One Piece fandom loses it over Luffy’s Gear 5 debut in Film: Red blames Toei management

One Piece fandom has been anxious about knowing if Luffy used Gear 5 in Film Red. If there is one thing that One Piece's fandom has been waiting to see animated, it is Luffy’s Gear 5 form. Since its first appearance, it has quickly become one of the most beloved and hyped forms in the entire franchise.

Fans have been waiting for a long time to see this amazing transformation get animated for the first time. Unfortunately for them, Gear 5 will be making its debut in the upcoming One Piece Film: Red instead of the animated show. Fans were appalled by the news and have been complaining all over Twitter because of it.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

One Piece fandom reacts to Toei Animation for debuting Gear 5 in Film: Red

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The One Piece fandom was expecting Gear 5 to make its animated debut in the anime series during Luffy’s fight against Kaido. Sadly, this will not be the case, seeing as the transformation will debut in the upcoming One Piece Film: Red.

During the final moments of the movie, where Luffy fought from the inside and Shanks fought from the outside of Tot Musica, they synchronized their attacks to impale the demon king of songs.

Where Shanks used his sword, imbued with Conqueror's Haki, Luffy did something no one was expecting. He transformed into new gear that fans hadn't witnessed before, the Gear 5. After hitting the demon king of songs, everyone was released from inside Tot Musica and Shanks left without meeting Luffy, like always.

Reactions from One Piece fandom on Gear 5 reveal in Film Red

Monkey D Luffy Gear 5 as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

While fans were excited to finally see this new power in an animated form, they were sorely disappointed as Toei did not wait for the anime to reveal it before using it in a movie. Not only will this take away from the hype of seeing the form for the first time in the anime, but it will also confuse fans who have not read the manga.

Naturally, fans have been complaining about this decision from the moment the news was revealed. The One Piece fandom cannot comprehend what decisions the film's team made. Moreover, a part of the One Piece fandom also argued over how the new gear kept popping in their timeline due to its reveal in Film Red.

"I literally screamed when I saw Gear 5 . This sh*t isn’t even animated yet in the anime" a fan confessed

"Why does this shit keep showing up on my timeline?" another one said

Monkey D Luffy Gear 2 as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Some fans have been comparing this situation to the revelation of Gear 2 Luffy in a movie before it was animated in the manga. Nonetheless, others have been remarking that Gear 2 was a power Luffy was working on for a while before it was revealed. His Gear 5 form is something he acquired because he was determined to defeat Kaido.

The reveal should have been a special moment for the One Piece fandom, seeing it in action for the first time against the Yonko, as it was supposed to happen. That is why so many fans are dissatisfied with the choices Toei is making regarding this transformation.

"In the seventh One Piece movie, Luffy used Gear 2nd and this movie took place before Water 7 got animated. Relax" a fan said

"so what? This is still an awful way to introduce a special move like Gear 5th plus u really think Red and this movie is the same? Think abt the popularity of OP now and then. This was before 2005 for crying out loud. They gonna tease anime onlys and then make them wait 1 year" another one debated

Final thoughts

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Oda himself was likely approached about this idea and he was okay with showing Gear 5 in the film. But it could also be Toei's executives taking advantage of the hype that surrounds this form to make the movie more appealing to fans. Gear 5 will always be an iconic and beloved transformation for the One Piece fandom and seeing it will be great.

However, the One Piece fandom feels that marking the movie's debut in a movie that is not confirmed to be canon to the main story seems a little disrespectful. Since the movie is only days away from being released, fans will be expecting it to be an enjoyable experience that can do justice to Gear 5 Luffy’s legacy.

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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan