As strong as Luffy is, there are many moments when his opponents outmatch him and he has to level up to overcome his foes. In these moments, he surprises us again and again with his amazing increase in strength which he calls Gears. But at the expense of such great powers, surely there must be a risk? Read on as we discuss the various Gears he has unlocked, their strengths, forms, and weaknesses.
The Gomu Gomu No Mi and Hito-Hito no Mi
At least, let us know the fruit we’re dealing with. Known for a long time as the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum fruit), this fruit gives the owner the properties of rubber, that is the ability to stretch one’s body to unbelievable lengths. We’re not just talking about the outer body, We’re talking about bones, internal organs and whatnot.
Now, the fruit is not all what we think it is, but more. Due to the dangerous powers the fruit gives the user, the World Government hid the actual name of the fruit to prevent pirates from vying for it. The actual name is the Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit Hito-Hito no Mi (Human-Human fruit), Model: Nika.
What this fruit does is that it gives the user the ability of the Sun God, also known as the Warrior Of Liberation along with the elastic properties. Now, not only can the user’s body stretch, he can also make anything he touches or comes in contact with rubbery as well. And all the user has to do is imagine. Imagination is the only thing that can limit this catastrophic power. Little by little, Oda shows us an increase in power of this fruit as Luffy unlocks new gears in the heat of his battles. So far, Luffy has pushed his limits to unlock up to Gear Fifth. Here’s all we know about Luffy’s Gears. While using this devil fruit, Luffy
Gear Second
This gear was first shown in episode 272 of One Piece in Luffy’s fight against Blueno. This Gear involves increasing the rate at which Luffy pumps blood to increase blood flow in all or certain areas of his body, in order to provide those parts with more energy than normal. When he activates this gear, his body begins to work double the usual. Increased respiration, a slight pink and shiny coloration on his skin from increased blood flow, and sweat evaporating rapidly into steam are the signs of this Gear.
Gear Second Buffs
When Luffy activates this Gear, it gives him an increase in speed and strength in his movements. He basically uses the same skills he would use in base state but with an increase in speed and strength such that even a skilled assassin would have a hard time catching up those fast, rubbery yet solid, attacks. It even shows in the way he names the skills in this gear, which is by adding “Jet” to skills base Luffy could do such as Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol, Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp, and so on. He developed this skill while fighting some members of the CP-9.
Gear Second Weaknesses
Gear Second, as cool as it may seem, uses up a lot of energy and nutrients, using up more food and causing Luffy to easily gas out. Due to this high rate of metabolism, Luffy gets hungrier than normal and if he exceeds his limit in this gear, it may lead to a paralysis-type effect on his body. Also, since the mechanism behind this is forcefully increasing his blood flow, it is suspected this skill reduces his lifespan. As the series progressed, Luffy worked on this skill to make it less endangering and more efficient each time he needed to use it. Pre-time skip, he could activate this skill by getting into a stance that looks like a squat with one fist to the ground.
He could only use this technique for a very short period of time with enormous consequences. By Impel Down, he was able to use it even more than the first time without such consequences. Post-time skip, Luffy had gained amazing control over Gear Second as he could initiate it without needing to get into his stance. He learned to use it for longer intervals by using the abilities in decisive moments rather than activating it throughout the fight like he would have a pre-time skip. By combining his abilities with Haki, Luffy is able to attack his opponents with such speed and power, flames cover his attacks and fists. With all these power ups, Luffy’s level of enemies went up a notch.
Gear Third
Fans get to see this Gear in episode 304 during Luffy’s fight against ex-CP-9 Rob Lucci. To activate this Gear, Luffy sticks his thumb in his mouth, bites it to create an opening of sorts, and then blows air into it to inflate his arm through his bones. He is then able to pass this air into the bone of any limb that the attack would involve, with his torso acting as the midpoint to the rest of his limbs. The bigger the bones in his limbs get, the stronger he becomes. Luffy refers to this technique as Hone Funsen (Bone Ballon).
Gear Third Buffs
Luffy usually uses Gear Third when the obstacle in question requires excessive raw power to overcome. His strength could be even compared to that of the Giant race in One Piece as he can take down an entire Marine Battleship with just one hit in this state. Also, the inflated bones are so hard, even bullets deflect off of it, not bounce.
Gear Third Side Effects
As cool as the technique is, it sacrifices mobility for excessive physical strength. Due to the massive increase in mass, Luffy is unable to move as freely as he would want to. Even with this handicap, the drawbacks from using this technique is worrying to say the least. After using this technique for the first against Rob Lucci, Luffy was unable to revert to his original form and shrunk surprisingly small in size. The longer he uses this technique, the more time he spends in his shrunken state before being able to revert to his original form.
After the two-year Time skip, Luffy’s control over this technique improves vastly. Unlike before the time skip, Luffy is now able to control exactly the amount of air and the part it goes to. This allows him to attack faster and more efficiently than before. He also doesn’t seem to shrink after using the technique which indicates his mastery of it even more. Luffy has also been seen using this technique defensively by combining it with Haki against Admiral Fujitora although it is primarily an offensive technique.
Gear Fourth
This Gear first debuted in episode 726 of the One Piece series in Luffy’s fight against Doflamingo. Although it was made known to us that he first developed this power during his training on Rusukaina in the time skip period. This technique is more like the combination of the mastered Gear Third and Busoshoku Haki. He inflates his body, targeting mostly the upper half of it, then compresses it using Busoshoku Haki so much that they seem to appear black with a reddish tint. A cloud-like scarf also hovers over Luffy’s shoulders. The tattoos that appear over his body when he activates this technique due to extensive use of Armament Haki to maintain this technique. The interesting thing about this technique is that so far, there have been three variations of it.
Boundman or Bounceman
This is the first variation of Gear Four. Luffy’s body grows larger in size, especially the upper body, and is then coated with Busoshoku Haki. However, due to the disproportion of this technique, he is unable to stand still in this state. Instead, he constantly bounces on the same spot. Not only does he bounce against surfaces, he can also bounce off the air and allow attacks bounce off of him as well. Although he might seem invincible, he is still vulnerable to attacks from opponents with enough power combined with Haki. When Kaido counterattacked Luffy with his massive club, Luffy was blown away and rendered unconscious from just one hit.
Tankman
At first it seemed Boundman was going to be the end of Gear Four. However, Tankman was introduced during Luffy’s fight with Charlotte Cracker. In this form, Luffy’s durability is much greater than Boundman as it is much more focused on defense than attack.
Snakeman
This variation of Gear Four debuted in Luffy’s fight against Charlotte Katakuri on Cake Island. This form is not as big as the other two as it boasts a massive increase in speed and attack versatility. In terms of attack versatility, Luffy is able to change the direction of his attacks at any given moment. Imagine seeing a punch coming straight for your face and you guard, only to be hit from behind instead. Annoying, right? But this is not where it ends. The longer Luffy stays in this form, the faster his attacks get. While attacking with a barrage of punches, he is able to increase the speed of each punch overtime. However, such an increase in attack power comes with a significant reduction in defense. His defense in this state is lower than both Boundman and Tankman.
Gear Four Side Effects
Like the rest of the Gears, this requires a great deal of nutrients to work and when Luffy exceeds his limit, the technique automatically ends and Luffy becomes exhausted and won’t be able to move. He also won’t be able to make use of Haki for a duration of 10 minutes as this technique also overuses his Haki. This makes him very vulnerable to any opponent that can withstand the force of Gear Four before he clocks out. Also, for each variation, whatever one variation lacks, another variation makes up for it but at the expense of something else.
Gear Fifth: The Awakened Gomu Gomu No Mi
This Gear is the awakened form of Luffy’s Devil Fruit which strengthens his rubbery body. In this state, Luffy is able to freely manipulate not only himself but everything he touches or comes in contact with. Luffy was able to unlock Gear Fifth during his fight with Kaido on Onigashima in episode 1072 of the One Piece series. Luffy is granted absolute freedom and is deemed “The Warrior Of Liberation” which brings joy and freedom with him wherever he goes. When in this state, Luffy’s hair and clothes all turn white, his eyes begin to glow red, and white clouds seem to drape over his neck like a scarf like in Gear Fourth.
Gear Fifth Buffs
As his Devil Fruit is awakened, Luffy gains much more strength, speed, flexibility and durability than in all his other forms. He is so strong, he can stand nearly on equal footing with the monstrous Yonko, Kaido. He is able to inflate his muscles and limbs like in Gear Fourth and Third without even having to pump air into his body. This gives him a massive increase in size so much so that he is able to grab Kaido with one hand and fling him about like a playtoy. He can also make his upper body muscular which he calls “Muscle-Muscle Power”.
Combined with physical attacks having next to no effect on him, Luffy is also able to pass on those elastic properties to his environments which lets him mitigate damage and bounce off of any surface. It also affects organic matter which is shown when Kaido swallows Luffy and Kaido’s body begins to expand along with Luffy inside him. He is even able to affect things such as lightning and clouds. In this state, Luffy gains extreme recovery rates which take place whether consciously or unconsciously. He also fights in a cartoon-like manner which led to fans nicknaming this form the “Toon Force”.
Gear Five Side Effects
With such great powers comes its own consequences. Since Luffy recently unlocked this Gear, he has little to no experience when it comes to using it. It requires an excessive level of nutrients to use and maintain to the point that Luffy visibly aged from the exhaustion and fatigue of maintaining this technique. Although Luffy is able to reactivate this technique forcefully by increasing his heartbeat, It poses the most risk to his lifespan.
