MONKEY D LUFFY TRANSFORMATIONS
In the world of Shonen anime, Monkey D. Luffy is one of the only few, who are hailed as the best shonen anime protagonists for all the right reasons.
Let’s talk about him !
Unless the anime One Piece sounds alien to you, you already know about Monkey D. Luffy. He is the protagonist of the Shonen king “One Piece” !
He has but one dream and that is to find the treasure known as the “One Piece” as well as become the next Pirate King. And it is obvious from all the episodes so far that Monkey D. Luffy won’t be throwing in the towel till the day he finds the One Piece and looks at the world as its New Pirate King.
Luffy’s adventurous spirit is one of the few things that make One Piece so interesting. In addition to that, his fearless soul and the childish aura is what sets him apart. In a few words, one can say that he has the personality of a fearless child who won’t let anyone or anything stop him from doing what he wants.
According to Mihawk, Luffy has an ability that makes him unstoppable. He can recruit allies wherever he goes. Mihawk also stated that this ability of Luffy is the most dangerous in the world.
The collective combination of all of Luffy’s traits gives us a main character who is both fearless and selfless. To him, his crew matters more than his own life.
So far, Monkey D. Luffy has had quite a lot of accomplishments. Let’s take a little sneak peek at a few things out of all of his accomplishments.
These were the things that made the world government acknowledge Luffy as well as the other Straw Hat pirates.
Monkey D. Luffy vanquished the 3 biggest bounties in East Blue: Buggy, Krieg, and Arlong. He co-conspired in breaking out of the Impel Down with other escapees. During the Ennies Lobby’s arc, he defeated Rob Lucci and declared war on the world government.
Even though Doflamingo used to seem invincible back in those days, Luffy was able to overpower him and in doing so he also revealed the crimes Doflamingo committed while being under the government’s protection.
Monkey D. Luffy invaded Marineford not once but twice. The first one was during the Summit war, he pummeled all three of the World Government’s major facilities. The second time was a couple of weeks later and during this time he arrogantly rang the Ox bell 16 times in total. He also freed Ace during the Paramount war, didn’t he ?
For a guy who has created so many problems for the world government. How much do you think the bounty would be on his head ?
1.5 BILLION BERRIES !!!
It was revealed in the 879th episode. Along with this new bounty, it was also revealed that Monkey D. Luffy is now recognized as the « 5th Emperor ». While Shanks reacted positively to this news, the other 3 emperors of the sea gave an opposite reaction, they flinched a lot on this news.
Before we move on to the next segment of this post, here is an interesting fact about Monkey D. Luffy that almost everybody knows about. It’s just that they never realized it. Monkey D. Luffy is the only known pirate to escape all 3 of the top government facilities : Ennies Lobby, Impel Down and Marineford.
Now that we have laid the groundwork of this incredible character. How about we analyze Luffy transformations. They are what make the series so epic after all !
ALL LUFFY TRANSFORMATIONS
1 – Luffy Gear 2
The Gear 2 is indeed Luffy first transformation (Episode 272). The place where Monkey D. Luffy first used his Gear 2 was Ennies Lobby (Episode 272)
During his fight with Blueno, Monkey D. Luffy stated his 2nd Gear as :
« I’ve thought of a way to fight with all my strength so I won’t lose to anybody! So I won’t ever have to lose anybody. You won’t be able to catch up with me anymore. All of my techniques have evolved by one step »
The science behind this transformation is, Luffy increases the size of his blood vessels. Which ultimately enables him to pump an insane amount of Oxygen.
This Oxygen endorses the physical capabilities of Luffy’s body which in turn allows him to exponentially increase his overall speed and power.
However, as they say, excess of everything is bad. Luffy Gear 2 allows him to use more of what he has but it also makes him hungrier than usual.
Not to mention, Rob Lucci predicted that excessive use of Gear 2nd will eventually decrease Luffy’s lifespan.Still, that was before the time skip. At present, the effects that were once considered harmful, no longer pose a threat to Luffy.
Luffy 2nd gear is no longer the reckless accumulation of oxygen that it used to be. If one wants to understand Luffy’s 2nd gear a little better. The best approach would be to refer to Goku’s Kaioken. Both Kaioken and Gear 2 enhance the physical capabilities of the user to a terrifying degree. When considering this fact, it would also help to take into account that Oda was deeply inspired by Dragon Ball Z, that’s why there are a lot of similarities. Still, One Piece is a lot more in depth that Dragon could have ever been.
From what we have seen so far, it is obvious that Luffy loves the idea of using the word “Jet” while naming his attacks. That’s why we have almost all of Luffy Gear 2 attacks are named like this,
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet
- Gomu Gomu no Twin Jet Pistol
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Rocket
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Migawari
- Gomu Gomu no Jet Hammer
And the list goes on…
So that was Luffy’s Gear 2nd. Let’s move onto the next one.
2 – Luffy Gear 3
Luffy Gear 3 also made its debut at Ennies Lobby (Episode 288)
Unlike Luffy Gear 2 this one is more efficient as it doesn’t drain that much stamina. Luffy just has to blow into his thumb and he can inflate a certain part of his body. In doing so, the size of that body part substantially increases. And as everyone already knows, the bigger the size, the greater the impact !
The only apparent drawback is that he has to sacrifice agility for using the Gear 3. An increase in size of the limbs would decrease his ability to swiftly move through space. That’s why Luffy 3rd Gear is only used when sheer force is needed.
Another thing to note here is that Luffy can also transfer air in between his body parts. He can switch from one body part to another. However, during that transfer, he becomes vulnerable to enemy attacks and that can be considered a disadvantage.
But that isn’t the only disadvantage. After deactivating his 3rd gear, Luffy starts to shrink in size to the point that he is nothing more than a pipsqueak.
After the time skip, Monkey D. Luffy gained better control over this new form. He has also gained an arsenal of handful techniques that suit well with this transformation. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
- Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun
- Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gatling
- Gomu Gomu no Grizzly Magnum
- Gomu Gomu no Thor Elephant Gun
- Gomu Gomu no Gigant Tsuppari
As you can see these attacks have been named after elephants and guns which fits well with the whole idea of Luffy Gear 3.
Even though. Luffy 3rd Gear used to make him shrink, after the time skip he no longer shrinks by using these attacks.
Luffy using Gear 3 against Kaido :
3 – Gear 4 Luffy
Gear 4 Luffy is perhaps the coolest of them all but what episode does Luffy use Gear 4 for the very first time ? Well, you see even though it was such a legendary moment many fans forgot the exact episode number. The answer to that question is here.
What episode does Luffy use Gear 4 ?
Monkey D. Luffy used the Gear 4 in the 726th episode of the anime and the 786th chapter of the manga.
The way Luffy initiates Gear 4 is by first activating his Haki and biting his forearm, then he inhales a stupendously large amount of oxygen into his body but before he distributes that air inside his body, he inflates his muscular structure. Not to mention, that his legs stay the same.
Compared to the Gear 2nd and the Gear 3, Gear 4 Luffy happens to be a lot more than just a single transformation.
We can say without a doubt that Luffy’s Gear 4 form is Luffy Ultimate form and his final form too.
Luffy has categorized his Gear 4 transformation into 3 kinds of forms for the moment.
LUFFY GEAR 4 TRANSFORMATIONS
1) Gear 4 Luffy Bounce Man – Gear 4 Luffy Bound Man
This form first appeared in the 726th episode and the 784th chapter of the manga.
Luffy Gear 4 first apparition :
As you can see, it is the first one of all three Luffy Gear 4 forms. Luffy bounce man form envelopes his upper body into Haki, his proportions get bigger, however, his legs stay the same. That’s why this one is called Gear 4 Bounce Man form, as he is no longer able to maintain his body balance on his legs he has no choice but to keep bouncing.
Despite the incredible advantages that come from this form there are still a few disadvantages, Gear 4 Luffy Bounce Man form makes the proportions of his body unstable. Which is why his landings also become unstable and in order to counter this drawback, Luffy bounces of the moment he touches the ground but that can sometimes make him lose his momentum.
The Gear 4 Bounce Man form also makes him more open to attacks from stronger opponents like Kaido of the beasts. This form of is Luffy Gear 4 form with the most striking force.
Here are some of his new techniques :
- Gomu Gomu No Kong Gun
- Gomu Gomu No Rhino Schneider
- Gomu Gomu No Culverin
- Gomu Gomu No Leo Bazooka
- Gomu Gomu No King Kong Gun
- Gomu Gomu No Kong Organ
Gear 4 Luffy Bounce Man form attacks :
2) Gear 4 Luffy Tank Man – Luffy Tank Man
In the 806th episode of the anime, we fans realized that Luffy’s Gear 4 is not just limited to the Bounce Man form. There are more than one variants.
The title of that episode was : “The Power of a Full Stomach – New Gear Fourth Tankman ! “
As the title says, Gear 4 Luffy Tank Man is related to the unfathomable power of his stomach. Be that as it may, Luffy Tankman form is limited to the number of biscuits he consumes. After his metabolism increases, he has to leave his Tankman form. This is exactly what happened during his fight with Cracker.
The immense amount of cookies he had previously eaten burn off, and so does his form.
Luffy defeats Charlotte Crakcers his his new Gear 4 Tank Man form :
3) Luffy Snake Man – Gear 4 Luffy Snake Man
The first time that this form ever appeared in the anime was during the legendary encounter between Luffy and Katakuri. To be more precise, it was during the episode 870. This new form was eagerly awaited by many fans
What makes Gear 4 Luffy Snake Man stand out is the fact that Luffy doesn’t expand that much, unlike his other forms. That is the reason, Luffy gains an enormous increase in his speed and ability, just like a real snake !
Luffy Snake Man form is more about speed and agility than raw physical strength. One can say that Gear 4 Luffy definitely evolved with this form. As the importance of speed becomes significant against stronger opponents, the Snake Man form was a great step forward.
When it comes to strength, Luffy Snake Man transformation is weaker than the other two. This also makes his defense a little weaker but the speed and agility cover up for those weaknesses.
Gear 4 Luffy Snake Man form was able to go beyond Katakuri’s ability, he was faster than Katakuri’s future prediction showing that the Snake Man form is the fastest and most agile form
Here are some of his new techniques :
- Gomu Gomu No Jet Culverin
- Gomu Gomu No Black Mamba
- Gomu Gomu No King Cobra
Luffy uses his new Gear 4 Snake Man form against Katakuri :
From what we have discussed so far, it is clear that Luffy Gear 4 is extremely strong and versatile, there are many variants that Luffy can choose from depending on the opponent.
However, since Luffy Gear 4 is extremely strong, the question that remains is :
“How long can Luffy use Gear 4 ?”
We all know that there is a limit to how much Luffy can use his Gear 4 transformation. Once that limit is reached, he reverts back to his base form, utterly exhausted. That limit is a little different for all three of Luffy Gear 4 forms.
Tankman depends on the number of biscuits he has consumed, as well as his stamina. The other forms have their own limits. In the manga it was said that Luffy can maintain the Gear 4 for only a few minutes.
For now, Luffy doesn’t have the same amount of control like the one that he has on his Gear 2 and Gear 3. We’ll just have to wait and see where this goes in the future.
4 Nightmare Luffy
This form isn’t exactly a gear transformation but it is still something that deserves to be explained. The Nightmare Luffy form is pretty simple, in this form Luffy turns blue and his strength somehow surpasses that of a giant Oar. His speed becomes similar to that of his 2nd Gear.
So how was Luffy able to gain this form ? The Nightmare form was made possible by shadows. Indeed, while fighting Moria Luffy was able to free all of
the shadows that Moria had gathered and then contained almost 100 shadows within himself. However, during that fight, The Nightmare Luffy transformation only lasted for about 10 minutes after that the shadows returned to their original owners.
Luffy Eats Hundred Souls and Transform into Nightmare Luffy :
Even though, there is no obvious drawback to Nightmare Luffy transformation, except the time limit, we might never be able to see this from again, as without Moria this transformation wouldn’t have been possible in the first place.
Conclusion :
We hope that you liked this article about Luffy transformations, with his different transformations, Monkey D Luffy will definitely be the next Pirate King ! Tell us in the comments below which character we should do next time !
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