

“I feel like I can do everything now! I can fight a bit longer. My heartbeat sounds so funny!!
This is my Peak!! This is Gear Fifth…”

Monkey D. Luffy

                                                                  

Gear Second

In chapter 388 for the first time, we see the appearance of Gear Second. To defeat the powerful Cipher Pol 9, Luffy needed to level up his power.

Gear 2nd is the result of his dedication to not getting defeated. So how does this work?

In Gear 2nd, Luffy pumps the speed of blood flow in his rubbery body. This gives him a lot of increased blood flow, allowing him to get superior speed and an attack boost.

However, it has a huge consequence. Using this power always drains Luffy’s life energy as his blood flow becomes much faster than a natural human body.

Gear Third:

It was used for the first time in chapter 388. But we got the first look at the technique in chapter 403. This is quite an interesting power-up, so let’s see how it works.

In Gear 3rd, like Gear 2nd Luffy pumps his bones with air. After eating the Devil Fruit Luffy’s whole body gained the properties of rubber.

So he can blow air into his bones making them huge. This Gear gave Luffy a significant strength boost. However, it also has a major flaw. After using it Luffy temporarily turns into a smaller version which is unable to fight.

Gear Fourth:

Gear Fourth is a combination of the last 2 Gears. It first appeared in chapter 784. It takes place after the timeskip. So, Gear 4th has the infusion of Armament Haki. So this is his first Gear that can use haki as a base.

Gear 4th has different forms to showcase different aspects of fighting style.

First, Bounce Man is the representation of strength and gains the qualities of Gear 3rd infused with Haki.

Then comes the Tank Man which is a defensive form with a few strong attacks.

Lastly, the Snakeman is a form based on speed. Snakeman gets the qualities of Gear 2nd along with Armament Haki.

At this point, Luffy also learns to use Future Sight. The consequence of using Gear 4 is also very drastic.

After fighting for a bit Luffy loses excessive Haki. So for 10 minutes, Luffy can not fight even if he is in the middle of a battle.

What is this Gear Fifth Exactly?

“It is said that in all the world there is no power more ridiculous.”

— The Gorosei

Gear Fifth is the culmination of the previous Gears combined with the Awakening of Luffy’s Devil Fruit. Apart from its cartoony nature, Gear 5 has the power of Imagination.

Allegedly it is the most ridiculous power that gives the user freedom to do anything. However, does that mean the previous Gears were useless at this point?

Gear 4th in and itself is a strong power-up. However, it got more strong when Luffy learned to coat his attacks with Conqueror Haki.

Still, Gear 5th came into play when Kaido almost killed our protagonist. Luffy used every strong technique to defeat Kaido but still, fell short of defeating him.

Even though Guernica(CP 0 agent) interfered towards the end, the fight was in Kaido’s favor since it started. Sometimes Luffy damaged him but never to the extent of defeating him.

That’s where the awakening of the Devil Fruit takes place. Almost at the brink of death, Luffy awakens his Mythical Zoan fruit. So it was never about the previous Gears, it was a hurdle for Luffy to surpass himself.

Relation between Joyboy Returns and Gomu Gomu no Mi

“ I hear the Drums of Liberation. For the first time in 800 years… He is Here!!… Joyboy has returned”

— Zunesha

We know Luffy ate the Paramecia Type fruit Gomu Gomu no Mi from Shanks and got his rubber powers. For 1043 chapters author Eiichiro Oda had fooled the fanbase. Until Zunesha says that Joyboy has returned after 800 years.

So after 25 years, we got the information regarding Gomu Gomu no Mi’s origin. Oda sensei revealed some hidden secrets of Luffy’s Devil Fruit during this awakening. So what is the origin of that fruit?

Gomu Gomu no Mi is a fruit that Government has been searching for 800 years and to no avail. 13 years ago, a Cipher Pol ship got that fruit. But Shanks stole that fruit from the ship and came to Fuusha village where Luffy got that fruit from him.

Even the Gorosei said that the fruit is a legend to them. All the information we had regarding Gomu Gomu no Mi was wrong. Instead, the original name of the fruit is Hito Hito no Mi (Model: Nika), a Mythical Zoan type of Devil Fruit.

This fruit hasn’t awakened for 800 years. But Luffy for the first time (after Joyboy possibly) has awakened the fruit.

Gear 5: Sun God Nika

“It really is Luffy!! It just didn’t look like him, because his hair and clothes turned white…”

 — Yamato

Gear Fifth is the embodiment of Sun God Nika, the “Warrior of Liberation”. So far we have very little information regarding that. But the word “Nika” means ‘Grin’ in Japanese and ‘Victory’ in Greek.

In One Piece, Nika was a deity who spread laughter among all the people. We first hear this name from Who’s Who. He told Jimbe that while he was in prison he heard the name. The prisoners/slaves were praying to a warrior called Nika to end their suffering. As we go forward we get to know the Devil fruit of Luffy is named after that God.

During Gear Fifth, a lot of things change apart from his strength. Luffy’s appearance changes a lot during this transformation. There is also a big connection to the Sun God Nika.

Now, there might be a major connection between Fishmen with Nika. As we see the first reveal of the name was with Jimbe. Thewe also have Fisher Tiger who freed the slaves and brought smiles to so many people. So Fisher Tiger might have come to know about Nika and named their crew “Sun Pirates”. However, it’s all a prediction for now. For more information regarding this, we still have to wait.

Gear 5th Appearance:

Unlike previous Gears, this one is a lot different. First of all, 

Luffy’s look changes a lot in this form. His hair, eyebrows, and clothes(except the Straw Hat) become pure white. This pure white form might be the representation of his freedom.

His pupils change and also get a shade of red. The pupils in close inspection look like the eyes of Imu or Mihawk. To end the design he has a long white cloud around his neck.

This may be a little bit inspired by the design of Monkey King Sun Wukong. Apart from the appearance, there’s one other thing that is changed.

In Gear 5th, Luffy’s heartbeat changes a lot, and as we see it is connected to his change of form. It sounds like “DOOM DUT DA DA”. 

Gear 5 Abilities

Luffy’s Gear 5 main ability is freedom. Free from everything including the Law of Physics. That’s why it looks cartoonish. It is a depiction of freedom in many different ways.

Freedom

Gear 5 is the peak of power that Luffy has achieved, and it represents his ability of imagination. In this form, Luffy is no longer bound by the restrictions of his previous forms. He can fight with a new level of creativity and freedom. He has the ability to turn his surroundings rubbery. We have seen this from Doflamingo and Katakuri before.

Toon Force

The abilities of Gear 5 are all about the Toon Force. Luffy can stretch his body to any length, operate his environment, and even defy the laws of physics. This gives him a ridiculous level of power that no other character has yet achieved. 

Haki

In Gear Fifth Luffy’s haki control got better. Unlike Gear 4 he was using both Ryou and Conqueror’s haki coating very easily. Almost every attack was covered with Conqueror’s haki and it was super powerful.

Laughter

The personality of Luffy in Gear 5 also changes as we see him with a very carefree and happy attitude. Luffy is always smiling and laughing as the fight had become very enjoyable to him. He was not bound by the fear of death.

According to Luffy, he was getting stronger in accordance with his heartbeat. It looked as if he was sure of his Victory.

So in various ways, Luffy’s Gear 5 is a manifestation of his personality. Luffy is a free-spirited character who always had wild imagination during fights. It is a form that gives Luffy’s imagination more freedom to blossom. So let’s look at some of the techniques Luffy uses during Gear 5.

Gear 5 Techniques:

Gomu Gomu no Gigant:

This technique helps Luffy to become a giant temporarily. The Giant Luffy in size is a lot bigger than Kaido.

Gomu Gomu no Fusen(Balloon):

Luffy can become like a balloon when using this attack. He used this attack in the past too but in different Gears.

Gomu Gomu no Kaminari(Lightning):

A great example of Luffy’s imaginary freedom is this attack. Luffy alters the properties of lightning to grab and throw it toward the enemy.

Gomu Gomu no Nawatobi(Jump Rope):

In this attack, Luffy turns his enemy into rubber and uses them as a jump rope. This is a very funny attack that he used on Dragon Kaido.

Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun:

Luffy can create a punch as big as the Onigashima island. The attack is infused with both the Ryou and Conqueror’s haki. This is the final move he used to defeat Kaido.

Gomu Gomu no Mogura(Mole) Pistol:

As an effect of Gear 5 the surrounding becomes rubbery. So Luffy punches the ground and his hands come out of an unknown place knocking the enemy out with a punch.

Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip:

Like twists his whole body and uses it like a huge whip. Unlike his previous Whip attack where he used only his legs.

Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket:

Luffy uses his body as a Rocket and throws it toward the enemy. In this attack, he creates a sunglass out of his hair. Another showcase of the infinite capabilities of Gear 5.

Side effect of Using Gear 5:

“Oh Yeah, I was flying before this. Wow, This takes a lot of energy…Once we are dead, the only thing that’s left is bones, no it can’t end yet” 

— Monkey D. Luffy

As we have seen in One Piece, not a single power comes without consequences. Every Gear Luffy has used had some major drawbacks. Just like that Gear 5 has some drawbacks.

First of all, using it for a long time drains Luffy’s life energy. It is kind of like Gear 2 drawback. However, there’s a catch to it this time. This not only draws Luffy’s life force but also makes Luffy aged like a very old man.

However, so far there is not much information regarding this and how severe it is. Because after a moment we see Luffy just forced his heart to beat the specific rhythm and goes back to Gear Fifth. So we will update this section as we get more information regarding this.

Impact of Warrior of Liberation in the World of One Piece:

“…the foolish and laughable warrior of liberation who brings smiles to all people, also known as Nika, the Sun God”

— Vegapunk

In the series, Gear Fifth is a testament to Luffy’s freedom and determination. Gear Fifth’s introduction is sure to send shockwaves throughout the One Piece universe. But there were very awesome reactions from the crew and characters so far in the story. 

The first person to see Gear 5 was Kaido and he was amazed and was thinking that it’s something out of a picture book.

Then we got Momo and Yamato’s reaction. At first, they were unable to recognize Luffy because of his pure white look. However, they were very worried as Luffy’s heartbeat was getting very weak during this phase.

We also saw a very cartoony eye-popping reaction from a lot of characters like Kid, Law, Chopper, Nami, and Tama. Some of the other Straw Hats were just amazed to look at that White form of Luffy.

But the best reaction came from Vegapunk. As he saw Gear Fifth he realized the connection of Nika. Also, he explained the origin of Devil Fruits. According to Vegapunk, every Devil Fruit is a possibility of human evolution that someone desired. People wanted to become something and created Devil fruits for that reason. However, that unnatural aberration brought the ire of mother nature. This led up to the Devil Fruit user’s inability to swim.

We saw the reaction from the Gorosei who were quite annoyed with the Gear Fifth bounty picture of Luffy.

In the world of One Piece, this Fruit is like a ticking time bomb. The world of One Piece is filled with slavery, racism, hatred, and the dictatorship of the World Government. The Nika Devil Fruit is the fruit created to oppose them. The fruit is the embodiment of freedom, laughter, and happiness. These are also the qualities of the Warrior of Liberation. So both being together is a bad omen for the world Government.

The potential for future developments:

Luffy Gear 5 may be just the beginning of a new era of power-ups and transformations for Luffy. It could open the door to even more powerful forms and abilities in the future.

Still, so far it doesn’t look like there will be any more Gears in the future as we are already in Final Saga. We recently just saw the Gear Fifth and it is still not fleshed out yet. The next power-up of Luffy feels like it will be Haki related.

As we have seen many awesome Haki attacks and moves from Shanks. So in the future, we might see many more Gear 5 forms like Gear fourth. But the potential thing might be the upgrade of Luffy’s haki.

He still has weak Conqueror’s Haki as it feels after seeing Shanks. So potentially another training arc might happen between Shanks and Luffy. This may be the final preparation before the Great War.

Final Thoughts:

With this, our explanation of Gear Fifth comes to an end. In conclusion, the reveal of Gear 5 has been the biggest event in the history of One Piece. As the series continues to unfold we see more and more great and mind-boggling reveals. 

Also in the anime, Wano has shaped up to be one of the best arcs in the series. Finally, we will see this power-up getting animated for the first time. All the fans worldwide are very excited about this moment and I can’t wait too. If we say Gear Second was Luffy’s Super Saiyan moment then Gear Fifth is the Ultra Instinct.  

From the very beginning, we have been waiting for Luffy to reach this pinnacle of power. With this newfound power, the end of the journey is visible. The ever-evolving world of One Piec seems more uncertain and exciting than ever before.