In One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy can unleash formidable transformation, known as Gears, to achieve an increased level of strength, speed, and endurance. Each Gear is an extension of the Gomu Gomu no Mi devil fruit he consumed as a child, which gave his body rubber-like properties.
Currently, Luffy has unlocked five Gears, and his Gear 5 is known to be his strongest form by far, on par with the Sun God Nika. He was able to unlock Gear 5 after awakening his devil fruit, but what exactly does each Gear mean and when did Luffy unlock them?
Luffy Gear 2
If we consider the base form to be “Gear 1,” then Gear 2 is an upgraded version of his set abilities. It requires Luffy to speed up the blood flow in all or some body parts, which provides them with more oxygen and nutrients, thus allowing him to move with greater speed and agility. After prolonged use of it, Luffy is physically exhausted and often famished. Although Luffy’s fight against Blueno commences in Episode 270, it isn’t until two episodes later that he unlocks Gear 2. We see it in action in Episode 273, “All for the Sake of Protecting My Friends! Gear 2 in Motion!”
Luffy Gear 3
Gear 3 harnesses the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi to allow him to inflate his body parts, thus enhancing their strength. It was hinted at during the climax of Luffy and Blueno’s fight and finally set in motion during his fight against Rob Lucci in Episode 288, “Fukurou’s Miscalculation! My Cola is the Water of Life!” In order to initiate it, Luffy makes a small opening in his thumb joint and blows into his bones, inflating his arm. Luffy typically traps the air inside his torso, ready to be redistributed to whichever limb he pleases.
Luffy Gear 4
Gear 4 is achieved by combining the Gomu Gomu no Mi and Busoshoku Haki, a technique which commands spiritual energy to create an armor of sorts around oneself. Generally speaking, it enhances Luffy’s speed, durability, and defense beyond his usual capabilities. This form was developed by Luffy during his training on Rusukaina and was fully unleashed during his battle against Donquixote Doflamingo in Episode 726, “Gear 4! The Phenomenal Boundman!” This Gear works similarly to Gear 3 in that Luffy inflates his limbs, but more specifically his arms, after coating them in Busoshoku Haki. This concentrates all of the air into Luffy’s upper torso, while the Busoshoku Haki hardens his muscles.
Luffy Gear 5
Achieved in episode 1,071, Luffy’s Gear 5 is his strongest form to date. It is the awakened form of the Gomu Gomu no Mi that strengthens Luffy’s rubber body beyond comprehension, allowing him to use whatever fighting technique he so pleases. However, using Gear 5 does come with an increased risk of the Sun God Nika’s will consuming Luffy’s mind and destroying his sense of self. Although we don’t see Gear 5 in the anime until Episode 1,071, it made its animated debut as a brief cameo during the climax of One Piece Film: Red, coincidentally one year prior to its official anime appearance.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll be adding a Gear 6 to this list in due time.
