All Of Luffy's Forms In One Piece Ranked By Power
Whether you're a long-time anime fan an or an anime newcomer, there is no way you haven't heard of "One Piece," a manga and anime by creator Eiichiro Oda that aired its one thousandth episode in 2021 and has kept on trucking. Even with so much story on the books, it feels like tons of potential tales remain. At the heart of this saga is our hero, Luffy, a young man who initially travels the world in his ship the Going Merry, and then the Thousand Sunny when the Going Merry is finally retired. Along with his crew, Luffy is inspired by his hero, Red-Haired Shanks, and dreams of one day becoming the greatest pirate ever to live. The key to this accomplishment? Obtaining the mythical One Piece, a treasure of untold value.
And did we mention Luffy is made out of rubber? The magical world that Luffy inhabits is also home to a rare item known as the Devil Fruit, which he unknowingly consumes only to see his body transform. As the series progresses, he discovers that he can change forms and take on new powersets depending on how he channels these gifts. Naturally, as an adventurous pirate traveling the globe, there is plenty of room for conflict along the way, and the series delights in creating exciting fight scenes in which Luffy utilizes his powers in interesting and unexpected new ways. As for which of his forms is the most powerful, well, it's subject to change, as they tend to evolve over time. But for now, we're sticking with this ranking.
7. Gear 2
After many "One Piece" episodes in which Luffy learns how to use his powers, he adopts Gear 2 as his go-to form in episode 272, "Luffy is in Sight! Gather at the Courthouse Plaza!" When he uses it against the villainous Blueno, it becomes immediately evident that Gear 2 places Luffy in a totally new category as a fighter, enhancing his speed and strength tenfold. The downside of Gear 2 is likewise clear right off the bat as Luffy's skin takes on a pinkish glow indicating that his blood is pumping faster, and he is burning a lot of energy. This leads him to be quickly depleted and forces him to consume vast amounts of food to regain his strength.
However, with Luffy's ongoing mastery of the form, he becomes better at pacing himself and the consequences of Gear 2 are less severe and more controllable. During a break in the story generally referred to as the "time skip," Luffy seems to learn how to use the benefits of Gear 2 to its fullest without causing himself the same amount of damage it once did. He can also maintain stamina for longer periods of time. Though this comes in last place for the purposes of this list, Gear 2 has gotten Luffy and the Straw Hat gang out of countless predicaments, and it can even be seen occasionally in combination with Gear 3, making it a tried-and-true classic.
6. Gear 3
In the "Enies Lobby" arc, Luffy evolves a new Gear in episode 304, "If I Can't Win, I Can't Protect Anyone!" Fighting to save Nico Robin from the clutches of Cipher Pol and the World Government, Luffy is forced to tap into something even stronger than Gear 2. Fortunately, he's been thinking about developing gears ever since the conclusion of the "Water 7" arc. His eagerness to use new gears almost comes into play in the fight against Blueno in Episodes 272 and 273, however, Blueno falls, making it a moot point and allowing Luffy to save the trick for a rainy day.
Gear 3 entails Luffy biting down hard on his thumb in order to inflate his body, quite a bit like a balloon, only much weirder. Doing so gifts Luffy with strength that can shatter reinforced structures with ease, enhancing the power of Gear 2 and bringing new skills along with it. While Gear 2 emphasizes speed, Gear 3 is all about physical strength. Gear 3 involves Luffy's bones quite literally growing larger; the downside of the power is, initially, he shrinks to below his normal size after the enlarging wears off, placing Luffy in a type of recovery mode. But after a while, much like with Gear 2, Luffy more or less learns to anticipate and control Gear 3's less desired results.
5. Nightmare Luffy
In Episode 370, "A Secret Strategy to Turn the Tables – Nightmare Luffy Appears" and the two following episodes, we meet the grim Nightmare Luffy. When the powerful pirate Moria successfully steals Luffy's shadow, he finds that he must absorb other shadows in order to become powerful enough to counter his attacks and defeat Moria and his ally Oars. While most people could only contain two or three shadows at a time, Luffy is able to take on a hundred, gifting him with the strength of all those shadows while increasing his size exponentially, making this the most powerful form we see from him.
Nightmare Luffy is a lot of fun despite being pretty scary, and it's a shame we likely won't see this form again anytime soon due to its circumstance-specific nature. While his friends struggle and are very nearly beaten in this knock-down drag-out fight against Moria's forces, Nightmare Luffy is able to get them to safety. He then takes on both Moria and Oars, flooring Moria with Gomu Gomu no Pistol and knocking Oars into next Tuesday with Gomu Gomu no Storm. With the battle won, the shadows ultimately leave Luffy's body, indicating that this might be the end of Nightmare Luffy. Still, this is easily one of his most intimidating incarnations, and this whole story rates high for fans.
4. Gear 4: Tankman
When it comes to Luffy's many forms, his Gear 4 transformation, Tankman, rates high as one of the most mysterious among them. The fact is we haven't seen Luffy fully tap into what makes this form unique or what it's capable of quite yet. Still, it's clear from the outset that this is one of his most intimidating techniques. The events leading into Tankman's first appearance start in Episode 805, "A Battle of Limits – Luffy and the Infinite Biscuits." When the villain Cracker attacks with his biscuit soldiers, he is dismayed that Nami can soften them with rain to the point where Luffy is able to consume them en masse. As fans know, Luffy loves food just about as much as he loves being a pirate, so he gets right to it.
In Episode 806, "The Power of a Full Stomach – New Gear 4 Tankman!" we see that several hours have passed and Luffy is still eating Cracker's soldiers. This infuriates Cracker, and he finally gets frustrated enough with the spectacle that he attacks. This turns out to be a huge mistake, as it triggers Luffy's transformation into Tankman, which leads Luffy to devour him and spit him across the skyline all the way to Sweet City. Naturally, this only causes further problems down the line as retaliation against Luffy takes shape, but in the moment, he's won, and it barely takes any effort at all. What else can Tankman do? We're not totally sure, but even just this demonstration of power is pretty impressive.
3. Gear 4: Snakeman
Picking up from where Episode 869 leaves off, Episode 870, "A Fist of Divine Speed! Another Gear 4 Application Activated!" sees the continuation of the fight between Luffy and Charlotte Katakuri, the eldest brother of the Charlotte Family, which also includes Daifuku and Oven. As one of the major antagonists of the "Whole Cake Island" arc, Katakuri is a major threat, and he nearly takes Luffy out in Episode 869. That is, until Luffy is able to activate a new form of Gear 4 — the immensely powerful Snakeman. While the steam that appears over Luffy while he uses his powers often indicates the rapid expulsion of energy, Snakeman's hair spikes up like a flame and he wears his steam like an elegant scarf, immediately setting the tone for a heavier yet more graceful fighting style.
Even after Snakeman is put into use, there's no arguing that Luffy and Katakuri are pretty evenly matched, and this episode ends with a stalemate as they both deliver finishing blows that absolutely floor the other. Whereas Tankman's full skillset is somewhat vague, Snakeman's abilities are numerous, including the "Python" ability which allows him to change the speed and force of his punches in the time it takes them to land. After he throws a punch, his arms can shift and bend in seemingly limitless directions, making this easily one of the most useful and capable forms to resort to in a fight.
2. Gear 4: Boundman
In Episode 725, "Anger Erupts – I Will Take Everything Upon Myself," Luffy arrives to battle the glamourous but deeply sinister pirate Donquixote Doflamingo, who seeks to enclose the island kingdom of Dressrosa in an enormous birdcage. Naturally, the Straw Hat Pirates take major exception to this, and Luffy lands some heavy blows in their battle, but Doflamingo is incredibly powerful and ultimately gets the drop on Luffy. Though Doflamingo maintains the upper hand through most of the fight, Luffy's sense of righteous anger at his adversary's cruelty and greed leads to his next Gear 4 transformation, much to Doflamingo's surprise.
In the follow-up episode, "Gear 4! The Phenomenal Boundman!" Luffy sees that the birdcage is closing in on Dressrosa, causing him to tap into his most powerful form yet. This is Boundman, in which his body expands to a slightly more ball-shaped size, reflected in his sudden need to continue bouncing up and down due to the sudden influx of power. At first, Doflamingo finds this new form to be hilarious, and he taunts Luffy, only to face a rapid-fire attack that leaves him first stunned and then defeated with shocking ease. Even as Doflamingo attempts to fight back, Luffy is able to absorb the power of his assault and channel it back at him in a series of lightning-fast blows. Say what you will about Boundman's offbeat powerset — we sure don't want to fight him.
1. Gear 5
Fans have been waiting a very long time to see the reveal of Luffy's Gear 5, which finally occurs in the 2022 film "One Piece: RED." The Gear appears somewhat late in the game in the manga as well, as Luffy learns more about the true origins of the mysterious Devil Fruit that gives him his powers. Though the film sparks many questions about where the story takes place in continuity, it seems likely that this will all be explored in upcoming episodes of the series as we dive into what makes Gear 5 Luffy's most powerful form to date, and how he'll use it in his seemingly never-ending quest to become the greatest pirate ever.
The film revolves around a woman named Uta — a famous singer whose true identity is kept secret from the world despite her popularity. Naturally, there are plenty of twists as we get to the bottom of who she really is and the power she holds, as well as what exactly connects her to Luffy and his crew of allies and friends. During an epic battle, Luffy is forced to tap into the long-awaited Gear 5. Yet, its appearance is surprisingly brief, with Luffy relying on Gear 4 through the majority of the film and only tapping into 5 for a few seconds when it becomes absolutely necessary. Fortunately, this little taste is sure to lead to a satisfying meal in the days to come for "One Piece" fans.