It’s coming. One Piece’s War For Wano arc might be done in the manga, but one of the biggest moments of the storyline has yet to hit the anime adaptation. In the television series, Luffy recently received a blow from Kaido that nearly took his life, but had an unexpected effect. Helping to unleash Luffy’s ultimate transformation in Gear 5, the One Piece anime recently released a new trailer for One Piece Day 2023 giving us our first look at the Straw Hat Captain’s new form that turns him into a living cartoon.
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Without venturing too deep into spoiler territory for those who haven’t followed the manga, Luffy’s Gear 5 will answer some major questions when it comes to the Straw Hat Captain’s Devil Fruit. In the trailer, the name “Joy Boy” is mentioned, which has a deep history in the world of the Grand Line. In the fight featuring Luffy and Kaido, none of Luffy’s previous Gear forms have been enough to take down the Beast Pirate Captain but Gear 5 is a different beast. Sporting hair and an outfit that is drenched in white, the feats that Luffy will manage to pull off are unlike anything seen in the series to date.
One Piece: Gear 5 Trailer
The new trailer not only gives us our first look at Luffy’s “peak” form, but also reveals when we can expect the anime episode to arrive that introduces Gear 5. On August 6th, the 1071st episode of One Piece will arrive on the small screen, seeing the battle between Luffy and Kaido taking an unexpected turn. With Gear 5 allowing Luffy to become a living cartoon, the animators at Toei Animation will have their work cut out for them.
Luffy’s Gear 5 is probably most akin to “The Mask”, the twisted comic book character who became a household name thanks to Jim Carrey’s live-action movie. Aside from being able to use his rubber powers in brand new ways, Monkey also has the ability to transform anything he touches into objects ripped straight from a cartoon. In creating this new form, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda put himself to task in expanding Luffy’s arsenal.
What do you think of Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation animated? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.