One Piece: Gear 5 hasn't cured Luffy's massive weakness, only added more

Luffy's latest transformation, Gear 5, can be considered one of the most hyped transformations in One Piece, anticipated by the fandom almost a hundred episodes before its official reveal in the anime.

Although the reveal wasn't a hit for most, as they considered it too cartoonish, it was still a hallmark of the anime, which saw its protagonist finally achieve the freedom he had been looking for since the start of the series.

While this transformation could be the protagonist's strongest one yet, it hasn't redeemed the weakness he has faced since his first transformation, and that is getting damaged from slash attacks. Moreover, this gear came with its own weakness, which was showcased in a recent episode of the series, as Luffy lost control over his powers while using Gear 5.

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

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One Piece: Exploring the weaknesses of Luffy's Gear 5

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

Luffy versus Kaido was the longest battle for the protagonist in the entire series. The Emperors fought three times, with Kaido pulverizing the Straw Hat every time, which made him one of the strongest antagonists Monkey D Luffy has ever faced.

Their first encounter was a one-sided battle as Luffy jumped toward Kaido with his Gear 3 transformation, but the latter used Raimei Hakke, rendering the Straw Hat unconscious in a single blow. Their second encounter was on Onigashima when Kaido impaled Luffy unconscious again and threw him off the flying capital.

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

Their third encounter was also on Onigashima when Luffy returned, but this time, Kaido was assisted (unwillingly) by the CP0 agent Guernica, who restrained the Straw Hat. This was their last encounter and Monkey D Luffy again lost, but not completely. Lying unconscious on the ground, Luffy's heart then started beating like a drum, with his hair turning blue.

After a few seconds, Luffy jumped up from the floor and transformed into a new form, titled Gear 5, which was the awakening of his devil fruit. The Gorosei were also showcased as they revealed that the Gum-Gum devil fruit was the Human-Human devil fruit in reality which had returned to circulation after centuries and they had to rename it so that people wouldn't be aware of this.

Luffy's new transformation allowed him to manipulate his surroundings according to his will, transforming anything into rubber. This gave him the power to defeat an Emperor and save Wano from oppression. After using Gear 5, Luffy's body gets squeezed dry, but he can replenish it instantly after eating something ('something' according to his diet, which is an army's worth of food).

Kaido stating the recurring weakness of Luffy (Image via Shueisha)

However, Luffy's Gear 5 transformation falls short as it has the same weakness as the previous forms. In One Piece chapter 1047, while fighting Gear 5 Luffy, Kaido confirmed that he could still hit the Straw Hat with sword attacks, as his new form wasn't immune to this recurring weakness the protagonist has had since his first transformation.

Moreover, this form had another weakness, which emerged when Luffy got too into the powers of Gear 5. In One Piece episode 1101, while fighting Rob Lucci, Luffy used Gear 5 to launch a new attack, titled Gum-Gum no Dawn Whip, by stretching his body to its extreme.

Luffy unable to control his powers (Image via Toei Animation)

The attack did create enough force to injure Lucci, but his stretched body couldn't return to its original position and Luffy kept spinning with no control over himself. This could indicate that the protagonist has still not completely mastered Gear 5's powers, thus adding another weakness to the transformation.

While these points don't make Gear 5 a weak transformation, it does make everyone wonder why the author is retaining such a weakness for the protagonist. This could be a foreshadowing, a plothole, or a detail fans are overthinking about.

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