Monkey D. Luffy is the protagonist of One Piece and the embodiment of true freedom. He’s well on his way to becoming one of the strongest pirates in the history of the Grand Line. Luffy has had the same dream since the beginning: to find Gol D. Roger’s legendary treasure and become the King of the Pirates. In order to do so, however, the Straw Hat Pirate will need to grow to become powerful enough to defeat any opponent that stands in his way.
Over the years, Luffy has gained access to several forms that transform his body, allowing him to combat a variety of different opponents — this includes all of Luffy’s Gear forms, the majority of which he still uses on a fairly regular basis. However, some of these transformations are clearly more powerful than others, especially following the events of the Wano Country Arc. Listed below are all the notable Luffy forms in One Piece.
Updated on September 6, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: Luffy is making full use of Gear 5 in the Egghead Arc, showcasing exactly what it means to be the embodiment of the Sun God Nika. However, Luffy states that Gear 5 is his peak while fighting Kaido during the Wano Country Saga, leaving fans to wonder if that’s going to be the final Luffy transformation. As such, we have updated this list with some more relevant information.
10 Water Luffy Was The Perfect Counter To Crocodile’s Sandy Powers
Debut: Episode 122, “Sand Crocodile and Water Luffy! Death Match: Round 2”
- There are no notable techniques associated with Water Luffy
- Water Luffy never appears after the Arabasta Arc
During Luffy’s showdown with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Luffy realizes that the only way to counter his opponent’s Sand-Sand Fruit is to drench himself with water. This revelation leads to the debut of the self-titled Water Luffy — an amusing form in which the hero fills his rubber body to the brim with water. While hilarious and ineffective in any other fight, the Water Luffy form is an example of his impressive battle ingenuity.
Unfortunately, even Water Luffy couldn’t defeat Crocodile, ultimately forcing the Straw Hat Pirate to develop another plan to defeat his opponent. Since Water Luffy is merely an improvised, specialized form that only means something when fighting Sir Crocodile, it ranks low among Luffy’s many forms. Still, some One Piece fans might miss the days when simple, funny Luffy forms like that were all the heroes needed to fight, rather than get swept up in nonstop power scaling with things like Haki, Gear 5, and Devil Fruit awakenings.
9 Nightmare Luffy Shows The True Power Of Undeath
Debut: Episode 370, “A Secret Strategy to Turn the Tables – Nightmare Luffy Appears”
- Nightmare Luffy owes his strength to the shadows separated by Gecko Moria
- This version also appears in the video game One Piece: Unlimited Cruise (2008)
During the Thriller Bark arc, Luffy and the Straw Hats come across Gecko Moria and his minions, some of the toughest opponents they had faced until that point. To improve his chances of victory, Luffy is fed a considerable amount of shadows by the helpless zombies wandering the floating island. Thanks to his powerful spirit, Luffy is able to withstand far more shadows than most people, ultimately resulting in the Straw Hat Pirate’s unique Nightmare Luffy form.
With a distinct appearance inspired by classic horror tropes, Nightmare Luffy is strong enough to stand up to an overpowered version of the resurrected Oars as well as Gecko Moria. While this transformation is likely weaker than Luffy’s base form following the timeskip, it’s a fun part of an often underrated arc and is an example of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit’s true potential, even if Gecko ranked low among the Warlords.
8 Base Luffy Is All About Shonen-Style Courage And Determination
Debut: Episode 1, “I’m Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Pistol
- Gomu Gomu no Bazooka
- Gomu Gomu no Gatling
- Gomu Gomu no Rocket
Even before unlocking any of his Gear transformations, Monkey D. Luffy’s base form was a force to be reckoned with. His stretchy and malleable limbs are perfect for both straightforward offense and unorthodox attacks, also providing him natural immunity to attacks like bullets and lightning. That said, Luffy is relatively weak against slicing attacks in every form, but more so in his base version.
Following One Piece‘s timeskip, Luffy’s base form is even stronger. His mastery of Haki makes him a threat regardless of the circumstances, and thanks to his significant combat experience, he’s as battle-proven as any pirate in the Grand Line. It’s an example of sheer tenacity and willpower rivaling even the strongest Devil Fruits or combat training in Shonen anime. Admittedly, this strength may feel like plot armor at times, but it still plays a vital role in Luffy’s development as a rubbery action hero.
7 Gear 2 Turned The Tables When Fighting Blueno
Debut: Episode 272, “Luffy is in Sight! Gather at the Courthouse Plaza”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Migawari
- Gomu Gomu no Hawk Gatling
- Gomu Gomu no Hawk Stamp
Gear 2 is the first of many Gear transformations that Luffy debuts. After being easily defeated by Aokiji at the end of the Long Ring Long Land Arc, Luffy realizes that he needs to grow stronger, so in preparation for future battles, he trains to develop a new form. Luffy’s training was done mostly off-screen, an example of how One Piece makes rather limited use of training arcs. Luffy would rather let the results speak for themselves than undergo too many training montages.
By using his Devil Fruit powers to pump blood throughout his body, the Straw Hat Pirate is able to move much faster than normal, effectively creating an extreme version of doping. The form is so intense that all his sweat starts evaporating from his body as if it were steaming, but as time goes by, Luffy slowly learns how to achieve this state with little effort. Thus, Gear 2 was born, reforming how Luffy fights with his flexible body. It was his first step in catching up to the Grand Line and New World powerhouses — without the idea of Gears, Luffy would have soon hit a wall.
6 Gear 3 Gave Luffy The Massive Fists He Needed To Fight Rob Lucci
Debut: Episode 288, “Fukurou’s Miscalculation! My Cola is the Water of Life!”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant Rifle
- Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun
- Gomu Gomu no Grizzly Magnum
- Gomu Gomu no Red Roc
Despite being developed around the same time as his Gear 2 form, Gear 3 doesn’t have much to do with speed and instead focuses on power. By biting into his thumb and inflating his bones like a balloon, Monkey D. Luffy can turn his body parts into that of a giant, allowing him to deliver tremendously powerful blows. Initially, however, his body would shrink hilariously after a few minutes in Gear 3.
The Gear 3 transformation is first used against Rob Lucci during the climax of the Enies Lobby Arc, severely weakening the member of CP9 after a single strike. Following One Piece‘s timeskip, Luffy can use this technique without any drawbacks, no longer sacrificing much of his speed or shrinking after the transformation wears off. That combo was impressive at the time but was later overshadowed by Gear 4 and Gear 5, making it Luffy’s medium-strength option in battle overall.
5 Gear 2 & Gear 3 Together Gave Luffy A Fighting Chance Against Gecko Moria
Debut: Episode 374, “The Bodies Vanish! The Morning Sun Pierces Through the Nightmare Island!”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell
- Gomu Gomu no Roc Gatling
- Gomu Gomu no Grizzly Corkscrew Magnum
At some point during the Straw Hat Pirates’ journey through the first half of the Grand Line, Monkey D. Luffy learns how to use Gear 2 and Gear 3 simultaneously. Although this form isn’t given a specific name, the transformation is first seen during Luffy’s fight with Gecko Moria. Fans might even call it an unofficial Gear 4, or perhaps Gear 3.5. It was soon made obsolete when Luffy started using Haki and his actual Gear 4, but for the Thriller Bark arc, it was sufficient.
To defeat the overarching antagonist of the Thriller Bark arc, Luffy uses both of his first two Gear transformations to unleash a technique known as Gum-Gum Giant Jet Shell. Before the time skip, this attack is said to have had adverse effects on Luffy’s lifespan. However, this no longer seems to be the case, as Luffy consistently combines these Gears to create new attacks in the New World, including his fight against Wano’s Yamato.
4 Gear 4: Tankman Is Luffy’s Huge Form That Can Eat Anything
Debut: Episode 806, “The Power of a Full Stomach – New Gear 4 Tankman!”
Notable Techniques:
- Tankman: Manpuku Version
- Gomu Gomu no Cannonball
All of Luffy’s Gear 4 forms operate on a principle similar to Gears 2 and 3, with the only difference being that these transformations are significantly more extreme and use Haki to fuel their strength. Although not the first Gear 4 form to be introduced in One Piece, the infamous Tankman inflates Luffy’s body to cartoonish levels. The original form isn’t seen, however, as Luffy employs the Manpuku Version.
Gear 4: Tankman is first used against Charlotte Cracker in the Whole Cake Island Arc, and it immediately demonstrates impressive defensive capabilities. Using this transformation, Luffy is able to deflect Cracker’s strongest attacks — unfortunately, because of Tankman’s limited mobility, the form is only useful in specific situations, making it the weakest of Luffy’s Gear 4 forms. Tankman alone isn’t usually enough to defeat the strongest enemies, but if Luffy needs to buy time on defense, then Tankman is the right call.
3 Gear 4: Snakeman Is A Lean, Mean Striking Machine
Debut: Episode 869, “Wake Up – Observation Able to Top The Strongest!”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Culverin
- Gomu Gomu no Black Mamba
- Gomu Gomu no King Cobra
- Gomu Gomu no Hydra
Snakeman is one of the most powerful forms that Monkey D. Luffy possesses, and it proves to be crucial in his fight against Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates. This Gear 4 form sees Luffy use his Armament Haki on his limbs to keep his body as lean as possible, boosting his speed to its utmost limits. Normally, Luffy favors flexibility, endurance, and resourceful thinking over sheer speed, but he’s not against the idea of moving quickly to outmaneuver his foes.
To defeat the likes of Katakuri, Luffy needed to overcome the pirate’s impressive Observation Haki, so he used Snakeman to elevate his speed and generate attacks that even Big Mom’s strongest subordinate couldn’t predict. If this Gear 4 form had better defensive capabilities, it would potentially be the rival of the strength of even the Emperors of the Sea. Unlike Tankman, Snakeman is an offense-only form of Luffy’s, designed to either win or die trying.
2 Gear 4: Boundman Is Luffy’s Toughest, Most Mobile Form
Debut: Episode 726, “Gear 4! The Phenomenal Boundman!”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no King Kong Gun
- Gomu Gomu no Leo Bazooka
- Gomu Gomu no Kong Organ
- Gomu Gomu no Over Kong Gun
Boundman is Luffy’s go-to form in Gear 4, and it seems to be the best of them all in terms of raw strength. Boundman makes use of the Muscle Balloon technique and adds extremely dense Armament Haki to the mix, resulting in an armored version of the Straw Hat captain that doesn’t sacrifice his rubbery properties. By using Gear 4: Boundman, Luffy can utilize some of his strongest techniques, including the Kong Organ and King Kong Gun attacks.
While it isn’t as fast as Gear 4: Snakeman, Boundman makes up for it by offering higher durability, ultimately ranking as the strongest of all Luffy’s forms until the Awakening of his Devil Fruit. Luffy made good use of Boundman when he fought the dreaded Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo, who already had the overwhelming power of the Awakened String-String Fruit on his side.
1 Gear 5 Is A Game-Changer That Toppled Kaido At Onigashima
Debut: Episode 1071, “Luffy’s Peak – Attained! Gear 5”
Notable Techniques:
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket
- Gomu Gomu no Star Gun
- Gomu Gomu no Dawn Cymbal
- Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun
The culmination of the Wano Country arc saw Monkey D. Luffy finally Awaken his Devil Fruit, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. By unleashing the full potential of his powers with this incredible transformation, the Straw Hat Pirate is able to transform into the mythical Sun God, turning his hair, skin, and clothes white and adding a red glow to his eyes. Dubbed Gear 5, this transformation is easily the strongest of all Luffy forms, and its power is only limited by Luffy’s imagination.
Using the form, One Piece‘s protagonist can apply the properties of rubber to not only himself but also the world around him, providing him the strength to stand against the strongest pirates in the history of the Grand Line. There’s no doubt that Gear 5 is currently Luffy’s greatest and most amazing technique. However, this form still strains Luffy’s body a great deal, because he becomes an exhausted old man once Gear 5 is used up. It’s worth it, though, to fight foes like Kaido and the World Government’s top brass. Fortunately, Luffy can restore Gear 5 without too much trouble, especially if he gets a chance to eat meat, so Gear 5 is more sustainable than the other Gears.
Is Luffy Going To Evolve Beyond Gear 5?
The episode in which Gear 5 is officially introduced is titled “Luffy’s Peak – Attained! Gear 5.” Furthermore, Luffy himself states that he has reached his peak with this form, leaving fans to wonder if he’s not going to transform anymore. Given that the story has reached its Final Saga, it makes sense that Luffy’s Awakened Devil Fruit will be the pinnacle of his powers. On the other hand, Shonen heroes usually get that extra transformation required to push them to greater heights. This could be unconscious like Ichigo’s Vasto Lorde form in Bleach, or conscious like Eren becoming the Founding Titan in Attack on Titan.
Given that Luffy still has tons of competition for the One Piece, especially against characters who might actually be able to overwhelm Gear 5, there’s still a chance that more will happen. Some fans have been humorously discussing a so-called Reverse Gear, while others are hoping that a Gear 6 is incoming. More importantly, everyone’s favorite rubber man merely obtains the ability to transform the world into rubber with Gear 5. However, he’s meant to be the manifestation of the Sun God, which could be more than just a metaphor. In fact, Nika could somehow tie into the concept of Vegapunk’s Mother Flame, a source of energy supposedly capable of creating another sun. Whatever the case, it won’t be shocking to see Luffy evolve even further than Gear 5.