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

The unveiling of Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation in One Piece was highly anticipated by the fandom, with its hype building up over nearly a hundred episodes before it was finally revealed in the anime.

Despite not being well received by many due to its cartoonish style, the reveal was still a significant moment in the anime. It marked the protagonist’s long-awaited attainment of the freedom he had been striving for since the beginning of the series.

Despite this being the protagonist’s most powerful transformation yet, it does not erase the vulnerability he has always had since his initial transformation – being susceptible to slash attacks. In addition, this gear also has its own flaw, as evidenced in a recent episode, where Luffy struggled to control his powers while utilizing Gear 5.

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Exploring the Weaknesses of Luffy’s Gear 5 in One Piece

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

The battle between Luffy and Kaido was the most prolonged conflict for the protagonist throughout the entire series. The two Emperors clashed on three separate occasions, with Kaido emerging victorious each time, solidifying his position as one of the most formidable adversaries Luffy has ever encountered.

In their initial clash, Luffy attempted to attack Kaido with his Gear 3 transformation, but the latter effortlessly countered with Raimei Hakke, knocking the Straw Hat unconscious with one strike. Their next encounter took place on Onigashima, where Kaido once again incapacitated Luffy by impaling him and tossing him off the airborne stronghold.

During their third confrontation on Onigashima, Luffy once again returned and faced Kaido. However, this time, Kaido had the unwanted assistance of the CP0 agent Guernica, who managed to restrain Luffy. Despite this defeat, it was not the end for Luffy. While lying unconscious on the ground, Luffy’s heart suddenly started pounding like a drum and his hair turned blue.

In a matter of seconds, Luffy leapt off the ground and underwent a transformation into his latest form, Gear 5. This new state was known as the awakening of his devil fruit. During this revelation, the Gorosei made an appearance and disclosed that the Gum-Gum devil fruit was actually the Human-Human devil fruit, which had resurfaced after centuries of absence. To conceal this information, they had renamed the fruit to prevent public awareness.

Luffy’s recent transformation granted him the ability to control his environment and turn objects into rubber at his command. This newfound power enabled him to defeat an Emperor and liberate Wano from tyranny. However, using Gear 5 takes a toll on Luffy’s body, causing it to become dehydrated. Luckily, he can quickly replenish himself by consuming a meal that aligns with his massive diet, which is equivalent to that of an entire army.

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

Despite his powerful new form, Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation still has the same weakness as his previous forms. In One Piece chapter 1047, Kaido revealed that he could still harm Luffy with sword attacks, proving that this recurring weakness has persisted since his initial transformation.

Additionally, there was a flaw in this form that became evident when Luffy became overly reliant on the abilities of Gear 5. In episode 1101 of One Piece, during his battle against Rob Lucci, Luffy utilized Gear 5 to unleash a fresh attack called the Gum-Gum no Dawn Whip, utilizing his body’s maximum stretching capabilities.

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

The strike did generate sufficient force to harm Lucci, however, his elongated body was unable to revert back to its initial state, causing Luffy to continue spinning uncontrollably. This suggests that the main character has not yet fully harnessed the abilities of Gear 5, presenting a new flaw in the transformation.

Although Gear 5 is not necessarily a weak transformation, it does lead readers to question why the author has chosen to give the protagonist a potential vulnerability. This could be a hint at future events, a discrepancy in the plot, or simply a detail that fans are speculating too much about.