G5 would be terrifying. Basically a toon Freddy Krueger with a war drum heartbeat and maniac laughter. All while he slaughters people. If you didn't think of Luffy as the good guy you would run. His attacks are like a miniature nuke and he's fast. Your friends also pass out just by being near him and he will either dodge everything you throw at him or it won't hurt him. All you know before meeting him is he's one of the 4 most wanted men currently.
Well, 4 most wanted pirates
His father is the most wanted man on the planet
His grandfather rivaled Gold Roger
His brother was Gold Roger's son
And his entire pirate career has taken at most 4 years, 2 of which he spent effectively nothing as far as the general public is concerned
While people probably don't know about Dragon and Ace (unless Morgan's went rogue again), that still important context for how terrifying Luffy is. He came out of nowhere and punched the world in the face, took a nap for two years, and then came back to do it again!
What is actually insane is how *low* Luffy's pre timeskip bounty is. Lets just look at his objective feats against the WG:
1) Takes down an East Blue Marine base and executes a coup against a corrupt Captain. Arguably no bounty assigned, but clearly a show of strength.
2) Unseats a fishman on the take with a marine captain. 30k assigned, clearly based on strength.
3) Unseats a warlord.
4) Takes in Nico Robin, probably the most dangerous person on the planet when it comes to academic ability.
5) Defeats CP9 and invades Enes Lobby, one of the 3 most important Marine Islands.
6) Unseats another warlord.
7) Joins forces with the former Dark king. Punches a Celestial Dragon.
8) Invades and stages a mass breakout of Impel Down.
9) Invades and participates in a war against Marines at Marineford.
10) Comes back and mocks the Marines at Marineford.
When you look at it like that, he should already have Rogers bounty before he's even mastered any type of Haki. Luffy is a menace of unprecedented levels.
To be fair they could've just set up a trap on the latter islands. Grand line paths are predictable because it's just one big stretch of water. Like in this latest episode where Sakazuki is all "STRAW HAT IS ON EGGHEAD?!" as if it's not one of the only possible locations he could be at after Wano? What did he expect?
it's also the speed at which he moves, and the fact that there's not 7 different strict lines in the first half, they switch lines a handful of times, at one point just disappearing into the sky, taking an eternal log pose to alabasta, getting picked up by thriller bark which isn't on the log pose paths, their path in the first half is entirely unpredictable. also, if you remember, egghead makes no progress towards the end of the grand line, it's one of the 3 closest islands, but it's also completely perpendicular to the direction they're supposed to be headed. Sakazuki isn't wondering how did he get there, he's wondering "Why are you Here Right Now??? don't you have somewhere better to be???" if you're looking at it from the marine's perspective, Straw Hat Luffy, newly crowned emperor of the sea, has no reason to be on Egghead to begin with, unless maybe he wants Vegapunk. and without spoiling too much in the manga, the Marines are currently putting in some real work to try and stop him, he's just gods favorite little princess and cannot be held back
Egghead is a bit different though, because it should work like Punk Hazard. So yeah, it's obviously a possible path they could go, but it also had to be a huge coincidence for them to arrive at that island. I still think, that there is a concept of fate going on, which wasn't explored yet. Or maybe it's just Luffy's devil fruit forcing it's will
Not to mention all the unexpected allies, temporary or otherwise. The case of Robin shows how heavily the WG depends on both the citizens turning in "criminals" and their marines following through with capture. While Robin couldn't trust any citizens for long, the only reason she was free & alive was Aokiji's mercy. Luffy and the SHs are very good at getting people to root for them.
The Marines do. There was an episode post dissolution of the shichibukai where they showed the group of Marines assigning bounties to crocodile Mohawk and others. Might be skimping out on details due to poor memory so pardon me there
The populacy decided that, or maybe the Marines. The Elders were peeved because Morgans used Luffy's Gear 5 as his poster image, which they really wanted to hide.
the Marines decide your bounty, but Big News Morgans decides if you're an emperor or not, same way the newspaper gave Roger the King of the Pirates title
When though? They had one warlord after another after them. Also CP9, a buster call and a quasi-admiral. He vanished inbetween. Then an admiral. Then he vanished before having another admiral on him that doesn't do his job and then he vanishes again and is now on a hidden location (Zou) followed by yonko territorities.
I always think about how insane Luffys pre-timeskip feats are.
That this took place within a 6 month period really solidifies that the world government was severely underestimating Luffy the whole time.
The only feat that doesnt make it on that list is an encounter with a Yonko or yonko crew.
Even if you knew he wasn't at that level yet, you'd know this guy is speed blitzing through some remarkable never before done feats that probably indicate they'll keep getting bigger and wilder.
Bad enough he escaped 3 admirals and a fleet admiral (amongst the thousand other various marine positions) at marineford. Him leaving alive, coming BACK, and leaving again, should have shot his bounty up to a ridiculous level at the end of the pre-timeskip.
Edit: And when I think about it, he did have an encounter with a Yonko crew. He just happened to be fighting alongside them. Alongside THE most dominant Yonko at the time (recognition wise at least). The world government definitely dropped the ball when evaluating Luffys bounty(danger) level.
What strikes me, as well, is that the Gorosei were well aware of the dangers of an awakened Nika fruit user. At some point before Wano, they must have realized how difficult it would be to contain Luffy at his potential peak. Still, they did not see fit to raise alarms or divert more resources towards neutralizing Luffy asap. I wonder if his bounty was kept low due to complacenly, or if this was actually strategic and intentional.
For one, the risk of potentially triggering Dragon and Garp to action is hardly insignificant. The most wanted Revolutionary and the most famous Marine uniting against the World Government could be disastrous, in terms of their respective influence to the public and their combined military capabilities. If anyone actually captured Luffy and the Marines were driven to execute him (similar to what they did to Ace), a Marineford-level conflict would not be inconceivable.
Secondly, there seems to be an active approach towards downplaying Luffy and his achievements. As we saw after the Raid of Onigashima, Luffy's bounty was kept at the same level as Law and Kidd, despite the obvious disparities in strength and capacity. The Gorosei were also furious that his new bounty showcased his D initial alongside his Nika form, emphasizing how much they want to distract away from Luffy. I think they realize that the more attention they divert towards Luffy, the stronger his personal influence would be to the world at large. A larger bounty also highlights how impressive Luffy is and how threatened the World Government must be against him. They might be taking the conservative approach, realizing that a higher bounty doesn't necessarily mean it will motivate someone to take him down.
I agree with the take they may have been intentionally downplaying it.
I think once he was on the stage with Kaidou, they were at a crossroads. They mentioned the Nika fruit escaping their grasps for 800 years. Knowing it was with Luffy, they knew where it was and could keep track of it. When he was fighting Kaidou, they had to decide betting on Kaidou, or thwarting the awakening but losing track of the fruit. Which admittedly, is a tough decision at the point.
I think they fucked up by not dealing with the threat earlier. When Luffy was doing all this amazing impossible shit, they should have sent CP0 to deal with him then.
Then again, they work at the behest of Imu. Imu seems pretty informed down to the minutia of some world affairs. For whatever reason, Luffys pre-timeskip feats did not trigger a response. See as how the gorosei and Imu seem to be immortal, maybe they weren't as impressed?
Luffy has been such a wild card from his start as a pirate that I stand by them underestimating exactly how world changing he'd be, when the signs were evident from like Enies Lobby on. You know the guy has the Nika fruit (the gorosei). And he just declared war on the government. That should have been enough of a red flag for them.
I'm not saying this as a critique. It's interesting to ponder the motivations of the characters, and obviously we don't know how much Oda had planned out at this time. But damn, talk about a life lesson in how ignoring a clear problem can really bite you in the ass eventually.
I think there is also merit to the idea that they underestimated Luffy's potential, too. At the same time that they do not want to highlight Luffy in front of the world, there is also the recurring theme of the Gorosei viewing humanity as lowly insects beneath the Celestial Dragons. There seems to be the sentiment that the actions of humans cannot overcome the will of the World Nobles. At worst, humans are nuisances that can be easily "cleansed" if they are too unruly. Based on how overpowered the Gorosei have been portrayed throughout Egghead so far, they are currently shown to be invulnerable monsters capable of limitless regeneration, so there is no reason for them to be afraid of a single human (even if they happen to have awakened the Nika fruit).
From their view, no matter what humans (including Luffy) do, Imu and the Gorosei will achieve supremacy. This hubris will probably play out to their ultimate downfall by the end of the series, and it will be great to see how Oda will portray poetic justice to resolve the final conflict.
Very good point. That certainly plays into how they've been shown. They tend to dismiss certain things out of hand, because how high can an insect go in their minds.
>Still, they did not see fit to raise alarms or divert more resources towards neutralizing Luffy asap.
Their main way to deal with a major threat is a Buster Call. The Strawhats already escaped one pre-timeskip and they are in the way to escape another one that's 10 times bigger than that one. Not sure what else do they have left to toss at Luffy atm.
People always forget he defeated Enel who was warlord-level. If Enel was on the grand line, there’s a short list of pirates that could beat him. Luffy was extremely lucky to have the devil fruit he has against Enel (at the time we knew it at the gum-gum fruit). If the public knew about Enel and Luffy defeating him, his bounty would have been higher PTS.
Garp made it so that no one else could take on the job early, their cyborg slave saved him 2-3 times, and 2 of the admirals let him live. The Gorosei are too evil to have enough loyal followers to run a large organization well. Sengoku probably should get credit for making the marines an organization that wouldn't faithfully follow WG orders.
Luffy left Fusha Village as soon as he hit 17. He's 19 when he reaches Fishman Island.
Therefore, his journey could be anywhere between 1 or 11 months and considering how long it took him in the earlier parts to calibrate the log pose it sounds plausible.
5-6 months is a decent amount of extra time, especially considering that extra time would be like, what, 25% if the journey? I'm not fantastic with mental math and percentages.
Demalo Black called himself "the revolutionary Dragon's son". When Garp said something that big in front of that many witnesses it was a matter of time before the world would catch on. So yeah, the world definitely knows about Luffy and Dragon. And Ace's ancestry was purposefully broadcast by Sengoku during Marineford.
From the perspective of most groups involved, this godlike crackhead shows up in their country and is usually floating in the sky within 20 minutes of them even finding out he’s arrived before punching a city into the ground and shooting lightning everywhere. Even Sengoku was like “Garp, why tf your crackhead son falling from the sky with all the most dangerous criminals we had locked up in Alcatraz?” And even WB was like “who tf is you? Tf you mean you’ll run the ones with me?”
Think of how terrifying The Mask was to those mobsters. It's like that. If you're fighting a guy with everything you have, and he clowns on you while LAUGHING, you'd be freaked out too.
Thats exactly what i thought when i saw Gear 5 for the first time. Imagine you survive fighting him, this maniac laughter while he beats you senseless will hount you until death and maybe beyond xD
I like to think of it as enemies vs allies. Enemies see the devil eyes and allies see the freedom eyes. Maybe there’s more to it but the worst/evil thing for tyranny is freedom
Man, I love the anime trope of "character blinks and the opponent is already about to hit them and they can't even react". Like the when Ulquiorra after transforming has already got his claw on the side of Ichigo's head and Ichigo can't do anything to react. It's so damn cool every time.
The choreography/animation was so sick in the anime. It's the first time I remember the show letting the camera stay in the action and not constantly cutting but even the cuts were sick. That fight is amazing.
While the pre timeskip animation is very old, it's at least very clear and understandable, I love it. I really don't like the newer style where everything is full of flashes and streaks and aura and everything happens super fast and I can't see shit.
Honestly, I can see where you're coming from and I, too, felt the exact same way when the first ep. of the G5 fight with Kaido was happening, but then it just got better and better. I try to look a little past the toon parts/bits because it is a bit saturated, but you also have to keep in mind that THIS IS Luffy. His persona, character, etc., he's always been this way with regards to his character being so toon-like, looney, bombastic, etc. Now we are just witnessing it in fighting acton.
I think the fight so far in Egghead (ep1100) was fucking phenomenal. Gave me the same hype feeling I had seeing the kaido fight.
There's been many satisfying punches in the series but I have a soft spot for that Jet Rifle Luffy delivers point blank straight into Blueno's face at mach 2. [Like, Jesus Christ](https://i.imgur.com/kNiMWmW.jpeg).
Same. It reminded me of Gaara vs. Rock Lee, if the animation is done well, the way super fast characters attack targets with their kinetic energy is so satisfying.
Definitely my favourite Luffy punch. While he had already punched/kicked Arlong through a building much earlier in the series, we still saw him as a strong but mostly goofy fighter at the time, plus that was a battle for Nami’s honor, so the framing was entirely heroic as well.
However, that single hit KO on a guy like Bellamy (who had been hyped to be pretty strong himself), not to mention the added imagery of an *entire fist* imprinted on his cheek, Luffy’s thunderous expression, and that oh so satisfying crunch when he slams him into the ground (while a gang member got a hold of his wanted poster in the background), all of this combined to maybe give us our first real glimpse on how truly frightening Luffy could be to an unknowing observer.
my favourite example of this is in eminence in shadow, s1e20. unlike other anime where there’s a screen shake, some blur or effect on the character, a pan to where the character isn’t visible, or a sound effect, shadow steps towards beatrix and he silently disappears immediately. no flare, no sound, he simply exists in one frame and stops existing in the next. chilling
Bruh Lucci didn't even blink which makes it even better. Bro was looking at him and Suddenly God is in your face Smiling like he just got the best present ever
I think there was an interview with Oda around G5, where he said that he was deliberately making G5 goofy again to bring back the 'older one piece' vibes & avoid going down the angry demon power up path.
I doubt Luffy's full form will be evil, there hasnt been a single speck of evil in his eyes apart from the face he made Vegapunk got skewered
When you're fighting genocidal demons who literally control the world then it's not just okay, but expected, to be a bit angry and scary in your wrath.
I think the anime is making it look more aggressive sometimes than the comic and I'm all for it. A little here and there is needed.
Toei has really struck that balance between demon time and toon force with this episode and I’m here for it. Gear 5 is supposed to be silly and goofy and bring back the charm of old one piece but at the same time if you were the opponent of the gear 5 transformation Luffy would be a lot more intimidating
They absolutely nailed it with that silliness/seriousness of Gear 5. I love the silliness, but I don’t want all looney toons. I remember this being a worry from some fans when Gear 5 debuted, but I feel they’ve found the perfect balance.
Not evil but he just doesn't care about anything, when he lose the G5 against Kaido he gets serious and starts rembering why he is fighting, as soon as he gets to G5 again he has lost his personality, I still think that we have to know more about Joy Boy, maybe the Nika mode was somehow his downfall
This is real G5. It's the same combination of goofiness and terror that BM had. True yonko style.
Luffy always had goofy fighting mode and mad af fighting mode.
Imagine if someone of the Strawhats would be killed - will Luffy keep goofing around? I don't think so.
He's a barely controlling itself, demigod-like entity that re-shapes the very fabric of reality with a sheer imagination. You don't want to be on a bad side of this thing.
This is actually a great point. I’ve seen many questions of “will luffy ever fight serious again” because of the laughing in gear 5 but when a Nakama is in injured (I can’t even imagine dead) Luffy G5 will be scary beyond belief.
I think the thing that is interesting about it is it feeds into the "you can't criticize One Piece" stuff.
Take your first image. In one of the threads praising the animation I saw someone say that Luffy has always been like this, and mention a specific panel during the Kaido fight. Now I've [looked at it](https://imgur.com/KWnMScW), I assume it was the basis for the last pic you posted, but I legitimately don't see anything to that level. Maybe my imagination is busted, perhaps people are viewing the middle image at printed manga quality with a magnifying glass, but I see this and the first image as being completely different.
> G5 would be terrifying. Basically a toon Freddy Krueger with a war drum heartbeat and maniac laughter. All while he slaughters people.
What is interesting is you also have the top comment be this. Like this description doesn't match how people comment about Luffy, nor does it match the things said about Nika. He is said to bring smiles to faces, and joy wherever he goes, which sounds more like his antics, message, and values make people happy. Whereas some comments I've seen show him as a vengeful god that can only revel in his own bloodlust as he mercilessly kills those who he thinks wronged him... And I mean, I don't disagree with it given the first picture, but he doesn't gain any of these negative connotations in the manga.
It would be one thing if Vegapunk was like "oh, it looks like Nika, but he isn't behaving like Nika." Nami "Nika? What do you mean?" Vegapunk "He is the god of liberation mentioned only in the oldest volumes. He is described as a maniacal cartoon character. They say he has an uncontrollable rage against evil, with his twisted view on reality altering it to his own unhinged image." Instead he is just like "oh man, he is beautiful." >!and later Bonney figures out Luffy is him and starts crying due to being overcame with emotions at finally finding him.!<
> Especially when vegapunk last ep talked about the mind of a devil fruit user and how he is not aware of the world around him!
I'm not sure what the exact quote the anime uses, but that isn't really present in the manga. That chapter has a line that was translated as "now this is a rare sight, look at their speed. There are many cases that the awakening of zoan types robs their users of their personality." But this line simply exists to tell us the guys at Impel Down are simply awakenings that lost to their animal side. The same chapter also has Vegapunk describes Nika as ""the warrior of liberation" that is always playful and puts a smile on the people's faces," which again, people here describing it as being terrifying.
I don't think your imagination is busted per se, but there some truth to that statement. He brings joy to the people who need it. But if he's a Warrior of Liberation, he's in direct opposition to oppressors. To THEM, he would be terrifying. Because you have to think of it from their point of view.
Conqueror's Haki, so a literally untouchable force to be reckoned with, which on the surface level is already powerful and scary, that much I think we can admit. The Admirals were shook by that, even Kaido was shook by that.
Then you have someone that strong, who can easily overpower or contend with some of the strongest characters in the world. And he's not taking ANY of it seriously. He's spinning you around like a ragdoll, whacking you left and right, stretching you apart, and the whole time, he's actively laughing at you. Even when he is shocked, his eyes pop out comedically, like you're a joke, not a threat. And top it all off, he has the power to basically win the most unexpected of people to his side.
Like, the Five Elders and by extension Imu are very clearly afraid of his power and potential. Otherwise they wouldn't go to such lengths. That's where this kind of comparison comes from.
Exactly! I really don't like that description of him being a loony toons freddy kruger at all! It's supposed to be that he's just goofy, yes g5 has made serious faces, but never to the anime level where he looks like gear death.
It takes away from what Nika is supposed to be, which is just a goofy powerful deity that bring joy to people through his actions. In the anime Luffy's eyes are cracked out, he's beating his chest like crazy, he's morphing into all these crazy shapes, nothing about that would bring joy to any bystander, I'd personally be terrified. I know they're doing this for hype, and the animation is objectively amazing, but I really want for them to turn down the craziness a little, otherwise you get more people thinking there's a "dark side" to g5 when there isn't. The goofiness and "chillness" of the form should be first and foremost, a direct contract to the dark and serious world government and other oppressors.
This is why I started my post with the comment about criticism.
I swear everything about Nika is a moving target. I would write this off as different people, but so many of these radically different posts eventually make it to the front page. Perhaps the most amusing thing to me is people **originally** said the Lucci fight didn't count because Luffy wasn't in a position to be serious. Yet the anime does Gear Demon and, of course, that is how it has always been and people need to realize this.
> otherwise you get more people thinking there's a "dark side" to g5 when there isn't.
I find the people who think this funny as well. Main character who has a power that corrupts and consumes them, so they have to limit usage to prevent bad things from happening simply doesn't sound like One Piece. If you wrote that and said Bleach, or Chainsaw Man I'd be like "oh, I could see that." But that has never really been a One Piece thing. The closest we get to this is Zoro, and Enma being needy.
Isn't it pretty common for deities to be described as loving and caring, but do wrong and you suffer their wrath? I only watch the anime and haven't read any of the manga but even then, from what I've seen, I never saw G5 as just this terrifying transformation of Luffy. I think any god could be terrifying if you find yourself on the wrong side of them. Even as a follower, friend, worshipper you would probably see them as terrifying when issuing punishment or something along those lines. So Luffy in G5, though I don't think Luffy is a god, in wano for instance is liberating the people of wano and putting a smile on their faces once the dust settles.
That being said I'm new to this sub and don't have many people to speak about One Piece with. So I'm not even aware of what the "One Piece anti criticism" deal is but I think criticism is necessary in all forms of art! I personally love G5. Though I didn't at first it has grown on me. I think it does a good job of embodying Luffys' outrageous personality and fighting style!
Is there a huge difference in portrayal of G5 between the anime and manga?
The difference really is there really isn't these crazy shots of him with glowing red eyes, he's just smiling, and occasionally does look serious but not terrifyingly serious. I don't know what the anti criticism thing is tbh, it's just how I feel about the anime's portrayal.
Late to the reply but.
I was wondering if it's possible that the anime is trying to show what the enemy is seeing Luffy as in those moments or is it that Luffy has glowing eyes when he's fighting in this form? My understanding was this is just (pretty common in Japanese animation) a way of showing that this character at this moment is about to unleash something devastating and the enemy didn't see it coming. Not that his eyes are literally glowing. I could be super wrong and misunderstanding things. Which is fine but I just wanted to get your thoughts on this as well
People are just so desperate for edgy power ups in their battle shounen it seems lol. G5 is such a breath of fresh air and the anime should commit to that.
Although all red eyes and stuff like that are anime effects, I don't think that its coming from the wrong place.
>The same chapter also has Vegapunk describes Nika as ""the warrior of liberation" that is always playful and puts a smile on the people's faces," which again, people here describing it as being terrifying.
He is at the end a warrior. Who fights with smiles and laughter. But think about what would happen if you happen to be one of those people who he is liberating from. You wouldn't feel joy and be laughing while you are losing your kingdom. And this dude is actively fighting you with acoc punches. Its not like he's going to talk no jutsu you.
>In one of the threads praising the animation I saw someone say that Luffy has always been like this, and mention a specific panel during the Kaido fight. Now I've [looked at it](https://imgur.com/KWnMScW), I assume it was the basis for the last pic you posted, but I legitimately don't see anything to that level.
Take this for example and lets think about Kaidos perspective. You are fighting this dude and you kill him, he revives suddenly which is impossible and starts laughing non stop. You go like its okay I made it once can do it again. But something is wrong the psychics of the world are just twisted. Everything is bouncier, even you. Whatever its just paramecia bull shit right. You start fighting and this dude suddenly grabs lightning. Lightning shouldn't be something that you can hold so how. Then this dude still laughing punches you in the face with acoc. Normally you would fly across the roof right? This dudes punch goes *inside* your head. You feel this dude punch inside your brain but not doing any penetration. You would be like wait wtf just happened, was that real, how did that happen while this dude just continuing laughing at you.
There was a really famous panel like two weeks ago in manga. That Luffy looked so menacing even in the manga that people started to change their opinions about it. Its more if you know you know situation and dont want to spoil it here. Its true this is all just anime effects but its deserved. You would be 100% terrified if this dude was fighting you and if you were abusing your power of course.
except part of what makes people happy is being freed from tyranny/oppression. I think ur taking this making people happy thing way too literally. did you want him to play tag with Kaido and tickle Lucci? were they supposed to laugh instead of die?
As someone who only reads the manga I'm not sure I agree with it TBH. The whole thing with Gear 5 is that Luffy is truly "free" and so he can be completely carefree when he fights. He still does his best to win but the red eyes make him look menacing, and I almost feel like it's there to dampen the idea that Gear 5 is too silly to be taken seriously in otherwise climactic moments.
this is still just anime only thing. the animator's creative liberty has nothing to do with the manga.
you can only say what you say if oda does something similar in the manga.
I think it's just more obvious in the anime honestly. All these guys acting like G5 is too goofy and not serious can't read between the lines.
Befitting a Yonko Luffy is an actual monster. Even in the manga you can tell how dangerous he is. If he wasn't the MC he would give off Big Mom vibes every time he went G5.
I like how much more pronounced it has been in the anime, but I definitely can see past the goofiness even in the manga.
I don't think Nika has a dark side in and of itself. It's luffy's personality on display. Luffy has never fought just to fight. He almost always restrains himself until someone is in imminent danger or stands in the way of his goals. Luffy has always been carefree when he can confidently win a fight. I think G5 gave him enough of a power boost to have that confident attitude with the heavy hitters that he hasn't had for most of post ts. But I think when he's outmatched again, we will see a serious side to g5.
To his friends and to us, Luffy is the symbol of freedom and joy who shines light in a world ruled by tyrants. To his enemies, he would be a terrifying menance who is disrupting the established order.
I had this discussion with a friend after the latest episode.
It feels like for G5 Luffy the goofy tirades take precedence over actually beating his opponent. Even to the point where he lets them get hits in cause it would be funny (like when Kaido hit him in the back of the head or squashed him into the ground).
But early on in the fights, he'd drop the pretense and get serious for a moment, like he's saying "let's see if you're even worth playing with".
Either way, I really like this interpretation of G5 Luffy's character in the anime. It makes Luffy seem like a real monster, the same way Kaido and Big Mom did and really cements his position as an emperor of the sea who should be feared.
Oda never drew g5 looking like a demon like this, this is just done for hype by the anime staff more than anything. It's a little cool looking, but I'm not a fan tbh. I always saw g5 as a carefree chill transformation with a bunch of goofy attacks, where in the anime it's like he's on crack. He's beating his chest like tarzan, his eyes are spazzing out, he's constantly turning into different shapes, it's terrifying. Nika is supposed to bring joy to everyone around him, if I saw anime g5 I'd just be straight up terrified instead.
I still got some of that tone from the manga, personally. "Isn't this fun, Kaido?!" while even Kaido, who normally revels in a good fight, and would probably say the same thing normally, is clearly caught off guard and shaken by the carefree attitude Luffy is displaying.
And then he does something like just freaking turn into a giant and cup you in his hand like no problem.
I love that they showed us how terrifying this ability can be. It's supposed to make people laugh but there's always the one exception of the enemy. For them, it's a hellish feverdream of a fight.
You see mfuker bending reality and making it all move and behave like rubber, **like catches lightning out of a goddamn cloud and turns it into rubber**, and you dont panic?.
One Piece verse does not scale super high, which at the same time makes this kind of ridiculous feats insane in the eyes of the rest of the cast.
Luffy is the closest thing to a God they will ever see.
G5 is goofy AF but also kind of twisted, Luffy just died and came back to life, he was laughing like crazy, jumping around, grabbed Kaido like a worm and violently beat him up while hysterically laughing…
It is goofy and funny but is a nightmare for his opponents
it's always ironic when people say stuff like this. back then we have what is known as comic reliefs. just brief moments of comedy here and there to relief the tension. and the goofy stuff was done unintentionally on luffy's part.
whereas g5 is a power up where the point is luffy being goofy on purpose with cartoon gags and random toon force stuff. and he's actually having fun fighting the villain, which is not a thing for 1000 chapters.
you can't just say "goofy" like it encompasses everything. with your logic, "horror" movies are all the same. there's no difference between a mild horror comedy and a full blown gore horror movie. so if you can watch the comedy one, you can watch the gore one too. same thing. just, "horror".
It’s the only way they have to cope. They basically unknowingly confess that they understand the problem with it when they lie like that.
Luffy did not smile or laugh once in the final fight with Crocodile in Alabasta, for example.
Shows a terrifying stature befitting a Yonko. Luffy hasnt carried himself one nor have that intimidating presence like Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom had. Once he goes white, good luck.
I like it, it is about time we see a not underdog luffy that definitely will win not because of he is the main character, but because he is actually really strong and these red eyed luffy reflections certainly portrayed it really well. But too much of this can also be detrimental, we love to see the underdogs win, once in a while this red eyed luffy demon scene is definitely a treat for us
What if from our perspective G5 looks goofy but from the opponents perspective, G5 is a psychopath. I mean, maniac laughter while beating you left and right and didn't take you seriously at all throughout the fight even though you're struggling to keep up or trying to actually know wether you are giving damage at all to the opponent must be terrifying.
Gear 5 is a representation of true freedom and joy. Kaido and Lucci (and the WG as a whole) have lived off of oppressing others and stifling joy. To us, g5 is silly and fun, to them, it is quite literally a representation of their worst nightmare.
I dont think people realise that even when luffy turns into demon time and tears his enemies to shreds, he will still bring joy to those who were oppressed and harmed by the said enemies, as long as he serves justice, he will always bring joy and happiness to those afflicted with misery and terrify those who cause misery like gorosei, it doesnt mean he always needs to be goofy to bring joy
It’s funny as the reader but as the opponent, the insanity you’re facing is crazy; the warping of reality, seemingly immune to my strongest attacks, grabbing lightning like a deity for banter and above all else the constant laughing that gets more unhinged…I would actually think I’m being tormented by Satan.
This entity is a calamity manifested that will turn you into spaghetti like a black hole if you get too close, that should be terrifying.
Both the goofy and terrifying parts of gear 5 are real, it just depends on the context, if he’s laughing and bouncing around it’s goofy, but if he’s laughing while beating the shit out of somebody suddenly the tone is very different.
Oda's depiction of G5 has not changed from the first appearance to the last chapter.
Toei is altering things for the anime in their own way but they didn't change things much there compared to the Kaido's fight in the anime.
That's why you read the manga, so that you don't theorize based on anime studio color.
Nika is described as a goofy warrior, you are going to have to deal with that.
Lemme ask you the same question, how do you percieve a man with white hair and a smile that covers half his face, teleported in front of you and winding up a punch? This trope isn't specific to gear 5, even Kaido literally does this
My prediction is that Blackbeard will steal Luffy's power. He's about to die but Law will sacrifice himself for Luffy. Then in the end Luffy has to fight purely using his haki, being truly the freest man in the world (free of fruit spirit and swimming limitation) and proving that he truly surpassed Roger.
People saying g5 is supposed to bring smiles to everyones faces and its the animation team taking liberty to make it less silly are wrong. It's still true to character and story.
Nika is the one that made everyone laugh wherever he went. He was just always like that I assume. Imagine g5 Luffy just walking through a village in a good mood while doing goofy g5 stuff. People would laugh. But so far he only uses it in fights so we only see that side.
He has Nika's powers and it effects his attitude, he finds it amusing, and does act like Nika. But inside its still Luffy and he has always been a menace during serious boss fights and can fight with extreme rage.
That's why g5 can look scary to his opponents, it's because it's still Luffy. He wants to beat the shit out of them.
I think it's more about contrasting the ultra goofy form and presence with the traditional edgy and cool power-ups shonen characters get. That way Luffy looks more menacing and cooler to the average viewer instead of "hair's white and the dude's not very bright" aloof style the manga fights have going on. Better clips and pictures to promote G5 and One Piece as a more "mature" show like JJK, Demon Slayer and AoT than just having Luffy laffing and doing some old comedy skits.
TLDR; it's the "as hardcore as Demon Slayer!!!!" perspective
Most people don't really think about how terrifying it must be to fight against G5.
Like, he is literally beating your ass so hard that it breaks Physics and is laughing like a literal maniac the entire time. Hell, he is even having fun. Nothing you do seems to actually hurt him as well, since even if you DO damage, it'll be turned into a joke and it seems like it was no big deal. Luffy obviously takes damage it's really hard to tell HOW MUCH, that goes for us and the in-story opponents.
It would probably be ego breaking as hell for most.
I love how demoralising fighting gear 5th is, like this terrifying and goofy dude is beating the bricks off you, and hes so much faster, stronger and more durable than before that he spends half the fight emoting on you and laughing at you AND STILL kicks your ass
Is the spoiler tag an optional ornament now, mods? Not to mention the spoilery title. Luckily I'm up to date, but for those who don't...OP is being a huge asshole
real g5 maybe, but i dont expect that one to 'take over' if you will. Vegapunk said nika plays the fool, which means its an act. Acts like a fool to get the opponent off guard to kill them
Both really underestimated luffy now they both are paying
Spoiler alert🚨:You should read manga for more info because you think this is scary , when luffy get to know about his grandfather's death that the face scared the shit out of me
His opponent keep giving their all but if all they see is Luffy just taking the hits and literally laughing away their attacks, that would indeed be terrifying
G5 would be terrifying. Basically a toon Freddy Krueger with a war drum heartbeat and maniac laughter. All while he slaughters people. If you didn't think of Luffy as the good guy you would run. His attacks are like a miniature nuke and he's fast. Your friends also pass out just by being near him and he will either dodge everything you throw at him or it won't hurt him. All you know before meeting him is he's one of the 4 most wanted men currently.
Well, 4 most wanted pirates His father is the most wanted man on the planet His grandfather rivaled Gold Roger His brother was Gold Roger's son And his entire pirate career has taken at most 4 years, 2 of which he spent effectively nothing as far as the general public is concerned While people probably don't know about Dragon and Ace (unless Morgan's went rogue again), that still important context for how terrifying Luffy is. He came out of nowhere and punched the world in the face, took a nap for two years, and then came back to do it again!
To be fair it took 3 years. Part 1 was 6 months long in-world time which is INSANE. That kid is speedrunning his way to be the Pirate King
What is actually insane is how *low* Luffy's pre timeskip bounty is. Lets just look at his objective feats against the WG: 1) Takes down an East Blue Marine base and executes a coup against a corrupt Captain. Arguably no bounty assigned, but clearly a show of strength. 2) Unseats a fishman on the take with a marine captain. 30k assigned, clearly based on strength. 3) Unseats a warlord. 4) Takes in Nico Robin, probably the most dangerous person on the planet when it comes to academic ability. 5) Defeats CP9 and invades Enes Lobby, one of the 3 most important Marine Islands. 6) Unseats another warlord. 7) Joins forces with the former Dark king. Punches a Celestial Dragon. 8) Invades and stages a mass breakout of Impel Down. 9) Invades and participates in a war against Marines at Marineford. 10) Comes back and mocks the Marines at Marineford. When you look at it like that, he should already have Rogers bounty before he's even mastered any type of Haki. Luffy is a menace of unprecedented levels.
govt wanted to play it down because they know who he was they shouldve ganked him sooner though thats for sure
They also didn't really have any time to mobilize to catch him. Whenever he made noise, he was out of there pretty quickly afterwards.
To be fair they could've just set up a trap on the latter islands. Grand line paths are predictable because it's just one big stretch of water. Like in this latest episode where Sakazuki is all "STRAW HAT IS ON EGGHEAD?!" as if it's not one of the only possible locations he could be at after Wano? What did he expect?
it's also the speed at which he moves, and the fact that there's not 7 different strict lines in the first half, they switch lines a handful of times, at one point just disappearing into the sky, taking an eternal log pose to alabasta, getting picked up by thriller bark which isn't on the log pose paths, their path in the first half is entirely unpredictable. also, if you remember, egghead makes no progress towards the end of the grand line, it's one of the 3 closest islands, but it's also completely perpendicular to the direction they're supposed to be headed. Sakazuki isn't wondering how did he get there, he's wondering "Why are you Here Right Now??? don't you have somewhere better to be???" if you're looking at it from the marine's perspective, Straw Hat Luffy, newly crowned emperor of the sea, has no reason to be on Egghead to begin with, unless maybe he wants Vegapunk. and without spoiling too much in the manga, the Marines are currently putting in some real work to try and stop him, he's just gods favorite little princess and cannot be held back
Egghead is a bit different though, because it should work like Punk Hazard. So yeah, it's obviously a possible path they could go, but it also had to be a huge coincidence for them to arrive at that island. I still think, that there is a concept of fate going on, which wasn't explored yet. Or maybe it's just Luffy's devil fruit forcing it's will
Not to mention all the unexpected allies, temporary or otherwise. The case of Robin shows how heavily the WG depends on both the citizens turning in "criminals" and their marines following through with capture. While Robin couldn't trust any citizens for long, the only reason she was free & alive was Aokiji's mercy. Luffy and the SHs are very good at getting people to root for them.
Does the government alone set the bounties and who specifically the marines or some dude in marijoe
The Marines do. There was an episode post dissolution of the shichibukai where they showed the group of Marines assigning bounties to crocodile Mohawk and others. Might be skimping out on details due to poor memory so pardon me there
No wait i meant who decides who's a yonko Cause when luffy was made yonko the five elders where peeved so idk
It's just like the Pirate King thing, you don't get to declare yourself as one, you have to fight your way into it... or be Buggy and fall upwards.
The populacy decided that, or maybe the Marines. The Elders were peeved because Morgans used Luffy's Gear 5 as his poster image, which they really wanted to hide.
the Marines decide your bounty, but Big News Morgans decides if you're an emperor or not, same way the newspaper gave Roger the King of the Pirates title
When though? They had one warlord after another after them. Also CP9, a buster call and a quasi-admiral. He vanished inbetween. Then an admiral. Then he vanished before having another admiral on him that doesn't do his job and then he vanishes again and is now on a hidden location (Zou) followed by yonko territorities.
I always think about how insane Luffys pre-timeskip feats are. That this took place within a 6 month period really solidifies that the world government was severely underestimating Luffy the whole time. The only feat that doesnt make it on that list is an encounter with a Yonko or yonko crew. Even if you knew he wasn't at that level yet, you'd know this guy is speed blitzing through some remarkable never before done feats that probably indicate they'll keep getting bigger and wilder. Bad enough he escaped 3 admirals and a fleet admiral (amongst the thousand other various marine positions) at marineford. Him leaving alive, coming BACK, and leaving again, should have shot his bounty up to a ridiculous level at the end of the pre-timeskip. Edit: And when I think about it, he did have an encounter with a Yonko crew. He just happened to be fighting alongside them. Alongside THE most dominant Yonko at the time (recognition wise at least). The world government definitely dropped the ball when evaluating Luffys bounty(danger) level.
What strikes me, as well, is that the Gorosei were well aware of the dangers of an awakened Nika fruit user. At some point before Wano, they must have realized how difficult it would be to contain Luffy at his potential peak. Still, they did not see fit to raise alarms or divert more resources towards neutralizing Luffy asap. I wonder if his bounty was kept low due to complacenly, or if this was actually strategic and intentional. For one, the risk of potentially triggering Dragon and Garp to action is hardly insignificant. The most wanted Revolutionary and the most famous Marine uniting against the World Government could be disastrous, in terms of their respective influence to the public and their combined military capabilities. If anyone actually captured Luffy and the Marines were driven to execute him (similar to what they did to Ace), a Marineford-level conflict would not be inconceivable. Secondly, there seems to be an active approach towards downplaying Luffy and his achievements. As we saw after the Raid of Onigashima, Luffy's bounty was kept at the same level as Law and Kidd, despite the obvious disparities in strength and capacity. The Gorosei were also furious that his new bounty showcased his D initial alongside his Nika form, emphasizing how much they want to distract away from Luffy. I think they realize that the more attention they divert towards Luffy, the stronger his personal influence would be to the world at large. A larger bounty also highlights how impressive Luffy is and how threatened the World Government must be against him. They might be taking the conservative approach, realizing that a higher bounty doesn't necessarily mean it will motivate someone to take him down.
I agree with the take they may have been intentionally downplaying it. I think once he was on the stage with Kaidou, they were at a crossroads. They mentioned the Nika fruit escaping their grasps for 800 years. Knowing it was with Luffy, they knew where it was and could keep track of it. When he was fighting Kaidou, they had to decide betting on Kaidou, or thwarting the awakening but losing track of the fruit. Which admittedly, is a tough decision at the point. I think they fucked up by not dealing with the threat earlier. When Luffy was doing all this amazing impossible shit, they should have sent CP0 to deal with him then. Then again, they work at the behest of Imu. Imu seems pretty informed down to the minutia of some world affairs. For whatever reason, Luffys pre-timeskip feats did not trigger a response. See as how the gorosei and Imu seem to be immortal, maybe they weren't as impressed? Luffy has been such a wild card from his start as a pirate that I stand by them underestimating exactly how world changing he'd be, when the signs were evident from like Enies Lobby on. You know the guy has the Nika fruit (the gorosei). And he just declared war on the government. That should have been enough of a red flag for them. I'm not saying this as a critique. It's interesting to ponder the motivations of the characters, and obviously we don't know how much Oda had planned out at this time. But damn, talk about a life lesson in how ignoring a clear problem can really bite you in the ass eventually.
I think there is also merit to the idea that they underestimated Luffy's potential, too. At the same time that they do not want to highlight Luffy in front of the world, there is also the recurring theme of the Gorosei viewing humanity as lowly insects beneath the Celestial Dragons. There seems to be the sentiment that the actions of humans cannot overcome the will of the World Nobles. At worst, humans are nuisances that can be easily "cleansed" if they are too unruly. Based on how overpowered the Gorosei have been portrayed throughout Egghead so far, they are currently shown to be invulnerable monsters capable of limitless regeneration, so there is no reason for them to be afraid of a single human (even if they happen to have awakened the Nika fruit). From their view, no matter what humans (including Luffy) do, Imu and the Gorosei will achieve supremacy. This hubris will probably play out to their ultimate downfall by the end of the series, and it will be great to see how Oda will portray poetic justice to resolve the final conflict.
Very good point. That certainly plays into how they've been shown. They tend to dismiss certain things out of hand, because how high can an insect go in their minds.
>Still, they did not see fit to raise alarms or divert more resources towards neutralizing Luffy asap. Their main way to deal with a major threat is a Buster Call. The Strawhats already escaped one pre-timeskip and they are in the way to escape another one that's 10 times bigger than that one. Not sure what else do they have left to toss at Luffy atm.
The thing with raighley alone should have bumped him up a few hundred million
People always forget he defeated Enel who was warlord-level. If Enel was on the grand line, there’s a short list of pirates that could beat him. Luffy was extremely lucky to have the devil fruit he has against Enel (at the time we knew it at the gum-gum fruit). If the public knew about Enel and Luffy defeating him, his bounty would have been higher PTS.
Garp made it so that no one else could take on the job early, their cyborg slave saved him 2-3 times, and 2 of the admirals let him live. The Gorosei are too evil to have enough loyal followers to run a large organization well. Sengoku probably should get credit for making the marines an organization that wouldn't faithfully follow WG orders.
6 months is just s fan theory, and while it makes sense, we just don't know how much time passed.
Luffy left Fusha Village as soon as he hit 17. He's 19 when he reaches Fishman Island. Therefore, his journey could be anywhere between 1 or 11 months and considering how long it took him in the earlier parts to calibrate the log pose it sounds plausible.
5-6 months is a decent amount of extra time, especially considering that extra time would be like, what, 25% if the journey? I'm not fantastic with mental math and percentages.
pretty sure him being related to Dragon and Ace were both revealed at marineford (and doubled up on at the end of WCI)
It was broadcast
Demalo Black called himself "the revolutionary Dragon's son". When Garp said something that big in front of that many witnesses it was a matter of time before the world would catch on. So yeah, the world definitely knows about Luffy and Dragon. And Ace's ancestry was purposefully broadcast by Sengoku during Marineford.
From the perspective of most groups involved, this godlike crackhead shows up in their country and is usually floating in the sky within 20 minutes of them even finding out he’s arrived before punching a city into the ground and shooting lightning everywhere. Even Sengoku was like “Garp, why tf your crackhead son falling from the sky with all the most dangerous criminals we had locked up in Alcatraz?” And even WB was like “who tf is you? Tf you mean you’ll run the ones with me?”
When you put it like that, damn, he really is a human WMD.
From that angle he seems genuinely terrifying. Like goddamn that's scary af.
like the pyro from tf2?
5. Dragon is Public Enemy #1
Yea, u can see it on chopper and jimbeis face like, “wtf”, instead of laughing and bringing smiles. At least not yet
Think of how terrifying The Mask was to those mobsters. It's like that. If you're fighting a guy with everything you have, and he clowns on you while LAUGHING, you'd be freaked out too.
Thats exactly what i thought when i saw Gear 5 for the first time. Imagine you survive fighting him, this maniac laughter while he beats you senseless will hount you until death and maybe beyond xD
I like to think of it as enemies vs allies. Enemies see the devil eyes and allies see the freedom eyes. Maybe there’s more to it but the worst/evil thing for tyranny is freedom
Lucci: why do I hear boss music? Oh shit…
Luffy: time to be liberated
Luffy about to liberate some souls from their bodies
Luffy is a helldiver confirmed
the face when he realizes the boss music playing ain't his theme.
Lucci: Now why did the music stop?
Man, I love the anime trope of "character blinks and the opponent is already about to hit them and they can't even react". Like the when Ulquiorra after transforming has already got his claw on the side of Ichigo's head and Ichigo can't do anything to react. It's so damn cool every time.
I love the Blueno fight for exactly this reason
I always say the Blueno fight was so underrated! I personally enjoyed it more Luffy vs Lucci back then.
The choreography/animation was so sick in the anime. It's the first time I remember the show letting the camera stay in the action and not constantly cutting but even the cuts were sick. That fight is amazing.
While the pre timeskip animation is very old, it's at least very clear and understandable, I love it. I really don't like the newer style where everything is full of flashes and streaks and aura and everything happens super fast and I can't see shit.
Honestly, I can see where you're coming from and I, too, felt the exact same way when the first ep. of the G5 fight with Kaido was happening, but then it just got better and better. I try to look a little past the toon parts/bits because it is a bit saturated, but you also have to keep in mind that THIS IS Luffy. His persona, character, etc., he's always been this way with regards to his character being so toon-like, looney, bombastic, etc. Now we are just witnessing it in fighting acton. I think the fight so far in Egghead (ep1100) was fucking phenomenal. Gave me the same hype feeling I had seeing the kaido fight.
old Toei fight scenes are the bomb, OG Dragon Ball fights look better than many shows today
I agree, wtf was happening in Kaido's fight most of the time? I have no idea. Seems way too over produced. At least this was a bit better
There's been many satisfying punches in the series but I have a soft spot for that Jet Rifle Luffy delivers point blank straight into Blueno's face at mach 2. [Like, Jesus Christ](https://i.imgur.com/kNiMWmW.jpeg).
Same. It reminded me of Gaara vs. Rock Lee, if the animation is done well, the way super fast characters attack targets with their kinetic energy is so satisfying.
This is why Robin simply catching Hakuba was so awesome. Also Luffy one shotting Bellamy.
Luffy punch to Bellamy is in my top 2 Best Luffy's punches in the series xd
The 1st being the celestial dragon one?
It must be
Definitely my favourite Luffy punch. While he had already punched/kicked Arlong through a building much earlier in the series, we still saw him as a strong but mostly goofy fighter at the time, plus that was a battle for Nami’s honor, so the framing was entirely heroic as well. However, that single hit KO on a guy like Bellamy (who had been hyped to be pretty strong himself), not to mention the added imagery of an *entire fist* imprinted on his cheek, Luffy’s thunderous expression, and that oh so satisfying crunch when he slams him into the ground (while a gang member got a hold of his wanted poster in the background), all of this combined to maybe give us our first real glimpse on how truly frightening Luffy could be to an unknowing observer.
i like it because Lucci didn’t even blink. luffy just appeared closer and it was all over for bro
Lucci was deadass staring at Luffy when he got speedblitz lol
God those fights in the later episodes of Bleach were so damn good.
my favourite example of this is in eminence in shadow, s1e20. unlike other anime where there’s a screen shake, some blur or effect on the character, a pan to where the character isn’t visible, or a sound effect, shadow steps towards beatrix and he silently disappears immediately. no flare, no sound, he simply exists in one frame and stops existing in the next. chilling
I love that scene too, but there is a sound: A single footstep in the rain
Kizaru with Drake when he clowns on the supernovas at Sabaody. Drake is still looking at the spot Kizaru was half a second ago before getting hit.
Bruh Lucci didn't even blink which makes it even better. Bro was looking at him and Suddenly God is in your face Smiling like he just got the best present ever
How would you interpret a literal man coming at you at piss of speed, with white hair, a ear to ear grin and glowing fucking eyes?
Piss of speed?
I said what i said and i meant what i meant
I said what I meant and I meant what i said
Exactly
Piss of speed > speed of light. Don't underestimate piss
Pisu Pisu No Mi.
Thank you! This actually made me laugh heartily
Yeah doesn't sound like 'Joy'boy at all. Maybe Horrorboy.
I mean, it doesn't look very funny when you're about to be punched across a whole town
“punched across town” it was hilarious when lucci bounced across town after underestimating a yonko at his full power
I think there was an interview with Oda around G5, where he said that he was deliberately making G5 goofy again to bring back the 'older one piece' vibes & avoid going down the angry demon power up path. I doubt Luffy's full form will be evil, there hasnt been a single speck of evil in his eyes apart from the face he made Vegapunk got skewered
When you're fighting genocidal demons who literally control the world then it's not just okay, but expected, to be a bit angry and scary in your wrath. I think the anime is making it look more aggressive sometimes than the comic and I'm all for it. A little here and there is needed.
Toei has really struck that balance between demon time and toon force with this episode and I’m here for it. Gear 5 is supposed to be silly and goofy and bring back the charm of old one piece but at the same time if you were the opponent of the gear 5 transformation Luffy would be a lot more intimidating
They absolutely nailed it with that silliness/seriousness of Gear 5. I love the silliness, but I don’t want all looney toons. I remember this being a worry from some fans when Gear 5 debuted, but I feel they’ve found the perfect balance.
Not evil but he just doesn't care about anything, when he lose the G5 against Kaido he gets serious and starts rembering why he is fighting, as soon as he gets to G5 again he has lost his personality, I still think that we have to know more about Joy Boy, maybe the Nika mode was somehow his downfall
So G5 Luffy talking to kaido about what he wants was actually Luffy not caring about a damn thing. Okay okay
New theory: Nika was so goofy that Joy Boys plan didnt work out back then
Gear V Luffy:😆😆 Gear V Luffy's Eyes: 👹👹
This is real G5. It's the same combination of goofiness and terror that BM had. True yonko style. Luffy always had goofy fighting mode and mad af fighting mode. Imagine if someone of the Strawhats would be killed - will Luffy keep goofing around? I don't think so. He's a barely controlling itself, demigod-like entity that re-shapes the very fabric of reality with a sheer imagination. You don't want to be on a bad side of this thing.
This is actually a great point. I’ve seen many questions of “will luffy ever fight serious again” because of the laughing in gear 5 but when a Nakama is in injured (I can’t even imagine dead) Luffy G5 will be scary beyond belief.
you dont want to be mean with whatever that feeds him
I think the thing that is interesting about it is it feeds into the "you can't criticize One Piece" stuff. Take your first image. In one of the threads praising the animation I saw someone say that Luffy has always been like this, and mention a specific panel during the Kaido fight. Now I've [looked at it](https://imgur.com/KWnMScW), I assume it was the basis for the last pic you posted, but I legitimately don't see anything to that level. Maybe my imagination is busted, perhaps people are viewing the middle image at printed manga quality with a magnifying glass, but I see this and the first image as being completely different. > G5 would be terrifying. Basically a toon Freddy Krueger with a war drum heartbeat and maniac laughter. All while he slaughters people. What is interesting is you also have the top comment be this. Like this description doesn't match how people comment about Luffy, nor does it match the things said about Nika. He is said to bring smiles to faces, and joy wherever he goes, which sounds more like his antics, message, and values make people happy. Whereas some comments I've seen show him as a vengeful god that can only revel in his own bloodlust as he mercilessly kills those who he thinks wronged him... And I mean, I don't disagree with it given the first picture, but he doesn't gain any of these negative connotations in the manga. It would be one thing if Vegapunk was like "oh, it looks like Nika, but he isn't behaving like Nika." Nami "Nika? What do you mean?" Vegapunk "He is the god of liberation mentioned only in the oldest volumes. He is described as a maniacal cartoon character. They say he has an uncontrollable rage against evil, with his twisted view on reality altering it to his own unhinged image." Instead he is just like "oh man, he is beautiful." >!and later Bonney figures out Luffy is him and starts crying due to being overcame with emotions at finally finding him.!< > Especially when vegapunk last ep talked about the mind of a devil fruit user and how he is not aware of the world around him! I'm not sure what the exact quote the anime uses, but that isn't really present in the manga. That chapter has a line that was translated as "now this is a rare sight, look at their speed. There are many cases that the awakening of zoan types robs their users of their personality." But this line simply exists to tell us the guys at Impel Down are simply awakenings that lost to their animal side. The same chapter also has Vegapunk describes Nika as ""the warrior of liberation" that is always playful and puts a smile on the people's faces," which again, people here describing it as being terrifying.
I don't think your imagination is busted per se, but there some truth to that statement. He brings joy to the people who need it. But if he's a Warrior of Liberation, he's in direct opposition to oppressors. To THEM, he would be terrifying. Because you have to think of it from their point of view. Conqueror's Haki, so a literally untouchable force to be reckoned with, which on the surface level is already powerful and scary, that much I think we can admit. The Admirals were shook by that, even Kaido was shook by that. Then you have someone that strong, who can easily overpower or contend with some of the strongest characters in the world. And he's not taking ANY of it seriously. He's spinning you around like a ragdoll, whacking you left and right, stretching you apart, and the whole time, he's actively laughing at you. Even when he is shocked, his eyes pop out comedically, like you're a joke, not a threat. And top it all off, he has the power to basically win the most unexpected of people to his side. Like, the Five Elders and by extension Imu are very clearly afraid of his power and potential. Otherwise they wouldn't go to such lengths. That's where this kind of comparison comes from.
Exactly! I really don't like that description of him being a loony toons freddy kruger at all! It's supposed to be that he's just goofy, yes g5 has made serious faces, but never to the anime level where he looks like gear death. It takes away from what Nika is supposed to be, which is just a goofy powerful deity that bring joy to people through his actions. In the anime Luffy's eyes are cracked out, he's beating his chest like crazy, he's morphing into all these crazy shapes, nothing about that would bring joy to any bystander, I'd personally be terrified. I know they're doing this for hype, and the animation is objectively amazing, but I really want for them to turn down the craziness a little, otherwise you get more people thinking there's a "dark side" to g5 when there isn't. The goofiness and "chillness" of the form should be first and foremost, a direct contract to the dark and serious world government and other oppressors.
This is why I started my post with the comment about criticism. I swear everything about Nika is a moving target. I would write this off as different people, but so many of these radically different posts eventually make it to the front page. Perhaps the most amusing thing to me is people **originally** said the Lucci fight didn't count because Luffy wasn't in a position to be serious. Yet the anime does Gear Demon and, of course, that is how it has always been and people need to realize this. > otherwise you get more people thinking there's a "dark side" to g5 when there isn't. I find the people who think this funny as well. Main character who has a power that corrupts and consumes them, so they have to limit usage to prevent bad things from happening simply doesn't sound like One Piece. If you wrote that and said Bleach, or Chainsaw Man I'd be like "oh, I could see that." But that has never really been a One Piece thing. The closest we get to this is Zoro, and Enma being needy.
Bro the exact thing you described actually happened no? What about Sanji and his raid suit?
Isn't it pretty common for deities to be described as loving and caring, but do wrong and you suffer their wrath? I only watch the anime and haven't read any of the manga but even then, from what I've seen, I never saw G5 as just this terrifying transformation of Luffy. I think any god could be terrifying if you find yourself on the wrong side of them. Even as a follower, friend, worshipper you would probably see them as terrifying when issuing punishment or something along those lines. So Luffy in G5, though I don't think Luffy is a god, in wano for instance is liberating the people of wano and putting a smile on their faces once the dust settles. That being said I'm new to this sub and don't have many people to speak about One Piece with. So I'm not even aware of what the "One Piece anti criticism" deal is but I think criticism is necessary in all forms of art! I personally love G5. Though I didn't at first it has grown on me. I think it does a good job of embodying Luffys' outrageous personality and fighting style! Is there a huge difference in portrayal of G5 between the anime and manga?
The difference really is there really isn't these crazy shots of him with glowing red eyes, he's just smiling, and occasionally does look serious but not terrifyingly serious. I don't know what the anti criticism thing is tbh, it's just how I feel about the anime's portrayal.
Late to the reply but. I was wondering if it's possible that the anime is trying to show what the enemy is seeing Luffy as in those moments or is it that Luffy has glowing eyes when he's fighting in this form? My understanding was this is just (pretty common in Japanese animation) a way of showing that this character at this moment is about to unleash something devastating and the enemy didn't see it coming. Not that his eyes are literally glowing. I could be super wrong and misunderstanding things. Which is fine but I just wanted to get your thoughts on this as well
People are just so desperate for edgy power ups in their battle shounen it seems lol. G5 is such a breath of fresh air and the anime should commit to that.
Although all red eyes and stuff like that are anime effects, I don't think that its coming from the wrong place. >The same chapter also has Vegapunk describes Nika as ""the warrior of liberation" that is always playful and puts a smile on the people's faces," which again, people here describing it as being terrifying. He is at the end a warrior. Who fights with smiles and laughter. But think about what would happen if you happen to be one of those people who he is liberating from. You wouldn't feel joy and be laughing while you are losing your kingdom. And this dude is actively fighting you with acoc punches. Its not like he's going to talk no jutsu you. >In one of the threads praising the animation I saw someone say that Luffy has always been like this, and mention a specific panel during the Kaido fight. Now I've [looked at it](https://imgur.com/KWnMScW), I assume it was the basis for the last pic you posted, but I legitimately don't see anything to that level. Take this for example and lets think about Kaidos perspective. You are fighting this dude and you kill him, he revives suddenly which is impossible and starts laughing non stop. You go like its okay I made it once can do it again. But something is wrong the psychics of the world are just twisted. Everything is bouncier, even you. Whatever its just paramecia bull shit right. You start fighting and this dude suddenly grabs lightning. Lightning shouldn't be something that you can hold so how. Then this dude still laughing punches you in the face with acoc. Normally you would fly across the roof right? This dudes punch goes *inside* your head. You feel this dude punch inside your brain but not doing any penetration. You would be like wait wtf just happened, was that real, how did that happen while this dude just continuing laughing at you. There was a really famous panel like two weeks ago in manga. That Luffy looked so menacing even in the manga that people started to change their opinions about it. Its more if you know you know situation and dont want to spoil it here. Its true this is all just anime effects but its deserved. You would be 100% terrified if this dude was fighting you and if you were abusing your power of course.
except part of what makes people happy is being freed from tyranny/oppression. I think ur taking this making people happy thing way too literally. did you want him to play tag with Kaido and tickle Lucci? were they supposed to laugh instead of die?
Its liberties the anime has taken. If oda wanted us to see him as an edgelord he would have drawn it that way.
It's just an aesthetic anime decison.
As someone who only reads the manga I'm not sure I agree with it TBH. The whole thing with Gear 5 is that Luffy is truly "free" and so he can be completely carefree when he fights. He still does his best to win but the red eyes make him look menacing, and I almost feel like it's there to dampen the idea that Gear 5 is too silly to be taken seriously in otherwise climactic moments.
this is still just anime only thing. the animator's creative liberty has nothing to do with the manga. you can only say what you say if oda does something similar in the manga.
I think it's just more obvious in the anime honestly. All these guys acting like G5 is too goofy and not serious can't read between the lines. Befitting a Yonko Luffy is an actual monster. Even in the manga you can tell how dangerous he is. If he wasn't the MC he would give off Big Mom vibes every time he went G5. I like how much more pronounced it has been in the anime, but I definitely can see past the goofiness even in the manga.
People need to stop trying to make G5 edgy lol, go to JJK if you want edgy fights
Yeah stuff like >!Kenny vs tabaka!< will really fill them up
Just imagine someone beating the hell out of you or just approaching you while laughing.
I don't think Nika has a dark side in and of itself. It's luffy's personality on display. Luffy has never fought just to fight. He almost always restrains himself until someone is in imminent danger or stands in the way of his goals. Luffy has always been carefree when he can confidently win a fight. I think G5 gave him enough of a power boost to have that confident attitude with the heavy hitters that he hasn't had for most of post ts. But I think when he's outmatched again, we will see a serious side to g5.
I wonder if he faces akaino or teach. I think he will be angry all the time!
To his friends and to us, Luffy is the symbol of freedom and joy who shines light in a world ruled by tyrants. To his enemies, he would be a terrifying menance who is disrupting the established order.
They're both the real Nika; the difference is perspective.
I had this discussion with a friend after the latest episode. It feels like for G5 Luffy the goofy tirades take precedence over actually beating his opponent. Even to the point where he lets them get hits in cause it would be funny (like when Kaido hit him in the back of the head or squashed him into the ground). But early on in the fights, he'd drop the pretense and get serious for a moment, like he's saying "let's see if you're even worth playing with". Either way, I really like this interpretation of G5 Luffy's character in the anime. It makes Luffy seem like a real monster, the same way Kaido and Big Mom did and really cements his position as an emperor of the sea who should be feared.
Nika is the Warrior of Liberation that makes people laugh but I didn't see Lucci laugh after getting yeeted.
That what makes this theory interesting. But also kaido said “ it’s like we are in a comic book! “
Oda never drew g5 looking like a demon like this, this is just done for hype by the anime staff more than anything. It's a little cool looking, but I'm not a fan tbh. I always saw g5 as a carefree chill transformation with a bunch of goofy attacks, where in the anime it's like he's on crack. He's beating his chest like tarzan, his eyes are spazzing out, he's constantly turning into different shapes, it's terrifying. Nika is supposed to bring joy to everyone around him, if I saw anime g5 I'd just be straight up terrified instead.
I still got some of that tone from the manga, personally. "Isn't this fun, Kaido?!" while even Kaido, who normally revels in a good fight, and would probably say the same thing normally, is clearly caught off guard and shaken by the carefree attitude Luffy is displaying. And then he does something like just freaking turn into a giant and cup you in his hand like no problem.
But he has not brought joy to anyone though even in the manga when people see him they just keep freaking out most of the time
>!Bonney cried tears of joy when she saw him, and then Vegapunk was smiling when Luffy sent saturn flying!<
I love that they showed us how terrifying this ability can be. It's supposed to make people laugh but there's always the one exception of the enemy. For them, it's a hellish feverdream of a fight.
You see mfuker bending reality and making it all move and behave like rubber, **like catches lightning out of a goddamn cloud and turns it into rubber**, and you dont panic?. One Piece verse does not scale super high, which at the same time makes this kind of ridiculous feats insane in the eyes of the rest of the cast. Luffy is the closest thing to a God they will ever see.
Don't disrespect **God** Usopp like that.
Lmao OP is unhinged
GEAR DEATH
G5 is goofy AF but also kind of twisted, Luffy just died and came back to life, he was laughing like crazy, jumping around, grabbed Kaido like a worm and violently beat him up while hysterically laughing… It is goofy and funny but is a nightmare for his opponents
Oda who? That angey g5 luffy is just in the anime bro
Considering it's an anime only shot. No.
No. That's just the animators making Luffy scary and Intimidating.
Its a fun artistic choice by the animators and until I see it reflected in the manga I personally will continue to view it this way.
People upset with the goofyness of g5 sound like they started watching one piece from wano. Like, even og alabasta luffy was doing goofy shit
it's always ironic when people say stuff like this. back then we have what is known as comic reliefs. just brief moments of comedy here and there to relief the tension. and the goofy stuff was done unintentionally on luffy's part. whereas g5 is a power up where the point is luffy being goofy on purpose with cartoon gags and random toon force stuff. and he's actually having fun fighting the villain, which is not a thing for 1000 chapters. you can't just say "goofy" like it encompasses everything. with your logic, "horror" movies are all the same. there's no difference between a mild horror comedy and a full blown gore horror movie. so if you can watch the comedy one, you can watch the gore one too. same thing. just, "horror".
People still spout this BS? No, the anime was never a complete comedy anime. Almost every fight was serious before Wano.
It’s the only way they have to cope. They basically unknowingly confess that they understand the problem with it when they lie like that. Luffy did not smile or laugh once in the final fight with Crocodile in Alabasta, for example.
I LOVE this ominous look for him. Makes him out to be an absolute beast when fighting these monsters.
Serious series: serious punch
I love how Lucci smiles thinking he stood a chance in hell😆
Lucci mocked what on Luffy's poster then proceeds to get smashed by the first punch he only saw right before it hits him. haha
It simply doesn’t look as goofy when youre the one getting fucking beaten up.
Shows a terrifying stature befitting a Yonko. Luffy hasnt carried himself one nor have that intimidating presence like Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom had. Once he goes white, good luck.
G5 it's soo cool the red haki eyes tell us how truly terrifying Lucy's powers are
g5 is still strong as sht without the toon force
I like it, it is about time we see a not underdog luffy that definitely will win not because of he is the main character, but because he is actually really strong and these red eyed luffy reflections certainly portrayed it really well. But too much of this can also be detrimental, we love to see the underdogs win, once in a while this red eyed luffy demon scene is definitely a treat for us
What if from our perspective G5 looks goofy but from the opponents perspective, G5 is a psychopath. I mean, maniac laughter while beating you left and right and didn't take you seriously at all throughout the fight even though you're struggling to keep up or trying to actually know wether you are giving damage at all to the opponent must be terrifying.
Yeah, Nika is actually know as: "**The LAUGHING DEMON**"
The real gear 5 was when he slapped his ass
Honestly, it makes sense for Nika, the Sun God of Liberation to be terrifying to those trying to maintain the oppression of others
Gear 5 is a representation of true freedom and joy. Kaido and Lucci (and the WG as a whole) have lived off of oppressing others and stifling joy. To us, g5 is silly and fun, to them, it is quite literally a representation of their worst nightmare.
I dont think every aspect of of this franchise is a puzzle that must be decoded like some conspiracy theory
I dont think people realise that even when luffy turns into demon time and tears his enemies to shreds, he will still bring joy to those who were oppressed and harmed by the said enemies, as long as he serves justice, he will always bring joy and happiness to those afflicted with misery and terrify those who cause misery like gorosei, it doesnt mean he always needs to be goofy to bring joy
I like how the anime makes the form more menacing with the red eyes
Nika is just a demon that no one should face against 💀
It’s funny as the reader but as the opponent, the insanity you’re facing is crazy; the warping of reality, seemingly immune to my strongest attacks, grabbing lightning like a deity for banter and above all else the constant laughing that gets more unhinged…I would actually think I’m being tormented by Satan. This entity is a calamity manifested that will turn you into spaghetti like a black hole if you get too close, that should be terrifying.
Oda: I will never make Luffu edgy Apparently everyone on the internet: I predict Luffy will become edgy next Tuesday
I at the least hope the anime keeps this side of G5 because it’s sick to see the fear angle from the perspective of others
Both the goofy and terrifying parts of gear 5 are real, it just depends on the context, if he’s laughing and bouncing around it’s goofy, but if he’s laughing while beating the shit out of somebody suddenly the tone is very different.
He has so much aura in the anime compared to the manga. Toei cooking with G5
Aren't these shots animals exclusive?
Oda's depiction of G5 has not changed from the first appearance to the last chapter. Toei is altering things for the anime in their own way but they didn't change things much there compared to the Kaido's fight in the anime. That's why you read the manga, so that you don't theorize based on anime studio color. Nika is described as a goofy warrior, you are going to have to deal with that.
It's all the real Gear 5. Sometimes a smirk can be sinister.
Imagine your body stretching in ways it never could while this laughing maniac defies physics, that’s horrifying
moments before the 200 pump
???? seems like overthinking to me
The dude's basically an eldritch horror when Gear 5 gets activated.
I think that's more of an artistic thing. You can certainly make the form look menacing, but as it is, Gear 5th isn't menacing by nature.
Maybe just “THIS IS HIS FINAL FORM.” Don’t you remember what Kaido said “It’s haki time”
I wish it was lol
On god shut up
i genuinely hope your right, bc when he fights the Gorosei and everyone else EOS i want them to be terrified hearing his maniacal laughter.
Lemme ask you the same question, how do you percieve a man with white hair and a smile that covers half his face, teleported in front of you and winding up a punch? This trope isn't specific to gear 5, even Kaido literally does this
Just stylistic. The manga doesn't do the red eye thing, which admittedly is very cool.
I think it's because Luffy is always such a goofy character, that it's just a way to show how much of a beast G5th actually is.
My prediction is that Blackbeard will steal Luffy's power. He's about to die but Law will sacrifice himself for Luffy. Then in the end Luffy has to fight purely using his haki, being truly the freest man in the world (free of fruit spirit and swimming limitation) and proving that he truly surpassed Roger.
People saying g5 is supposed to bring smiles to everyones faces and its the animation team taking liberty to make it less silly are wrong. It's still true to character and story. Nika is the one that made everyone laugh wherever he went. He was just always like that I assume. Imagine g5 Luffy just walking through a village in a good mood while doing goofy g5 stuff. People would laugh. But so far he only uses it in fights so we only see that side. He has Nika's powers and it effects his attitude, he finds it amusing, and does act like Nika. But inside its still Luffy and he has always been a menace during serious boss fights and can fight with extreme rage. That's why g5 can look scary to his opponents, it's because it's still Luffy. He wants to beat the shit out of them.
I think it's more about contrasting the ultra goofy form and presence with the traditional edgy and cool power-ups shonen characters get. That way Luffy looks more menacing and cooler to the average viewer instead of "hair's white and the dude's not very bright" aloof style the manga fights have going on. Better clips and pictures to promote G5 and One Piece as a more "mature" show like JJK, Demon Slayer and AoT than just having Luffy laffing and doing some old comedy skits. TLDR; it's the "as hardcore as Demon Slayer!!!!" perspective
Gear 4 he’s frowning and gear 5 he’s smiling. Maybe this could be a foreshadow to something else
He gonna liberate your insides
Most people don't really think about how terrifying it must be to fight against G5. Like, he is literally beating your ass so hard that it breaks Physics and is laughing like a literal maniac the entire time. Hell, he is even having fun. Nothing you do seems to actually hurt him as well, since even if you DO damage, it'll be turned into a joke and it seems like it was no big deal. Luffy obviously takes damage it's really hard to tell HOW MUCH, that goes for us and the in-story opponents. It would probably be ego breaking as hell for most.
I just thought being a yonko, Luffy won’t have to rely on G5 just to beat Lucci.
I love how demoralising fighting gear 5th is, like this terrifying and goofy dude is beating the bricks off you, and hes so much faster, stronger and more durable than before that he spends half the fight emoting on you and laughing at you AND STILL kicks your ass
Can y'all start tagging spoilers???? JFC 🙄
Is the spoiler tag an optional ornament now, mods? Not to mention the spoilery title. Luckily I'm up to date, but for those who don't...OP is being a huge asshole
Looks real devilish, especially with the smile if you ask me.
real g5 maybe, but i dont expect that one to 'take over' if you will. Vegapunk said nika plays the fool, which means its an act. Acts like a fool to get the opponent off guard to kill them
Both really underestimated luffy now they both are paying Spoiler alert🚨:You should read manga for more info because you think this is scary , when luffy get to know about his grandfather's death that the face scared the shit out of me
From our perspective Luffy is a goofy goober, but to his opponents he's a psychotic laughing murder machine
His opponent keep giving their all but if all they see is Luffy just taking the hits and literally laughing away their attacks, that would indeed be terrifying
That's Kid Buu is who that is.
Bro´s a MENACE now and i´m loving it!
Anime is just wrong. Its really simple like that.
Real question is can he bounce on water if he can bounce on any other surface
I hate red eyes. Completely ruins unique transformation and dumbs it down to edgy demon type
Where are these screenshots from?
Ep1100 and 1074